Warning! Spoilers ahead for Poker Face season 2, episode 4.

Poker Face delivers one of its most far-fetched (and most fun) murder mysteries to date in season 2, episode 4, “The Taste of Human Blood.” After securing a much-needed fresh start in episode 3, “Whack-a-Mole,” Charlie Cale randomly places her finger on a map of the United States to see where she should go first, and lands on the Florida Panhandle. Unsurprisingly for that setting, the episode kicks off with one of the wildest murders in the series to date.

Fran, a police officer played by Gaby Hoffmann, is furious after being ed over for “Officer of the Year” eight times in a row in favor of Kumail Nanjiani’s “Gator Joe,” a TikTok-ing, catchphrase-spouting, corporate-sponsored influencer cop with an alligator sidekick. Fran slips Joe a reptile laxative to embarrass him in front of his adoring fans, but the dose ends up killing him. Knowing she’ll be found out when they do the autopsy, she feeds his corpse to his own alligator. Enter Charlie, who, it turns out, has fallen in with some animal rights activists hoping to liberate Joe’s alligator.

What separates Poker Face from other case-of-the-week whodunit shows like Columbo and Ironside is that its protagonist is an amateur detective; she’s not officially d with the police. This latest episode plays around with that distinction by planting Charlie at an awards ceremony for cops. So, we’re watching a detective show where our detective is the only person in the room who isn’t a cop.

Kumail Nanjiani Has A Ton Of Fun Spoofing Tiger King & Gaby Hoffmann Grounds The Absurdity

Poker Face Season 2, Episode 4 Has Another Pair Of Great Guest Stars

Much like Poker Face’s three-episode season premiere, “The Taste of Human Blood” is anchored by a couple of fantastic guest stars. Hoffmann grounds the ridiculousness in real human emotion. As Charlie points out, the setup of this storyline is utterly ludicrous, but Hoffmann plays the guilt and the panic totally straight. Nanjiani’s Floridian accent slips in and out throughout the episode, but he’s still hilarious as always. Gator Joe is a mix of Joe Exotic and a generic “Florida Man,” and Nanjiani has a ton of fun with that role.

Gator Joe is a mix of Joe Exotic and a generic “Florida Man,” and Nanjiani has a ton of fun with that role.

The episode presents the Florida Panhandle Cop Awards (or “FlopaCopas”) as essentially the Oscars for cops, and it wrings a ton of great gags out of that absurd comic premise. When the award for “Best Internal Affairs Investigation” is announced, every cop in the room boos. The “Best Undercover Cop” winner can’t be there to accept his award because he’s still embedded in the cartel. Poker Face is as much a comedy series as a murder mystery series, and this episode really leans into the comedy.

Poker Face Season 2, Episode 4's Ending Brings The Story Full Circle

Fran's Crisis Of Conscience Is A Bit Too Convenient, But The Final Punchline Redeems It

Wyatt Cain’s script builds to a great ending that brings the episode full circle. Wracked with guilt, Fran resigns from the police force and takes a job at the alligator sanctuary run by the animal rights activists as a form of penance. Her new boss tells her she’s doing good work and that, if she keeps it up, she could win “Volunteer of the Month.” This Twilight Zone-style back-to-square-one twist suggests she’ll start the cycle all over again and get into a years-long rivalry with another volunteer that will escalate into something deadly.

Poker Face releases new episodes on Peacock every Thursday.

“The Taste of Human Blood” might have a much sillier setup than the average Poker Face episode — the whole thing is basically a lavish, hour-long Florida Man meme — but its execution is just as smart. Cain’s script continually escalates the stakes with fresh twists that keep you guessing, like the revelation that Joe’s sunglasses were mounted with a live-streaming camera when he died. Fran’s crisis of conscience toward the end is a little too convenient, but that “Volunteer of the Month” punchline makes up for it.