TV Review: Whodunnit? 108: "Frost Nixin"

DA- Now I have a new theory. No not about who the killer is but something even more important. Whodunnit? is…Breaking Bad! Don’t believe me? What does Breaking Bad and Whodunnit? have in common? Both air Sunday nights at 9 PM. Neither has won an Emmy for outstanding series in their perspective categories. Both deal with death on a weekly basis. But the most important piece of evidence both of these television programs include something that starts with a “rice” and ends with “-icn.” Icing? Interesting transition to…

Ronnie who was catapulted out of the hot tub to the pool, which somehow has ice chunks scattered around him. Exactly how did Ronnie end up floating in a pool? No, it has nothing to do with a trained monkey this week. To figure it all out this week four rooms are involved in the investigation but with exactly four investigators how we will decide who goes where? Let’s stab some blocks of ice in a challenge that clearly favors strength and power. Unsurprisingly the sole male contestant Kam wins and gets to head the mystery room (which is the attic) as well as spend three minutes in a room of his choosing (which turns out to be the last known whereabouts).

The other three contestants now have to choose where they will go but they all must go to a different room. Kam’s team asks Melina, who is all by herself, which room she wants and she chooses the last known whereabouts. Instantly Lindsey also wants that room but Melina does not want to budge. Kam says she has to and just because she said it louder than Lindsey doesn’t mean it is all her choice. Actually Kam I saw the whole thing you asked what she wanted and she decided so boo-hoo for you!

Giles settles any disagreement as any good butler would by providing three envelopes to the three girls. As luck would have it sends Lindsey to the last known whereabouts anyways. Melina gets to visit the morgue as Cris examines the crime scene. After Cris is confused by how the drink next to a hot tub could freeze, she wishes she picked the morgue but Melina “screwed” her out of that! Wait! What? Am I missing something here?

As for Kam’s advantage, in my opinion, it was actually a disadvantage. Sure he got to see Ronnie doze off and then explode from the hot tub to the pool on some surveillance footage but so what? This could have been figured out later. To top it off because he got this room he only had three minutes to explore another room making it hard to find any details in any one room alone.

After everyone left their respective areas, Melina requests their help and asks them if they are ready to play the game now and not be cowards to pick on the lone ranger. Kam does have to remind her that at one point this 3-1 split was a 6-3 split with him the minority against her! However in a perfect bluff Melina does not even need their info anyways after she accurately guesses out of nowhere very specific and detailed information about each of their rooms. Hmm…I wonder how she knows that unless she was in each room… planning to kill Ronnie!

Next it was time for the riddle and this week it looked like they wanted to make a huge mess for the production assistants and interns to clean up. First, let’s blow up a giant vat of ping-pong balls that will make them go everywhere outside. These balls then lead them to the kitchen where they have to search through a giant barrel of beans. Beans are going everywhere! Good luck getting them from behind the fridge! Inside the bean barrel is a word search that would lead them to the next location. While Melina wants to completely solve the word search before she searches any room, everyone else decides to do one at a time because this is a speed round after all. Finally, we make it to the pool equipment where Kam finds that liquid nitrogen was used in the hot tub to help propel Ronnie high into the air.

But like the audience the contestants do not have every single detail about how exactly Ronnie died. In the end it was a long, long process. The killer saw that Ronnie went to the library to write a letter to Giles “spilling the beans” about who the killer is. See what I did there? You know with the riddle round and the spilling of literal beans? Now I am confused. How does the guy who had the least amount of information last week and thought a trained monkey was involved, all of the sudden know who the killer is? Umm…don’t ask me!

Anyways, the killer decides to send a maid to deliver a tea set with powdered cream spiked with ricin, which as we all know thanks to Breaking Bad is extremely toxic. Why does someone choose to put powder cream in their tea when most people use it in coffee? Umm…again, don’t ask me!

Ronnie then brought his tea to the hot tub, which would be filled with liquid nitrogen when the timer went off. Somehow the heated water magnified the effects of the ricin, which again because of the science I learned from Breaking Bad normally takes three days to work. When the timer goes off the liquid nitrogen reacts and blasts Ronnie’s hot body (due to the ricin) into the pool, which also freezes him at the same time. Man! How come the killer never just shoots anyone and calls it a day?

After Melina and Lindsey are “scared” this is where the episode gets even more unusual then normal. The next day Lindsey sneaks up on the group laughing and giggling as though she was drunk. I was almost sure that it was Lindsey under some sort of gas making her act loopy and that her time was dwindling. However, they all are treated instead to a limo ride and are given gifts which Lindsey thinks is a bomb. Hey Lindsey, if the killer is one of the four and gave you a bomb all of you would die and thus the show would be over for not only the audience but also the killer. A better guess would be if the box had a trained monkey inside. Sorry Ronnie, I’m not letting this go.

Next thing we know the limo does a crazy U-turn and heads back to the house. Who is even driving the limo? Giles? Nope! He is now being held hostage in a scheme that looks right out of a comic book! Out of nowhere fog overtakes the room and Melina is gone! Is she dead? Is she the killer and is fleeing? Are those dancing zombies of previous contestants that are coming back? WHAT IS GOING ON? For a fun and cheesy summer reality show that is pretty crazy cliffhanger you just gave us. Who do you think you are…Breaking Bad?!

In and Out Points:

- When Lindsey is looking at the fake ricin in the last known whereabouts, was she told she could not try it by production? Sure while it is not actually ricin many detectives would often try a taste of substances they find to see what they are working with. What would happen if in the scope of the show she did take a lick?

- Melina is eavesdropping on Kam’s team after he solves the riddle. Originally I thought this was production’s way of allowing her to survive the week (because I think she is the killer and the killer can’t be killed). This way it could be argued her score with Lindsey was close to the same so for the audience it would not be a huge shock if Melina survived over Lindsey this week. But then production threw us a curve ball anyways so why am I even looking into this theory…

- Giles points out that Cris has never been “scared.” I think this was a way to raise suspicion that she is the possible killer to the audience but I don’t buy it. I think this is a classic misdirect to take the attention off of the other contestants who actually have been “scared.” If I was the killer I would “scare” myself to help take the target off of myself!

- There is some more evidence online that is leading to Melina as the killer. While this could just be a weird happenstance and not an actual clue, look at this. Most criminals and killers wear masks and which one of the four has a type of “mask” on? Conspiracy theory!!

So who is the killer? Who is going to take the golden knife or whatever the Whodunnit? winner receives along with the quarter of a million dollars? But most importantly, why is the prize money for a show about stopping a serial killer less than the prize for a show about mean people sitting around in a house for 100 days? Let me know in the comments or @eastwoodmcfly.

TV Review: Whodunnit? 107: "Party Crasher"

DA- I hope I am not crashing your party tonight with my weekly Whodunnit? review but there has been another murder in Rue Manor and I need a trained monkey you to help me solve how exactly Geno got crushed by a chandelier. Before you say Geno was simply crushed by a chandelier stop monkeying around and let’s get started!

Even though I could have sworn last week that it was bright and right after dinner when they previewed Geno’s death it seems like this week it takes place precisely at midnight. Because nobody works well in the middle of the night (except for whoever just killed poor Geno) Giles tells everyone to go to sleep to rest up for the most complicated investigation yet.

The next morning Giles has them choose where they want to explore this week and he wants them to hurry and pick so he can rest. Hey, you just woke up! If you were actually doing your job instead of sleeping or tanning for the entire episode maybe you could be stopping every single one of your houseguests from dying!

As Ronnie focuses on the dance floor and belittles Kam for taking the time to search around the room (and finding a timer), Melina and Cris are in the morgue answering cell phones found inside Geno’s pants. Man is Giles mad that his cell phone was missing. After he yells at both of them for finding the phone, Cris and Melina tell them they found it in Geno’s pocket in the morgue. This leads Giles to ask “my phone is in Geno’s pocket in the morgue?” Yes! Talk about being redundant! (You see what I did there?) Maybe you should go and rest up Giles…

Before Giles can go back to sunbathing he leads the blindfolded investigators to a pitch-black room where they must find a clue after they find the night vision goggles of course. Ronnie is the first to make it to the morgue to start rearranging a bees beads puzzle with Cris, Lindsey, and Kam hot on his tail. (Meanwhile Melina is literally and figuratively in the dark). They all end up in the morgue and when Melina begins to help Ronnie with his beads and sees Kam trying to look on, she is not happy.  “Be a man and get your own beads!” Umm…Melina I don’t want to sound mean but maybe you should take your own advice and get your own too.

Despite Ronnie’s early lead Kam solves the riddle first, which involved locating a pair of monkey statues after the beads spelt out “hear no evil.” Between this and an earlier clue saying “monkey see, monkey do” Ronnie is lead to believe a trained monkey not only dropped the chandelier but used the gun to shoot Geno in the belly. And that ladies and gentlemen is a certified bounty hunter working alongside us everyday. This guy has been a detective for 17 years and he thinks a trained monkey is working with the killer this week based on the saying “monkey see, monkey do.” Speaking of this is it also weird that an attorney, ex-homicide detective, and a television crime reporter have also failed to piece together a fake crime on a network summer television show. These people are solving our nation’s crimes in real life. Yikes!

This week Lindsey, who got to hear what happened in the other two rooms and was the only one to visit the last known whereabouts, had the best theory. She figured out that the killer had two plans. First, the killer was going to strangle Geno with a nutshell lei that had fluorescent green paint on it. But when Geno decided not to wear it, he/she had to go to plan B. When the lights went out with the timer at midnight, the killer put on the night vision goggles and shot Geno in his stomach. With the help of the illuminated crest on the floor he/she dragged the body to the center and dropped the chandelier on him before hiding the goggles in the drawer. Somehow this was all accomplished in the fraction of the second when the lights went out.

Since they did not have any information from the riddle and because Ronnie thought it was a monkey (I’m not going to let this go), both him and Melina were “scared” this week. Before Ronnie heads to bed he checks the room for bobby traps. Yeah, good luck buddy! Meanwhile Melina starts crying and wants a hug. How old is Melina? It’s just a game here guys! Don’t go all bananas or anything!

Both end up making it to morning and to celebrate it’s a spa day! Everyone gets a fun relaxing spa activity except for Kris, who has to do yoga (which believe me is more work then play). While I thought Melina was going to suffer from some sort of asphyxiation like the secretary in Goldfinger thanks to her facial, it was Ronnie who dies after some sort of exploding hot tub. Now how exactly did this happen? Is the hot tub a time machine? Were there any monkeys involved? All these questions will be answered next week on Whodunnit?

In and Out Points:

- Kris knows how to shoot a gun because her father was a cop and taught her at a young age how to handle it because she may find guns just lying around I guess. I am not telling Kris’ dad how to raise his kids but perhaps you may want to invest in a gun cabinet and a good lock. But hey that’s just me!

- Why did the killer choose Geno? He/she asked him to steal Giles’ cell phone and in return he will be safe. So he does and this “dishonesty” is another reason why he must go? Wait, what? First off you already planned on killing him and secondly you told him in order not to die he must do what you asked. If I was the killer I would be angrier if he didn’t follow my orders. Besides why are you looking for a motive now anyways? You never needed one before.

- Kris at the end is the only one unsupervised at the spa day (except for the now eliminated Ronnie). While she does yoga alone the other houseguests had people tending to them like Kam with his massage and others with the pedicures. This would make it pretty easy to sneak out for a little hot tub fun…

- If Melina survives next week and she does not solve the riddle it could mean she is the killer. This week she was “scared” after only getting to hear what happened in two rooms and next week she is only going to get one third of the story while Kam’s team may get 100% (provided they all work together). If she does survive with only 33% of the story while others die with even more information it is safe to say she is the mastermind behind this whole season. Yes you heard me right. I am talking about Melina!

With only two weeks left who do you think is the killer? Did Ronnie deserve to die? Most importantly if there was not a trained monkey, who has been eating all my bananas? Let me know in the comments below or @eastwoodmcfly!

TV Review: Whodunnit? 101: "High Voltage"

DA - There’s been a murder I do declare! Well okay, not really, but tell that to the people who watched ABC’s premiere of their new murder mystery reality show, Whodunnit? Because there were some people out there thinking that the Mickey Mouse network was offing contestants left and right in their series premiere Sunday night.

Thirteen contestants entered the Bachelor’s the Whodunnit? house all knowing that they were there to compete in a reality game show. However, they should have known that when Sheri Marsh, ex-NFL cheerleader (and probably aspiring actress) was killed for dropping a champagne glass, that this was not going to be Minute to Win It.

Out of the thirteen, one contestant is a “killer.” Really Whodunnit? is The Mole mixed with the board game Clue (or a direct rip-off of the ICTV show Suspicion, created by Dual Redundancy’s own Mike Ladue). Every week a character will be murdered and it is up to fame-seeking contestants to figure out how each one of them died and who the killer actually is.

While the show has its moments full of cheese and eye-rolls, there are many interesting ideas the show uses. After Sheri is murdered in front of the fish tank, contestants have to choose between three locations to explore: the crime scene, her last known whereabouts, or the morgue (which is conveniently located in the basement of the mansion). This automatically leads Kam, a homeland security attorney, to align with two others to get the full story. However, he does not know if one of his allies is lying or even worse the actual killer!

They are also given clues by a mysterious butler named cliché butler name Giles, who supposedly receives notes from the killer under his door. One clue was a key with the numbers “13:17” on it. Even though Kam was an early favorite of mine after he thought the numbers were military time and decided to disregard the key and start spinning the hands of clocks for a secret passage opening, I started looking for other strong players. 

After they figured it out was a Bible verse, it was Ronnie who realized there were two sides to the key (really? Nobody else saw this?!) and figured out the two crowns engraved on the key were referencing the book of Kings 2 in the Bible. Next he realized it was in reference to a nearby missing window, saw a number carved into the wood, and realized it was for a crate directly straight ahead from the window. Where Ronnie, the bounty hunter, failed was not only speaking out loud for the other contestants to hear but also sprinting throughout the house to the crate, thus bringing everyone with him to the clue!

Inside the crate we find a slingshot and a crowbar, which adds with the pebble found in the back of her head to point to a Dennis the Menace copycat killer. After all the clues they are off to the library where they get to pace around and talk out loud to the “killer” of how they committed the crime. This was easily the funniest moment of the show. Every single contestant thought they were the greatest lawyers ever to walk across the face of the Earth yet as a viewer we knew who was completely out of left field. Yes, I am talking to you Dontae and your idea that she drowned from the fish tank instead of the head shot wound you found.

In the end it was the journalist Sasha who correctly figured out that the killer broke into her room and used a fogged up mirror to lure her down to the fish tank. The killer ran back down, cut the wire of the nearby lamp, and aimed a slingshot outside waiting for Sheri. Somehow this killer made a completely remarkable shot from outside, through a missing glass pane, and right into Sheri’s neck severing major arteries. Next it was an elaborate Rube Goldberg machine only seen on TV or in an OK Go music video. This hit forced her to fall into the fish tank, cracking it, and the built up pressure made it break which caused the frayed wire to further shock an already dead Sheri. Moral of the story? Don’t drop a champagne glass in this psycho’s house!

Don and of course Dontae were the two that were “scared” after their accusations during a dinner that night. (It should be noted that despite a killer on the loose inside the house, Giles is always there with the best hospitality and food service you could ask for). That night at 4:38 AM the contestants are awaken to a fire alarm. Now in some insane special effects (especially for a summer network reality show) “Dontae” comes running out engulfed in flames. In the end, he jumps into the pool but it is too late. Now while it was more than likely not Dontae running around (doesn’t he know to stop, drop, and roll?) this sequence was still amazing. Between this effect and the makeup they used on an insert shot of Dontae in the pool, Whodunnit? may be after some Creative Arts Emmy nominations.

Next week assuming the killer does not also murder this show from ABC’s schedule, we will most likely piece together Dontae’s murder and possibly receive more clues on who actually “dun it.”

In and Out Points:

- Hopefully we receive more clues on who the killer is instead of just how he/she committed the crime. There is already speculation online that the killer is right handed based on the dramatizations but this may just be reading too much into it.

- I know it is a game show but it seems as though the killer wants to get caught. He/she leaves clues behind and picks his/her next victim on who was the worst detective. Shouldn’t he/she have kept Dontae around and killed Sasha instead? Sasha was the one who figured out exactly how he/she did it!!

- I find it ironic that Dontae finds his end in the pool since the whole time he thought Sheri drowned. Now I may be over doing it here but did production choose his death based on Dante’s first part of the Divine Comedy, which is “Inferno?” Despite the spelling both names are pronounced the same way. If so, anybody have any ideas for how others may die?

That is it for this week. Let me hear what you thought about the premiere and who the killer may be either below or on Twitter @eastwoodmcfly.