Episode 4 of Season 2 of "Poker Face" kicks off with Officer Fran apprehending a thief who attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to burglarize an elderly woman's home. The perpetrator, a father striving to provide for his children, revealed his desperate need for money. Fran, recognizing his plight as a mere lapse in judgment, lets him off with a warning.
Subsequently, Fran's supervisor informs her of her nomination for the Cop of the Year award at the annual Florida police honor ceremony, the FlopaCopa. Though hesitant to invest time in such festivities, she relents under her boss's persuasion. However, during the glittering event, the accolade is bestowed upon Joseph, a cop celebrated for rescuing and subsequently naming a baby alligator Daisy – henceforth known as Gator Joe. Over the span of six years, Gator Joe racks up six consecutive Cop of the Year titles, with Daisy, now a formidable adult alligator, remaining his constant companion.
Meanwhile, Fran's frustration escalates with each passing loss to Gator Joe. As she secures her seventh nomination, her supervisor expresses concern over her intensifying obsession with victory. On the eve of the award ceremony, Fran witnesses the trophies being transported to a secluded room. Sneaking in, she discovers Gator Joe poised to clinch his seventh award, prompting tears to well up in her eyes. His triumphant arrival and smug boasting only fuel her anger, causing her to storm off.
In a green room, Fran encounters Daisy confined in a cage. Rummaging through a chest of Daisy's belongings, she unearths a reptile laxative, which Gator Joe had proudly discussed in his social media videos. Rushing to consult Officer Rusty, an expert in animal control, she inquiries about ingesting reptile laxative for her own stomach woes. Rusty dutifully notes the safe dosage on a scrap of paper.
She then retraces her steps and stealthily pours the laxative into Gator Joe's diminutive bottles of energy drink. The lunch break soon beckons, and Fran watches with anticipation as Gator Joe dashes off to the toilet. She tails him discreetly and eavesdrops with amusement from outside the stall. However, her mirth turns to shock when she hears him slump to the ground. Rushing inside to investigate, she discovers a harrowing sight—Gator Joe lies lifeless.
Horror dawns upon her as she realizes she had misread Rusty's instructions and administered a lethal dose of laxative to Gator Joe. The specter of an autopsy revealing her guilt looms large, prompting Fran to devise a despicable plot to frame Daisy for the crime. She crafts a sinister lure using Oreo biscuits, Daisy's beloved snack, to draw her unwitting victim to the bathroom where Gator Joe's body lies.
When Daisy fails to take the bait, Fran resorts to a more drastic measure. She retrieves a bag of meth—a hazardous prop leftover from the FlopaCopa's use of authentic firearms, ammunition, and narcotics—and empties its contents onto Daisy. The scent is enough to incite the gator into a frenzied rage, causing it to turn its attention to Gator Joe's lifeless corpus. With her handiwork done, Fran slips away, leaving the chaotic scene for others to discover shortly afterward.
Meanwhile, Charlie finds herself randomly pinpointing a location on a map. She grabs the radio she had acquired during the film shoot in Episode 2, hoping to establish contact with someone. To her relief, she manages to converse with a truck driver, whom she affectionately dubs Good Buddy, sharing the lonely highway with her.
Her journey leads her to an animal sanctuary, where she joins a group of passionate animal activists led by a man named Hutch. They are deeply concerned about rescuing Daisy from Gator Joe's drug-induced torment and enlist Charlie's help in their mission. Their daring plan is to liberate Daisy during the FlopaCopa award show, where they hope to thwart Gator Joe's nefarious deeds once and for all.
Charlie steps inside and discovers Daisy ensconced in her verdant sanctuary. The strategy was to wheeled the cage discreetly away during the lunch interval, yet Charlie notices with consternation that the cage lacks wheels. Just then, Fran enters the room, her eyes brimming with tears, prompting an immediate outpouring of comfort from Charlie before she exits.
Hutch instructs Charlie to dismantle the cage and utilize the leash to manually extricate Daisy. As Charlie complies, she locks eyes with Daisy, experiencing a profound, almost cosmic connection that confirms Daisy's gentle nature. Nonetheless, Daisy remains steadfastly unmoving. In search of distraction, Charlie ventures out to procure some Oreos.
Upon her return, the cage stands eerily empty, and Gator Joe lies lifeless. The police, in a state of disarray, are intent on terminating Daisy. However, her agitated state prevents them from opening the door. Hutch advocates aborting the mission, but Charlie is determined to prove Daisy's innocence. Yet, having tasted human blood, Hutch and his team abandon hope for the alligator. Meanwhile, Fran receives a worried call from her boss, informing her that Gator Joe had posted a TikTok of her weeping over the award. Fran realizes with a shock that Gator Joe was wearing sunglasses equipped with a camera.
She hurries to the officers stationed outside the bathroom, who are eagerly awaiting an opportunity to eliminate Daisy. Pretending the sunglasses were a sentimental gift from Gator Joe's mother, she inquires about them. One officer grimly informs her that the sunglasses are likely inside Daisy by now.
The police finally decide to confront Daisy, only to find the room deserted. The alligator has escaped through a ventilation shaft, now lurking within the walls. Meanwhile, Charlie confers with Rusty, pondering what could have so drastically altered Daisy's demeanor. She realizes it might be the bags of methamphetamine scattered about. By scrutinizing event photographs, she discovers one bag is missing.
As the police officers armed themselves for the hunt to capture Daisy, Charlie ventured into the storeroom and discovered the alligator there, having devoured an astonishing amount of Oreos. Soon after, Fran arrived on the scene, prompting Charlie to endeavor to persuade her of Daisy's innocence. Unwilling to let the sunglasses found inside Daisy incriminate her, Fran assisted Charlie in smuggling the gator out and concealing it in her police vehicle.
They embarked on a journey towards a swamp, with Fran pretending to intend to set Daisy free. However, Charlie, wise to her true intentions, caught Fran just as she was about to pull the trigger. The truth unfolded, and Charlie exhorted Fran to confess her error.
Instead of confessing, Fran aimed to shoot Charlie, but Daisy, with a swift swipe of her tail, brought Fran crashing down. As Fran gazed into Daisy's eyes, she underwent the same cosmic realization that had struck Charlie. Convinced, she agreed to confess.
Just before they reached the swamp, Daisy relieved herself, and out came Gator Joe's sunglasses. Fran handed them over to her supervisor and confessed everything, but he was reluctant to let her take the fall. He valued her as a competent officer and wanted her to stay. However, Fran relinquished her badge and took up a position at the animal sanctuary instead.
Meanwhile, Charlie returned to her car and recounted her adventures to Good Buddy. Catching sight of Daisy gliding by in the nearby river, she called out to her. Daisy approached Charlie with surprising swiftness. Remembering the warnings about the allure of human blood, Charlie hastily drove away. As she departed, Daisy rolled over in the water, bringing Poker Face Season 2 Episode 4 to a captivating close.
