Have you been keeping up with the best superhero show on television? We’re talking, of course, about Poker Face, the episodic detective show created by Rian Johnson and starring Natasha Lyonne. Lyonne plays Charlie, a woman with a secret ability to detect a lie, which Johnson himself admitted that, yes, is kind of a superpower.
The season’s eighth episode, “The Orpheus Syndrome,” was just released (watch it here!) and sci-fi fantasy fans should take note. It was not just inspired by the life and work of legendary animator Phil Tippett, Tippett and his studio created a handful of new creatures and maquettes for the episode.
“Poker Face was the best project that has crossed my radar for quite some time,” Tippett tweeted about the episode. “Working with Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne was a pleasure.” He added, “Clear direction, trust, and no frame fucking always make my day!”
The episode was co-written and directed by Lyonne, by the way, and in it Nick Nolte played a Tippett-esque character named Arthur Liptin. What follows are some images of Liptin/Tippett’s brand-new creations.
Nolte as Liptin with some creatures
Here’s the Tippett character working with some of his creations.
The Red Light
Each character plays a part in the overall narrative of the episode. We’ll start with the being with a red light as a face.
Bright light
Animating the Light
Light head on film
The Director
There’s also a character with a camera as his face, directing the scene.
More director
Black and white director
Animating the director
Three heads
There’s also a three-headed beast.
Beast in action
Black and white beast
Medusa
A large Medusa head is crucial to the story.
More Medusa
Lady in the Water
An almost mer-person comes out of the head of another creation.
Mer-Head
He’s got the mermaid coming out of his head.
Head in action
Tim Russ
Star Trek alum Tim Russ also plays the crucial role of Max — but this isn’t him. It’s an incredibly lifelike maquette of him.
More Max
The whole gang
