Mostly Murder (But Sometimes Not)

New episode out now! We watched “The Orpheus Syndrome”, a season one episode of Poker Face which was created by Rian Johnson and stars Natasha Lyonne as human lie detector Charlie Cale. We talk about the obvious influence of Columbo ; not only with the title design but in how the episodes are structured, how it is so character-driven that the guest stars are really the stars, and how Charlie is ki...

New episode out now! We take a semi-detour to a galaxy far, far away with the season three episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars , “Sphere of Influence”. We debate the role of the Jedi within the Republic and talk about how they serve as diplomats, law enforcement, security, advisors, monks, or investigators whenever the need arises. We discuss how this show is for children and therefore the “myste...

New episode out now! We watched the first episode of Deadloch , an Australian dark comedy mystery where two very different detectives are thrown together to solve a baffling serial murder case. We really liked how atmospheric it was, setting a very different tone which was then offset by the excellent and sharply hilarious writing. We discuss the two main characters and how they felt refreshingly...

New episode out now! We read the 2018 novel The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, described by many reviewers as a mixture of Agatha Christie, Quantum Leap , and Groundhog Day . We talk about how the book was very confusing and at times frustrating, taking us through twists and turns and paths and timelines and ultimately snowballing until all the threads pulled together at the ver...

New episode out now! We watched the first episode of the Netflix show How to Get to Heaven from Belfast , a story about three women investigating the sudden death of their estranged childhood friend who held a mysterious secret. We discuss how this is a very vibes-heavy show, loved the Northern Irish setting and appreciated that it was in modern day, and got excited about the fact that we don’t ha...

New episode out now! We watched the first episode of the Netflix show The Law According to Lidia Poët , about the first female lawyer in Italy. We discuss the character of Lidia and how she is portrayed, and how we massively share her frustrations with the opinions and limitations put upon her by the misogynistic patriarchal society. We compare this to other mysteries set in the same era in differ...

New episode out now! We try to go viral with the 2001 partially-animated comedy Osmosis Jones . We delve into how the live action and animation feel so disconnected tonally, discuss how we did enjoy the worldbuilding and the sheer amount of puns and visual jokes, thought the music choices were not appropriate, and share how we were also just really, really, really grossed out. We talk about why ch...

New episode out now! We watched the first episode of the atmospheric 2017 miniseries The Loch, or Loch Ness in the US. We talk about trying to keep track of the multitude of characters and their connections in this small tourist town, discuss the many subplots and possible red herrings, wonder just how many secrets are hidden within the community, and enjoyed the working relationship between the D...

New episode out now! We take another trip to Victorian London with the season one episode of Granada Television’s Sherlock Holmes , “The Blue Carbuncle”. We discuss how this adaptation tried to be very faithful to the source material, loved the lived-in depiction of the Victorian era, and enjoyed the lighthearted mystery of following a Christmas goose—backwards. We get into the almost-too-obsessiv...

New episode out now! We watched the first episode of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, a quirky scifi show about a “holistic detective”. We discuss the fact that, due to the nature of the holistic premise, Dirk Gently is not actually that great of a detective; things just keep happening around him enough that he eventually figures stuff out without pursuing any clues specifically. We le...

New episode out now! We watched all four episodes of the medieval mystery miniseries Shardlake . We discuss the character of Matthew Shardlake and how we were intrigued with his journey, enjoyed that his investigation challenged his faith in the institution he works for, and liked how he realized that the definitions of “truth” and “justice” change depending on who was talking. We thought the show...

New episode out now! We watched the 1976 comedy film Murder by Death, which stars a lot of famous people parodying famous detectives. We talk about the stacked cast and how it seemed like they were having fun, but also believe that did not make up for the very dated comedy and straight up racism and other issues with the film as a whole. We thought the concept was promising, but the execution was...

New episode out now! We take another dip into ‘80s television with the season three episode of Knight Rider , “Halloween Knight”. We talk about Michael Knight’s investigative style and the ‘80s action of it all, believe the episode did not explain the relationships or develop characters clearly, wonder what exactly their authority and jurisdiction are, and really get into KITT as an entity and how...

New episode out now! We watched the season one episode of Diagnosis Murder titled “Shanda’s Song”. We delve into the charm of Dick Van Dyke and believe his casting likely led to the eventual success and longevity of the show, talk about Dr. Sloan’s shaky authority in speaking to suspects and investigating crimes, really get into the ‘90s hairstyles and fashion choices, and believe these characters...

Extra special episode out now! For our holiday episode this year, the wonderful Mackenzie designed and ran a new one-session roleplaying mystery game! Three familiar Tinkerton detectives are called upon on Christmas Day to solve the baffling murder of private equity billionaire Michael Von Blach, as well as the disappearance of a few familiar Christmas ghosts...They question his family members as...

Surprise! A bonus episode! We watched the recently released Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery , the third film in the Benoit Blanc detective franchise written and directed by Rian Johnson and starring Daniel Craig. We get right into themes explored throughout the movie - the juxtaposition of Blanc and Father Jud and their differing views on faith, the temptation of power and wealth and how it...

New episode out now! We watched the 2005 animated film Hoodwinked! and friends, we had a time. We get right into the horrible animation and character design style and talk about how much it affected the film, wonder what exactly children liked about the story, pick apart the lack of worldbuilding, and compare it to other animated movies (cough Shrek cough) a lot. We also get into the singular prod...

New episode out now! We went deep into our childhood memories and played the 1998 PC game Detective Barbie In the Mystery of the Carnival Caper! We talk about the straightforward nature of following clues in a linear fashion, get frustrated by Barbie walking slowly and getting stuck, discuss our shared (or not so shared) past with the game, and compare the point and click nature to Disco Elysium w...

New episode out now! We revisit the work of Agatha Christie with the 2022 BritBox miniseries Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? starring Will Poulter and Lucy Boynton and adapted by Hugh Laurie. We get into how the relationship of Bobby and Frankie evolves throughout the story, have difficulties figuring out the timeline, think both doctors make better investigators than the young couple, and dig into the...

New episode out now! We watched the first episode of Luther , the British detective procedural starring Idris Elba. We discuss Luther himself and how he does not come off as a good or stable person, are drawn into the character of Alice and think she is realistically terrifying, have a lot of questions about Luther’s relationship with his estranged wife Zoe, and talk about how the most important p...

New episode out now! We watched the classic 1944 noir film Laura . We discussed the eponymous Laura and how everyone is obsessed with her, believe that the detective feels a little out of place and maybe belongs in a different movie, think the police work was hit or miss, and barely recognize Vincent Price. We talk at length about the character Waldo and debate how hidden / coded his sexuality was...

New episode out now! We watched the 1991 neo-noir film Dead Again , directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh and also featuring Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi, and Andy Garcia. We wonder how we’ve never heard of this film because of the stacked cast, discuss how the personal history of Branagh and Thompson may have colored our perception of the film, get frustrated at the male ego and the need to be...

New episode out now! We watched the little-known comedy mystery with a stacked cast Once Upon A Crime (1992). We cover how the film had a different plot than expected, decide that it took a long time to set up the actual mystery but thought it turned out well, felt it was often incredibly silly in a good way, and get into the full 1980s of it all, good and bad. We also talk about the various chara...

New episode out now! We watched the 1993 film The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. We discuss the two main characters and their dual and layered investigations that evolve over the course of the film, love the action and stunts as well as the tension that carries between them throughout, enjoy the camaraderie of the US Marshals team, and think Harrison Ford is just so great at...

New episode out now! We watched the 2022 film The Batman , starring Robert Pattinson in the title role. We discuss how Batman actually did detective work, and how his background and upbringing both helped and hindered his investigation among the dark corners of Gotham. We talk about the main villains in the film and their portrayals, debate the success of the movie toeing the line between serious...