Mostly Murder (But Sometimes Not)

New special episode out now! We watched the entire first season of the new show Only Murders in the Building, a mystery-comedy starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. So spoiler warning! We discuss the incredible chemistry between the three leads, admire how the show deconstructs and examines the true crime podcast craze, and follow a lot of threads that lead to red herrings. We praise the performances of the whole cast, with some surprising guests making particularly uncharacteristic and excellent turns. We also have some questions about the podcast production portrayed in the show, wonder if law enforcement is fed up with true crime armchair sleuths, love the production design and authentic New York City feel, and rave about a high concept episode that really opened the story up. Katy casually perused condos on the Upper West Side, Carrie has never seen Happy Days, Maddy relives one of the worst things that ever happened to her, and Mack thinks grave robbing isn't always terrible. We also love a secret door, wish there were more musicals with pools, wonder if the Fonz was ever accused of murder, discuss current (and previous) plans for our bodies after death, and one of us recreates a drink from the show! Give it a listen!

TW: Suicide references, Armenian genocide, animal death, animal harm

New episode out now! We watched the pilot episode of Marcella, the British noir/drama with a very Nordic feel. We talked extensively about the main character and her issues, discussed how the show is simultaneously challenging gender roles but also feels a bit backwards, get grossed out by the graphic nature of the serial killer’s process, and wonder whether murder walls are actually helpful in real life or just visuals to help the viewer. We also discuss the portrayal of modern sex work, think there are some weird rich family vibes, and believe Rav to be too perfect looking to be a human. Katy hates luxury London skyrises, Carrie is a ghost, Maddy tells a delightful Tinder story, and Mack shares advantages to having three older sisters before telling an awful pun. We also boil down the top four things you need to know about a person to know their character, make a guess at how the British prison system works, think that serial killing is a bit rude, and share a surprising amount of off-the-cuff facts about London architecture. Give it a listen!

TW: domestic abuse, gruesome murders

Show Notes:

New episode out now! We cover the delightfully macabre storybook world of Pushing Daisies in the season one episode “Smell of Success”. We discuss the memorable and stylized worldbuilding created by Bryan Fuller, share a love of (almost) every character and their specific and/or oddball traits, talk about how the show approaches death in a whimsical manner, rave about the gorgeous, colorful, and expensive production design, and realize that a number characters are dealing with parental trauma. We also praise the casting of great character actors, as well as put forth that the show would probably thrive better on streaming today, and then discuss whether we would want it to come back at this point in time. Katy gets her TGIF shows mixed up, Carrie drops some Esther Williams knowledge, Maddy shares Jello-related horror stories, and Mack gets upset about another body odor discussion. We talk about proper branding of your synchronized swimming duo, quote the show’s quippy wordplay to each other, have a short Marvel Minute, and discuss our favorite smells—but not too much, as we’ve concluded that people who are too into smells are creepy. We praise Jim Dale and also ask a number of questions about the mythology of the show that go unanswered. And one of us gets a joke 12 years after they heard it! Listen to find out who!

TW: Macabre humor

Show Notes/Sources

New episode out now! We delve into the world of horror comedy with Happy Death Day (2017). We discuss the surprising similarities between whodunits and slasher films, get a little confused by the time loops, complain about the “aspirations of wokeness” and the weird progressively dated aspects of the film, and only say the words “groundhog day” about 84 times. We also get into how much time is spent on the red herring, discuss our general dislike of the main character, rag on the school’s baby mascot, and talk a little about the culture of Greek life in film. Katy loves Sam Richardson, Carrie thinks heels should be against the law, Maddy hates good deeds, and Mack spoils a comic from the 1980s. We also discuss different armpit smells, name people we would like to punch, learn how much Tylenol is too much, and think that fighting a baby would be pretty easy. Plus we delve into a big tangent on what we would do if we were stuck in a time loop and the answers reveal quite a lot about ourselves! They may even reveal too much; we’re probably on a list somewhere now… anyway. Give it a listen!

TW: Date rape scenario, serial killer

Show Notes:

New episode out now! We revisit the character of Philip Marlowe in 1973’s The Long Goodbye. We cover the differences between the book character in The Big Sleep and this film version, wonder if we liked this version better solely because of Elliott Gould, share stories about the problematic method acting, and discuss the aggressive 1970s-ness of this movie. We delve back into the methods and meanings of Raymond Chandler again as well as unearth more subtle evidence that Marlowe was (unintentionally?) not straight. Katy shares a sad salamander story, Carrie gets appalled by kitchen manners, Maddy has time period blindness (in addition to goat blindness), and Mack reveals he’s a bit of a furniture nerd. We also wonder if the lack of cell phones encouraged more drinking in bars, feel that everyone everywhere in this movie smelled like cigarettes, and decide that hanging out high and topless all day sounds like a good time. Listen to hear our first official Cat Corner, as well as some questionable impressions and all of us trying out multiple accents with varying success! Enjoy!

TW: Suicide, alcoholism, internalized and externalized homophobia, racism, domestic violence, police brutality

New episode out now and it’s our 50th!!! To celebrate we cover one of our favorite characters and total badass, Miss Marple. We watched the series 3 episode of Agatha Christie’s Marple “At Bertram’s Hotel” and discussed the many, many threads and red herrings present in this classic Christie mystery. We marvel at Miss Marple’s attention to detail, try to decide if we enjoy the false leads if they all make sense at the end, play Guess-Where-We-Know-That-British-Actor-From, and celebrate the presence of lesbians. Katy used an actual printer, Carrie gets mad about books, Maddy does a flawless English accent, and Mack tries to be funny in German. We also discuss British vs. American sensibilities in both hotels and acting styles, the specific aftermath of polio, the effect wartime had on romance, and the concept of historical fetishism. If you want to hear us share weird middle school stories, compare Room Time to the Real Housewives franchise, or rave about old ladies saying “Balls!” then this is the episode for you! Give it a listen! 

“Miss Marple is just the coolest person ever and I love her.” -Maddy

New episode out now! We watched the pilot episode of Lucifer and it really revealed some of our inner thoughts...and desires? We talked about how it was surprisingly structured as a procedural but with the literal devil as an investigator, discussed the family dynamics of the angels, demons, and the Abrahamic religions themselves, lay out the difference between a “procedural” and “Christie mystery” (™ Mack), and rave about the fantastic music choices and styles. We also talk about whether Lucifer is a sadist or if he mainly wants justice, and have a chat influenced by The Good Place where we get into the dynamics of sin, morality, unquestioned obedience, and the juxtaposition of what the church teaches vs what the church does. And don’t worry⁠—we definitely discuss the hotness of Tom Ellis. Katy hates LA nightlife, Carrie thinks Tom Welling is a total snack, Maddy tries to shoehorn in a Spongebob reference, and Mack actually makes a funny joke. We also guess each other’s “types”, wonder at what age we should learn about Nazis, worry about OSHA compliance in the devil’s nightclub, halfway reveal what Lucifer might see if he read our minds, and reminisce about childhood content bans based on vague rating systems. Give it a listen!

TW: LAPD, police, frank discussion of religious theory, mention of abuse by clergymen

New episode up now! We explore the tropical ‘80s world of Magnum, P.I. with the third season episode “Of Sound Mind”. We discuss the surprising goofiness of Magnum as a character as well as his specific personality choices, realize he’s essentially living the teenage dream, dunk on the wooden playacting of his friends, wonder at the Odd Couple-ness of Magnum and Higgins, and come to the conclusion that the “villain plot” in this episode made absolutely no sense. We also, of course, really get into the sexiness of Thomas Magnum and what contributes to his essential charm. (Hint. It’s mainly the shorts). Katy learns she unfortunately budgets like the P.I., Carrie explains the logic in her dating pool age range, Maddy does not want this to become a sports podcast, and Mack realizes he is as old as the friends from Friends. We lament costume contest losses, discuss bangin’ Halloween parties and why theater kids go so hard, learn what a suit of armor should actually sound like, and share unnerving security guard job facts. You’ll also hear about being traumatized by a sexy Pinocchio as well as learn what makes a great ringtone! Enjoy!

Show Notes/Links:

TW: Vietnam War references, losing a spouse

Jinkies! It’s a new episode! We finally cover the teen mystery gang after watching 2011’s Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur. We immediately decide who is most like which character, get frustrated trying to remember the live-action adaptations, learn wild things about the gang’s dating history, discuss the iconic voice actors, and one of us turns out to be a “moderate aficionado” of the Scooby-Doo mythology. (Surprise—it’s Mack.) We also get into some bonkers Shaggy-is-a-god theories, discuss the queer coding of the characters, and have some major issues with all the incorrect and contradicting depictions of the sciences in this children’s cartoon. Katy forgets the word “animator”, Carrie shares a theory derived from Second Life, Maddy gets very protective of cave systems, and Mack schools us on dinosaur science. We also independently sing the theme song very quietly, spoil the Scooby-Doo/Supernatural crossover, hate that Velma feels like a pod person in this movie, and make an odd discovery about trying to seduce Seth Green. See if you can pinpoint all the different throwaway pop culture references! And remember, the true evil is always capitalism! Zoinks!