S02.E03: Whack-a-Mole

[AnimeMania]

Caught between the mob and the FBI, Charlie uses her talents to help a foe find a rat.

Premiere Date: May 8, 2025   Peacock   

John Mulaney as Special Agent Daniel Clyde Otis  

Richard Kind as Jeffrey, the husband of Beatrix Hasp

Rhea Perlman as Beatrix Hasp, a mob boss

Simon Helberg as FBI Agent Luca

[Snazzy Daisy]

I loved this episode. It doesn’t take long to get to the murder, unlike the previous two.

Jeffrey singing “Hello Little Girl” by Big Bad Wolf is a clue that he is a rat.

So, no more running for Charlie Cale. I am glad that this narrative is now over.

[Chaos Theory]

This was a fun transition episode.   Not my favorite but it was a good way to change things up for the rest of the season for. Charlie.   There is only so long she could be on the run before it became silly that no one caught up to her yet.  To end it in a definitive way this early in the season puts Charlie back in control and on the road on her own terms 

[buckboard]

I hope this does in fact mean that Charlie no longer has to be on the run from mobsters attempting to kill her, but I worry that the Four Families won't listen to Beatrix Harp's request to stop going after Charlie, since Beatrix's ratting them out was part of her deal with the FBI.

And, BTW, wouldn't you think hit men for the mob were better shots?  Thank goodness TV hit men aren't.

[AnimeMania]

RJ Brown as Special Agent Gary Presscott
Nick Oddo as Tony Ice Cream
Chris Bauer as Sac Hooper

[Paloma]

Although it's fun to see all the guest stars this season, it is a bit distracting to the plot when they are so well-known. In this episode, it was hard to think of John Mulaney being anyone other than himself, acting the way he normally does as a comedian. And Richard Kind is always Richard Kind, with his distinctive way of speaking and acting. In contrast, although Rhea Perlman is also well-known, after the initial introduction of her character (when I said "look, it's Rhea Perlman!"), she gradually grew into the role.

[possibilities]

So... the husband who was the informant lied to Charlie and she didn't catch it?

[Paloma]

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

So... the husband who was the informant lied to Charlie and she didn't catch it?

No, she caught it but decided it was better not to reveal it to the wife/mob boss at the time--Charlie explained this later, I think when she was talking to her FBI friend.

[fishcakes]

lol at Charlie being suspicious of a guy in a suit and tie drinking milk because the instant I saw Mulaney pour a carton of half & half into a glass and drink it, I knew he was going to be a sociopath.

Really fun episode, but I'm sorry that this probably means no more Rhea Perlman. Charlie being on the run is unnecessary to make the show work, but I was looking forward to seeing Rhea periodically this year.

Beatrix: He was a typical white guy.
Luca: We're all typical white guys! We have some serious flaws with our hiring process.

[Paloma]

50 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

Beatrix: He was a typical white guy.
Luca: We're all typical white guys! We have some serious flaws with our hiring process.

I loved this!

[rcc]

This episode was much better than the previous two. Rhea the mobster was so funny.

[lovett1979]

This episode was written for me and me alone! Rian Johnson (creator of this show) is clearly as big a Stephen Sondheim fan as I am. I probably knew that already based on his facilitation of Sondheim's final film appearance in Johnson's Knives Out: Glass Onion, but this episode tops even that.

Someone already mentioned the reference of "Hello Little Girl" from Into The Woods. But then the 2 FBI agents sang "Here's to us, who's like us, damn few" from Merrily We Roll Along and finally there was "Everybody's got the right to be happy..." from Assassins, including a mis-lip reading of the lyrics, lol.

Plus the guest cast included Richard Kind, who starred in the Off Broadway production of Sondheim's penultimate musical Road Show, and John Mulaney, who wrote a brilliant parody of the documentary about recording Company's original cast album. Mulaney played the Sondheim-esque role in that, and Richard Kind was in it as well, bringing this all full-circle.

[tennisgurl]

I suspected John Mulaney of being the mole as son as we saw him, not just because he's one of the most recognizable actors in the episode, but because he was chugging milk! At work! Like a psychopath! 

I really liked that episode, I'm glad that we have finally ended Charlie being on the run, I am excited to see where she explores and what she does now that she's free to roam. 

[sugarbaker design]

22 hours ago, lovett1979 said:

This episode was written for me and me alone! Rian Johnson (creator of this show) is clearly as big a Stephen Sondheim fan as I am. I probably knew that already based on his facilitation of Sondheim's final film appearance in Johnson's Knives Out: Glass Onion, but this episode tops even that.

Sondheim also co-wrote the screenplay (along with Anthony Perkins) of The Last of Sheila, a favorite of Rian Johnson's.

Very tightly written episode, by far the best of season 2, thus far.

 

[Orbert]

For three episodes, I was trying to remember why Beatrix was after Charlie in the first place.  The first season, there was Cliff, but we knew about Frost and why he wanted Charlie dead.  But it somehow pivoted to Beatrix Hasp as the Big Bad by clever use of words like "ruinous" and while I can remember that, I can't remember why Beatrix was after Charlie.  And with three episodes to get through, I didn't want to go back and watch S1E10 again.

But I am glad that that's supposedly over.  I'm an old-fashioned episodic TV guy.  I'd rather just watch the adventure of the week and not have to worry about this overall looming thing that crops up once in a while and is never resolved, or isn't resolved until the last episode of the season or series.  I like that they just decided to toss that, hopefully for good.

Good to see Agent Luca again.  It makes sense somehow that he would be involved in this major turning point in the series, and it was nice to hear him thank Charlie again for doing his job for him.  Bummer about Jeffrey.  I always like Richard Kind even though, yeah, he only ever plays the same character.  You cast him when you need the guy who looks, acts, and talks like Richard Kind.

[ofmd]

22 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I suspected John Mulaney of being the mole as son as we saw him, not just because he's one of the most recognizable actors in the episode, but because he was chugging milk! At work! Like a psychopath! 

I really liked that episode, I'm glad that we have finally ended Charlie being on the run, I am excited to see where she explores and what she does now that she's free to roam. 

I instantly suspected him, too, although drinking milk wasn't a red flag for me.

 

As for Charlie not having to run anymore... I'm not falling for that again! I bet she'll manage to encounter some baddies and be on the run once again...

[shapeshifter]

Loved the guest stars!

[DearEvette]

Oh this was my favorite of the first three..

The dialogue was quick-fire and witty.  The rats vs. moles vs. weasels vs. snakes..

The episode title itself is perfect.

And then we have Beatrix triumphantly stating that Clive Owen  is her informant. LOL.

Good casting in Richard Kind, John Mullaney, Chris Bauer and Rhea Perlman!

I honestly thought the FBI agent who liked plants and bushes might have caught Clive Owen (ha!) on his phone camera in the background exchanging the bullets.

This was a nice, light change of pace from the previous episode that was filled with pathos.

[merylinkid]

On 5/13/2025 at 12:48 PM, Orbert said:

it was nice to hear him thank Charlie again for doing his job for him. 

The whole "she's my friend" thing throughout.   So nice of him.   And his real thanks was making calling off the hit a condition of Hasp's cooperation in exchange for Witness Protection.   

The running joke of "average looking middle aged white guy" to describe the mole in the FBI was HILARIOUS.   

Guess Charlie can lie.   I wondered if her own lying would trigger her physical reaction to lying.   Remember when she worked in the beauty salon and developed a twitch?   Guess its only other people.   

[Haleth]

Aww, Jeffrey. That was sad. Other than that I loved this episode. It’s always fun to see Rhea Perlman. And Richard Kind. <sniff>

[Jordan Baker]

On 5/12/2025 at 12:23 PM, lovett1979 said:

This episode was written for me and me alone! Rian Johnson (creator of this show) is clearly as big a Stephen Sondheim fan as I am. I probably knew that already based on his facilitation of Sondheim's final film appearance in Johnson's Knives Out: Glass Onion, but this episode tops even that.

Someone already mentioned the reference of "Hello Little Girl" from Into The Woods. But then the 2 FBI agents sang "Here's to us, who's like us, damn few" from Merrily We Roll Along and finally there was "Everybody's got the right to be happy..." from Assassins, including a mis-lip reading of the lyrics, lol.

Plus the guest cast included Richard Kind, who starred in the Off Broadway production of Sondheim's penultimate musical Road Show, and John Mulaney, who wrote a brilliant parody of the documentary about recording Company's original cast album. Mulaney played the Sondheim-esque role in that, and Richard Kind was in it as well, bringing this all full-circle.

Wait!! I thought it was written for me!!

I guess the world is big enough for two Sondheim megafans. (Plus, you saved me a whole lot of typing.)

[Milburn Stone]

This was one of the best episodes of any show on television I've ever seen!

Signed,

SondheimFan1000000

(But not only because of that.)

[SomeTameGazelle]

On 5/18/2025 at 8:30 AM, Haleth said:

Aww, Jeffrey. That was sad. Other than that I loved this episode. It’s always fun to see Rhea Perlman. And Richard Kind. <sniff>

I loved the double fakeout with the blanks. I guessed immediately that Jeffrey's death was fake but believed that Luca's was real. And then I was so relieved that Luca was alive but sad that Jeffrey was dead after all.

I laughed out loud when Luca told Charlie she was good at his job.

On 5/13/2025 at 1:16 PM, ofmd said:

I instantly suspected him, too, although drinking milk wasn't a red flag for me.

I didn't even notice the milk but I knew it was suspicious that John Mulaney was there in the background at all. And although they joked about rats vs moles pretty early on I didn't appreciate the distinction until it was spelled out with FBI agents in the picture.