TV Review: Whodunnit? 106: "All The World's a Stage"

DA- We’re back on the case! Sorry about the absence for the deaths of Adrianna, Don, and Ulysses. I was actually fleeing across the country to escape a “scared” fate after one to many blog posts angered the killer. But now that I am safe in hiding I am ready to resume my Whodunnit? recaps and boy you better butter up that popcorn because we have a double feature to solve!

After Geno, Dana, and Sasha were “scared” the killer kicked off the night with a double murder. Both Dana and Sasha were found statue-like by the piano in Rue Manor. Despite five previous deaths contestants were perplexed that yes, some more contestants are “dead.” Man what is this killer’s problem?!

However, Giles was unfazed by two of more his guests being murdered and decided it was appropriate to bust a move with one of the housekeepers. After he showed off his dance technique, he spilt the groups up into the three sections yet this week there was two last known whereabouts instead of a “crime scene” to explore.

After their explorations the two teams that have formed (Kam, Cris, and Lindsey vs. Melina, Ronnie, and Geno) spilt apart to spill what they saw. One bright spot for the future of this show is the increase level of strategy involved. In weeks prior we had Geno tell only Kam and Cris information solely to try and get Ulysses “scared.” Now this week we have Kam trying to get Ronnie and Melina to completely shut out Geno so he definitely ends up murdered.

This plan goes into effect and involves Ronnie lying in front of Melina and Geno only to win the award for the worst poker face in history as he tries passing a note of the truth to Melina literally behind Geno’s back. Despite his best effort to shun Geno, Ronnie is forced to work with him when he is the one to figure out the first part of the riddle and that the clue is in the piano. In the end it is Cris who finds the morgue inside the morgue (MORGUE-CEPTION!) and thus solves the riddle this week.

Once they talk to themselves and state their case to cameras that mysteriously vanish as they cut back and forth between them, it is time for dinner. Ronnie should have known his lies would come back to him as they all shared their stories. Luckily for him, Geno, the person he stabbed in the back this week, ended up with a chandelier crushing his back instead. Close call Ronnie!

Despite Cris solving the riddle first, it was Kam who did the best on a written test did the best stating his case for the killer. To sum it all up, the killer broke into Sasha’s room and knocked her out with chloroform. He/she then loaded the body up in a cart and headed over to Dana’s room to get his/her next victim. Instead of knocking her out too, like a polite killer would, the killer threatened her with a knife and forced her to push the cart with Sasha to the elevator. After the lazy killer saw that Dana placed Sasha on the autopsy table in his second morgue, he/she finally knocked her out with chloroform as well. The killer then slashed their wrists, let the blood drain out, dressed them up, and let them stand by the piano to be found by the rest of the house. This killer is really getting violent if you ask me. They went from using a slingshot to knock Sheri out and a simple poison on Don as he made his breakfast to now forcing others to partake in the crime and redressing bodies as mannequins. Now this is where I draw the line!

Thankfully the killer saw the error of his ways and decided not to kill anyone tonight. Instead the contestants are all getting laid! No lei’d (because the next party is a luau). Then again after Giles starts undressing and holds a limbo contest maybe Lindsey is right that maybe at least Giles actually did get laid. This could explain his happy dancing from before. Then again he may just be ecstatic that all of his houseguests are dying and that means less people to take care and watch. Win-win!

However, the party is short live. When the lights cut out we find Geno crushed by a chandelier and next week’s question of “whodunnit?” lingers over the once gleeful luau.

In and Out Points:

- The last known whereabouts this week had crime tape blocking the doorway. Where did this come from? Did Giles buy some à la Kramer and set it up? Obviously it was not the police because I am not sure the police would first let untrained professionals solve crimes or secondly let a person continue to die every single week.

- As they head down to the movie theater, Melina says she does not want to go. She  fears they all may get trapped down there for two weeks and be forced to kill themselves. While anything is possible at Rue Manor, I am going to say this is highly unlikely. On the bright side it would be much easier to find the killer and figure out how they did it when they are all inside of a small room. So maybe this isn’t such a bad idea…

- For some reason a Hollywood theme overtook the investigation, which led to Giles to say every single cliché you could imagine. However, there were a few that irked the Emmy and Oscar obsessed side of me. Here they are one by one:

“Someone gave an Oscar winning performance…” 

Really, these guys? The killer must not be watching Melina crying over two of her competitor’s possibility of exiting the game next week. Melina, this is a good thing for you!

“…and the nominee is… KAM!” 

Actually Giles since he won the best theory he would be a winner. Since they all were eligible to win everyone else is a nominee.

“It looks like the other nominees were snubbed.” See you just said they were nominees yourself!  

Also to be technical “snub” usually refers to the people not nominated at all. These guys were not snubbed. They just lost. 

That is it for this week. Who did you wish won the award for “next to be murdered” and who actually was “snubbed?” But most importantly, do you think you could out limbo Giles? Let me know either in the comments or @eastwoodmcfly. Until next week watch your back! You never know when a giant chandelier may be on top of it!

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.