We did something a little different this time – we played a video game! We played Hitman 3, Level 2, “Death in the Family”, where we had the opportunity to impersonate a PI and solve a murder mystery in a traditional English country manor. We compare our different strategies of gathering clues and interviewing suspects, get absolutely delighted by the efficiency of one of our approaches to the task, learn about all the different ways you can assassinate someone, and lament our lack of video game skills. We also discuss the confusing layout of these giant English houses, wonder if gossip is the best tool to solve crimes, and debate the appeal of a game where you have to hide all the time – is it worth the stress? Katy has problems with pronunciation, Carrie steals a Fabergé egg, Maddy is very good at avoiding people, and Mack has a problem with billionaires. We also wonder when spies use the restroom, discuss the flaws in having to one-up villains in serialized entertainment, praise the wonders of YouTube walkthroughs, and all get jealous of the screaming room. Two of us make the same Friends reference at the same time, and all of us try to imitate Agent 47 with varying results. Listen and enjoy! 

TW: Incest, suicide, casual discussion of murder

We finally cover one of TV’s greatest crime-solvers⁠—Columbo! We watched the season three episode titled “Lovely But Lethal” and get into this ‘70s (and ‘90s) era sleuth. We discuss our initial feelings about the man himself, point out how bothersome he seems when you first watch the show, and debate how effective his methods actually are. We come up with Columbo’s-wife-theories, dig the ‘70s fashion, and wonder if Columbo is actually an incidental character in his own show. We also talk about the changing landscapes of cop shows and how while Columbo catches intelligent murderers by essentially breaking them down and catching them in a lie, modern shows need more evidence-based buildup that would hold up in the courts. Katy basically gives a lecture, Carrie does an impression of Thomas Mitchell,  Maddy shares cool medicinal facts, and Mack starts a new support group. We talk about the confusing history of the show’s run, wish we could see Columbo at a farmer’s market, and all try Columbo accents with varying success. We also rip on BBC Sherlock, love Vincent Price, and learn about wigs. Give it a listen to hear more!

Oh, and just one more thing….Enjoy!

TW: ageism, fatphobia

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:

• Katy was wrong about the rocket ship details – someone else came up with it and Murdoch just had to figure stuff out after the ship was discovered. It’s S9E5 “24 Hours Til Doomsday”.

The book Mack is referring to about Adam Worth is The Napoleon of Crime: The Life and Times of Adam Worth, Master Thief by Ben Macintyre

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:

• Mack got his dates incorrect: the bear almost ended the world in the 1960s, not the 1980s. 
• Article: Kiss Me Deadly: The Thriller of Tomorrow By J. Hoberman

Video Mack mentioned: Good Enough Movies: KISS ME DEADLY (1955) by moviebob

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 religious authority, death by suicide, alcoholism, minor gore, ethnic slur discussion focusing on Italians

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:

• Britannica Entry for LOST
• Nikki’s entry on Lostpedia
• Huh

Week 1

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.

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):

• October 22nd, 1926, Montreal: In his dressing room at the Princess Theater, Houdini was punched repeatedly in the stomach by Jocelyn Gordon Whitehead after saying his stomach could endure a lot of punches. Houdini performed his show that night in some pain.
• October 22nd-24th, traveling from Montreal to Detroit: He got worse when traveling and after finally seeing a doctor, he had a fever of 102° and was told he had acute appendicitis. It was advised he should have surgery right away. He did not and kept going.
• October 24th, 1926, Detroit: Despite feeling terrible with a fever now at 104°, Houdini took the stage at the Garrick Theater. He reportedly collapsed, but was revived and continued the show. He finished and was then immediately hospitalized at Grace Hospital in Detroit.
• October 31, 1926, Detroit: Harry Houdini died of peritonitis, secondary to a ruptured appendix, at 1:26 p.m. in Room 401 at Grace Hospital, aged 52.

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.

Week 2

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. 

Week 3

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!

Week 4

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!

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

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

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