The sixth episode of Season 2 of "Poker Face" unfolds within the hallowed halls of Good Hope Academy, an exclusive private school where ambition thrives. We are introduced to Stephanie, a relentless pursuer of accolades, particularlyobsessed with amassing the most gold stars in her class. Her unblemished record, however, suffers a jolting defeat when she is outshone by Elijah, a petite boy whose closest companion is a class pet gerbil named Joseph, in the spelling bee.
Consoling Stephanie, her teacher suggests that there's still the upcoming talent competition to conquer. But later, Stephanie resorts to Google, typing in chilling words: "how to kill a boy’s self-esteem." The internet whispers back a sinister advice – to identify his passion and cruelly obliterate it.
Spying on Elijah as he rehearses for the talent show, Stephanie witnesses him performing magic tricks, culminating in an enchanting act where Joseph, the gerbil, seemingly vanishes inside a paper lantern. The secret lies in a concealed compartment beneath the lantern; Elijah pulls a string, causing Joseph to plummet safely onto cushions, while he swings a hammer onto the empty lantern to finalize the illusion, later retrieving the unscathed gerbil.
Emboldened by her dark plan, Stephanie stealthily procures the keys to the office where Elijah's belongings are kept and sneaks in. On Elijah’s computer, she discovers a cherished baby picture and swiftly replicates it on her tablet. In her haste, however, one of her gold stars slips from her uniform, a clue left behind unnoticed.
The day of reckoning arrives – the talent show. As students take the stage to exhibit their talents, a slideshow curated by Stephanie flickers across the screen, displaying photos of her peers. With a smirk, she informs Elijah that his baby picture is next in line. Realizing the impending humiliation, Elijah dashes to the projector and narrowly averts disaster by deleting his picture at the eleventh hour.
Now, it’s Elijah’s turn to mesmerize the audience with his magic. But this time, the hidden compartment fails to open for little Joseph. Unaware of the malfunction, Elijah brings down his hammer, and in a heart-wrenching instant, Joseph meets an untimely demise, leaving the entire class reeling in shock and horror.
We then turn our focus to Charlie, who eagerly informs her radio confidant, Good Buddy, about her latest employment at a prestigious private school. Perhaps immersion amongst the pure-hearted young ones is precisely what she requires to rejuvenate her spirit? Good Buddy chuckles, offering her his best wishes.
Charlie embarks on her new job, although she soon clashes with the school's rigid principal, Dr. Hamm. Amidst this tension, she forges a bond with the janitor, JB, who is revealed to be none other than Elijah's father. While rummaging through JB's office during a casual visit, Charlie stumbles upon a gold star pin that Stephanie had inadvertently dropped.
The day of the eagerly anticipated talent show arrives, and chaos ensues. Seeking solace, Charlie drops by JB's house, bearing a bottle of whiskey. Inside, she finds Elijah confined to his room, while JB unravels his heartfelt journey into magic following his mother's passing. Now, he yearns to burn it all to the ground.
JB confides in Charlie, suspecting foul play behind Elijah's botched magic trick—someone had deliberately turned the trick's box upside down, preventing Joseph from falling through as intended. Before departing, JB entrusts Charlie with the key to his office, asking her to feed his other gerbils, warning her to exercise caution as Dr. Hamm possesses the only other key.
Back at school, Charlie's eyes catch Stephanie donning the very same gold star pin she had discovered earlier. Intrigued, Charlie attempts to engage Stephanie in a heart-to-heart, probing for the truth and urging her to confess, thereby clearing Elijah's name. However, Stephanie digs in her heels, refusing to budge. Instead, she retaliates by recording a video of Charlie branding her a "pigtailed demon."
Charlie subsequently enlists the help of one of her class's tech-savvy peers and requests to view the footage of the talent show. As she scans through the video, her eyes catch Elijah bolting towards the projector. On the very same computer screen, she stumbles upon the cherubic infancy photograph of Elijah, cunningly nestled within Stephanie's presentation slides.
Dr. Hamm subsequently summons Charlie to her office, delivering the shocking news of her termination. The rationale? She had witnessed the clip where Charlie derisively dubbed Stephanie a pigtailed demon. Charlie clarifies the sequence of events, recounting how Stephanie had distracted Elijah and sabotaged his magic trick by flipping the box upside down, preventing the gerbil's descent. A flash of realization dawns on Charlie—Stephanie must have obtained the keys to JB's office from Dr. Hamm's domain.
Yet, Dr. Hamm remains tight-lipped about the young girl's misdeeds. Instead, she beckons Charlie to a clandestine meeting in the lavatories, where she unveils a dossier laden with incriminating evidence of her gambling addictions and theft from the school's till. It transpires that Stephanie is leveraging this compromising material to exert control over her, and given Stephanie's influential parents, Dr. Hamm finds herself in her clutches.
Stephanie, eavesdropping on the entire conversation, gloats openly in Charlie's presence once Dr. Hamm departs. Charlie then seeks out Ms. Dee, their class teacher, to confide in her about her dismissal. Together, they conspire to devise something special for Elijah.
Upon his return to school, Elijah is delighted to find his classroom transformed into a mini replica of the gerbil-housing boat. His classmates warmly greet him, and Ms. Dee introduces a new gerbil to the class, announcing with a smile that it's Joseph, whom they had successfully rescued! The room erupts in cheers, much to Stephanie's chagrin.
Fueled by rage, she reaches into the school's cash box and sneaks away with the money, meticulously staging the scene to implicate JB. Charlie, with a keen eye for justice, snaps a photograph of her in the very act, freezing the moment of deceit. Faced with the incriminating evidence, she issues an ultimatum: either Stephanie ceases her relentless bullying and extortion of Dr. Hamm, or the picture will see the light of day.
As Poker Face Season 2 Episode 6 draws to a close, Charlie slides into her car, ready to depart, her heart heavy yet resolute. On the dashboard, a golden star glimmers, a token from Stephanie, bearing a silent vow that she will track Charlie down once she blossoms into adulthood.
