In the pilot episode of “Poker Face,” we see Charlie Cale getting in her blue Plymouth Barracuda to get as far away as she can from the grasp of her ex-boss’s father, Sterling Sr., who is hell-bent on capturing her and making her suffer as his son did. Although Sterling Jr. was a complete moron and a gambling mogul who abused his position of authority and power, he was still his father’s only son. Sterling Sr. had his most trusted and ruthless man, Cliff, follow Cale and bring her back to LA, where she can meet her end. And now the story continues in episode 2, dubbed “The Night Shift.”
Spoilers Ahead
Episode 2: The Night Shift – Recap
As expected, every episode presents binge-watchers with a new murder mystery and fresh, peculiar faces that Charlie encounters while she is on the run. The second episode in the series deals with the death of Michael Hall, a subway joint employee who’s also a part-time streamer and loves to flaunt his unique subway combos to his fans. Michael is also close friends with Sarah, the pretty girl working in the general store next door, and the duo often indulge themselves in tacky conversation. Unfortunately, Zed, a mechanic employed at the nearby dealership, is jealous of Michael, as he secretly harbors a crush on Sarah. Zed has asked Sarah out for dinner on multiple occasions but has often been turned down, and in a way, he blames Michael for his rejection. Michael, on the other hand, was a decent human being who attempted to help Zed realize that he didn’t need to be so creepy around Sarah and that he’d soon leave this rundown town and succeed in life. His suggestions, however, are lost on him, who, in the next moment, kills him with an iron wrench after learning Michael has won a lottery worth $25,000. Zed killed Michael, believing that Sarah would finally consider going out with him if he was rich. Zed hid Michael’s dead body in a truck and framed an old woman for his deeds.
Helping A Friend
Unfortunately, the queen hailed for calling people’s bullshit has arrived in the town after her car breaks down. Sadly, Charlie had caught a bullet in her waist when Cliff fired on her in the aftermath of a plan gone wrong, forcing her to spend the night in town. Cale is running low on cash and is forced to spend the night in the field, and the next morning he learns that Marge has been arrested for killing Michael. Marge was the same woman who tended to Cale’s bullet wounds, and now she believed it was her time to repay the favor. Charlie began her own independent investigation into the matter and began questioning people around the town, asking about Michael to learn why he was breaking into people’s trucks. After going through the security cameras, Cale notices something is up, and her suspicions about Zed deepen when she learns that he has won a lottery worth $25k on his first try. She questions him directly about the knife wounds on his ankle and catches him lying. She even noticed that someone had messed up with the recording footage, and the only people with access were Zed and his old boss. She also finds Michael’s lucky coin on the roof, where Zed was watching the meteor shower on the night of the murder, putting himw on the scene. On the other hand, Zed disrupts Cale’s brakes after realizing that she is getting closer to the truth. But sadly, it was too late, as Charlie had already put all the pieces together after seeing the serial number on Zed’s lottery ticket, which confirms that the lottery ticket was bought a couple of days earlier, but Sarah confirmed that Zed brought his ticket today. In reality, Zed bludgeoned Michael to death, stole his lottery ticket, put his body in Marge’s truck, and messed with the security cameras. Marge became scared after she found Michael’s body and dumped his body outside in fear of getting framed. Sadly, Cale’s theory of what happened wasn’t enough to put Zed behind bars, and she needed physical evidence. Fortunately, she finds the evidence she desperately needs in the form of the dash cam footage from the truck that has been parked behind Marge’s truck that day and decides to turn in the evidence but has to bail out after she notices Cliff’s car, trusting the townsfolk to do the job. Cliff enquires Sarah about Cale’s whereabouts but is misguided towards the west. The townspeople turned in the evidence, acquitting Marge on all charges. The cops also show up at Zed’s store, cuffing him for killing Michael, destroying evidence, and framing an innocent person, bringing the second episode to a satisfying conclusion.
