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 shares 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:

Short article about cleaning London buildings after the 1960s

‘Walkie-Talkie’ skyscraper melts Jaguar car parts 

London’s Worst Building Bloomberg article about the Walkie-Talkie in London

4 Things I Learned from the Worst Online Dating Profile Ever – The Cracked article Mack mentioned

Carrie has since seen multiple Korean shows with murder walls and so was incorrect in thinking they didn’t exist outside of the Western world

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

Katy was incorrect in thinking the incident with the positive drug test due to birdseed happened on Two of a Kind. That storyline happened on the show Brother’s Keeper, which also aired on TGIF at the same time. 

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/10/pushing-daisies-10th-anniversary-bryan-fuller-lee-pace-anna-friel

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 killers, plane hijacking references, mention of baby harm re: baby college mascot

Show Notes:

Katy and Carrie have both now seen Werewolves Within and fully recommend it

Dead Meat YouTube Video Happy Death Day (2017) KILL COUNT

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

We finish our mini-jaunt into the 1980s mystery scene with a major crossover event—Magnum meets Jessica Fletcher! We watched Magnum, P.I.’s “Novel Connection” and Murder She Wrote’s “Magnum On Ice” back to back, which made the differences in the shows pretty apparent. We compare their investigative skills and strategies, rage at how they both touch evidence, wonder how each writing team pitched the stories, and again love Magnum’s shorts. We also discuss other TV crossovers and wonder if they all feel as disjointed as these two while still staying true to the characters. Katy raves about Paddington 2’s film status, Carrie fondly recalls the ABC TGIF lineup, Maddy never saw Rise of Skywalker, and Mack shares a delightful bit of TV trivia. We also talk about the definition of himbo, share stories about our first alcoholic drinks, try to decide when mustaches are acceptable, wonder what is sexy about packing for a trip, and are regaled by multiple vocal impressions of a steel guitar. Pour yourself a Mai Tai and give it a listen!

Show Notes: 

• YouTube video from ALOHAINABA “Hawaiian Steel Guitar ” A SONG OF OLD HAWAII”
• Cocaine and Rhinestones episode Katy mentioned,“CR014 – Ralph Mooney: The Sound of Country Music” about the steel guitar

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

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., ICarrie 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:

• Main source used was http://magnum-mania.com/ 
• The host of the Three Swings podcast now goes by RB, which was not the case at the time of recording. And although the podcast has just ended it has some great content so check it out. 
• The artist the butler was talking about is most probably Margaret Keane. Keane Eyes Gallery
• My Heart Will Go On – Recorder By Candlelight by Matt Mulholland
• “Bachelor party dressed as Magnum, P.I. ousted from Tigers game” – Detroit News article from 09/19/2017

TW: Vietnam War references, losing a spouse

Jinkies! 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!

It’s time to visit Cabot Cove—we watched Murder She Wrote! The season five episode “Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble” had it all—cute guys, weird accents, ghost witches, the Universal backlot, libraries, Bill Maher dressed as a lady pilgrim, Southern exorcists, and of course the OG—Jessica Fletcher. We discuss Jessica’s BDE, wonder if Cabot Cove has a phone chain specifically for murders, try to name all the familiar guest stars, and discuss the murder rate for these small town murder shows. Apparently there needs to be a new crime every week, which can really skew the statistics! Katy teaches you how to trick a paywall, Carrie shares her hatred of A Christmas Carol, Maddy channels her inner NPR, and Mack likes his girlfriend. We also discuss small town Nextdoor shenanigans, write our own Miami Vice/Murder She Wrote crossover, share old prank stories, wonder about local burn permits, and divulge we are a pro-witch podcast. There is some real sibling energy in this one—enjoy!

TW: Police