This week on Podcast in Death, Tara’s off doing theater things, so listener Dana fills in to help AJ dig through a long document full of our favorite "Scary Roarke Moments."
We kick things off with Naked in Death, where Roarke decides the best way to show affection is to lurk in Eve’s dark apartment like a sexy burglar. AJ sums it up: “He’s fucking lying here, but, you know, he knew she wouldn’t check him.” Dana calls it both creepy and scary, which really sets the tone for the rest of the episode.
Other highlights include:
The Dick Twist Special (Rapture in Death): Roarke locks Eve out of her own office and “interrogates” Jess Barrow in ways that had AJ wondering, “Was he wearing stretchy pants? How did that even work?” Some mysteries are better left unsolved.
Trudy Lombard Failed Blackmail Attempt (Memory in Death): Trudy tries to blackmail Roarke for “two million dollars, USD, of course.” AJ gleefully points out, “I love that he’s fucking with her. That’s US dollars, right?” Spoiler: her “compensation” was not being murdered.
Holiday in Death: Peabody Unleashed: After Peabody decks a groper, Roarke beats the guy up and Feeney gets misty-eyed about Roarke’s brogue: “Listen to the music of it,” while Eve is stuck shouting “Maintain! That’s an order!” and we realize how few times Eve actually has control of an op.
The Murder Menu (Vengeance in Death): Roarke rattles off his six revenge killings without remorse. Dana deadpans, “He had variety.” AJ adds, “Yeah, he’s like: 'ChatGPT: tell me the worst ways to kill people.’”
The Neener, Neener Move (Delusion in Death): Eve wants Roarke to stay intimidating but not terrifying, so he pulls off what we now officially call the Neener, Neener Move: sitting in someone else’s office chair just to prove he can. Subtle, smug, effective.
Peabody’s Word Art (Devoted in Death): Peabody goes full-on scary cop, tossing out gems like “twisted twat” and “sick psychopathic sluts.” Eve gives her high marks for style and alliteration.
Jenkinson’s Fashion Crimes: We also take time to appreciate the tie so loud Potter could “see it from space”: a glittery purple rat in a silver cage on a field of emerald green. Iconic.
By the end, we cover everything from creeper Roarke to scary-light Roarke, with plenty of side tangents (Harry Potter references included). As AJ notes, “If Roarke ever says something softly, that's when you know you're in trouble.”