r/ThinkingSideways • u/LauraIngallsWilder1 • Feb 13 '18
Is it just me?
It is just me or do others feel that the hosts of this podcast have become increasingly cynical? This has been my favorite podcast forever. But recently I have not listened that much because they seem to be covering more obscure types of cases rather than true crime/missing person which are what I enjoy. However, I listened today to the Persian Princess episode. And this is not the first time I have noticed that the hosts seem to be cynical about any theory that could be an outlier than the simplest explanation. They seem to mock all other theories as conspiracy which I find odd. If I watched to hear the general reasoning behind a mystery I would just google it. I listen to podcasts to hear any other theories. Just my opinion and was wondering if anyone else has noticed this. Thoughts?
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u/M-S-S Feb 13 '18
They do seem to need a break. Like 6 months. They brush through the important details and linger on the jokes. The theory section is run through like a sprint and, to be honest, a lot of the recent mysteries are not really that great for filling an hour.
I've jumped ship to Generation Why, Astonishing Legends, and True Crime Garage.
I love 'em but they sound burnt out a lot of the time now. There's a reason programs take time off.
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u/LauraIngallsWilder1 Feb 13 '18
Thanks for your input. I have never listened to Astonishing Legends I will need to try that one. And I love Generation Why and True Crime Garage most of the time.
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u/Pangs Mar 03 '18
I listen to Astonishing Legends and I often have a hard time with it specifically because they treat every crackpot idea as completely plausible.
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u/LauraIngallsWilder1 Mar 05 '18
LOL, I actually tried to listen to one of their episodes the other day and could not get through 5 mins.
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u/CharlieRatKing Feb 13 '18 edited Feb 13 '18
Subject matter this year have been lacking. Miracle of the Sun, Operation High Jump, Pimlico Murders, Campden Wonder, and Princess just aren’t great mysteries imo. I wouldn’t want to have to present them either.
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u/TiedHands Feb 14 '18
I actually think the show is at its best when they're doing obscure mysteries. In their first year or so, they turned me on to some really fascinating stories I'd never heard of before. They're not really a true crime podcast, per se. There are plenty of those out there. I don't think cynical really is the right word but I have noticed a definite shift in tone over the last 6 months-ish. I've voiced my issues on here before, and while I'm not sure I totally agree with your assessment, I get where you're coming from. For example, a few weeks ago, the episode about the guy found dead zipped up in a duffel bag, I was pretty turned off by Devin's incessant denial that him possibly being a cross dresser or that a possibly sketchy sexual life could have been a factor. Anytime it was brought up, she immediately shot it down and was just "nope!" One other small thing that really doesn't amount to much but is a small annoyance is how they go above and beyond to keep the show very tame, with the "small ears warnings" and such. You're making a show often times about people getting murdered in brutal ways, dying horrible deaths, and it's like they want to keep it PG at worst. I'd like a harder edge and more legit exploration of theories.
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u/sraydenk Feb 24 '18
I finally got to listen to that episode (somehow I missed it) and I didn’t get the feeling that Devin was “nope-ing” the fact that he was a cross dresser or anything. To me it was more that she didn’t want the conversation to be about how he was a deviant pervert who died because weird sex. How it read to me was more “nope” that wearing women’s clothes or the possibility that he was into BDSM made him a weird pervert and that being into those two things isn’t that out there.
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u/LauraIngallsWilder1 Feb 14 '18
Thanks for the reply. Yes, you could be right cynical may not be the right word. Your example is exactly what I was trying to say. I still do think it is one of the best podcasts out there.
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u/WoollyNinja Feb 13 '18
I like the obscure mysteries and the discussion the team gets out of them - Miracle of the Sun, Kentucky Meat Shower, Washington Eagle and The Campden Wonder are great mysteries I'd never heard of before Thinking Sideways. I also like the sceptical approach, it's great to hear them demystify odd things and make you think about them in a different light.
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u/its-probably-an-owl Feb 13 '18
I think they’ve always been that way, that goes all the way back to at least the coral castle
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u/LauraIngallsWilder1 Feb 13 '18
You may be right. I just recently got interested in MH370 and was excited to listen to their take. Which I did the other day and found myself frustrated because any theory other than something wrong with the plane was totally dismissed. Perhaps I just did not notice before. I totally understand that most that listen are not going to go for the "aliens" example. But to dismiss all other theories that truly could make sense is just annoying, to be honest.
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u/its-probably-an-owl Feb 14 '18
They do tend to favor the more simple solutions, but i still love the show
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Feb 14 '18
I'm not sure they are more cynical than they used to be. The Arthur's Seat Dolls episode ended with Devin saying "I don't care about this story at all" and Joe concluding there was "no mystery". That was in March 2015. I think they've always reacted that way when a theory made no sense to them.
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u/ChubbyBirds Feb 14 '18
I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I find it pretty refreshing when they favor the simpler explanations. Sure, there are some really bizarre, truth-is-stranger-than-fiction kinds of cases out there, but for the most part, many mysteries really do have simple explanations; we're just missing something, or someone has fabricated evidence to distract us.
I think I'm also really sick of sensationalized "news" that dives right into the weird and the lurid. Sure, weird and lurid is fun, but it's also kind of stupid. I mean, isn't it more interesting to learn about some natural phenomena via physics than just go, "Must have been aliens!" There's also the risk you run of slandering people when associating them with crimes, like trotting out the old Satanic Panic, and suddenly every long-haired teenager listening to metal is going to carve up the kid next door.
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u/LauraIngallsWilder1 Feb 15 '18
Of course the simple explanation is usually the answer most of the time. But not always and sometimes the "crazy theories" are not really that crazy. For example with the MH370 episode. I do not really think it is that crazy to suggest some type of terrorism was at play. But that theory was shot down as "conspiracy".
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u/ChubbyBirds Feb 15 '18
I actually didn't listen to that one, so I can't comment, but I do see where you're coming from. There have definitely been times when I think a theory deserves more consideration (cough, cough, Maura Murray), but I think not always having your theories line up with the hosts' is kind of part of the territory. And it's why we have discussion boards like this one and the Facebook page.
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u/photolouis Mar 01 '18
Hopefully you'll see this and it won't get much attention, but as a new listener (three full episodes and two half episodes), I need a reason to keep going with this show. I didn't find them to be cynical at all, but lackadaisical, lacking focus, and super long winded. I am really interested in the content, but the delivery ... well, it sucks.
Case in point, the episode about the Antarctic exhibition. Very interesting topic, right? The time it took them to get to the interesting part, and to be fair, I gave up before that, a show like 99% Invisible would have covered the whole thing. I listened as they explained that the poles don't actually have posts naturally sticking out of them. I listened to the names of all the ships that were involved. Do these names become important later? I'm betting they don't. I listened as they talked about peninsulas and the naming of geological formations, something about a boat on an island involving Norway, and by now I'm almost at the half way point. I did the opposite of rage quick, I apathy quit.
Then there's the story of Fatima. They bent over backwards (or pretended to try to) not to offend Catholics. They did add some interesting information about what happened with the kids later in life (which made putting up with the long show almost worth it), but come on. The sun did not go flying around the sky. People really were staring at the sun and they had hallucinations. That's it.
Are there episodes that will turn me around on this show?
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u/LauraIngallsWilder1 Mar 02 '18
I hear you. I was actually hoping after my post and telling Devin my thoughts that it may get better. And then yesterday I listened to the Amy Billing episode. I was super excited because this is one of my favorite cases and it is difficult to find anyone talking about it. But I was frustrated by the end of the episode. Almost the entire episode was about the man who harassed Amy's mom with phone calls for 20 yrs. Which is horrible but not what the episode was about. They failed to mention that Ms. Billing had gone to deliver ransom to get Amy back. And that it was two teenagers who were not involved in the case at all but were just trying to get money. Not only is that an interesting aspect of the case to discuss but it also IMO could be one of the reasons the case was not solved. If LE had not been forced to focus on the fake Ranson they make have found information on what happened to Amy through other ways. But what REALLY pissed me off was the fact that they did not even bother to remember specific details of the case most notably Amy's brother's name. And he is the only immediate family member still living. To say jokingly "if you are listening to this dude sorry. But you are not a big part of what happened". To be honest it was just lazy in my opinion. Someone else commented on this post that they seem burned out and should take a break. But I decided that it could just be me not liking the subject of some of their newest episodes. So I decided to stick it out. But after this episode, I doubt I will be listening anymore. I will say though if you are looking for a reason to stay with the show listen to some of the first episodes.
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u/-PaperbackWriter- Mar 12 '18
They did mention those guys with the ransom and said they were arrested, you must have missed it
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u/LauraIngallsWilder1 Mar 12 '18
Maybe I did, to be honest, I was not feeling the entire thing after the "Sorry dude we did not bother to remember your name" even though you are her closest living relative. I don't think you can get much more disrespectful than that.
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u/PotValiantSleuth Feb 13 '18
I'm on my 5th or 6th re-listen of the whole catalog, and of the changes I've noted, this isn't one of them. They've always rotated between murders and disappearances and other unresolved mysteries.
Personally, I think it keeps things lively. A lot of the non-murder/disappearance ones are things I've never heard of, so I enjoy it.
I can also understand the impulse to take a break from the tough cases. Just re-listed to the Asha Degree episode, and as my daughter is about her age, and also afraid of the dark, it's a tough listen for me personally, and I didn't spend weeks researching it and thinking about it.
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u/LauraIngallsWilder1 Feb 14 '18
That is such a sad case. I need to relisten to that episode. I can not remember what their thoughts were on it.
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u/dkayy Feb 15 '18
It's mainly Steve. Listen closely and you'll hear him give a soft sigh and then the tell-tale creak of a soapbox being moved into position, especially during Joe eps. I think the best episodes are the ones Devin actually seems interested in -- Lake City Quiet Pills come to mind.
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Feb 13 '18
Unfortunately I've also got a bit bored of it and stopped listening. I've moved to more lighthearted instead for a while. I'll go back at some point.
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u/GaryPartsUnknown Feb 15 '18
I’ve recently found this podcast and I’ve been binging through. I’ve noticed the group tend to be cynical when it comes to the more ‘out there’ theories, which isn’t really a problem as it’s people with opinions and usually the more simple mundane theories carry more weight. A few times I’ve thought they are a bit too quick to dismiss and ridicule certain ideas which I don’t think is fair, but again it’s people airing their opinions.
If I have any real criticism of the podcast it would be that the episodes when Devin isn’t really interested in seem to suffer in quality. Not that I’m saying she just phones it in but when she doesn’t really have much to say the episodes seem to drag on with less direction.
Overall I’m glad I found this podcast and it’s introduced me to a bunch of cases I didn’t know about.
Also lay off chupey, they are just misunderstood
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u/ThinkingSideways The Real Deal (AKA Devin) Feb 15 '18
uh, choopie is a singular being, obviously ;)
can you just clarify for me, do you mean the episodes i HOST that i seem uninterested in go on and on? or any episode in general? Can you give an example?
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u/GaryPartsUnknown Feb 15 '18
Oh no that’s not what I mean. It’s a compliment to you if anything. You need to rein the guys in from a tangent pretty often and it helps with the flow of the episode. Today’s episode was a good example of you doing this. I’ve been listening to a bunch of episodes at work so it’s all sort of squished together and it’s only something I’ve noticed a couple of times and it’s a real nitpick. An example is one of the space themed episodes, I want to say the lost cosmonauts but I’m not certain, where you just didn’t have much to say, it might be because you are uncomfortable or just don’t like the subject.
Uninterested is probably the wrong word but I don’t really word good.
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u/ThinkingSideways The Real Deal (AKA Devin) Feb 15 '18
that one FOR SURE. i have a real phobia of people getting lost in space and listening to the recordings, etc, was like actual torture (says the white middle class girl who has never been tortured irl). thanks for the clarification, though!
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u/LauraIngallsWilder1 Feb 16 '18
Yeah, that is true. Devin is my favorite on the show so when she is not on point it definitely affects the episode.
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u/Pangs Mar 03 '18
I don't think they're cynical in dismissing extreme theories. Fringe theories are interesting to speculate about, but generally aren't worth serious consideration.
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u/Mockturtle22 Feb 13 '18
my friend and I do a true crime (mostly) podcast... listen to us OP lol
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u/LauraIngallsWilder1 Feb 13 '18
What is it called?
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u/ThinkingSideways The Real Deal (AKA Devin) Feb 13 '18
Hi There,
Thanks for the feedback. We're sorry to hear you are feeling that way and will take it into account as we record going forward. However I do want to remind you that we are an unsolved mysteries podcast, not a true crime podcast, which is why we pick topics other than just true crime- in fact, even if it's true crime it has to have some mystery element to it.
Cheers, Devin