Poker Face (TV Series) Escape from Shit Mountain (2023) User Reviews

Episode 9

[bobcobb301 · 8/10 · 4 March 2023]

I thought that the first episode and last week gave us the best episodes of the show, but this one may have been the tops.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt was perfect for this role and played it perfectly. The opening sequence and the routine on repeat had me rolling on the floor laughing.

We also Charlie in some serious danger and have to use some skills other than her BS detector to evade punishment. That was a necessary step for this show to take.

Poker Face continues to be an absolute hit in terms of viewership and quality for Peacock and I cannot wait for what the finale has in store for us next week.

And There Were None meets Evil Dead

[joannapinto-86653 · 9/10 · 2 March 2023]

Pardon the headline but that's how I think that the 9th episode of Poker Face can be described in a nutshell. It's by far the best of the entire series, and in a way sets up the finale.

In most television shows that I have watched, the penultimate episode often fails to hit the mark- Poker Face is the first show which is the exception. Wonderfully cast guest stars (who can forget Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a staple of Rian Johnson filmography, or Stephanie Hsu from Mrs Maisel or Everything, Everywhere At Once?) and Natasha Lyonne in a cabin? TV gold!!!

For those who are fans of Rian Johnson, one can see the many Easter eggs that you'd find in his previous works- Charlie's constant passing out and Brendon Frye's similar spells in Brick, Gordon-Levitt's character a stand in for Edward Norton's Miles Bron, and one scene from Knives Out that I won't explain.

Anyway- I've said what needs to be said- Rian Johnson, you directed another exceptional hour of a murder mystery with amazing cinematography, exceptional acting, and I can't wait for more Charlie Cale stories in Season 2!

Cliffhanger with a capital C

[MzKarizzma · 9/10 · 3 March 2023]

Yikes. I don't want to give anything away, but this episode was true edge-of-your-seat material. Natasha is fantastic as her character gets personally wrapped up in making sense of yet another set of twisted criminal circumstances. The comic relief moments between Charlie and "Morty" were much appreciated and provided respite from the intensity of the overall plot. Great acting and directing, as usual. Since this is the penultimate episode in Season 1, I get the impression that one story thread that seemed not to connect to the plotline will somehow be resolved in the final episode. I am really looking forward to this as well as the entire next season.

Exuberant and exhilarating episode with nods to Fargo and Agatha Christie

[FlexSupSimplex8 · 3 March 2023]

There may be a certain expectation, on the part of viewers, for showrunners to keep their most expertly crafted -arrows- in the holster until the very end of the season, but still: this beauty of an episode, with its daring, even experimental narrative structure, truly left me in awe. And while criticism was often directed towards Charlie being reckless and unprepared when confronting the culprits, they here go their own, completely unexpected way of showing her vulnerability as a young woman on the run. Anyone claims -I saw that coming-, well, you know the answer to that^^

Here's me hoping to succeed in not spoiling too much when I say that chapter 9 of this little gem of a crime series has gorgeous cinematography and a lovely setting (Fargo & The Shining come to mind), yet another round of impeccable guest actors (boy do I love JGL in THAT nasty role for a change!), amazing, positively mind-boggling storytelling, and the already signature slick humour mostly transported by the witty dialogue of the main character.

To me, this is Rian Johnson at his finest and one (way too short, or so it feels) hour of unmitigated enjoyment for crime buffs.

Rian is my GUY!

[ohheyitsderrick · 9/10 · 3 March 2023]

The episodes in this series that Rian Johnson have directed hit different, and my guy was COOKIN' with this one. RJ did not come to play.

The featured cast was great, the twist at the beginning was welcome in a show where things can start to feel formulaic, Rian's style glowed, and the tension in the story had me locked into it from start to finish. The only times I looked away were when ad breaks fired up, because I'm cheap and only pay for $5 Peacock.

I was so immersed that when Charlie was seemingly killed towards the end of the episode, for a SPLIT second I believed it, despite there clearly being an entire last episode that is set to air next week, and an entire second season that Poker Face has already been renewed for. Nothing quite like getting lost in a suspension of disbelief. That's the magic of a good episode of television.

I also loved that the Morty pickpocket gag had a really substantial payoff in the main plot. Well, seemingly.

Speaking of which, the episodes that relate back to the main, overarching story with Ben Bratt and Charlie on the run have been the best, most cohesive of the run. I hope that the impending doom of Ben Bratt or a similar character is further emphasized in season 2.

"I don't just steal wallets. I take pride in my work."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 15 March 2023]

Racing toward its ten episode series conclusion, this one will leave you gasping for the fate of Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) when she tangles with a murderous Trey Nelson (incorrectly identified in the credits as Mendez), portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. You wouldn't think a baby face like Levitt could be this cruelly violent, but the answer to all his problems here is to murder anyone that could do him in as the killer in a ten year old missing person case. I thought the gimmick involving 'Morty Bernstein' (Stephanie Hsu) stealing Charlie Cale's (Natasha Lyonne) wallet was a bit overdone, although it did provide for a clever case of mistaken identity to set us up for the season finale. Charlie gets a real working over in this story, and after getting hit by a car, getting stabbed by Trey Nelson, and finding herself dumped in a hole in the woods (not once but twice!), a certain suspension of disbelief is in order. Except for her tangle with the former hippie ladies in 'Time of the Monkey', Charlie made it through the first season relatively unscathed, but she made up for that here big time. What we're all waiting for is to see what happens in the final episode if and when Cliff Legrand (Benjamin Bratt) finally catches up with her, and she has to face the wrath of Sterling Frost, Sr.

Wowza. Great episode.

[flans-15492 · 9/10 · 21 March 2023]

One point off for gory elements. Loved it!!! Gave me Kill Bill vibes meets classic horror slash thrillers... but also just Rian Johnson style. Highly recommend. Motel setting was fab, spooky mooses, and also loved Stephanie Hsu's klepto character. Most violent that I have seen Poker Face yet. Curious to see how it will all connect in the final episode. Loved that Charlie Kale got renamed Jane Doe. Then her screaming "I'm dead! I'm dead! I'm dead!" Fun crazy kooky episode all around. Levitt's character felt as developed as it could be; over rich and over ripe and full of it. Glad he got what was coming to him. Thanks Poker Face team for another amazing episode.

Escape from

[Prismark10 · 7/10 · 3 September 2023]

Charlie Cale finds herself in constant danger in this story and it is not from Cliff Legrand.

Stuck in a snowy mountainous region. Charlie is run over by rich guy Trey Mendez (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) on parole for insider trading and has an ankle monitor. However a blizzard deactivated and Trey took out his Lamborghini out for a spin.

Fearing she is dead Trey and his friend Jimmy Silva, bury her in the woods. However Charlie digs herself out and arrives at Jimmy's motel.

Soon followed by kleptomaniac shoplifter Morty (Stephanie Hsu) who had earlier taken a ride with Charlie before her car got stranded.

However it soon becomes clear that Charlie was buried beside another dead body. It could be the body of missing Chloe Jones. She has been missing for years and both Trey and Jimmy knew her.

Directed by Rian Johnson. Once again the formula is varied. Charlie is in severe peril, Trey is an arrogant sociopath and will stop at nothing to get himself in the clear. The tension is ramped up in this one.

Invincibility her new superpower I guess

[stevenmonkeydishwasher · 1/10 · 5 March 2023]

This person gets hit by a car and stabbed in the heart and walks away basically fine, ya that's the biggest crock of BS, once again this show is so awful at it's storytelling it's absurd, not too mention how dumb the initial scenario is, you hit her with your car and then even though she's still breathing you put her where there's a hidden body? So dumb, and once again same guy "kills" her....didn't learn your lesson the first time...once again same place still breathing all while managing to clasp an ankle monitor....didn't notice that when dragging the body? Really!! So many logical inconsistencies in this episode that killed what little this show still had going at this point, and it ends with that overarching completely uninteresting narrative.

Charlie dead?

[AvionPrince16 · 7/10 · 9 March 2023]

A case pretty different because we dont actually see the murder despite that there is a murder done a long time ago. But Charlie will discover the body that will lead to suspicions to a guy who get monitored by the police and we will discover slowly what he really is. A pretty interesting case with a different structure and make it interesting despite it. I enjoyed the case and find it still interesting. Charlie met also another woman who steal always her wallet. She was pretty interesting to discover. So yeah the episode also make Charlie past came back at the end where we see Cliff had under surveillance Charlie. The interest came back again and we will see maybe the next events where we left it from episode 1. Great.

Poker Face podcast and this episode

[bcampbell-19 · 2/10 · 6 September 2023]

Firstly, there is an excellent Poker Face podcast by two Scottish guys, Gerry and Iain which you should all check out. You can subscribe to it via their Columbo podcast on Apple, Spotify and Youtube.

The episode is dreadful.

Poker Face started well but got worse each week. I didn't think it could get lower after the episode with the lady in the wheelchair climbing up a outside building to the floor above or the ridiculous fight scene at the end of that episode.

Well it did.

I can't buy into the story when Charlie gets run over at high speed then gets buried alive and not only survives but is relatively unscathed , all things considered.

The series could have been so much better as it had lots of promise.

Oh. Now I get it...

[Zett76 · 6/10 · 20 April 2023]

It took me a while. I was bickering about all the unbelievable stuff, before. Like when old, disabled women act like world class climbers, while a ten feet fall is a sure-fire (two-time) death trap... but with this episode it is absolutely clear: This is not our world. This is a parallel universe.

With it's own rules. Anything goes.

Or at least for some. Charlie, for example, is able to not only survive getting bumped by an at least 50mph fast car, head on - she is more or less fine.

(the car, of course, too)

I guess the lie-detector thingy was an obvious hint. She has a range of powers.

...Captain Marvel, maybe?

A cursed superhero, of course. She is followed by the angel of death. If you meet her... RUN. There will be blood.

(but okay, that is a typical 70s and 80s trope)

The story, by the way, is really strange.

E.g., and it's a recurring theme of this show: people are trusting other people way too much, AFTER these people found out that these other people are very, very dangerous.

Or the guy who doesn't even flinch when another guy, in front of him, raises a gun and shoots him in the face.

Oh, and don't get me started on that guy early on, whose "move" is to take off his shirt... cheesiest scene I've seen in a long time.

On a positive note: very able guest stars. And the finale... was cool, at first.

Then I remembered: she's not human. She's superhuman.

She would be fine.