And that’s Season 1, folks! Charlie Cale’s first year on the road had come to a close, and my, what a journey it’s been. I’ve found myself enjoying the misadventures of this walking, talking “bullshit” detector. And once again, credit goes to creator Rian Johnson and the amazing Emmy-worthy performance from the brilliant Natasha Lyonne!
THE HOOK comes full circle and brings Charlie back to where it all started – Atlantic City. After the re-emergence of Benjamin Bratt’s Cliff in last week’s cliffhanger, Charlie takes a trip across the country to meet her fate. And like any good episode of POKER FACE, there are twists abound! Ron Perlman makes his long-promised debut. Familiar faces reappear. And we even get a little deeper into the “whos” and “whats” of Charlie. And that is hands down one of the most intriguing things about this episode.
Charlie Cale is one of television’s most likable breakout characters in the last five years! And we got to see her random acts of kindness and intuitive nature throughout this entire season without knowing anything about her origins. But we get them in this episode without giving us everything. And because we love Charlie so much, we are intrigued by learning more about her past and life.
The thing about it is, it’s not as intriguing or suspenseful as ESCAPE FROM SHIT MOUNTAIN. And why would it be? It’s more of a cool-down. But it sets up the dominoes for next season and the ups the stakes by the end of it! I will also say that Charlie makes a lot of bad mistakes in this. I do hope they make her a bit more cautious in the next season. So, for the most part, this is a borderline whenever/now.
However, this season has definitely been a fun ride! And given an intriguing new direction, I can’t wait to see our good friend Charlie again and solve more mysteries with her Season 2. And for that reason, I’m going to tip it toward “now.” The hook will bring us back! And I ain’t telling you no lies!
POKER FACE S1E10 THE HOOK is now streaming on Peacock!
