I Was Just Giggling In The Edit Room

July 11, 2025

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Poker Face creator Rian Johnson reveals that Peacock was concerned about one key moment in the season 2 finale. The series debuted in 2023 and follows Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a woman with the ability to tell whenever anyone is lying. Poker Face season 2 took Charlie in a different direction and gave her a nemesis with The Iguana (Patti Harrison), who finds a way to beat Charlie’s lie detection.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Johnson discusses a moment in the season 2 finale that looked to be a cliffhanger. As The Iguana drives towards the edge of cliff, she tests if Charlie can tell if she’s lying. Charlie is able to detect the lie, but the brakes on their car fail, and they careen off a cliff in a Thelma & Louise-style ending. The words “To Be Continued” appear on-screen, only for it to be resolved after a commercial break.

Johnson reveals he was giddy at the text on screen, comparing it to the shows he grew up on. He also says that Peacock was nervous about the decision and hopes that nobody stopped watching. Check out his quote below:

I was just giggling in the edit room getting the timing of that exactly right with Natasha. It brings me so much joy, because I know that we are going to play fair after that break. I hope nobody stops watching after that! Peacock was a little nervous about that. They were like, “Ehh, do you have to put To Be Continued?” I was like, “I think it will be fine.”

But it’s another great harkening back to the commercial break cuts that I grew up with [on TV shows] as a kid. A car would go off the ramp at the Universal backlot, the show would freeze frame and it would be like, “How are they going to get out of this one!”

What This Means For The Poker Face Finale

Don’t Switch Off The Episode

Charlie and the Iguana at a diner in Poker Face season 2

The cliffhanger moment in the Poker Face season 2 finale can play differently depending on what streaming package viewers have. If you pay for Peacock without ads, the resolution will come almost immediately. However, any audience member who has Peacock with ads will have to sit through those first.

Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale in Poker face season 2

Perhaps the greatest achievement of Poker Face season 2 is that, despite its obvious and steadfast algorithmic structure, there’s never a dull moment.

It is a gamble, as those with ads might switch it off, considering the screen literally says “To Be Continued,” a general sign that the episode is over. Instead of waiting for the next episode like a Batman two-parter from 1966, this takes a different approach and reaches its conclusion after the break. While it is a funny gag, there is a good chance that some viewers may have missed the end of the episode.

Our Take On The Temporary Cliffhanger

The Episode Feels Like A Throwback

The finale feels like a throwback to classic TV. Poker Face has taken inspiration from Columbo, but has included other tropes as well. The episode was directed by Lyonne and has immediate visual cues, including several freeze frames, that the finale would take a different stylistic approach.

The show has established itself as a fun throwback to the TV of yesteryear, including its quite literal cliffhanger. While it is a relief that viewers didn’t have to wait until Poker Face season 3 arrived to see the conclusion, a few people might have missed the true ending.

Source: THR