*Warning - contains spoilers for Poker Face season 2 episodes 1-3*
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The first two episodes of Poker Face season 2 were very much business as usual.
Delightful, of course, but sticking to the formula of season 1, with Natasha Lyonne's Charlie on the run from gangsters (now led by Rhea Perlman's Beatrix Hasp) and happening across murders as she bolts from town to town.
Then, episode 3 honed in closely on the gang story, with Hasp abducting Charlie, John Mulaney entering the frame as a corrupt FBI agent, and Simon Helberg's Luca Clark returning.
The episode was slightly different than most, but its ending was perhaps even more notable than any changes to the formula, as it saw the hit on Charlie wiped and the mob storyline seemingly come to an end.
This leaves Charlie as a free woman for the rest of the season, able to make her own destiny without looking over her shoulder - and Lyonne has now explained why she and the team decided to make this the case.
Natasha Lyonne and John Mulaney in Poker Face. Peacock
Speaking exclusively with RadioTimes.com, Lyonne said of the decision: "I think that we always enjoy it as almost these… something I call book shelving, but I think there's better words for it, maybe framing.
"Which is the first three episodes of the first and last season, and also this one, are kind of somewhat serialised in terms of Charlie's driver.
"But beyond that, and even those episodes themselves can sort of live alone. Each one of them is a pretty satisfying bottle episode all [on] its own, its own little perfect movie.
"So I think that it's always fun to kind of have this ride where... they're meant to be Columbo. You can pop it on anytime. I don't know where John Cassavetes came from in Étude in Black, but it's fun to see him there, I'm not really overthinking it. So I think that there's a sort of joy to that."
Guest stars yet to appear, who we know will have roles through the rest of Poker Face season 2, include Adrienne C Moore, Alia Shawkat, Awkwafina, BJ Novak, Cliff 'Method Man' Smith, Corey Hawkins, David Krumholtz, Gaby Hoffmann, Haley Joel Osment, John Cho, Justin Theroux, Kumail Nanjiani, Margo Martindale, Melanie Lynskey and Sam Richardson.
Poker Face season 2 will continue airing on Sky Max and NOW on Thursdays.
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
