By Understanding Human Nature, Rian Johnson’s ‘Poker Face’ Is Undeniably Conservative

The latest episode “Poker Face” solidifies it: Rian Johnson’s work as a visual storyteller is fundamentally conservative.

Johnson, an icon among fanboys “The Last Jedi,” Most famous for its renowned “The Best of the…” “Knives Out” films. The writer-director’s latest project — a foray into the world of streaming — fleshes out some of the conservative ideas in Johnson’s work, ideas he probably isn’t even aware rebuke leftist arguments. And it might be the best thing he’s done so far too.

Millennial ‘Columbo’

“Poker Face” Peacock’s new series is about a wandering amateur detective who has an infallible, but unexplained ability to spot lies. The journeyman detective is named Charlie Cale, and she’s wonderfully portrayed by the idiosyncratic Natasha Lyonne, best known in recent years for Netflix’s “Russian Doll.”

Each episode focuses on a different case each week. Charlie solves murders using her unique lie-detection ability, logic and personal senses. It’s essentially a detective show in the tradition of “Columbo” However, the whodunit structure can be inverted into a “howcatchem.” This is because the audience already knows the whodunit and can see how the detective solves the case. “catchem.”

Of Johnson’s six feature films as a writer-director, three are whodunit stories. Although it may not seem so, the detective genre has a tendency to be conservative. Most of the greatest detective stories involve murder, a violent revolutionary act that’s usually about an imbalance of power or stolen property. Either way, it’s the job of the detective to uphold natural rights or law and order against agents of chaos, usually by discerning the truth.

Fundamentally, conservatism and leftism differ in the belief that human nature can be fixed. The conservative believes reality is beyond the control of individuals and can’t be altered. The leftist believes ideological solutions are capable of changing human nature. The leftist sees humanity as a problem that must be solved. However, the conservative views his nature as something to be loved and lived with, and not in the Frankenstein laboratory for political revolution.

The detective is, in many ways the ultimate conservative character. Their logic derives from the human heart. They are constantly on the lookout for truth.

These stories feature many villains who long for revenge. “be their own truth” Or create a new reality. This is why so many norms are broken. Johnson, it’s worth noting, made some of the finest episodes of “Breaking Bad,” This is arguably the most powerful comment on this tragic tendency.

Fighting the Revolution

“Poker Face” is an extension of Johnson’s conservative tendencies. Our collective forgetfulness about the American left’s violent past is one of the most bizarre aspects of American history. For instance, the 2008 controversy over Obama’s connections to Bill Ayers is barely remembered. In episode five, however, “Poker Face,” Our detective character is confronted with the most vile form of American leftism: domestic