As of this writing, there's no official announcement about a third season of Peacock's Poker Face. But the showrunners have clearly left the door open for more stories starring Charlie, the human lie detector. At the end of the second season, Charlie discovered that Alex, the woman she had seemingly befriended by chance at a coffee shop, was actually one of the world's greatest assassins, and that she was simply using her to get to Hasp and kill her. Although Alex succeeded, the police closed in on her thanks to Charlie's quick thinking.
This set off an intense car chase, with Alex holding Charlie hostage, which concluded with Alex flying off a cliff in Charlie's Barracuda, while Charlie barely managed to avoid plummeting. Luca advised Charlie to flee because the FBI was about to pursue her for aiding and abetting the individual who killed Hasp and her son, Kirby. Also, since Alex's body was never found in Charlie's car, or in what remained of it, Charlie probably has to worry about North America's greatest killer coming after her. That said, let me speculate about what might happen in the yet-to-be-announced third season of Poker Face.
Director: Russell Crowe
Writers: Stephen M. Coates, Russell Crowe
Stars: Russell Crowe, Liam Hemsworth, RZA
The golden rule of television is that until you've seen the character's body, you shouldn't assume they're dead. So, yes, even though we saw Alex go off the cliff in Charlie's Plymouth Barracuda, since her body wasn't there after the car crashed to the bottom of the ravine, it's pretty obvious she's alive. I mean, if Charlie, who isn't the most athletic person in the world, could jump out of the car just in time, so could Alex. Yes, she wasn't anywhere near the crash site, but that's because she's the best assassin around. She was probably hanging from the cliff, and by the time Luca rescued Charlie and Annie inspected the burning car, she found a safe place to hide until everyone left.
If Charlie wasn't hurt, it's very likely Alex was unharmed as well. Therefore, based on these parameters, I predict she'll make a triumphant return in Season 3. I don't know if she actually wants to kill Charlie or not. It's pretty obvious they're spurring each other on in ways they didn't realize. However, the only problem is that since Charlie has been accused of complicity in the murder of Hasp and Kirby, he'll try to clear his name by having Alex arrested.
Obviously, Alex doesn't want to go to jail, especially since she's just discovered there's more to learn about her own profession. So that's one of the main reasons she'll be willing to rat on Charlie. That said, it's also possible that Charlie's kindness will force Alex to admit her mistake and, to save her from undeserved punishment, she'll surrender, thus getting the FBI off her back.
As mentioned, the FBI believes Charlie helped Alex kill Kirby and Hasp. Hasp was supposed to testify against the entire East Coast mafia, which would have allowed the FBI to catch all the known mobsters. But without Hasp, they're back to square one. Now, before they can find another way to stop organized crime, they'll try to get revenge for their recent failure—at least by arresting Charlie. Luca has been a great defender of Charlie, but even he's run out of excuses to continue supporting her absurd methods for solving crimes. Yes, he knows Charlie is innocent, but he has no way to prove it.
Besides, he needs to prove he's a competent agent who should be in the field, and the only way to do that is to capture Charlie or risk being driven out by Special Agent Darville, Agent Annie, and Agent Radquist. It's going to be a huge moral dilemma for him because he clearly cares deeply for Charlie and considers her a good friend; however, circumstances force him to forget those ties and abide by the law. So, just as Cliff stalked Charlie in Season 1, Luca and the FBI will do the same in Season 3.
the way, I have a feeling Alex will keep the FBI at bay so she can have Charlie all to herself. Because if the FBI gets to Charlie before she does, her main motivation will be extinguished again. I think a big final reveal of Alex telling Charlie all the ways she thwarted the FBI because of him will be pretty romantic. I know I said before that maybe Alex will turn herself in to the FBI to save Charlie. However, I don't think the FBI should win just because it's the FBI. In this House, we're against all forms of "copaganda."
I don't think there are any Hasp loyalists willing to go after Charlie for his involvement in her murder. Instead, I imagine them helping Charlie after discovering he was an accessory to the murder of the mobster who was about to rat them out in court and send the FBI after them. Sure, Charlie won't like taking credit for something he technically didn't do, but given his situation, he could use all the help he can get. But on second thought, someone in the mob must have hired Alex to kill Hasp.
Alex's agent, Cedric (at least that's what I think his name was without the help of subtitles), didn't mention who was paying them to take out Hasp, but it's pretty obvious it's the East Coast mob. If they discover a loose end to Charlie that could prove his involvement in Hasp's murder, they could join the FBI and Alex in hunting him down. It's also very likely that Kirby's widow, Victoria, and those involved in the Ballzilla Ponzi scheme will turn to the mob to hunt down Charlie and/or Alex, as they consider them the architects of the worst day of their lives.
Good Buddy, the guy Charlie spoke to on the radio during the second season, is voiced by Steve Buscemi. Steve Buscemi himself isn't hired, and then his character doesn't amount to anything. Showrunner Tony Tost has said that Good Buddy will remain a supporting character, communicating with Charlie remotely. But now that Charlie doesn't have access to his radio, won't he be worried about her? I half expected the truck driver heading to Wichita to be Buscemi's Good Buddy, but that wasn't the case.
However, I expect her to launch an investigation of her own to find out what happened to Charlie and why she suddenly stopped communicating with him. If the FBI pursues her, it's very likely her image will appear on television, radio, and the internet. Good Buddy knows what kind of person Charlie is. I don't think she'll believe the story the FBI is selling her. She'll try to find a way to help her. Will we see Buscemi in person in Season 3? Yes, I hope so. I know the internet thinks he's some kind of serial killer stalking Charlie. I think revealing that Good Buddy is the next villain right after helping Charlie out of the jam she's in will be something very special.
Charlie ended the first season on a triumphant note after going through hell in the penultimate episode of the series. She went through hell again in the final two episodes of Season 2, and when we see her getting into the truck headed for Wichita, she's at her worst. Her iconic Plymouth Barracuda is gone. All her clothes are gone. I'm not sure about her financial situation. She's heading to Wichita (of all places) with a dog she rescued from the street, while the FBI, Alex, and the mob are chasing her. From here on, things can only get better. She'll definitely have to keep a low profile.
I'm sure she'll get involved in some strange and peculiar cases. No doubt she'll try to use her lie detector to help good people and punish the bad. But it won't be interesting if, in the third season of Poker Face, her superpower stops working. I mean, it's a classic cliché where the hero can't function properly due to their turbulent emotional state. Charlie is clearly baffled by the fact that people can lie to her and get away with it.
Alex could be the exception. However, what if there are more? That's going to mess with her head. And if her lie detector doesn't work, then who is she in this world? I guess it'll be a lot of fun to see what Charlie is made of without her superpowers. I don't know if the showrunners can spend an entire season with a Charlie without powers. If they can, it'll be amazing to see how she gets her powers back. If not, they should dedicate at least half of the third season to putting Charlie in the shoes of ordinary people who have to deal with a world full of liars without relying on lie-detecting superpowers. Anyway, those are just my theories for the third season of Poker Face.
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