Mostly Murder (But Sometimes Not)

New episode out now! We spent some time with the Belcher family and watched 2022’s The Bob’s Burgers Movie. We cover the dynamics of the Belchers and how Bob and Linda’s relationship with each other and their children is so great, love the town they live in and how it is full of a community of weirdos who support each other, think that the children feel like real kids and they also make great detectives, and really enjoy the voice talent. We loved that although it felt very like the show in how it included asides, daydreams, and fun musical numbers, it had an elevated quality, a more involved plot with a mystery, and still utilized hand drawn animation. Katy got scared watching Jaws by herself in the dark, Carrie has many tickets to the orchestra, Maddy did not find cars important as a baby, and Mack is a ground down 30-year-old. We talk about being grossed out by skeleton teeth falling IN YOUR MOUTH, delve into the complexities of fantasies and daydreams, decide yet again Carrie should never watch The Thing, and share our favorite childhood toys we still have kicking around. We also cover rich people, Kurt Russell’s hotness, nice teenage boys, the reality of Stars Hollow, and spear guns. (Also we have confirmed Hornsley’s birthday is March 31st). Enjoy!

TW: Capitalism, misogyny, economic disparity, animal harm depicted in film

New episode out now! We watched the first episode of the ‘90s British mystery series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, titled “The Bearded Lady”. We discuss the character of Hetty and how she feels a little bit different than other characters who fit the “older lady who solves mysteries” description, and have differing opinions on whether or not we even like her. We try to figure out what actually happened in the episode with varying success, wonder if audiences are treated more with kid gloves nowadays, get confused by science experiments, and disagree on whether Dominic Monaghan has an “English cheekiness” quality but enjoyed him as the teen sidekick anyway. Katy tries to make excuses for Hetty and fails, Carrie does not want anyone in her home, Maddy harkens back to MapQuest days, and Mack shares a childhood memory. We also make fun of our mental scripts for hosting, would not put anything past the ruling class, reminisce about watching LOST live on air, and love libraries. Listen to hear more about Bluey, children being used by detectives, shrimp paste, and Scooby-Doo. Enjoy!

TW: Scientific experimentation without consent, hormonal changes, difficulties of being an unhoused person, censorship of trans people, mention of human sterilization

New episode out now! We have a slightly different encounter with the figure of Agatha Christie in the Doctor Who episode “The Unicorn and the Wasp”. We talk about the Doctor and his relationship with Donna, truly enjoy the actor’s chemistry throughout the show, and uncover how much this episode utilized tropes that came directly from both Christie’s books and the adaptations of her stories. We discuss the way Doctor Who depicts real people throughout history, and how well this depiction of Agatha Christie may have compared to the real person and her real-life struggles. We also debate insect anatomy when the insect is also an alien, have a discussion about the limitations and ability of the TARDIS for language translation, and discover we all stopped watching the show around the same time without realizing. Katy mixes up her Shakespeare plays, Carrie makes a Transformers reference, Maddy flashes back to her 2009 fashion choices, and Mack shares a fairly gross detail about facial hair. We experience in real time the drawbacks to using AI, ponder the goals of pants, have some light debates about what constitutes a monster for certain romance novels, and dislike how mysteries involving sci-fi or the supernatural put the viewer at a disadvantage as we lack the usual tools to follow along. We also touch on the Ghoul Boys, charming CGI, symmetrical white males, and TARDIS impersonations. Enjoy! PS there are some Doctor Who spoilers concerning more recent iterations so be warned! 

TW: Racism, insects, unexpected loss of pregnancy 

NOTES: 

New episode out now! We revisit the world of Alfred Hitchcock with 1954’s Dial M For Murder. We talk about the visual style of the film and how it was influenced by the decision to shoot with a new 3-D camera rig, are impressed by the use of shadows and score to increase the suspense, enjoyed watching Tony evolve his plan when things went wrong, and discuss the first appearance of both the stereotypical “Hitchcock blonde” and Grace Kelly in particular in his films. We touch on the similarities we see between the film and other Hitchcock movies as well as Columbo and Poirot, try to figure out where we’ve seen the actors before, and admit we kinda wanted to see the murder succeed just to see a satisfying plan come together. Katy cannot pronounce names or remember things, Carrie knows a real finger when she sees one, Maddy has to plan very carefully when going to a movie, and Mack is the Keymaster. We also discuss new terms for a secret male lover, ponder the ubiquity of a pencil-thin mustache in these noir films, and compare a scene from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh to one of an English judge ordering the death penalty . We touch on movie theater soda blends, Mouse Trap, auditing your keyring, and the evolution of the car selling process. Enjoy! And special thanks to Jason for compiling a very helpful dossier- find him on Letterboxd under JKHenson89 here!

TW: Capital punishment, gaslighting

Extra special episode out now! For this year’s holiday treat, Quizmaster Mack designed a whole game show for us to play - again! We play four different games, each one tied to our podcast in some way. We play Aside From That again to confront how often we veer off topic, make guesses about sequels to things we covered, see if we can tell what show a piece of generic background music came from, and learn about off-the-wall mystery media we probably will not be covering. Katy subsists on chemicals, Carrie only knows some Peanuts characters, Maddy gets upset again about medical misrepresentation, and Mack hates The Good Dinosaur. We also air a few grievances, learn what emesis means, reveal some embarrassing facts, and learn a super cool spy trick Carrie may or may not have done. Listen to hear Mack being a clever and delightful game show host, who has also created an incredible musical world- in more ways than one! And after the games, we have a familiar Casemas treat! Enjoy, and happy holidays!

TW: Child death, modern day sex pests

New episode out now! We watched the pilot episode of the British mystery show The Last Detective, starring Peter Davison as DC “Dangerous” Davies. We talk about the main character and how his whole vibe seemed to be just “normal” and “nice”, and how he utilizes that vibe to get people to really talk to him. We have a discussion about the evolution of British vs American humor and debate whether this show can be labeled a comedy in any way or more a “dramatic cop show with small comedy elements”. We enjoy how it explored the real trauma a family goes through when the worst happens, and appreciated how it portrayed the messiness, randomness, and complexity implicit in human nature. Katy forgot about the Roman Empire, Carrie shares a fun fact about Mormans, Maddy was actually compelled, and Mack worries about remembering where he was at all times. We also talk about council estates (again), learn some Doctor Who family connections, wonder if you can eat fruit from a green burial, and get jealous at European transit. Listen to hear more about Madonna music rights, JSTOR, tithing, Carrie laughs, and gender swapping RPG campaigns. Enjoy! 

TW: Chris Hardwick, generational trauma, sexual assault, cancer

New episode out now! We revisit the world of Thomas Harris with the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs. We get into the dynamics of Clarice and Hannibal and how their relationship is portrayed, commending both actors for their work, but wish we saw more of Clarice’s internal journey. We admire the cinematography and sets, with the camera’s POV of Clarice being both compelling and unnerving, and talk about the realities of the cells that were created to hold Hannibal. We again discuss how the depiction of Buffalo Bill explores fear mongering about trans people but is not a representation of actual trans people, think that Hannibal almost evolved into a caricature through pop culture, debate the genre of this film, and still hate Chilton. We touch on the rise of mainstream true crime, wonder if the growing prevalence of violence in media may explain how we responded differently to the film than our parents, and learn about various inspirations Anthony Hopkins used for his portrayal. Katy acted heroically by putting a package on the porch, Carrie paid close attention to details in Baldur’s Gate 3, Maddy lives out a meme in real life, and Mack shares a fun fact about a Buzz Lightyear toy. We also get disappointed by the lack of flaying, wonder if bug enthusiasts can be endearing, and have a very long discussion about where Hannibal kept the pen. Listen to hear more about cornfields, Emperor Palpatine, bee unions, bald eagle noises, and practical advice to keep you out of the ER. Enjoy!

TW: Serial killers, body mutilation, cannibalism, gender reaffirming surgery, outdated transgender terminology, misrepresentation of the transgender experience, fear mongering about trans people, misogyny, law enforcement power dynamics, mental institutions, insects

Show Notes:

New episode out now! We watched the mystery-adjacent coming-of-age film Now and Then (1995). We discuss the more nuanced depiction of girlhood and the evolution of female friendships, talk about growing up in the 1970s and how the world has changed, lament how the film was not as popular with critics like similar films with boys, and discuss how it touches on the difficulties of confronting your younger self and coping mechanisms around those who knew you growing up. We also talk about our changing relationship with the film over the last few decades, are impressed by the big hitter ‘90s cast but especially the girls, cover the detective work they actually do, and reveal that the excellent soundtrack has burned itself into our subconscious. Katy got into Dave Matthews Band to be cool, Carrie really loves a drum, Maddy draws the line at dresses over pants, and Mack recites some poetry. We reminisce about our own childhoods, begrudgingly admit our dad has some good music taste, comment on fashion trends of the 1990s, and still don’t understand some of the movie’s references. We also talk about great swears, 1970s television, red rover, lesbians, pushing people into water, and Grinch 2000. And one of us has seen this film more than 30 times but missed that there’s a whole ghost in it - give it a listen to learn who! Enjoy!

TW: Anorexia, childhood trauma, fatphobia, diet culture, generational trauma, body dysmorphia, grief, faking an accidental drowning, Vietnam War, government misinformation, divorce 

Show Notes:

‘Now and Then’ at 25: Girlhood Finally Taken Seriously article (Unfortunately behind the NYT paywall but still good if you can read it)

New episode out now, and it’s our 100th episode! We celebrate by finally playing a board game together, the 1975 game 221B Baker Street: The Master Detective Game. With a board similar to Clue, we read a mystery card at the start (in this instance, “The Adventure of the Unholy Man”) and then roll the die to travel throughout London’s different locations and pick up clues. We did encounter some expected challenges turning a board game into an audio medium (we recorded this in person! All together! In a large room!), so please allow us some grace in departing from our normal superb audio quality. We did try to cover up the person reading their clue to the listener without the other three hearing by humming songs, and it mostly worked. Katy is statistically significant, Carrie tries and fails to be sincere, Maddy knows about Hamlet exclusively through The Lion King, and Mack needs to look out for Enrique Iglesias. We do not believe in the honor system among siblings, stress we don’t cheat at Clue and are just very observant, think that Mom likes us all equally but for different reasons, and have a minor argument about who actually won. We also dig into our musical history by humming Vivaldi, Muppet songs, Chappell Roan, Star Wars, Beethoven, CCR, The Phantom of the Opera, and more. We do recommend listening with headphones as the audio quality is not our usual standard, but our goal was more to celebrate together and enjoy each other's company (ew). Have fun listening and being a fly on the wall at an O’Brien game night! 

Show Notes:

New episode out now! We delve into the strange dreamscape of David Lynch’s 1986 film Blue Velvet. We discuss how the movie was conceived mostly through thoughts and feelings, and while it feels like a somewhat creepy nostalgia-tinted stream of consciousness, it has a fairly straightforward mystery plot after it all plays out. We reaffirm that Lynch is “still weird” and has his subversive way of examining the world, wonder which drugs were involved in making the movie, enjoy the nebulous pocket universe of a 1950s/1980s time period, and really understand how it received a polarized reception from critics and movie fans alike. We were emotionally unprepared for the film but had a good discussion debating the themes of “traumatized innocence”, misogyny, perversion, generational trauma, and men being creeps. Katy tells a story about the first time she saw Top Gun, Carrie shares a fact about a pickled ear in a jar, Maddy is a connoisseur of cute butts, and Mack gives some important tips to keep in mind when visiting Bunker Hill. We also talk about weird de-aging CGI, speculate on a Lynchian Return of the Jedi, try impressions of a famous bird, and share our favorite cheap beers. We would like to give a special thank you to Jason Henson, a friend of Carrie’s, for his dossier of great information on the movie! Thank you Jason! Enjoy the episode listeners!

TW: Sexual assault, domestic abuse, rape, drug use, voyeurism, coerced sex work, trafficking, misogyny, stalking, body mutilation, bullying, police corruption 

Show Notes and Sources: