Who Is The Iguana? And Is Alex Dead Or Alive?

When the end credits roll on the Season 2 finale of Rian Johnson’s hit Peacock series, Poker Face, fans will be begging to follow Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) on her next adventure.

The sophomore season of the Columbo-style mystery-of-the-week series saw everyone’s favorite human lie detector come to an agreement with Beatrix Hasp (Rhea Perlman), solve more murders on the road, and finally find a sense of stability — and a friendship with Alex (Patti Harrison).

Then, in Season 2’s eventful penultimate episode, things took a turn when Alex was framed for the murder of Beatrix Hasp’s adopted son by a notorious assassin, believed to be “The Iguana.” The episode ended with Charlie and Alex on the run from Luca (Simon Helberg) and the FBI. And that’s exactly where Season 2, Episode 12, “The End of the Road” picks up.

Written by Laura Deely and directed by Lyonne, the Season 2 finale takes viewers and characters on a wild ride, revealing the identity of the iguana and setting up a compelling Season 3.

So who is The Iguana? Does the FBI catch Charlie and Alex? And where can you find a detailed Poker Face Season 2 finale recap? Decider’s Poker Face Season 2’s ending explained article has you covered!

Poker Face Season 2 Ending Explained: Poker Face Season 2, Episode 12 Recap, “The End of the Road”

Poker Face Season 2, Episode 12 picks up with Charlie and Alex speeding away in the Barracuda desperately plotting their next move. After Alex encourages Charlie to turn her cell phone on, Luca calls and explains that the hitman who killed Hasp’s son was likely The Iguana, a code name for the world’s greatest assassin wanted by every government in the Western hemisphere. He believes The Iguana framed Alex and set them up, hoping Charlie would take him straight to Beatrice. If anything happens to Hasp, Luca says he can’t protect Charlie from the wrath of the FBI, CIA, and NSA, who will ensure she’s locked up for life. As he explains The Iguana is a master of disguise and can look like anyone, the camera focuses on Alex in such a way that makes it impossible not to wonder if she’s The Iguana wearing Alex prosthetics. But Poker Face stans know that’s too simple a twist for a show as meticulously crafted and complex as this, so buckle up for another big reveal.

After Charlie hangs up on Luca, she and Alex seek refuge and refuel at a truck stop. With eyes peeled for The Iguana, Alex heads to the restroom and the two reunite at a booth to chow down some fries and talk strategy. As Charlie explains they only have to stay safe for two weeks until Hasp testifies, a man sitting at the counter with his right hand bandaged in the exact spot The Iguana/Todd’s (Justin Theroux) was at the wedding spots Alex and starts chasing them screaming, “Hey Oyster girl!” Thanks to an assist from men in the parking lot who attack the guy they think is The Iguana, the gals speed away and head for Beatrice’s house to clear Alex’s name.

While they’re on the road, Luca assembles the FBI, CIA, and NSA heads and begs them to release their code words so they can locate Hasp before it’s too late. The top dogs shut down his theory that Hasp’s son was killed in hopes of revealing her location, and they believe The Iguana retired over a year ago. Though Luca loses the fight, he stays loyal to Charlie, calling her “a force of nature, a crime-solving genius with the detail detection of a hawk, the logical meticulousness Sherlock Holmes, and the stubborn persistence of an English bulldog at lunchtime.” He warns them to underestimate her at their peril, and naturally, they do.

Does Beatrice Hasp Die In Poker Face? And Who Is The Iguana?

Before Charlie heads into Beatrice’s safe house in Greenville, Indiana, she tells Alex to stay in the car and slam the horn if anything goes wrong. After the two stress-chew sticks of Big Red chewing gum, Charlie heads to the door, and when no one answers, she heads around back. Shortly before the horn starts honking, she realizes her fatal mistake — but more on that in a bit. She sprints back to the car and finds Alex gone. When she returns to the house, blood falls from the roof, where a murdered US Marshall lies. There’s another body out back, and several more inside, where Charlie bravely explores and finds pots simmering on the stove and Beatrice sitting dead in her TV chair with a single bullet through her head.

As for Alex, she peeks her head out from behind a doorway and asks Charlie for help. It appears she’s being held at gunpoint by someone out of frame, but when Charlie says, “Cut the shit. I know who you are,” she walks into the room with the gun in her hand and says, “I was just fucking with you. Couldn’t resist.” GASP! Alex is actually The Iguana! Si=o what tipped Charlie off? The stick of Big Red, a cinnamon gum! Flashback to Season 2, Episode 10, “The Big Pump,” when Alex told Charlie she was “severely, deathly allergic to cinnamon.” A LIE!

How Did Alex Lie To Charlie?

“I always wondered if you were out there and now I found you: the one person in the world who could lie to me,” Charlie said. So how did she do it? Before Alex reveals her expert lying techniques, she holds Charlie at gunpoint and finally tells the truth.

Alex is the greatest assassin in the world who spent years deceiving and killing some of the world’s most powerful people — from celebrities to royals (and almost a sitting pope, if the rate was higher). After an elaborate hit on a CEO in Alaska, she realized she was “dead inside” from boredom, but at rock bottom, her agent called with the perfect job: Take out Beatrice Hasp by fooling an un-foolable human lie-detector. Successfully lying to a human lie detector required “total suppression of involuntary responses,” including heart rate, adrenaline, temperature, saliva, oxygen concentration, and sinuses. Alex “choked off the roots of humanity,” tested her skills by giving Charlie a disgusting drink she knew wasn’t black coffee, and felt exhilarated when her deception worked.

Earning Charlie’s complete was a challenge that gave Alex reason to live. After the murder at the gym, she learned of Hasp’s adopted son and everything fell into place. So Alex hired the world’s second greatest assassin to kill and pose as teacher Todd, then kill Hasp’s son with the intention of framing her. Before he carried out the final step of the plan, however, Alex killed him, dumped his body in the water, and framed herself for the murder of Hasp’s son — then, of course, acted shocked and claimed someone else framed her. The layers!

I know what you’re probably thinking. If Alex is The Iguana, who was the guy chasing them at the diner? Turns out, it was a random dude Alex found in the bathroom shortly before the confrontation. She snuck up behind him at the urinal, said “Want an oyster?” and when he turned around she sliced his hand to resemble Todd’s injury. After Charlie processed the deception, she says, “Even now, after hearing you say those words, it still just sends a little zing through my heart. I guess I can’t suppress the root of my humanity… it means I’ll never be you.” OUCH.

As Alex prepares to shoot Charlie, Hasp’s fire alarm goes off and we learn Charlie set the pots in the kitchen to boil over so the FBI would learn their whereabouts. When the team arrives, Alex takes Charlie out at gunpoint and the two hop in the Barracuda for a police chase. Convinced her life had peaked, Alex tells Charlie, “This is the end of the road.” But when Charlie challenges her by claiming she could never successfully lie if she was actively trying to catch her, Alex takes the bait and makes a last-minute turn toward Grand Canyon Canyon (a canyon named after the Grand Canyon. Delightful!) As she speeds up the car, driving towards the edge of the embankment, she plays a round of two truths and a lie. If Charlie win, they live. If not, they plummet to their death.

To Be Continued…Just Kidding!

“When I was a kid I had a dog named puddles. I’m double jointed. I’m gonna drive us off this cliff no matter who wins this game,” Alex says. When Charlie calls bullshit on the final fact, Alex smiles, says “you win,” and slams the brakes. But the Barracuda lets them down and the brakes fail. The car flies off the edge of the canyon, suspended 500 feet in the air. But rather than showing it fall to the ground, Poker Face pauses the jaw-dropping shot and shows an agonizing “TO BE CONTINUED” message on screen. How DARE Poker Face, Rian Johnson, and Natasha Lyonne leave us on a literal cliffhanger?!

They would never! After stills of the iconic car and Roger Miller’s “King of the Road” set the scene, the episode continues, and we learn Charlie hopped out of the vehicle at the last second. The car — presumably with Alex still inside — falls to a fiery doom, and Luca comes to Charlie’s rescue. The two shared an emotional moment together before he gets real with her. Even though Alex was The Iguana, Charlie aided and abetted a serial killer, got a Federal witness killed, and committed a list of crimes that make her officially wanted by the FBI. Instead of cuffing her, Luca gives her his jacket and tells her how to get back to the highway. Despite the “head start,” he promises he’ll arrest her next time.And just like that, our girl’s on the run again — this time, without her trusty car, which, by the way, is empty. So The Iguana is still out there! Before the episode ends, Charlie finds a stray pup and the two hitch hike with a truck driver. Next stop? Wichita, and hopefully, Season 3.

Poker Face Season 1 and Season 2 are now streaming on Peacock.