Mostly Murder (But Sometimes Not)

New episode out now! We visit the Great White North with an episode of Murdoch Mysteries, season nine’s “Raised on Robbery”. We debate whether the blatant anachronisms are charming or terrible, try to unravel the unnecessarily complicated robbery plot, and have some unflattering observations about the writing, acting, and editing. We also discuss the odd cleanliness of the sets, speculate about what other wild inventions Murdoch may have come up with, and get confused about the character relationships. (We did like the theme song…) Katy gets her serial killers mixed up, Carrie gets very, very salty, Maddy almost felt a feeling, and Mack practices his “NPC talks to police” voice. We also discuss the viability of baby whistles, come up with better robbery plans, learn about the Napoleon of Crime, and share a number of ways to call something “bland”. Two of us get real spicy about their dislike of this show, and one of us tries to defend it—with limited capacity to do so. Give it a listen to hear who is who! The sibling vibes are strong in this one! (We would also like to apologize to Canada - we know the show is beloved by many but we gotta be true to ourselves). Enjoy!

TW: Child endangerment, orphaning

NOTES:

New episode out now! We delve into mid-century noir with the 1955 film Kiss Me Deadly. We discuss the nature of hard-boiled detective stories and their inclination to create an ideal square-jawed “dark hero”, and how Mike Hammer seems to be (perhaps purposefully) a weird parody of that. We talk about how almost every character is a terrible, unlikeable person, lament the appalling treatment and depiction of women, discuss the influence on other movies, admire the cinematography, and really get into just how dang confusing it was. We also learn some of the reasons it may be confusing lie in weird story changes caused by McCarthyism, the Hays Code, and good old-fashioned Hollywood writers trying to be too clever. Katy finds extreme gym culture boring, Carrie has issues with sonnet interpretation, Maddy shares the real danger of bears, and Mack volunteers to take up some serious historical research. We also talk about Indiana Jones, get confused by exaggerated accents, discuss the lapsed(?) fear of nuclear war, and two of us mistake a dog for a cat! Yikes! Give it a listen to hear one of our worst PBS ratios yet!

TW: suicide, atomic bombs, racism, sexual assault

Show Notes/Corrections:

New episode out now! We watched the 1973 whodunit film The Last of Sheila, and listeners, this movie has LAYERS. We discuss the journey of watching the film and thinking we knew where it was going, only to discover there was another twist or reveal that proved we were wrong. We get into the confusing experience we had watching it but how it all settles and fits in perfectly by the end, realize that every little detail is there on purpose, praise the stellar cast and writing, lament some of the character reactions to depraved secrets, and learn understandably bleak things about 1970s cinema. Katy does love a toast rack, Carrie can’t find her bird scissors, Maddy busts out three separate accents in her excitement, and Mack planned his own murder mystery party. We also discuss historical queer terminology and representations, get mad about slurs but especially ones using food, learn we know very little about 1970s ice picks, and serenade you with an iconic song from the 2000s. Listen to find out why this movie is an ogre!

Please note: We did record this before Stephen Sondheim died, which is why we don’t talk about his death.

TW: Child molestation, child molestation by a religous authority, death by suicide, alcoholism, minor gore, ethnic slur discussion focusing on Italians

New episode out now! We head to the Island and watch the infamous season three episode of LOST titled “Exposé”, aka the Nikki-and-Paulo episode. We cover the controversial episode’s place within the mythos of the show, argue about whether the investigative characters actually solve anything or just noticed anomalies, revisit the structure of the show as a whole, debate multiple character motivations, and discuss the idea that anyone can be a main character if we spend enough time with them. We also dig deep into our reminiscence about watching the pilot live, learn what it’s like to have older sisters freak out about television, and are grateful we no longer have to call dibs on the TV. Katy brings up the writers strike again, Carrie was flabbergasted no one else knew about important spider facts, Maddy quotes Britannica.com, and Mack shares a platonic fantasy. We also reiterate that you should always listen to dogs, list a myriad of potential dangers on the Island, talk about ungulates, and get annoyed that the characters weren’t dirtier. There are full series spoilers so beware!

(We would also like to encourage you to watch The Last of Sheila (1973) which is scheduled to be our next episode; we will be spoiling it and it is a good movie to watch without knowing anything beforehand - trust us!)

TW: Being buried alive, temporary paralysis, hanging

Show Notes:

New episode out NOW! We’re shaking things up for the month of December! It’s the last of four brand new episodes along the same theme: the game Crack the Case. It’s Casemas 2: Electric Boogaloo!

Crack the Case is a Milton Bradley party game that came out in 1993 where players ask yes or no questions in order to solve a mystery. We’re putting our detective skills to the test!

Mack hosts week four, where we talk about obsolete retail chains, give practical advice on handling large birds, and decide who we would be in the Garfield Universe. Katy explains Buffy metaphors, Carrie shares facts she learned from Letterkenny, Maddy sings an old church hymn, and Mack does some method voice acting. We also share an announcement about next year’s schedule; be sure to listen to the very end!

Give it a listen! Let us know if YOU solve it before we do!

New episode out NOW! We’re shaking things up for the month of December. It’s the third of four brand new episodes along the same theme: the game Crack the Case. It’s Casemas 2: Electric Boogaloo!

Crack the Case is a Milton Bradley party game that came out in 1993 where players ask yes or no questions in order to solve a mystery. We’re putting our detective skills to the test!

Maddy hosts week three, where we discuss confusing plane crashes, vampires, reindeer feeding tips, and setting farts on fire. Katy lists a disappointingly short list of mythologies for someone who took a whole mythology class, Carrie unfortunately has an excellent memory, Maddy channels her inner newscaster, and Mack gets creative with names. Only one round of accent attempts in this one!

Give it a listen! Let us know if YOU solve it before we do!

New episode out NOW! We’re shaking things up for the month of December! It’s the second of four brand new episodes along the same theme: the game Crack the Case. It’s Casemas 2: Electric Boogaloo!

Crack the Case is a Milton Bradley party game that came out in 1993 where players ask yes or no questions in order to solve a mystery. We’re putting our detective skills to the test!

Carrie hosts this aggressively accent-heavy week two, where we talk about expensive habits, guess random Halloween costumes, and do multiple impressions. Katy is bummed by hate for National Treasure, Carrie complains about her adorable dimples, Maddy will not be happy anymore, and Mack reads the IMDb from 1993.

Give it a listen! Let us know if YOU solve it before we do!

New episode out NOW! We’re shaking things up for the month of December! For the next four weeks you’ll get a brand new episode along the same theme: the game Crack the Case. It’s Casemas 2: Electric Boogaloo!

Crack the Case is a Milton Bradley party game that came out in 1993, where players ask yes or no questions in order to solve a mystery. We’re putting our detective skills to the test!

Katy hosts week one, where we talk about how time works, a weird crime show trope, and the glories of American insurance systems. Katy shares mostly correct information about Houdini’s death, Carrie brings up Murder She Wrote again, Maddy comes up with a new post-confession penance task, and Mack starts right away with the Christmas rum.

Give it a listen! Let us know if YOU solve it before we do!

TW: Death by suicide, unspecified terminal illness, blasphemy

Show Notes:

Most of Katy’s/Maddy’s/Carrie’s Houdini death info was correct but here it is fully corrected and in more detail (sourced from Wikipedia):

It is technically unclear if the stomach punch caused the death - he could have already been suffering from appendicitis or it could have been agitated by the punches - but ultimately his insurance company concluded his death was due to the dressing-room incident.

New episode out now! We discuss the pilot episode of Dexter, as well as some later parts of the show so mild spoiler warning! We talk about the complicated feelings we have towards the main character and whether we’re supposed to sympathize with him—is he a vigilante? A corrupt serial killer? Is what he does justice? Or is he ultimately wrong in his actions? We also get into the trope of the Neurodiverse Super Detective, bring up issues with causal social relationships and the false faces we wear, and discuss the sociopathy/psychopathy of Dexter via his constant narration. We enjoy the specificity and strengths of the secondary characters, and appreciate the methodical nature of Dexter’s setup and process (if not the action itself). Katy has questions about the yarn budget, Carrie utilizes her bachelor’s degree, Maddy reveals she routinely zones out when Katy speaks, and Mack begins a new segment called Mack’s Hat Corner. We also talk about the gross but accurate depiction of Miami sweat, wonder how civil servants afford beachfront apartments, come up with new ways to handle road rage, and marvel at the pre-pandemic scenes of communal crab feasting. Enjoy!

TW: Serial killers, child abuse and molestation, rape, mental illness, sex work, childhood trauma

New episode out now! We once again enter the world of Sherlock Holmes with 1959’s The Hound of the Baskervilles. We discuss the odd convergence of this classic story with the Hammer Horror treatment, examine how this adaptation portrays Holmes and Watson and how they compare to other versions, and lament the terrible portrayal of women in the film. We also discuss the real-life friendship between Sir Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, love the little Holmes-specific details Cushing made happen, and have varying opinions about the studio sets and English country manors. Katy shamefully gets an actor name very, very wrong, Carrie reveals how she handles spiders, Maddy loves The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Mack has strong opinions about horror movie nuns. We also discuss ancient family curses, suspected Time Lords, replacing actors digitally, paying bugs for doing a job, and formative movies we watched as children. And this episode is extra special...because it’s the very first one we recorded while all in the same room! Be sure to listen for our classic banter/interruptions as well as our brilliant impressions which include Scarface, husky puppies, Gimli (twice), and more!

TW: Animal abuse and death, dangers of sex work