Every day Gordon and I have dinner at around 3 or 4 pm and watch true crime shows on the couch. Sometimes we also nap. But we usually stay awake for at least one episode.
What it’s like to watch true crime shows with Gordon.
5 minutes into the show
Narrator: …a mystery that shocked this small town…
Gordon: She’s having an affair with the pastor, and she and her brother killed her ex-husband.
Me: Maybe it wasn’t her brother.
Gordon: It’s her brother.
35 minutes later.
Brother: She drove the truck and I shot him.
Gordon: That’s a .38 shell casing he’s holding. The uncle killed him.
Me: Why?
Gordon: The uncle seems like the kind of a guy who would carry a .38.
30 minutes later
Narrator: The uncle was arrested and charged with first degree murder…
Gordon: They should check the shoulder for bruises. If he fired a shotgun five times in a row, there would be a bruise.
Me: ….
Detective: So I asked him to take his shirt off, and there was a bruise on his right shoulder, and he said he walked into a door and he always shoots left-handed…
Gordon: Mhm. Yeah, he does. ::chuckle::
Gordon: She’s having an affair with her husband’s nephew.
Me, half-asleep: You don’t know that.
Gordon: Her husband in in mid-sixties, she is 51, and the nephew is 47, lives on his own, and is financially secure. Why else would he be helping them with the bakery?
30 minutes later.
Detective: So she instigated her daughter’s boyfriend to kill the ex-husband and buried his body in the woods, and then they killed the current husband, her ex-husband’s nephew, and buried his corpse on the ex-husband’s property, so when he is found, they could blame the ex-husband for his nephew’s murder…
Me: O_O
Gordon, yawning: What did I miss?
Me: Umm… they killed the ex-husband.
Gordon: Did the daughter’s boyfriend do it?
NJ says
WOW????????
NJ says
And I am the first one
Breann says
He’s good.
Maybe he cheats and looks them all up before you watch them so he can impress you with his deductive reasoning! ????????
Illogicerr says
Or it’s a re-run and he’s seen it.
Rossana says
Hehehe, the BDH sure loves Gordon and his spoilery ways too ????.
Is he the foreshadowing driving force?
Kat M. says
It’s true. It’s nice to be able to count on Gordon for information we’re not supposed to have 😉
Katherine Nobles says
My husband does the same thing. It’s a game to him.
Sjik says
I’m guilty of doing that too, it’s fun! It annoys my husband to no end. We’ve had to drop a lot of shows midway because knowing the end frustrates him. I blame my childhood obsession with Agatha Christie and her expositions on human behavior.
Deborah L Armstrong says
Miss Marple rules!
Sjik says
Exactly!!
Chiara Chandramas says
The spoiler is strong in this one.
And we know that ????
Vinity says
John drives me nuts doing this. He’ll walk thru a room, stall for 5 minutes and announce who did it. Too often he’s right.
Jim Huffman says
Love it!
Don says
That is something I can totally see Derek doing to Julie after they’re married, just to get under her skin.
Janet Perry says
Boy you can’t get nothing past him….
Tim Muszalski says
Question for Gordon as a guy who shoots guns for fun. Why would there be a bruise after shooting a shotgun 5 times? I’ve shot a 20gauge around 8times in under an hour. I’ve also a 12 gauge 3 times in rapped succession without any bruises. I’m genuinely curious is it just me having an a typical experience or something?
Tink says
I want to see a picture of a guy he thinks would have a .38.
Ilona says
https://www.google.com/search?q=shotgun+shoulder+bruise&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS853US854&sxsrf=ALeKk03sN_QEfB5SOFBrnJsIDbR0LZ632w:1606320666737&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=UBrjEhn8liU90M%252CEFAYtB-9vgioUM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kRS-gHSfp4Zx9j5F09nRS3S11Ua3Q&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjVx_Hlip7tAhXM1FkKHQKsA6YQ9QF6BAgDEDU#imgrc=5LkeOptjbXcNlM
Gordon is out but I can answer that. You are probably not getting a bruise because you are mounting your shotgun properly into your shoulder and you are leaning into the shot to absorb the recoil with your mass. That ensures that the gun doesn’t slam but kind of pushes into you instead.
A lot of people forget about this when they are hunting a moving target because they get excited. For a bird hunter, for example, front hand trails the bird, back hand brings the gun up toward the face and seats it in the shoulder. If you don’t follow this technique, the gun will kick into the shoulder, but it’s not a natural way to shoot. You have to practice it.
This dude ran through the house killing both of his parents. He was extremely agitated. The adrenaline was high, brains and blood splattered everywhere, and he was under pressure to finish the job quick and escape. It’s a safe bet he didn’t take the time to mount the gun properly. He just fired as fast as he could.
That said, some people will bruise firing a shotgun no matter what they do. I bruise when the wind blows the wrong way.
tim Muszalski says
thanks for clearing that up for me.
LauraL says
It is that kind of insight into human nature that makes such wonderful books… But it is a little disturbing to me, that Gordon’s spoilery ways seem like a combination of math problem statement and Clue game summary… “The daughter’s boyfriend, in the woods, with a shovel…” Anyway, he must give great advice with that kind of insight!
Ellen D says
I call bullshit! Gordon is cheating! Reading the episodes on line!
Keera says
This is me, I do it. My daughter will turn off her episodes if I walk into the room. Sometimes I try to be quiet but I cant help it.
It makes watching true crime movies hard for us because I get bored and they try to watch me for my reactions.
wendy says
????????????????????
Teresa says
Remember the old Perry Mason shows. You could always tell who did it in first five minutes of the show. Tell Gordon if your good your good. He is amazing.
Kelly B says
That’s awesome! I’d watch the shows with Gordon 🙂
Jo says
Hahahah! That sounds like fun.
Dinner at 3-4 pm I think is the biggest shocker to me from this post as that would be very early for our family for dinner.
Sabrina says
Right?! That’s totally what I took away from this post too ????
Ilona says
We usually have a shake in the morning, eat a big meal around 3-4 and then have a snack around 6.
Sabrina says
Ah, so more like UK dinner, which is actually lunch, as opposed to tea, which is dinner, unless it’s supper ???????? whatever you call it, as long as it’s tasty, it’s all good ????
Mischa says
For me lunch is the mid-day meal & supper is the evening meal. Dinner is the big event/family-gathering meal that replaces one or the other of those depending on when it’s held. 🙂
Keera says
I grew up in the Caribbean who followed British patterns. Big meal at lunch. Tea around 5ish, with toast or biscuits (think crakers not American soft dough) and supper a little later around 7pm, which was a light meal. And guys my mom made us have hot tea, at 5pm in the Caribbean heat…
I still hate tea to this day ????
Joanne says
Ah! Thought it was possibly a Texas thing at first to have last meal early and maybe have drinks and cigars as last meal. Your meal routine sounds healthy and a much better idea than our family. We tend to follow Hobbit mealtime here since we have two little ones with never ending meals!
Johanna says
Ha! Ha!
Breann says
I’ve never thought of it that way, but we have that too! It’s very common for my son to have 2nd breakfast and 2nd dinner, plus all of the snacks in-between. They asked at his last doctor appointment how many meals and snacks he eats per day, I answered “All of them”. (Apparently, that’s not an acceptable answer though.) I keep blaming a growth spurt, but at this point, I don’t think it’s going to end until he’s 50 or so. Then he’ll just be growing out. ????
Magdalen Braden says
My mother used to do this with soap operas on the rare occasions she was home from work and would watch with me. Some tropes are eternal, I guess.
Catlover says
Deductive reasoning! He sees the little stuff and extrapolates from that or you married Sherlock Holmes. No wonder your books track so well!
Does he constantly assess when driving to avoid “situations and stuff”?
Joylyn says
Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha! That is so me with medical shows!!
I am watching “Call the Midwife” with my 15 year old daughter and I call out the diagnosis about 15 minutes before the show does:) I also yell at the TV when they get procedures or pronunciation wrong:) Drives her crazy!!
neurondoc says
This is also me with medical shows. Back in the early days of “House” i could sometimes guess the mystery illness for the next episode from the coming attraction.
Harriet Chow says
And this is why Kate and the Baylors is such a good investigator. O_O
Alex says
O_O Lol
Olivia says
Impressive. I wonder, is that sort of thing innate or could it be learned, because I aspire!
Rose says
Maybe Gordon needs to join the police force. He has a super power.
Ilona says
He actually almost joined the CID, Army Criminal Investigation Command. They really liked him and put in all of the paperwork, but he ended up getting out instead. It was time.
Tasha A. says
And BDH collectively sighs with relief!
Gailk says
I have been reading mysteries for over 40 years. It’s hard for me to finish a new one because I have worked out the plot within 20-30 pages.
But I never get all your twists and turns.
Who would think of ferret heist!!!
And my mom always talked about getting a kick back and bruise from shooting rifles.
She didn’t do it often, but when she did she was very accurate.
Love Gordon picking up on small cues and working out the plot.
I can see where you get some of the story lines for Hidden Legacy.
My friend Ileana and her Dutch husband ate their main meal around 2 pm . Then they would have small meal cheese, fruit and crackers at 6.
Mary Beth says
+1.
I was a junior in college when a detective befriended me. He loved sci fi and I loved forensics, so we had fun. When I said I was thinking of quitting college to join the police–to become a detective like him? He talked me out of it.
Hindsight being what it is, I’m glad he did. It would have crushed my heart.
Jing says
Gordon could have written those episodes. ????
Jenn says
Lol you guys are great.
Sherry says
Oops. OK, now I have a little sympathy for my husband. Maybe Gordon’s my brother from another mother.
May says
LOL… seems like he’s missed his calling!
Jon says
I usually go with “This character has way too many lines and no real purpose….Killer!” My wife has gotten used to it at this point.
Patience says
And Gordon’s not a hotshot detective why?!
Oooo I see a modern-day true crime series in your future. Give John Grisham a run for his money.
Karen says
I cheat and get Hubs a cocktail. Slows him down just enough????????
Jessica says
At least he has some solid reasoning behind his predictions. I start shouting the second two people look at each other for long than 2 seconds!
Ellen L says
Oh my gosh, Gordon is a murder savant!
Lfbaker says
That’s the perfect time of the day to watch crime shows. I do that and usually fall asleep. I should try it at night.
Judy Schultheis says
Well, you both know the idiocies people are capable of – maybe he just catches on to specifics faster than you do. Or, on occasion, he saw the news at the time and details pop into his head when the show is running. Could be either, or not.
One of the reasons people think I’m weird is that while I understand that people often dislike spoilers, I’ve never been able to understand what they spoil.
You do have my sympathy for what little it is worth.
Cortland says
That was awesome! 😀
Gaëlle from France says
Wow !! O_O That’s some skills !! Great powers of observation ! Does he relax sometimes ? Sounds super focused for an evening on the sofa !! I’m like a gigantic pile of jelly on mine, no brain, no muscular tonus…
wont says
Wow! Lots of grist for the ol’ story mill.
Gypsy says
I’m right there with him. Some things about human behavior are predictable. We watch true crime at work during lunch. It’s hard to fool a bunch of pediatric nurses. We throw out different theories and know what the test results will be every time.
I can’t watch police procedural TV shows because I figure it out 15 minutes into the episode. It’s intellectually boring. I do get fascinated by shows and movies like Broadchurch, Big Little Lies, Killing Eve, and right now, The Undoing. Broadchurch I never figured out and sat on my couch in a state of shock, clutching my pillow during the last episode. Big Little Lies was non linear so I knew from the beginning who but not how, why, or by whom. I think I might know what happened on The Undoing but I’m not confident in my theory. When the writers are good it makes such a difference.
Norbert says
Now I get it. Because Gordon is that good unraveling „normal“ plots, your own plots are completely impossible to anticipate for mere mortals. 😉
Siobhan says
Erm. That’s me. My ex-husband stopped watching police procedurals and true crime with me for that reason. It’s why I’m such an incredible fan of any show/movie/author who can keep me guessing and surprise me. Kelly Armstrong managed a couple of times with Cainsville and so I recommend that to ANYONE (I also adore good horror — which I define as creeping me out vs. violence/brutality porn — and Cainsville managed to creep me out more than once).
Gaëlle from France says
Oh I loved the Cainsville series !! Gabriel is such a wonderful character !!
Siobhan says
All of them were! I choose to firmly believe that Ricky finds another love in this lifetime.
Although if you read her Nadia Stanford books, it’s pretty obvious that she was rehearsing the love triangle.
Siobhan says
Damned autocorrect. Nadia STAFFORD.
Gaëlle from France says
Loved the Nadia Stafford’s series !! I hope she’ll keep writing novellas in this world !!
I have to say that I didn’t like Quinn very much (or I loved Jack too much maybe…)
But I second you on Ricky, he is an awesome character, as are Olivia, Patrick and the others. Kelley Armstrong has created a very addictive and interesting universe with her Cainsville’series. Now I’m waiting the next Rockton book !!
Gailk says
Siobhan, I totally agree with you . Love Kelley Armstrong , great characters and plots.
Also like Louise Penny.
Siobhan says
????????
Angela Knight says
Gordon is definitely the go-to guy if you start writing police procedurals.
Rose says
Behold the oracle!
Mary Beth says
Oh, lord. I do that all the time, too. It got so bad at one point my Hubby said, “Honey, if you figure it out ahead of me? Just go do something else. I want to watch the show, okay?”
My record for leaving was five minutes. We had been watching the Inspector Morse series, and I’d gotten so accustomed to the writers of that show, that I could tell what would happen in the story by the title and the opening setting scene.
We were at a friends house watching it when, after the opening scene and title, I got up and went to the dining room to read a book. Hubby nailed the back of my head with a throw pillow, and I had to explain why I left after they watched the show.
That was almost twelve years ago. Now Hubby is almost as bad as I am. We both are on the look out for stories and stuff we can’t figure out too fast.
True crime isn’t a challenge for me, either. I guess that’s why I love sci-fi-fantasy so much.
Tink says
So have you guys ever done one of those Mystery Dinner events or train rides or whatever? How does Gordon do at those?
Rexy says
Hilarious. Possibly annoying. But I am vastly entertained!
Pankhuri says
Erm, maybe this is a US thing, but dinner at 3-4 PM? Don’t y’all get hungry by like 7? This is so confusing to me!
Jane N says
Wow. That is so cool. Thanks for sharing Gordon’s impressive skill. I tend to do something similar and luckily, my husband doesn’t complain too often. 😉 Although, I’m not as good as Gordon though. He is in a class of his own. 🙂