Is ‘Poker Face’ A Superhero Show?
by Frank Martin
There have been many detective shows over the years. Colombo, Elemental, and even House MD come to mind. In all of these stories, the detective relies on his skill of deduction in order to solve a crime (or medical mystery). These skills are human in nature. The detectives are just very good at seeing what often goes overlooked through focus, intelligence, and education. Poker Face, on the other hand, is a detective show that does not rely on any of these things. The main character isn’t necessarily a detective. The only thing that allows her to have an upper hand when solving the mystery is the fact that she has an uncanny ability to tell when someone is lying. In fact, the ability almost borders on the supernatural. It begs the question whether or not Poker Face is actually a superhero show in disguise.
Of course, being able to tell when someone is lying is an important skill for an investigator. Detectives take courses and train in the art of deception to tell when someone they’re interrogating isn’t being truthful. There’s even an entire show, Lie to Me, dedicated to the science of micro expressions and being able to see through falsehoods. But that isn’t what’s happening in Poker Face. Charlie Cale, played by Natasha Lyonne, doesn’t have any training. In fact, she’s not even a detective by trade. She can merely tell when someone is lying just by hearing their words. She can’t even explain how she does it. It’s just an inherent skill, similar to when a super-powered individual has extraordinary abilities.
Whether or not Poker Face classifies as a superhero show really depends on the definition of a superhero. The traditional idea of a superhero is a costumed crime fighter who heads out into the world in order to stop bad guys. But this definition has been stretched over the years to incorporate all different kinds of heroes. Someone can have a supernatural ability but not necessarily want to use it in the pursuit of good and justice. Charlie can certainly fall into that territory. After all, she doesn’t go searching for murders to solve. She just kind of stumbles into them. But when she does, she has an intrinsic drive to set things right. This duty to the deceased — coupled with her extraordinary talent — means that Poker Face may just indeed be the most low-key superhero show ever made.
Poker Face is now streaming on Peacock.
