Time of the Monkey
After her friend is found dead, Charlie uncovers a plot where the owner's son ordered her murder to protect a powerful client.
For the episode, Judith Light won Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the 75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
At the Mossy Oaks retirement home in Millbrook, Ohio, friends Irene (Judith Light) and Joyce (S. Epatha Merkerson) live together in the same apartment.
They then leave for the local zoo, where Joyce tasers Irene, causing the heart monitor on the wearable to flatline and alerting the staff, who pronounce Ben dead.
Irene and Joyce reveal that in their youth, they were hippies and part of a polyamorous cult, with both women having relationships with the leader, Gabriel.
At his funeral, Charlie meets with Luca, who reveals that he is actually an FBI agent who was guarding Ben in the witness protection program.
With the help of a trio of murder-mystery-loving women known as "the Fletchers", Charlie learns that sodium nitrate could kill a person without leaving any trace in the autopsy, with Joyce having access to it.
With the help of Pervy Pete and resident Betty (K Callan), she learns about erotic tasing and finds that Joyce tasered Irene, which could simulate a heart attack.
Luca offers Charlie a job at the FBI but she declines, realizing that the bureau has not received her evidence against Kazimir Caine.
Johnson stated that the series would delve into "the type of fun, character driven, case-of-the-week mystery goodness I grew up watching.
[4] The episode featured appearances by Simon Helberg, Judith Light, S. Epatha Merkerson and Reed Birney, who were announced to guest star in June and September 2022.
He explained, "That's always the slight tempting thing [making this the one case where Charlie walked away from the murder of the week without turning the culprits in], because the instant you start doing that subversion of, in this one, it's the killers that she becomes friends with — especially when they're as charismatic as Judith and S. Epatha, it leads to that question.
"[15] Meghan O'Keefe of Decider wrote, "Poker Face Episode 5 is the best of what the murder mystery genre is: an exploration of what we consider good and evil to actually be.
"[16] Sarah Fields of Telltale TV gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "There are no red herrings to mislead us.
The site wrote, "Poker Face's scheming seniors Joyce and Irene might be in a retirement home, but they can still pack a punch.
Esteemed TV veterans Judith Light and S. Epatha Merkerson — who have a trophy room full of acting awards between them — made a killer duo this week as Joyce and Irene, a pair of rebellious former hippies who quickly befriend Charlie by sharing their weed stash.
Light and Merkerson had a vigorous, defiant energy together as the longtime pals gleefully made mischief, and they chilled our blood, too, when we learned they were very capable of murdering anyone who stood in the way of their revolution.
Poker Face is a terrific showcase for one-off guest stars, and Light and Merkerson proved they still have more than a few tricks left up their sleeves.
"[18] Light received a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the 75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
