Episode 73 - Mystery

Ben is joined by Norah this week, and cooperatively they investigate this week’s word.  Things out a little slow conversationally, but then their on-brand rampant digression kicks in with topics such as television procedurals, the “cozy” genre of mysteries, the movie adaptation of Japanese author Kōtarō Isaka’s black humour thriller novel “Maria Beetle,” Ben’s favorite Chris Columbus movie script, and Scandinavian Noir.  To close out the show, Norah listens intently while Ben talks about some of his favorite mystery themed point and click adventure games and Nintendo DS games from Capcom’s Shu Takumi.  In the final words, Norah includes a book series recommendation (Jutta Profijt’s “Morgue Drawer”), and Ben casually endorses the television series “iZombie.”

00:00:21 - Surf’s up in Chicago, 8AM installations, and what Norah is watching
00:04:27 - State of mind, predictability, life things, mysteries of the sexes, and pod people
00:07:21 - From digressions to definitions, the death of Raquel Welch, and Ox N. Ford 
00:11:00 - Origins of mystery, mysticism, Ben’s personal definition, and the denouement 
00:13:40 - Guitars, books, television, movies, and the genre of the Cozy Mystery
00:18:18 - Egg preparations, the golden age of detective fiction, and “Abracadaver!”
00:21:35 - Movie mystery preferences, cycling streaming services, and greed
00:23:57 - Ben talks “Bullet Train” directed by a Brad Pitt / Jean-Claude Van Damme facsimile 
00:29:00 - Storytelling preferences for mystery movies, and Norah’s cozy mystery trajectory 
00:31:41 - The procedural mystery, character development in television, and realism 
00:34:44 - Scandinavian Nior, IKEA, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, and the Hardy Boys
00:38:35 - Enola Holmes, messing with Sherlock Holmes cannon, and Chris Columbus movies
00:42:22 - Norah adds one more before moving on to mystery games… questionable meat!

00:43:39 - Correction: “Grim Fandango” was Tim Schaffer’s second game as a project leader

00:46:45 - “Sam & Max Hit the Road,” the largest ball of twine, and other roadside attractions
00:49:19 - “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney,” “The Thing” in Arizona, and to-do lists
00:52:10 - Ben explains Shu Takumi’s “Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective” to Norah
00:55:13 - An interesting Nintendo direct remaster announcement, more trivia, and a step
00:57:57 - Starting the wrap-up, a couple of recommendations, and ending mystery