Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Poker Face: Season One Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 19, 2023

Poker Face isn't a show about gambling. Rather, it's a show about lie detecting. For those who might not be familiar with the term "poker face," the basic connotation is that someone is attempting to deceive or hide a truth behind a facial facade that masks emotions and offers no "tells," which is particularly apropos to the game of poker, which is all about the bluff and deceit, but it is certainly apropos to other misdirection as well. It's a tactic and technique that habitual liars, or those who find themselves lying for some reason or another, may employ to divert attention away from guilt, a knowledge of a secret, or something similar. So, in Poker Face, the main character uses her power of perception and intuition to help solve crimes, to root out and rat out liars, those who are hiding something. The show is procedural in nature and delivers a delightful, if not somewhat rote and familiar at its core, TV experience that cannot help to remind viewers of other, but not necessarily better, shows, but at the same time it's a show with just enough personality and charm to help it stand tall enough in the crowd, though it certainly never stands all that far out from the crowd.

Offical synopsis: The star-studded mystery, directed by Rian Johnson ('Knives Out'), follows four-time Emmy Nominee Natasha Lyonne's 'Charlie,' who has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. She hits the road with her Plymouth Barracuda and with every stop encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can't help but solve.

Just considering the basic plot dynamics -- this is the story of a person who solves crimes through an almost supernatural ability to discern truth from lies -- other shows like Lie to Me and maybe to a lesser extent The Mentalist immediately come to mind, so in that realm Poker Face is not overtly original. But as it blends that "lie detection" or "unusual insight" characteristic with the classic procedural notes of something like Columbo and set in a more world with more modern sensibilities with some gloves-off TV content, Poker Face begins to demonstrate a little bit more in terms of originality. To be sure, this is not unusually different, but it's more in the way that it brings together its components that sets the show apart from any of its similarly rooted peers. It's edgy, smart, and manages to build character and a broader narrative story within the otherwise constrained limits of a week-by-week procedural nature where most of the faces and places change, but not to the detriment of the show's opportunistic growth areas focused, of course, primarily on Natasha Lyonne's work as Charlie Cale.

And what work it is. Natasha Lyonne is exemplary in the part, bringing together her own brand of crime solving insight with a deeply honed, finely shaped, and extraordinarily well performed work as the lead character. It's layered, evolutionary, evolving, and compelling work that does more to build a character situationally than many other shows do deliberately in more focused character-building exercises. Poker Face maintains core narrative excellence through the individual stories as well. The relatively brief season length means more energy and focus on plot with no serious filler getting in the way. Further, the show is well made and visually arresting; the cinematography and shot construction -- interesting and provocative angles, character framing, and the like -- bring to mind the work in some of the best-crafted TV shows like Better Call Saul.

Poker Face: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

There's no hiding Poker Face: Season One's Blu-ray credentials. The picture borders on striking. It's very sharp but not unnaturally or aggressively so. It captures fine close-up facial and clothing elements with wonderful depth and intricacy, seeming to push Blu-ray just about as far as it can go for overall clarity and definition. Viewers will be routinely astounded at the quality here, especially considering how the show so often uses character and environmental perspective, as well as close-ups, to wonderful effect. Environments are also a big selling point for the image's excellence. The show's locations are oftentimes dense, and the clarity pulls the viewer in with ease and efficiency. There's nary a soft or less than desirable element at play here. Colors are robust and satisfying. The opening episode takes place in a casino, and the floor of the casino offers lights galore and colors abounding. It's a good example of the transfer's ability to push colors to extreme, but the image is also well capable of delivering satisfying punch to clothes, hair, lipstick, and of course other environmental elements as the show progresses. Skin tones are wonderfully balanced, black level depth is rock solid, and white are vivid enough. There is some source noise to contend with, but overall the source is in fine shape, and the encode is likewise very strong.

Poker Face: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Paramount's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers a good listen of high yield and satisfying engagement. Overall clarity is top notch, whether considering dialogue, music, or environmntal content. The spoken word is just as it should be, centered and well prioritized while offering superb definition to the variety of vocal pitches heard throughout the show. Environmntal din satisfies for the level of spatial awareness and the sense of clarity and immersion at work. Musical stretch is good, and while surrounds are not used extensively in music, there is definitely a sense of full stage saturation at work that musically draws the listener into the show. Action elements, like gunshots, hit appropriately hard as well. In short, everything here is in fine working order. The sound design is not extreme, but for what is here the overall depth, engagement, and accuracy produce a very good listen that supports the show about as well as can be expected.

Poker Face: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, this Blu-ray release of Poker Face contains no supplemental content. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Poker Face: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Poker Face has it all going on: a great character, sharp writing, compelling narrative, excellent photography, and a stellar lead performance. This is TV near the top of its game. Paramount's three-disc Blu-ray set is unfortunately featureless, but the video and audio qualities are top tier. Recommended.