Mostly Murder (But Sometimes Not)

Bonjour and bienvenue! We have our first repeat character in today’s new episode—Hercule Poirot! We watched 1974’s Murder on the Orient Express starring Albert Finney as the famous detective, and do quickly disuss both David Suchet and Kenneth Branaugh’s take on this story as well. We have a (very spoilery) discussion disentangling the multitude of famous actors and how you can’t identify the culprit if it’s all stunt casting, the difficulty of keeping presented and actual motives straight, what we might do in a situation similar to what the movie presents, and how there are a number of red herrings but communism isn't one of them. Katy made a list for  cross-referencing suspects (surprise), Carrie needs to have more confidence in her podcast hosting skills, Maddy doesn’t like punching or toxic masculinity, and we discover that Mack is untethered from time. We also cover how some detectives don't move their necks, have a minor fight about Star Wars, know vague things about Prohibition, and explore how the aging process has evolved via an examination of Sean Connery. And again, we love dogs. Originally recorded November 2019.

TW: Child kidnapping/murder, racism and xenophobia, suicide, animal cruelty

CORRECTIONS:

-Summarized from Wikipedia: “Mixtures of fruit juices and spirits aka punches (but not wine) have been around for a while; at least since the 1700s. Combining single servings of liquor and a mixer like bitters did exist scattered around the world in the 1800s, but the first actual  bartender’s guide was published in 1862. The first named “cocktail party” was probably in 1917.” Then, “The quality of the liquor available during Prohibition was much worse than previously...Honey, fruit juices, and other flavorings served to mask the foul taste of the inferior liquors”. So we were kind of right.

-Ok it’s not technically the first repeat character as John Oliver voiced Sherlock Holmes in Gravity Falls but as that was a wax model and not the actual detective we did not count it

New episode up now! We watched one of the famous(?) Boston Blackie mysteries, the 1946 film The Phantom Thief. We talk about his problematic name, secret house skeletons and slides, the penchant for wartime movies to have bumbling comic relief, and how to decide who’s the protagonist in an old movie because everyone is terrible. Katy did some archival research, Carrie gives us a book report, Maddy reveals she’s been contacted by real life detectives, and Mack apparently thinks he can improve any James Cameron movie ending. We also cover our parent’s first “date” (sorry Mom and Dad), try to decide what kind of noses we have, discuss the possible invention of the Ring doorbell camera, and one of us uses the word “carapace.” Listen and learn about ghost testimonies, chemistry, and Jimmy Buffet! Originally recorded November 2019.

TW: Racism, verbal abuse

CORRECTIONS:

-Women were allowed to be police officers before 1946 and Katy was wrong. It was rare but it happened—women like Alice Stebbins Wells or Lola Baldwin worked on the force in the early 1900’s and women had been involved in law enforcement from roughly the 1870s onward.

-From Wikipedia: “The Motion Picture Production Code was the set of industry moral guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most United States motion pictures released by major studios from 1934 to 1968.”

New episode out today! We read the “children’s” novel The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, and discuss this delightful Christie-like story— so beware, spoilers abound! We cover the immersive and stylistic writing choices, talk about how the "game" may have induced empathy in the characters, learn that the 1970s were not PC, and wonder if kids know who Abbot and Costello are anymore. Katy reveals the source of her childhood ulcer fear, Carrie loves book margins, Maddy is flabbergasted by the stock market, and Mack lays out his weird millionaire lifestyle plan. We also cover how the O’Brien’s play Clue, rereading children’s books as adults, try to decide which one of us would be the most likely murder victim, and reveal perhaps the best character name of all time? Give it a listen! Originally recorded October 2019.

TW: Suicide

New episode! We cover season 3, episode 4 of The X-Files, “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose”. Please heed the trigger warnings in this time of heightened anxiety! They’re listed at the end of this description.

We discuss this critically-acclaimed episode of the 90’s phenomenon, and cover how it gave us childhood flashbacks, how shocking it feels that it was filmed 25 years ago, how we individually experience deja vu, get into how time is or is not linear, and ponder coincidence vs destiny. Katy gets the Wilson brothers mixed up, Carrie doesn’t like aliens but has watched the most X-Files of all of us, Maddy tells a gross squirrel story and Mack remembers Steve Martin in places he never was. We also discuss the amazing ‘David Duchovny’ music video set to Bree Sharp’s brilliant song, commend Scully for utilizing the door peephole, argue about what a Nazi stormtrooper is, and remind you we are a dog family. And in a weirdly prescient moment, especially concerning this was an episode about psychics, Maddy gives a timely warning to WASH YOUR HANDS, even though we recorded in September 2019! Take an hour away from everything and listen to us only crosstalk a little bit.

TW: Suicide, depression, gore, possible rape, death and mortality

New episode out now! We watched season 1, episode 8 of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and discussed just how awesome the Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher truly is. We cover the beautiful and dynamic costume design, the obvious and delightful tension between Phryne and DI Jack Robinson, how toxic masculinity ruins everything, have a sidebar about feeling connected to fictional characters, and discover that war is bad. Katy is a Miss Fisher Earrings Expert, Carrie channels her inner Frasier, Maddy slides in an Amanda Bynes reference, and Mack made a boob joke that was unfortunately funny. We also discuss how the show covered hot button feminist topics in a surprising way, decide which character would vape, try to name dog detectives, and attempt harmonizing our gasps. Dot deserves everything and Phyrne can have as many men strewn about her boudoir as she wants. Only one of us does an Australian accent (sorry Australia) but TWO become jowly men! Originally recorded September 2019.

TW: Suicide, undiagnosed postpartum depression, toxic masculinity

New episode is up now and friends, it covers some dark stuff. We watched S1E1 of the British adaptation of Wallander and really got into the egregious depiction of  “man pain.” We discuss whether the Swedish Chef is offensive, the “austerity and bleakness” of the visual landscape, how it took longer than it should have to realize it was set in Sweden, and come up with cool nicknames for Tom Hiddleston. Katy has to mention Eurovision, Carrie drops some Shakespeare knowledge, Maddy hears robots that don’t exist, and Mack lists some medieval deaths. We also talk about how we laugh at our own jokes, how there are hypothetically people we would hit with an axe, why you shouldn’t angrily scroll through Twitter, and how the best things about the show were…the acting and design? (Carrie really did not like this episode.) However, we do applaud the use of privacy screens and the occasionally nuanced presentation of masculinity. Also Maddy comes up with new ghost sounds!  OoooooOOOooo! Originally recorded March 2018. 

TW: Self harm, suicide, incestual abuse, human trafficking, sex workers, murder, Native American stereotypes (including scalping), car accident stories

New episode! We talk about the original Hot Priest (okay, vicar) as we cover the pilot episode of Grantchester. We do interchange ‘priest’ with ‘vicar’ and ‘reverend’ so be prepared for that; we can’t help our past indoctrination. We discuss swearing in front of our parents, pitch a new TV show (with great titles), speculate about what is in a Victoria sponge, and again, talk about how great dogs are. Katy is still pretending to know more about British TV than she does, Carrie longs to take brisk chilly walks in an English field, Maddy hashtags in real life, and Mack gives a Skype performance for the ages. We also get confused by pronunciations, try to report crimes to Alexa, talk extensively about hot older people, debate if Amanda is a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and discuss the changing rate of crimes solved through the decades. Maddy tries a Tim Allen impression and Carrie owes Katy a quarter—it’s a fun one! Go live your best life Chris Evans!

Originally recorded February 2018

TW: Suicide, sex workers and outdated terms, beheading

CORRECTION SECTION:

-We were raised Catholic and use the term ‘priest’ liberally. We know he’s an Anglican vicar.

-King Charles I was executed

-We did record this before James Norton left the show, which is why we don’t talk about it.

New episode out now and It. Gets. Real. We discuss the 1995 film Se7en, a modern day morality play about an everyman violently casting judgement on a sinful society . . . or maybe just a ‘90s thriller with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman?

We discuss whether or not we would survive an apocalypse, how the city is basically Gotham, how the killer was kinda brilliant with how he timed out his whole plan for months, and randomly discover that none of us have seen Lethal Weapon.

Katy laments the cracking of book spines, Carrie drops some medieval literature knowledge, Maddy tries to get us to fully confess our sins, and Mack gets angry about Polaroids (again).

We also discuss the despicable amount of littering, how useful switchblades are, the best place to shoot someone non-lethally, and the most important box in cinema history?

Maddy really dug into the movie “with my brain” and comes up with some excellent insights, sparking some deeper discussion of morality and society. This one is a bit heavier in terms of content matter, so keep that in mind. Enjoy! Originally recorded January 2018.

TW: Serial killers, violent murders, rape, forced self mutilation, vomiting, forced suicide

CORRECTION SECTION:

-There is not a director’s cut, but there are a number of alternate endings/versions of scenes for various country releases and TV edits.

-We cannot confirm if Kevin Spacey does the voice of the photographer but no one else is credited.

-No bonus episode for this one. Sorry!

New episode out now! Take a break from the drafty English manors and the drizzly Pacific Northwest and head on down to the sunny, breezy island of Saint-Marie. We watched season one, episode five of Death in Paradise, “Spot the Difference,” and got caught in a twisty plot—that half of us figured out twenty minutes in. We discuss the lackadaisical nature of island law enforcement (who gives suspects alcohol?), how we would live on a murder island with exorbitantly high crime rates if rent was free, the weirdly charming analog police work, and how we don’t understand how patents work. Katy is traumatized by the destruction of dishware, Carrie does not believe in numbering episodes, Maddy is really into chickens, and Mack thought there would be more white dudes with cornrows. We also talk about how all Hollywood teenagers are like twenty-five, how everyone is too nice to DI Poole (or DI Cool if you’re Maddy) when he’s just grumpy all the time, if we would subscribe to “Murder Monthly,” and come up with our Family Motto: “Like The Von Trapps But Weird.” Listen for our Anakin Skywalker impressions and more talk about bathroom facilities than you would think! Originally recorded January 2018.

TW: Murder, stabbing, bathroom humor

Bonus Extra Special Episode Out Now! It’s Friday the 13th and the Knives are Out! SPOILERS ABOUND! We watched the still-in-theaters Rian Johnson film Knives Out and discuss this excellent subversion of/update to the classic whodunit. We talk about the difference in audience reactions in different theaters, how much fun the actors seemed to be having, how the movie misrepresents the publishing industry and how great dogs still are. Katy accidentally saw it three times, Carrie tried to be unbiased but was predisposed to loving this film (not least of all because of Pretty Boy Chris Evans TM), Maddy is accidentally cosplaying as Jamie Lee Curtis, and Mack shares weird mechanic theories. We also discuss the amazing design and the look of the film, Daniel Craig’s welcome scenery chewing and accent (and striking eyes), and how our familiarity with the mystery genre caused us to look for clues and expect twists, which possibly detracted from the experience. Carrie reads out interview quotes from the director and Maddy gets mad about medication viscosity . And finally we discuss how arrogance was the downfall of the true villain, and how a kind heart is the key. Stick around until the end for a special bonus surprise and some Hot Takes from the medical field! Put on a cozy sweater and enjoy our discussion of our highest rated entity so far!

TW: Suicide, vomiting, blood, knives