‘Poker Face’ Has A New Kind Of Moriarty
by Frank Martin
Heroes are often complimented by their villains. In the case of Sherlock Holmes, his arch nemesis is undoubtedly the criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty. In pop culture, this is a solidified fact. However, Moriarty shows up in an extremely limited amount of Holmes stories. His rivalry with Sherlock is more of an intellectual one, an instance not dictated by their numerous adventures but by the threat Moriarty poses for Sherlock. In the Peackock series Poker Face, the main character, Charlie (Natasha Lyonne), shares a lot of similarities with Sherlock Holmes, and she also has a similar rivalry.
Unlike Sherlock, Charlie isn’t a detective. Instead, she’s gifted with an almost supernatural like-ability to tell when people are lying. This causes her to become obsessed with figuring out why people aren’t telling her the truth. That’s how her mystery-solving escapades begin. Like Sherlock, every story Charlie is involved in is nearly standalone. In one episode, she finds herself in a retirement home and immediately befriends two women whom Charlie finds a kinship with. In reality, these women are killers that are hiding in witness protection. When an old enemy returns, they decide to murder him.
Despite being elderly, these women are still on top of their game. They cover their tracks very well when committing the murder. In fact, it’s very difficult for Charlie to deduce the truth and have the women exposed for committing the crime. In contrast to the other episodes, Charlie is extremely conflicted about turning these women in. They are her friends and she looks up to them. But they are also hardened killers who are very good at evading responsibility. This creates a rivalry of mutual respect between the women extremely similar to the relationship Sherlock and Moriarty share. So it’s very interesting to see the similarities and differences between Sherlock Holmes and Poker Face and how it extends to creating an arch-nemesis for both heroes.
Poker Face is now streaming on Peacock.