Podcast Summary: “Wake Up Dead Man” and the Whodunnit Renaissance

Podcast: Critics at Large | The New Yorker
Episode Date: December 11, 2025
Hosts: Nomi Frye, Vinson Cunningham, Alexandra Schwartz

Overview

This episode examines the ongoing "whodunnit renaissance" in popular culture, sparked most recently by Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” series and the release of its third film, Wake Up, Dead Man. The hosts explore why audiences have an insatiable appetite for murder mysteries, how the genre has evolved, and what differentiates today’s whodunnits—especially the so-called “millennial whodunit”—from their classic predecessors. The conversation ranges from the origins of the format (Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes) to its current permutations on streaming platforms, with thoughtful critiques, notable examples, and cultural context.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Enduring Appeal of Whodunnits

• Cultural Moment: An explosion of interest in murder mysteries, on both streaming and in theaters. The hosts point out that “everything starts with a body nowadays” ([01:43], Nomi).
• Modern Whodunnit Boom: Highlights include “Knives Out,” “Glass Onion,” “Big Little Lies,” “White Lotus,” and a subgenre jokingly named “Nicole Kidman dealing with murder” ([02:23], Vinson).

Anatomy of a Whodunnit ([03:40]–[05:43])

• Key Features:
  • A limited, “cloistered” set of suspects—each stands to gain from the crime.
  • “Red herrings abound,” with suspicion systematically shifting among characters ([04:21], Alexandra).
  • A charismatic detective—often both observer and puzzle-solver—invites viewers/readers to play along.
  • Classic examples: Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple (via Christie adaptations).

Personal Relationships to the Genre

• Vinson: Prefers whodunnits on TV or film, as they encourage “collaborative” and chatty viewing, unlike the “suspense” of literary mysteries ([05:52–06:32]).
• Nomi: Leans noir over classic whodunnit—more interested in psychology and society's corruption than puzzle-solving ([06:56–07:38]).
• Alex: Defends the whodunnit as a lens on brutishness and nastiness of humankind; cites “And Then There Were None” for its bleak view of guilt ([07:51–08:48]).

“Wake Up Dead Man” (Knives Out 3) – Review & Analysis

Plot Setup ([09:56]–[12:59])

• Setting: A ruined Catholic parish in upstate New York led by a harsh, right-wing Monsignor Wicks. Josh O’Connor plays a former boxer-turned-priest, chief suspect in the Monsignor’s murder.
• Detective: Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) enters to solve an apparently miraculous "locked room" murder.

“How this was dressed as a miracle. It’s just a murder. And I solve murders.” – [12:33] Alexandra (in character as Benoit Blanc)

Critique of the Film’s Structure & Execution

• Economy & Elegance (or Lack Thereof):
  • Nomi found the first film “elegant and economical…a beautiful puzzle box” ([13:12]).
  • For Wake Up Dead Man, she praises cast and coziness but finds it “both too fancy with the plot and not finely drawn enough with the characters…not as satisfyingly economical as the first installment” ([13:53–15:52]).
• Overlong Plotting:
  • “It could have been two hours. Get it down, Ryan.” – [15:55] Alexandra
• Locked Room Challenge:
  • The film’s metatextual nod: “This is, as it is actually explained in the movie… the hardest type of mystery to solve. Because it’s a locked room mystery.” – [16:21] Nomi

Thematic Undertones

• On Leadership & Authority:
  • The film explores “good” and “bad” leaders: “We have the bad strong leader…Monsignor Wicks…We have the man of God…Father Judd. We have the pure intellect of Benoit Blanc…” ([14:45–15:52], Nomi).
• American Setting & Social Structures:
  • Vinson notes the dissonance of European whodunnit tropes in an American context: “The social setup that one would need…may not really exist [in upstate NY]” ([18:03–19:54]).

Notable Quotes – Film Discussion

• “This spirit really moved him today, huh? So help me, what the hell happened?” – [01:06], Alexandra (paraphrasing the movie)
• “Red herrings abound.” – [04:21], Alexandra
• “It's one of the hardest things to do…to make the plot all work.” – [15:52], Vinson

Rian Johnson & the Whodunnit Revival

Reinventing the Genre ([22:50]–[27:12])

• Modernization:
  • Johnson updates the classic “bones” (detective, closed cast, puzzle) with:
    • Contemporary social issues: "The insertion of present day political issues and skirmishes." ([25:12], Nomi)
    • Lifestyle porn: Lavish settings and wealthy milieus ("part of the enjoyment…is the environment…a very wealthy community of power and leisure") ([25:12], Nomi).
• Self-awareness & Issue-Smuggling:
  • Johnson is “smuggling an issues movie to us in the form of whodunit” ([27:03], Alexandra)

Broader Cultural Context

• The whodunnit’s “comfort” comes from casting, archetypes, ensemble dynamics, and how they allow for ready identification—then disruption, resolution, and satisfaction ([27:35–28:55]).
• The demand for mysteries is tightly intertwined with the streaming age’s need for endless, easily-digestible, serial content ([35:04–37:01]).

The "Millennial Whodunnit" and New Trends

Key Differences from Classics ([38:59]–[44:02])

• Meta, Ironic, and Self-Aware Tone:
  • Shows like Search Party parody millennials’ “main character syndrome”—neither the victim nor the detective, but aspiring to detective status, and bungling the process ([39:32–42:42]).
  • The idea that “the crime is a problem, it’s not a fun thing to solve” – [41:03], Alexandra
• Disillusionment & Remystification:
  • Modern mysteries, including the latest Knives Out, flirt with irrationality, faith vs. reason, and even conspiracy culture ([43:13–45:11]).
  • “A child of the Enlightenment” may not fit the genre’s mood today.
• Conspiracy & Epistemic Crisis:
  • The urge to “be the detective” reflects a society obsessed with doing “your own research” and susceptible to misinformation ([41:52–44:44]).

Notable Newer Examples

• Big Little Lies (2017) reframes whodunit as a soapy women’s drama about “wealth and the trappings of wealth” ([29:20–30:32]).
• Only Murders in the Building: A “cozy mystery if ever there was one,” with meta-commentary on true crime and podcasting ([31:07–31:51]).
• The Perfect Couple, The Resident: The lure of ensemble casts and star-powered whodunits ([32:58–35:39]).

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the Perennial Demand
  • “Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time…outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.” – [36:07], Alexandra
• About Genre Comfort
  • “Part of the coziness is: how comfortable do I feel with this actor? If there is really such a thing as a movie or television star, this genre is where we come to know that…” – [34:06], Vinson
• On Contemporary Paranoia
  • “We are at risk of thinking that murder happens every second everywhere. The murder saturation is so high. But they're banking on it, big.” – [38:06], Alexandra
• On Science, Reason, and the Whodunnit
  • “Things don't have to remain mysteries. And this is why I think the current atmosphere of conspiracy does sort of pull this in new ways…” – [44:25–44:44], Vinson

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Genre Origins & Structure: [03:40–05:43]
• Personal Attachments to Mysteries: [05:52–07:38]
• Wake Up Dead Man Plot & Critique: [09:56–16:13]
• Authority, Society, and Setting: [18:03–20:05]
• Rian Johnson’s Approach: [22:50–27:12]
• Rise of the “Millennial Whodunnit”: [38:59–44:02]
• Cozy Recommendations: [46:37–47:22]
  • Nomi: The Hound of the Baskervilles
  • Vinson: Encyclopedia Brown series
  • Alexandra: The film Clue (1985)

Conclusion & Takeaway

Today's whodunnit resurgence is both an homage to and a playful subversion of its roots. As Alexandra notes, “The pleasure of this genre has to do with our ready identification… then it’s clarification, it’s resolution again. There’s a satisfaction in that” ([28:55]). Still, the current wave operates with greater irony, social commentary, and meta-awareness—and demands for comfort, serialization, and star power are as high as ever. Whether classic or millennial, the whodunnit is here to stay, forever shifting forms to meet the anxieties—and desires—of its audience.

Listenable "Cozy Mystery" Recommendations

• Nomi Frye: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle ([46:37])
• Vinson Cunningham: Encyclopedia Brown books ([47:04])
• Alexandra Schwartz: Clue (1985 film) ([47:22])

Summary reflects the tone, wit, and critical insight characteristic of Critics at Large—thoughtful, conversational, literate, and lightly irreverent.