‘Poker Face’ Exclusive: Natasha Lyonne Gets Cozy With Judith Light and S. Epatha Merkerson in Episode 5 Clip

After Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) accompanied a metal band on a deadly tour in Poker Face Episode 4, she seeks refuge in a calm, quiet retirement home in Episode 5. Or so it seems, in Decider’s exclusive look at the next episode of Peacock’s crackling good mystery series.

The official episode description for “Time of the Monkey,” the fifth episode of Rian Johnson’s new 10-episode mystery-of-the-week series on Peacock, reads, “Working at a retirement home, Charlie makes friends with two rebellious old ladies who may have taken matters into their own hands.” Written by Wyatt Cain and Charlie Peppers, and directed by Lucky McKee, the hour-long episode premieres on Thursday, February 2. But if you devoured Poker Face‘s first four episodes and can’t wait for more case cracking with Charlie, Decider has an exclusive clip of Episode 5 to hold you over.

The nearly two-minute-long video at the top of this page opens with Charlie and her new besties — Irene Smothers (Judith Light) and Joyce Harris (S. Epatha Merkerson) — laughing, smoking, playing shuffleboard, and chatting. The duo tell Charlie about being “political prisoners” in their college years, and after cracking some jokes and wrapping up a game, the three head inside the retirement home to continue bonding. Charlie cozies up with her feet on a couch for story time, and Irene and Joyce show her a photo of them back in the day before diving into their friendship history.

“I was on the straight and narrow before I met my guardian devil,” Irene explains. “She was shouting down some coeds on the quad, and I heard what she was saying and my brain opened up. World didn’t make sense before that. And then it did…She brought me into the group. Changed my life. Introduced me to Gabriel.”

We’re dying to know more about this “group” Irene and Joyce were in, but Charlie interrupts with another pressing question: “Oooh la la. Who’s this Gabriel?”

Joyce explains 
Gabriel started “the group,” recruited her, and trained and inspired her and Irene. “He was our guiding light,” she recalls, to which Charlie replies, “I see what’s happening here. I’m getting a real magnetic vibe. Like a cult leader with pretty eyes.” Irene argues Gabriel looked more like “one of those white guys you see in the picture frames that you buy from Target.” And Joyce snaps, “Excuse me! Gabriel was hot.”

Before the clip concludes, Charlie decides to picture Gabriel with the hotness level of her high school French teacher. But we still have so many questions! For starters, what’s up with this group the ladies were in? How do these edgy senior citizens fit into Episode 5’s mystery? And will we ever get to lay eyes on the alleged smoke-show Gabriel?

We know Poker Face is a no-frills series, so Charlie’s friendship with Irene and Joyce, the details shared in these conversations, and, of course, Gabriel (oooh la la!) must all be crucial components of the episode. In true Poker Face fashion, the fun lies in figuring out how and why the pieces fit. In addition to Lyonne, Light, and Merkerson, Episode 5 also stars Simon Helberg, Reed Birney, and K. Callan, so it will be interesting to see their characters come to life on February 2, as well.

The first four episodes of Poker Face are currently streaming on Peacock. New episodes premiere weekly on Thursdays.