Pour The Wine, It's Rom-Com Time

Hallmark's Mistletoe Murders S2: E5 & E6 - 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas

• Garry & Amy

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On this episode of Pour the Wine, It’s Rom-Com Time, Garry and Amy return to Fletcher’s Grove to crack open the two-part season finale of Hallmark’s Mistletoe Murders: ’Twas the Fight Before Christmas. When a festive restaurant launch is overshadowed by a murder and secrets from Emily’s past finally come out of the shadows, the case twists tighter with every clue. As romance simmers, family ties strengthen, and one surprising knock closes the night, it’s clear a bigger mystery is waiting in the wings. If you love cozy crimes, snowy suspense, and a romance finally finding its footing, this recap is your perfect alibi. Here’s to more mistletoe, more mystery, and, fingers crossed, an open case for season three!

Send us an email to pourthewineitsromcomtime@gmail.com! We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/abbynoise/mood-of-summer

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome to For the Wine. It's rom com time where we'll sip some wine. Hey. Hey. And review all things rom com on the Hallmark channel. I'm Amy.

SPEAKER_00:

And I'm Gary.

SPEAKER_02:

And I'm ready to sip.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, I. Oh, you know what?

SPEAKER_02:

But I'll wait a little bit. Yeah, you can't. I'm not going to. Can you believe Thanksgiving is only a few days away? Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00:

How fast has this year flown?

SPEAKER_02:

Believe it. It has really, really flown. And today we're going to be reviewing the final two episodes of season two of Mistletoe Murders. I can't believe that either.

SPEAKER_00:

I know. It's going by so fast.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and I remember looking at the schedule, the Countdown to Christmas schedule, and we're like, okay, we have some time because they're going to show the first season. And now we're already done with season two. And I'm I'm bummed but excited and hoping they get us season three.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, they're going to get used to season three. Talking to you. Looking at you, Homer. Looking at you.

SPEAKER_02:

They're giving them season three, mistletoe murders. Let's go.

SPEAKER_00:

Hands down. Hands down. My goodness.

SPEAKER_02:

It originally mistletoe. Let's go there. Should I start that again?

SPEAKER_00:

Did you sip or did I sip? Who sipped?

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know. I think I need to sip more apparently. Today we're going to be reviewing episodes five and six of season two of mistletoe murders that originally aired on Friday, November 21st. Twas the fight before Christmas, parts one and part two.

SPEAKER_00:

Love to play. Love to play all to work.

SPEAKER_02:

Part one and part two. They are streaming right now on Hallmark Plus. If you missed it, go check it out. Actually, if you've never seen any of it, go watch season one and then you can roll right into season two and you can binge it.

SPEAKER_00:

And then you can come and listen to our podcast and tell us what you think.

SPEAKER_02:

There you go. How about that again?

SPEAKER_00:

So talking about podcasts, if you like to follow us, hey, we're on your favorite podcast platforms, which is Apple and Spotify. And all of them that you you like to listen to. We're also on YouTube and TikTok. So if you want to watch some videos, you can head on over to those platforms and there we are.

SPEAKER_02:

We're having fun doing those videos, aren't we?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I'm loving every minute.

SPEAKER_02:

We're actually a lot of fun. We're getting into it. We're a little late to that party, but we're getting into it.

SPEAKER_00:

You're never too late.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, be sure to, like Gary said, head on over to the socials and follow us and also let us know your thoughts about mistletoe murders. You can also shoot us an email at pour the wine, it's romcomtime at gmail.com. Let us know what you thought about season two, how it compares to season one for you. Maybe you like it better, maybe it's about the same, not really sure. Or just shoot us an email about your thoughts about anything Hallmark related. We are heavy into countdown to Christmas right now. And we're only what 30 some days away from actual Christmas, which is crazy to think about. We have some shopping to do, still. Yes, we do. So yes, shoot us an email. We might even, you know, read it on the air if it's nice. If it's not nice, I don't know. But we would love to hear from you.

SPEAKER_00:

This would win. So you want to tell us what's in this one or who's in this one? What's in this one?

SPEAKER_02:

Who's on first? Who's on third?

SPEAKER_00:

No, no, no.

SPEAKER_02:

So, in addition to the main characters returning, we also see Tommy Amber Peary. I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly. She plays Carrie, the Simalier of a new restaurant in Fletcher's Grove. Aaron Ashmore plays an adult Aaron AA run.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Milton Barnes plays Danny. He is one of the owners of the new restaurant. And spoiler alert, does not survive.

SPEAKER_00:

No, he can't.

SPEAKER_02:

The first episode. There you go. Al McAdam McCodam, I think, plays Jason. He is a contractor for the new restaurant. Dave Danny Kind plays Lauren. She's the um co-owner of the restaurant, or well, actual owner of the restaurant. She is the wife of Danny.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Oliver or Olivier, maybe Olivier Lamarche plays Jean-Marc. He is the chef. Natalie Brown plays Monica. That's Violet's mom. And Sam's ex-wife. She makes an appearance in both episodes. Yeah, we finally get to meet Violet's mom.

SPEAKER_00:

I know, finally. I'm so happy.

SPEAKER_02:

Finally.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, twas the fight before Christmas was directed by Melanie Orr for Hallmark. Melanie also directed the first two episodes of this season.

SPEAKER_02:

That's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_00:

And so four episodes. Enjoying this season. Yeah. Michelle Ricci for Hallmark. Michelle wrote the two Parrow of the Bell episodes in season one, which I think is pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

She also wrote For Love and Honey, Legend of the Lost Locket, and several Hailey Dean Mysteries. She is also a writer on Mid Middlebridge Mysteries on Audible, a spin-off of Mistletoe Murders that follows Violet to College.

SPEAKER_02:

That's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_00:

Good for her. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02:

There you go. There you go.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so I'm liking that. All right. So shall we? We need to drop the synopsis.

SPEAKER_02:

We need to drop the synopsis. We can't talk about it yet. So I will drop both part one and part two. Part one, Emily shelters a suspect while investigating a fancy restaurant owner's murder to prove their innocence. Sam is rattled by his ex-wife's unexpected arrival. I don't think he was rattled so much. It didn't really throw him off his game. If anything, he got closer to Emily during all of that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, he did.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, he felt a little awkward, of course, and it was a little awkward, but other than that, I wouldn't say rattled. Right. But I don't write the synopsis. So part for part two, Emily and Sam investigate a murder before a Christmas Eve restaurant event. Emily faces danger, shares her past with Sam, and stops running. Violet bonds with her mother.

SPEAKER_00:

Aww.

SPEAKER_02:

Dun dun dun.

SPEAKER_00:

Love it. Love every minute of it. So let's talk about it. Let's see what did you think about these two parts?

SPEAKER_02:

We will probably give away some spoilers.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that this is the time in the podcast that we mentioned this because if you have not watched it already, we will probably drop some spoilers. Yeah. Unfortunately. But hey, if you haven't seen it, go watch it, come back, listen to our podcast, or do it in reverse. Listen to our podcast. Then go watch it.

SPEAKER_02:

And then go watch it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And then let us know what you think. Now we can dive into it, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

So what did you think? The final two parts of the season.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh gosh. I thought that this was jam-packed, right? We had we got so much information. We have the murder, of course. The you know, the murder that spans the two episodes. So we have the mystery surrounding that. You have the, you know, characters surrounding that murder. So they're all new to the scene to us anyway. You have Sam and Emily getting closer.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

A lot closer throughout the entire two episodes. Really, there's lots of scenes with that. We see more of Emily's past when she's now we see her as like what an adult. Like, would you say like probably in her 20s?

SPEAKER_00:

Maybe I would say twenties.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. So we're getting we're getting more of that, and she has bangs. Emily has bangs. And if you're female, you have probably gone through some period in your life where you you've had bangs. Maybe you still have them, but yeah, I think we all have.

SPEAKER_00:

So it's pretty it was pretty cool. I said bangs, perms.

SPEAKER_02:

Something. Yeah. Well, yeah, I don't I don't know if perms are as popular anymore as they were, you know, back in our day in the 80s. But yeah, so it was just and then you have Violet and her mom, and you kind of see we we get a really good glimpse into their relationship as well. We see, you know, how Violet, not how she feels about her mom, but things that are you know are are on Violet's mind and the coming together of those two, I thought was great. So we it was just jam-packed with lots of information. That's why I'm gonna need a season three hallmark. Oh, we're getting a season three again, talking to you hallmark, talking to you.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep. We need a season three.

SPEAKER_02:

Put it out in the atmosphere. We're gonna do it. Good vibe, good vibe. Positive vibes, positive vibes. So, what'd you think?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh I loved it. Uh like you, I love how Emily she opens up more to Sam in this in this these two episodes. Sam opens up to her. Yes, lets her in. I like the little uh plot twists with Danny, with uh Mark or what was his name? John Mark. Jean Mark. They they got some surprises. Um I actually like the whole concept of the murder, you know?

SPEAKER_02:

Not the murder itself. We're not condoning murder.

SPEAKER_00:

No, no, just just how it came about. Um and just overall, and like you said with Violet, I think she grew a lot in in this episode. Yeah. So and we'll talk about that more.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um but overall, it was really good.

SPEAKER_02:

Really, really good.

SPEAKER_00:

Really good.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep, yep.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

So you want to get into the uh the actual murder and how they talk about the actual murder of the murder that arcs the two episodes. So there is a new restaurant that's that's going to be opening soon. And it doesn't take long for you to find out that there are what financial problems.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

You realize quickly that Danny is probably a guy who is constantly looking for a fast buck, needs to borrow money because he, you know, is having a hard time paying his bills, and you you kind of get the sense almost right away, which I thought was great, of of his character in that he he gets a lot of money and he spends it and he doesn't have a lot to show for it. So they're really trying to get he and his wife are trying to get this restaurant, you know, off the ground and running. And you know, we have we have Ray, who's involved a little bit also, right? He wants Emily to go to the restaurant to to what help throw a big dinner party as like their opening dinner party.

SPEAKER_00:

He wants her to help uh Jean Marc.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah, the the chef. And so you kind of right away, you know, we we sort of meet everybody right at the beginning, and then Danny ends up dead. And he had, you know, you've kind of seen him arguing with a couple people, and then I I think is it like the next morning then he he ends up dead. He's a little bit frozen, a little bit frozen. Um, and so that is basically the mystery of who killed Danny. Yes, and Danny has some enemies, so you're gonna try to find it. Yeah, there's several suspects that they have to eliminate, including our friend Ray.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Right.

SPEAKER_02:

Ray will be like, herself into this one. Yeah. Yeah. So so that's the that's the mystery that they are trying to solve is who killed Danny. There you go and Ray becomes a suspect and you're trying to figure out, you know, Emily is trying to she does she's sure he didn't do it, and she's trying to, you know, figure out who did it.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. So this one starts off a week later, right? Which I thought was pretty much. Oh yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

At the very beginning, before all of that, before we know the murder. Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. It starts off with uh with the with the narration by Emily, and you see her in a knife fight for her life, and then it flashes back to a week earlier.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. I thought that was such a great way to start it, also. I'm glad I'm so glad you brought that up.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, you see her in a tussle and she's up against a wall and somebody's putting a knife towards her, but of course you can't see who, because that's part of the mystery. We don't know who did it. Uh we just know she's at a dinner party, right? Doesn't she say something like, I always wanted to have a large family Christmas or something?

SPEAKER_00:

I love the narration.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. So that was that was a really, really great way to to start to start the episode. Yeah, I love that. And then you go to the past and you kind of see how they work their way to that moment.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So it was great.

SPEAKER_00:

Great start. And that's when they again find Danny laying in the snow, his knuckles are all bruised up, and he's kind of got a chipped tooth, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So they're not sure who did it, and this is where all the the uh uh mystery comes in.

SPEAKER_02:

The mystery of it all. All right, you want to talk about some revelations that came about? And we'll get to the murder part of it and all of that jazz. Because that's a that's a good storyline, but then you also have the underlying storyline of all the main characters as well, in addition to the mystery.

SPEAKER_00:

So it's yeah, there was a lot going on.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Yeah. A lot. So pretty pretty good.

SPEAKER_00:

So what was our first revelation?

SPEAKER_02:

Our first. Well, I mean, I don't I don't know if I can go in order.

SPEAKER_00:

All right, let's just say so.

SPEAKER_02:

All right, so I want to talk about so we said Ray is a suspect. He goes to Emily's apartment to hide out.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. He broke into it, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Or he broke well, yeah, he broke into it. Yeah, he didn't just knock on our door, that's true. He he went to hide out, and I love that he in the morning makes her a big stack of pancakes. I just have to talk about this part because this is towards the beginning, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

And it's like a big old stack of pancakes. And my first thought was Uncle Buck before it's even brought up in the show. Because we love Uncle Buck, we quote Uncle Buck a lot. Our kids love the movie. I mean, this is a movie that is like a staple in our house, right? So that was my first thought. And then when Emily called him Uncle Buck, I almost fell on the ground. I was like, yes, I love this so much.

SPEAKER_00:

It was it was awesome.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm so glad they did that reference.

SPEAKER_00:

So you can just see the Uncle Buck picture. You know, it was running through my head, the little scenes.

SPEAKER_02:

And I thought that was not really so much a revelation, but I just had to mention it.

unknown:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

So I I think, you know, we can either go, do you want to go Violet and her mom, or do you want to talk about Sam and Emily?

SPEAKER_00:

Let's go Violet and her mom.

SPEAKER_02:

Or okay. So I think, I think there we really got a good glimpse at how I I want to say how Violet feels about her mom, but her relationship with her mother or her mom is is just one of, you know, her mom I think is always uh not necessarily pushing her in a bad way, but like, you know, hey, did you do your, you know, do you have your college applications? And you can see Violet kind of shy away from that. She doesn't want to talk about it. She doesn't want to like disappoint her mom and say she doesn't really want to go to college. And I think so for throughout the first, what epit throughout the first episode and like half of the second one, Violet's at this place where she loves her mom, she thinks she's great, but she's so worried about telling her that, you know, and disappointing her that she doesn't really want to go to college.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. She's not ready to go yet.

SPEAKER_02:

Right. Well, oh yeah, true. She wants to take like a gap year, as they say now.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, she wants to go on a walkabout. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Most people just call it a year off.

SPEAKER_00:

Take some time.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, they call it a gap year now, or or whatever. She wants to, yeah, she she may not want to go to college. And I just I thought it was really well portrayed because, you know, as parents ourselves, you know, you do put that pressure in it. Sometimes it's inadvertently.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

Like, you know, you just assume they're gonna want to go to college. You just assume, you know, things like that. And it's not for everyone. Everyone is on is not on the same timeline as everyone else. Right. You don't have to go right after high school. And and we learn that, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Well, a lot of us go later on in life.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Just to get that degree to move up in on the corporate ladder. But yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So I just thought the development of that, and then you kind of, you know, I'm kind of skipping ahead since we're talking about them. You see them, you know, come together towards the end, which I thought was really, really great. Emily and Violet were supposed to participate in a trivia contest.

SPEAKER_01:

They're brookly.

SPEAKER_02:

And they end up not, and that's sort of a theme throughout the whole thing. Also, different Christmas trivia questions, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, so and then Emily can't go because she is, you know, at a dinner party being attacked by the real murderer. Um, so Violet's mom decides to go, and Violet's really happy to see her and excited, you know. And I just thought that that was really cool. I like I said, like I've said all along, even when we reviewed season one, I like that they make Violet a good kid, a good-hearted kid.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, she loves her parents. And yeah, I mean, she's gonna do dumb stuff because she's a teen and everything. But I just like that they, you know, and then when she talks to her mom, her mom is open about it. She's, you know, communication is huge. So I just I love that evolution of her character, and I really love that they brought her her mom on, you know. I I thought that was really a great addition to the final two episodes.

SPEAKER_00:

And you know, one other thing is I like how they didn't pit Emily and Monica against each other. Right. And and make make uh Violet have to choose, or Violet doesn't hate one, you know, because usually in a blended family like that, you would be um, you know, you either don't like the stepmom or the stepdad, or you don't like your your biological parents or whatever. But I'm so glad that they made Violet the way she is in in this whole series.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I I totally agree. And and this is how unobservant I am, um, which is why I don't wouldn't be able to solve mysteries. I mean, we have fun playing Hunt to Killer and whatnot, but um when we first meet Monica, you know, she literally says, I used to live here and I moved to New York.

SPEAKER_01:

Right, right.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, when she and when she first meets Emily, and uh totally over my head, completely over my head. Did not suspect, didn't think twice about it. And then later I'm like, that is the biggest dumb moment of my life, right there. Like, of course that's Violet's it. I didn't even put two and two together. But what's I should have, I should have.

SPEAKER_00:

But what's so funny too is Monica didn't put two and two together that Emily was the Emily.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, right. Do we know that she knew Emily? Yeah, she did because she said you're Emily. You're that Emily.

SPEAKER_00:

Because Violet talked about Emily.

SPEAKER_02:

Right, right. Yeah, yep. That's a good point, too.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't feel too bad.

SPEAKER_02:

It's a very good point. Okay, well, you know. I should have known better. I should have known, but like I'm watching it just for enjoyment, you know. I'm not necessarily I'm trying to look for clues, but I'm also like just a an innocent observer. Right. You know. Well, not I guess not even an observer, really, because I didn't pick that up.

SPEAKER_00:

So Right, right. So let's get into Ray because he's one of the suspects of the murder. And throughout the episode, you find out, you know, how he was involved. And basically, Danny had gone to him to get a loan to, you know, to front the the restaurant while it was being renovated and until opening, and then he would pay it back once it was open. And then Emily, you know, when she's talking to Sam, says, I saw them two, you know, have an argument. Danny and Ray. Danny and Ray. And then come to find out later on, Ray had said, Yes, they did have a scuffle and he did punch them, which he felt guilty about, but it was because Ray needed more or Danny needed more money and he didn't want to give it to him, but then he ends up saying, Yes, so he wires his some money.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And then Sam checks out his alibi and come to find out he did. So he is correct.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. And it's funny because Ray, you know, has like this, uh, he has like shady dealings, right? Which you know, but now we find out he's sort of a guy with heart, right? Like he's got money and he wanted to help Danny because he's known Danny, right, for for years. They've they've known each other for a long time. So that was that you're right. That was definitely a glimpse into Ray and you know, it his heart. So, you know, I don't think Ray is out there killing people.

SPEAKER_01:

No.

SPEAKER_02:

He just might be doing some stuff under the table, you know, like a little money under the table, a little money laundering. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00:

And and again, I love how they made his character not be this douche or this, you know, you know, actually a a killer or whatever.

SPEAKER_02:

But right. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_00:

So I mean, so he's off the suspect list now.

SPEAKER_02:

Right. Right. He is. So we could talk about Sam and Emily. There's a lot of kissing in this, these two episodes.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02:

There's a lot of smooching going on. Steamy themey.

SPEAKER_00:

Melting some ice in some of these things, right?

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, let's go ahead and talk about them.

SPEAKER_02:

They're they're together uh, you know, a lot throughout the two episodes. Of course, they're working together to try to solve the murder of Danny.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And then you of and then you have Violet's mom enter the picture, right? What I Monica is.

SPEAKER_00:

Monica, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Monica. So you have Violet's mom there, and that kind of throws a wrench in things, but not really in the way that you would think. Like you said earlier, I'm glad they didn't have Monica and Emily battling each other. Or, you know, they're really kind of, I don't want to, they're like fans of one another, right? Because Monica knows Emily is there. And Violet speaks so highly of Emily. And, you know, that's Violet's mom. So Emily respects that. And, you know, and they in fact at one point have a conversation about it. You know, Monica's like, so how long have you and Sam been together?

SPEAKER_00:

That was a good scene.

SPEAKER_02:

No, that would be awkward, but um, so I thought that was great. But then Emily and Sam just have these moments. Of course, they get, you know, we have to talk about the freezer scene. Right. I guess they get stuck in a freezer together. Together.

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

Sam has been, he was knocked out. Emily sees him in the freezer, she goes in, someone closes the freezer door.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And they're in there, and they kind of have, you know, they have some conversations.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's a good thing. But they wouldn't normally have, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00:

The conversations you have when you think you're going to die.

SPEAKER_02:

When you think you're going to die and you're near death because your hypothermia is setting in, right? So they're kind of huddled together. And I love when, and that's when she sort of has a flashback, right? Of her previous life. And, you know, and she's like, My name is my name was Grace. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

This is the part where she starts opening up. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Right. Yeah. And then I think he says, What does he say? It suits you or something. And and then she's kind of like, Well, that's that doesn't say a lot. Like, I tell you my real name and that's all you have to say. And then he kisses her, which I thought was so great. It was good. And then she goes, Well said, you know, after they kiss. So it just was so cute. And doesn't he ask her? What else did they talk about? Doesn't he ask her to he wants to take her out on a date or no?

SPEAKER_00:

Is that yes, he wants to take her out on a date. Yeah. And he just and it's funny because throughout the scene, he's trying to ask her, but they keep getting interrupted.

SPEAKER_02:

Is it is it while they're in the freezer though? Are you talking about another interrupted like when they go to the dinner?

SPEAKER_00:

Right. That's when they were getting interrupted when they were at the dinner.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, he really did.

SPEAKER_00:

That was so funny. But that scene. But also, it while they were in the freezer, they realized why Danny's knuckles were bruised.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Because he was trying to punch his way out. Ouch.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. They realized that the freezer was probably a crime scene. Well, it was gonna be with them too, if something happened to them.

SPEAKER_00:

But you had brought something up that I didn't even think about is you know, the fans that are in there, you were like, well, why couldn't they just stick something in the fans to kind of blow burn out the motors, right? And maybe that would stop it from freezing.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, and and you had said uh those freezers usually have like a fail-safe, like you can't lock yourself in. They have something.

SPEAKER_00:

Just because of that reason.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and then you find out later that they were faulty, they do bring that up, which I thought was really cool. Because then I was like, oh, look at you. You did know that.

SPEAKER_00:

And Jason was the the contractor, was supposed to fix it.

SPEAKER_02:

Supposed to fix it, and he didn't. He didn't. He didn't. What other what other Emily and Sam?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, on the under the gazebo or in the gazebo?

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. Oh. That's well, that's towards the end. Yeah. You want to talk about that now or you want to let's do it. Okay, all right, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00:

So so Sam and Emily are under because he take that's where he takes her for the first date.

unknown:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

Right. He finally gets his out. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And Emily says she a she tells him he can ask her anything he wants. And he's kind of hesitant at first because he's like, you know what, I'm okay. I'm okay with it. And she's like, no, no, no, go ahead. So the first thing he he asks is, is she a cop? Or was she a cop?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And she says, No. Not exactly.

SPEAKER_02:

And I think Because that was brought up before by one of the other in the previous yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And then she just tells him, was it sh did she say she was uh I can't remember the words she actually used, but like uh intelligence.

SPEAKER_02:

I think she says intelligence.

SPEAKER_00:

That's what it is. And he was like, huh, that explains a lot, which I thought was funny because she's always good at getting out of uh out of problems and solving mysteries. So you know, he figures that out.

SPEAKER_02:

Um well and that that gazebo scene, I just gotta throw a quick shout out. It reminded me so much of Gilmore Girls. Yes, the gazebo in Star's Hollow. I just and we we just were on what season? We just started watching that relatively recently in the past few months, and I was like, that's like a Gilmore girls gazebo. That's what I thought.

SPEAKER_00:

In the middle of the town, right?

SPEAKER_02:

But yeah, anyway, getting back to Emily and Sam. And then they So she well, that's where she says that there was a person she because she she tells her story basically. There was a person she was hunting, and we the audience know it's Aaron. Right. Right. She's hunting him, and she thought she had intelligence she could trust, and it turned out it was a trap for her and her team. And I wonder if that's the explosion that we saw in the first season.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

And um she was then given a new name and a new place to live, and that's how she ended up in Fletcher's Grove.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Right? Yeah, that's exactly how I I thought she was gonna say she went to Fletcher's Grove looking for something. You know, like that's where Aaron was, where Aaron was. So and that was just such a sweet moment. So she has told him everything, and he's really like, he says he knows who she is. He doesn't, you know, he doesn't necessarily need all that past information now. Like he's he's good. And then they have a moment where they kiss again, again, again.

SPEAKER_00:

Oof, steamy.

SPEAKER_02:

So I that was that was really, really profound. I I I I thought that was great.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I agree with you.

SPEAKER_02:

Their first date was just a simple one in the gazebo, in the town, just talking. And yeah, it worked out great.

SPEAKER_00:

It worked out really well. Yeah. I really enjoyed that one. So do you want to let's go into some of the the flashbacks with Emily.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

We gotta talk about we find out a lot about about Chimera, and we actually find out a lot about Aaron, and he is not the person that she thought he was. Right. And it there's a scene where she's walking back from, I'm gonna assume, uh, like a little coffee shop, and she's got a bag in her hand, and she notices a van out outside, and she talks to Aaron. Hey, hey, Ron. And um, he kind of kind of brushes it off like it's no big deal, and he ends up saying that he has a fail safe and that he had not told anybody. And that gets the wheels rolling with Emily because she's like, Well, why would you have that? And then there's a couple other flashbacks where she kind of hacks into his computer and finds out that he's been doing some shady stuff with some shady people, and a lot of the money that they've been taking from billionaires, which was the reason Chimera was um established, was it kind of like a Robin Hood type theme, Rob. From the rich give to the poor, she found out that he was funneling that money to a bunch of shady people.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it was definitely like a Robin Hood how it started out.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Not Rob, but they would, yeah, they well, yeah, they would steal from like the big corp, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

Big corporations. And you also find out that he was the one who set up the teacher.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

Right?

SPEAKER_00:

We find out that Miss Cambridge. Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep. Yeah. We find out that he was the one. And Emily really, you know, she has a lot of power with her knowledge and coding, and a lot can be done with it, but she wants to use it for good, and he does not.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02:

And I did you mention the terrorist part of it? How he she she confronts him about being sort of involved with terrorist groups. And, you know, they they're under the guise of doing good, but they do end up killing people, and they end up, you know, they're more nefarious, and she doesn't want to go that route, and she's the one who ends up setting them up.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Right. She goes she goes to the feds.

SPEAKER_02:

Aaron, and she goes to the feds and she I guess works with them or tells them what's going on, and she sets up the coding so that their stuff, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. It doesn't he his safe his uh kill switch doesn't work.

SPEAKER_02:

Doesn't work, right? Right.

SPEAKER_00:

So he has a shop looked, and that's when the feds break in, and unfortunately he's able to escape. Escape.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And Emily thinks he actually died in that raid, but he didn't.

SPEAKER_02:

So well, I don't think she no, because she she was looking for him after she gets out of prison because she does work for intelligence. So she knows he's not dead. He thinks she's dead.

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

That's because of the trap, because of the trap with her team. Right. I I believe that's why he thinks she's dead. You know, and we find that out at the very end.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

That that's what he thought.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

That that she was dead. But um, yeah, I mean, there was just there's so much. I can't can't think of anything else under with the chimera. I mean, we really did. They did have a team, there were other people involved, and they all got arrested. And I wonder, you know, if we get a season three, are we gonna see any of those other coders come and find her or try to work with her?

SPEAKER_00:

Or what's gonna happen there? I think they're gonna be the ones they're gonna be her team, and then those are probably the ones that get, you know, killed in that that explosion that we see.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, you mean the fellow her fellow coders that run that when the raid happens. Yeah, maybe. Yeah, maybe. I don't know. We'll have to see, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

Season three, Hallmark.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and then at the very end, we have Aaron. She's expecting Sam at her apartment, and he's actually on his way.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So that's that's the other part. And then she opens the door and she thinks it's gonna be Sam and it's not. It's AA and it's Aaron. And that's I think when he says, You look good for a dead person.

SPEAKER_01:

I guess.

SPEAKER_02:

Right now, Sam is on his way.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

So we have to find out, and the actual murder throughout the two-episode arc is is resolved. They have already solved that by this point, right? Right. They've had their um, you know, and I don't know if we want to say who did it, but um, the murder is solved.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, which was a bot twist, right?

SPEAKER_02:

But you know, yeah, yeah. There's a wine bottle involved in hitting Sam, and I think we probably should have known at that point that it had to do with wine.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. I'm just gonna say suspect, suspect.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00:

But we also find out the um a little twist between Jean-Marc and uh Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

That was another little little twist.

SPEAKER_00:

Mm-hmm. Didn't see coming.

SPEAKER_02:

Jean Mar Jean-Marc.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. He was a little bit.

SPEAKER_02:

He's from France, allegedly. And he talks about places in France that he what worked at or where he lived, and Emily picks up on the fact that he's not that what he's saying really isn't actually France is not true. And then that ties in with the actual murder. Although spoiler alert, yes, Jean-Marc is not the murderer.

SPEAKER_01:

He is not.

SPEAKER_02:

But he doesn't have an accent, so to speak, which was kind of a good, it was a good, a good uh twist, which I was not expecting.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So yeah. I I I mean, the the whole episode, the two episodes were really good. I really and I I was like, wow, it's over already, man.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it went fast.

SPEAKER_00:

And you know it's a good episode or good episodes when it's like over when you start watching.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. It's so good. And they have so many places that they can go. And you know, we'll have to listen to the podcast series because I I'm not really sure how it aligns with the podcast series. I don't know if maybe the first season, you know, I just don't know. So we should we should probably listen to it just to just to kind of see where it goes. You know, we we kind of didn't because we didn't want it, we didn't want spoilers, you know, but we we probably should now. And I'd really like to listen to that middle bridge. That sounds interesting too. What is it? Middlebridge.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, it was Middlebridge. Uh here, I'll bring it up real quick.

SPEAKER_02:

But but yeah, if we listen to that, so I there are just so many places they can go. The acting is so good. Sarah Drew is fantastic as Emily. Her inner dialogue is fantastic. Peter Mooney as Sam is great. What is it? Sierra Marilyn Riley. Yes. I think she's a tough twister. She is Violet, and she's so good as Violet. And I think it's, you know, she hasn't really been acting that long, but she's so good and so sweet in this, and really, I just we we love. Oh, and we didn't even mention Brooke.

SPEAKER_00:

Brooke or Sue.

SPEAKER_02:

Brooke pops in occasionally, Sue pops in occasionally in this episode, and Brooke is in, you know, and we love her from The Good Witch. So, I mean, I love her anyway. So anytime she is on the screen, we just love and we laugh, you know, with her. And at one point she's in like this all pink. All I could think of was Elle Woods. Yes. El El Woods. Do you know who I'm talking about? Reese Witherspoon.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yes, okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, yeah. That's all I can think about. And she's just just I I love her. So it the all the characters are so good and so I I don't know. I just it's a great show. It's a great show. And you have the mystery, it's great. And I like that they have the mystery, and it's you know, you have it in one episode. It's the two-episode arc where you have the the murder and then it gets resolved in the second episode. All the while there's all these other things going on.

SPEAKER_01:

Crazy.

SPEAKER_02:

There's still mystery within a mystery within a mystery, right? So it the layers are really great, and I am just hoping for a season three.

SPEAKER_00:

They can go in every direction possible.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And I can't wait for a season three.

SPEAKER_02:

They really can. Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

All right, all right. Is that a wrap?

SPEAKER_02:

That's a wrap, but do you want to talk about your tinsel top moment?

SPEAKER_00:

I was getting ready to. All right, you guys. I'm gonna say the gazebo scene. I just really enjoyed that whole conversation between between them and how Emily opened up the way she did.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. That's my I actually it would be a tie for me with this one, the gazebo scene and the trivia night with Violet and her mom.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, yeah. That was a good one.

SPEAKER_02:

Showing them getting closer together, and then when Violet wins, it was just a really sweet moment. So I loved both of those two. Those would both be my tinsel top moments for these two episodes.

SPEAKER_00:

So, what about ornaments? How many are you giving this one?

SPEAKER_02:

I I gotta go with the five. I thought it was great. I thought they were, you know, for both of them. Um I thought it was a great way. It was a great season finale for a TV series.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

We got so much more information. There's so many more places they can go. I mean, it's really wide open with the mystery with Emily, even with Sam's past. You have Violet who might be going off to college and her mom, and you have Brooke in there and Sue. I just I think it, I think it all really works. And um, so I would, and it worked for these two episodes as rounding out season two.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So I give it five. How about you?

SPEAKER_00:

I'm giving it five for the exact same reasons and as a whole, the series this year, season two.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Loved it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it was great. It was great.

SPEAKER_00:

All right. So now, is that a wrap?

SPEAKER_02:

That is that is definitely a wrap. All right.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, thanks for listening again.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. And be sure to follow us wherever you get your podcasts and on social media so you don't miss a thing. Until next time, cheers.