Transcript: MaYaND 009: CB 09: The Sign of the Twisted Candles

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[Sound cue: Eerie piano tune reminiscent of the Nancy Drew PC game soundtracks]

Colleen: Hello and welcome to Me and You and Nancy Drew, a podcast in which I, Colleen-

Meghan: And I, Meghan-

Colleen: -are reading through and reviewing all the different books and games and TV episodes, eventually, of the Nancy Drewniverse.

Meghan: This week, we have read The Sign of the Twisted Candles, which is number nine in the original run of the books. This one was originally published in the 1930s, but this edition is the 1968 version, which is usually what you're gonna get. 

[Sound Cue: Drums and strings play underneath the spoken words “There Once Was A Limerick Recap”]

Meghan: Today, Colleen will be starting us off with our limerick. 

Colleen: It's not good! 

Meghan: I'm so excited. 

Colleen: “An orphan, an old man, and Nancy, / Had a little tea party so fancy. / Then he died; there were fights, / Over ownership rights. / But now everything's going dandy.” 

Meghan: I think that's great!

Colleen: “Dandy” doesn't rhyme with “Nancy.” It's objectively not good!

Meghan: Oh, we're going to have a fun rhyme in mine, too. 

Colleen: Okay, okay. 

Meghan: Don't worry. Okay. [clears throat dramatically] “There once was a hundred-year-old man, / Who decided he needed a new plan. / He made all his family mad, / Then promptly died, which was sad. / Everything worked out for Carol the great-gran. ...dniece.” 

Colleen: Incredible! Good work! 

Meghan: It didn't really tell how Nancy was involved in any of this. 

Colleen: That's okay. 

Meghan: But, yeah, I just really liked “then promptly died, which was sad.” 

Colleen: I do- I did also like that. There's an emotion in mine, but it was just indicated through a smiley face, which did not make it into the poem.

Meghan: Ah, yes.

[Sound Cue: Clock ticks underneath the spoken words “Thirty-Second Recap”]

Meghan: And now it is time for nobody's favorite, Thirty-Second Recap, where even though I read the story this morning- 

Colleen: Great.

Meghan: I will utterly fail at retelling anything important from it.

Colleen: So you get to go first! Yay!

Meghan: I get to go first. All right. 

Colleen: Ready, set, go.

Meghan: [clock ticks underneath the book summary] There's an old man named Asa [pronounced “Ay-sa”], or Asa [pronounced “Ass-a”]? Question mark on how to pronounciate [pronounce] it. I tried. Google didn't help. Anyway, he is over- He is a hundred years old, and he lives in this house, and there's a little orphan girl who works there, and she is great, and she likes to take care of him, but nobody else likes him. He makes candles. He has a very large fortune. No one knows where it is. And then he rewrites his will using Carson Drew, and he dies, and then no one can find all of his treasures, but they find all of the treasures, and it turns out that little orphan girl is actually his great-grandniece. [ticking stops, clock bongs] 

Colleen: Very good!

Meghan: That was one of my better ones. 

Colleen: That was one of the best ones. Very, very good. 

Meghan: It's your turn now to tell your version of the story. Three, two, one, go!

Colleen: [clock ticks underneath the book summary] So this old man is a relative of Bess and George. And so they are going to the hotel to, like, hang out with their relatives. And then they see him and he's, like, being kept up in this tower. And then there's an orphan who's, like, trying to bring him food because it's his hundredth birthday and he's, like, really depressed and he- Like, his wife died and he, like, lost all his kids. It's unclear if they're around or not, or if they hate him. There's a lot of, like, family drama, and because Carson helps solve this, Bess and George then hate Nancy for a bit, but then everything is okay and we find the treasures! Yay! [ticking stops, clock bongs] 

Meghan: Yay! 

Colleen: That was okay. 

Meghan: I think between the two of us, though, we got most of the important facts. 

Colleen: Yeah!

Meghan: Like the fact that this man is related to Bess and George. 

Colleen: Yeah!

Meghan: And so they have a stake in this mystery as well. 

Colleen: I was like, “Oh no, it's another one about an inventor and his will and his treasures and his lost family.” Like, we've kind of had this story at least twice by now. 

Meghan: Yes.

Colleen: But because now it's connected to Bess and George, there's a little bit higher stakes involved for Nancy personally. 

Meghan: Yeah!

Colleen: And there's a lot of like- Oh, I meant to bring in how bad the foster parents of the orphan, who's a little orphan girl, but also she's sixteen- But like, they're horribly abusive to her physically. They have taken her out of school, so educational neglect. All this different stuff. They're also extremely bad at being bad? Because they're trying to eavesdrop and they're always getting caught! They're trying to steal- He takes a chest from the old man's tower room and takes dirt out of the ground, puts the chest into the hole, then hides the dirt elsewhere in the forest. [He] does not fill the hole back in, and just put[s] logs over it. So they're really bad at being bad. 

Meghan: Yes.

Colleen: They're not doing a good job. They're horrible people, and they're very bad to...Asa [pronounced “Ay-sa”] or Asa [pronounced “Ass-a”]. I'm just gonna go with “Asa” [pronounced “Ay-sa”], I think.

Meghan: “Asa” [pronounced “Ay-sa”] seems to be the more common pronunciation, but not the only pronunciation. 

Colleen: And they're also very bad to Carol, who is, turns out, the grandniece, but they think that she's just some random orphan. 

Meghan: Just to correct, it's great-grandniece, not just grandniece. 

Colleen: Oh, thank you. Because he's a hundred. So yeah, great-grandniece. Thank you, that's important

Meghan: Well, it's also important for the upcoming family tree.

Colleen: Oh good. Good. I was wondering, when they were talking about cousins and uncles, “Is Meghan gonna make a family tree?”

Meghan: Of course. 

Colleen: Of course.

[Sound cue: High-pitched whistle-like note descending in pitch underneath the stretched-out, also-descending-in-pitch spoken word “Cliffhangers!”] 

Meghan: In this segment, we discuss our favorite cliffhanger from this novel. Colleen, would you like to go first? 

Colleen: Yeah, there weren't a lot for the first twelve or thirteen chapters, but then at the end of Chapter 13- 

Meghan: The cliffhangers start and they just don't stop. 

Colleen: They don't stop! And it's great. But I'm used to having just, like one per chapter. There was a- There was one at the end of the first chapter, where the old man thinks that Nancy is his dead wife, because he's very addled and very old, and about a day away from dying. 

Meghan: Literally.

Colleen: And it's also very dark, and so he yells, “‘Oh, it's my dear Jenny!’” And that was, like, something but not amazing. But then in this one, Nancy's looking for treasures, [pronounced “tray-zsjures”], as Fred from Scooby-Doo would say it. And they're like, “You didn't look up the chimneys! Old people always store stuff up chimneys!” And Nancy's like, “You're right, old people do always store stuff up chimneys.” And I think that was true in another book already.

Meghan: Yes.

Colleen: And so she's looking in the chimney, and then she gets a bunch of crap from the chimney all over her, and then it says, “Hannah Gruen g-” Oh, Hannah's there. “Hannah Gruen gasped. Then the next second she cried out, ‘Ugh, bats!’” And so I thought they were all gonna get bat-rabies, but they didn't really discuss- They were like, “It could bite you!” But my understanding is, if you're in a room where there was a bat, you should just go and get rabies shots, because their, um, their teeth are so small. 

Meghan: Oh!

Colleen: At least I'm told that if you wake up and you know there were bats, then you definitely need to. 

Meghan: Oh, that makes sense.

Colleen: I don't know if it's when they're flying around you actively. Maybe she was like, “Oh, one didn't get near enough to me.” But I do feel like we should check on that.

Meghan: That is a good thing to check on. The bats didn't end up being much of a big problem at all. 

Colleen: They shooed them out the front door. 

Meghan: They shooed them out. It took a little bit. And they definitely tell the funny story to  everyone in the rest of the book.

Colleen: “Guess what happened? There were bats! It was crazy.” Hannah had her skirt over her head, I think so that she wouldn't get bit!

Meghan: Yeah, the back of her skirt over her head. 

Colleen: Yes. Perfect fashion moment.

Meghan: Yes.

Colleen: What was your favorite cliffhanger? 

Meghan: Okay, so my favorite cliffhanger was Chapter 18, going into 19. Nancy and Mr. Drew and a random police officer are at a secondary property that the evil couple (who are supposed to be taking care of Asa and supposed to be taking care of Carol) own, and have been hiding stuff that they've been stealing. And so there's all these boxes. It says, “Nancy knelt on one knee, pulled off the lid, and then shrieked in terror.” And why I chose this one- ‘Cause I was like, [bored voice] “Okay, what's it gonna be?” [normal voice resumes] ‘Cause we've read a lot of these books. And what it is- It's a giant snake! A live-

Colleen: A copper-colored snake. 

Meghan: A copper-colored live snake! 

Colleen: Mm-hmm!

Meghan: Inside this box. Not expecting it at all. Hence why I chose it as my cliff, my favorite cliffhanger this week, because usually it ends up being something that's not actually scary when we have a screaming shriek cliffhanger. 

Colleen: [referencing a different book/episode] And you thought that Nancy, like, ran somebody over but they were just startled because there was a random car? 

Meghan: Yes, yeah. It's always something [that’s] not really a big deal, but this is, actually feels kind of [like] a big deal, and actually terrifying. 

Colleen: Yes, because as soon as we get to the next chapter- Like, there's a snake, and then it immediately is like, “Hey, you disturbed my secret hiding spot!” And it tries to bite Nancy, because why wouldn't you? 

Meghan: Yeah! Yeah, and they, like, don't just shoo this one away. They, uh, they kill it. 

Colleen: It says “they quickly killed the reptile,” which is the wildest way to say that, in my opinion. 

Meghan: But yeah, that's why I chose that cliffhanger. 

Colleen: That's a good one.

[Sound cue: Ocean waves crash underneath the spoken words “Ship of the Week”]

Meghan: In this segment, we “ship” two characters, or characters and a quality, or anti-ships. We've done it all. 

Colleen: We have. 

Meghan: And as a reminder, “shipping” is when you, you the reader, hope for a relationship between two characters 

Colleen: Or we hope there isn't a relationship. 

Meghan: The relationship needs to end between two characters. 

Colleen: Exactly. I have a traditional ship this week. 

Meghan: Amazing. 

Colleen: So we've been saying “little orphan girl,” but she is fully sixteen, and Nancy is eighteen. So, like, a little sus, but also it is the 60s, and they're both teenagers. I think it's fine? I think I would, you know, want to qualify that with:  Nancy's not in college. She's still in this between-high-school-and-college stage of life. 

Meghan: Mm-hmm.

Colleen: And also I think it's, I think it is just a crush at this point, but I really do, I think there's a lot of evidence that Nancy and Carol are super crushing on each other. Like, Nancy is always trying to, not only just take care of her, but like, looking out for [her], like, “Hey, um, I know you don't feel safe. What if Hannah, who makes me feel safe, came over with us?” And she's always hugging her. She goes, “‘Carol, you are superb.’” Uh, this is when there are people trying to interrupt the important will-writing process, and Carol knocks over three buckets of water on the stairs. She's like, “Oh no! Oopsies! Let me mop this up the slowest anyone's ever mopped in their life!” And Nancy's like, “You did such a great job,” and, like, whispers in her ear. And then she's always looking out for her, [like], “I know we've been having fun looking for treasures and trying to help this guy out that you really care for, but, uh, do you need to put food in the oven? Is-” She [Carol] goes, “Oh my god, yes, I've been having so much fun! I forgot!” And then, when the old man dies, she, like, has to go somewhere else, but she goes, “‘But I would really like to remain here, where I can see you often, Nancy.’” 

Meghan: Awww.

Colleen: And Nancy's like, “That makes total sense.” And then Nancy goes shopping with her. Oh my gosh. And later she's getting, like, tortured for knowledge that she does not have by her stupid foster parents. And she goes, “‘Oh, please don't. I'll do anything for you, but don't harm Nancy!’”

Meghan: [nonverbal noise to indicate how cute this is] 

Colleen: It's so, so cute. And is it, perhaps, the first person besides this old man who has ever been nice to her? Yes. But I also think that both of them care a lot for each other instantly. 

Meghan: Yes!

Colleen: And so I hope we see more of her, because by the end, Bess's mom says she will adopt or foster her for, like, the last two years [until Carol goes to college]. 

Meghan: And actually, and then they end up deciding that the Faynes and the Marvins will share, like- 

Colleen: Custody of Carol.

Meghan: Custody when she comes back from school. 

Colleen: Yeah! 

Meghan: And I guess, just, further supporting yours, later she ends up staying at the Drews’ house.

Colleen: Yeah! 

Meghan: And she talks about how once Asa passed, there was nothing happy in the house anymore. And now she realizes how nice it is to be at a place where- 

Colleen: Where you are loved and cared for? 

Meghan: Yes!

Colleen: Yes! And then, like, Nancy's going to do some more mystery stuff. She's like, “Do you want to come along?” And Carol's like, “I do not honestly want to do that. It feels, uh, unsafe and depressing. Can I stay here and make you a really nice dessert that you've never had before?” 

Meghan: Yes. 

Colleen: And we'll talk more about that in Cooking Corner, but, like, it's just really cute and really, like, maybe first-crush. I don't know. 

Meghan: Yes.

Colleen: It's really cute. 

Meghan: It is. It definitely is. Now on a more, I don't know, boring- Not boring. 

Colleen: No, it's cute! This is my second choice of ship. 

Meghan: Yeah, on the more traditional front. I only say “traditional” in that I think this is the third time I have chosen Nancy and Ned as my Ship of the Week?

Colleen: They're so cute here, too. 

Meghan: They really are, and I don't remember that. 

Colleen: Right? 

Meghan: In my first- I mean, I was in elementary school when I read these [for the first time].

Colleen: So we don't have time to learn about boys. 

Meghan: I did not care!

Colleen: I wanna know about the crimes! 

Meghan: Exactly, exactly. But this time I'm paying attention. And I love how Nancy will explain this sprawling mystery, and he just laughs in delight.

Colleen: Yeah!

Meghan: And he's just so pumped to be a part of it. And he's like, “I haven't-”

Colleen: “I've been trying to get ahold of you. Where have you been?” And then she explains. He's like, “Absolutely. This makes perfect sense.” 

Meghan: Yes.

Colleen: “Let me jump right in.” 

Meghan: “I am on my way.” 

Colleen: He was at a camp. 

Meghan: Summer camp.

Colleen: He was being a camp counselor for, like, the first half of the book. So, like, she, at one point, just mentioned him, because the phone rang, and she hoped it was him.

Meghan: Yes.

Colleen: Oh, it didn't even say “her boyfriend.” It said “her favorite date.” 

Meghan: Her favorite date! So he says, “‘Where do we look next?’ Ned asked. ‘This is a lot more exciting than my job was as camp counselor.’” 

Colleen: Yeah! 

Meghan: And Nancy is like, “Hey, I need you to take this seriously. Don't tell anyone about what we found.” He's like, “Oh, no, no. Don't worry about it.” But he's just, like, so joyful the whole time they're on these adventures. 

Colleen: Did you happen to, to notice his little improv moment? 

Meghan: Oh yes! When he is mistaken as a plainclothes cop. 

Colleen: Because Nancy's snooping and he's just a nearby man. 

Meghan: Yeah.

Colleen: And I love it.

Meghan: And they're all like, “She must have permission to be snooping, from this police officer.” 

Colleen: Yeah, obviously. 

Meghan: And so he keeps getting called “Officer,” and so then he just keeps playing it up for the rest of the chapter. 

Colleen: Uh-huh, not even just to the criminal. 

Meghan: Yes.

Colleen: Later, Nancy says something and he's like, “Um, are you sure you should be addressing an officer like that?” And, like, puts it in big quotes, but, like, is having so much fun. “Yes-and,” little guy! 

Meghan: Yeah, he's so sweet. I love him. 

Colleen: And this is my favorite thing he did. Did you notice this? 

Meghan: Yes, I did. It was so sweet. “‘Promise me,’ he said, cupping Nancy's chin in his hand, ‘that you won't disappear again.’” 

Colleen: Awww, buddy!

Meghan: I'm pretty sure she blushes.

Colleen: She absolutely does. She absolutely does. 

Meghan: Does she?

Colleen: Yeah, we'll talk about this in Wound Watch. But for sure she disappears [even though he said not to disappear again]. But he's just looking out for her. He's like, “Absolutely do your crime. Do your crime-solving. Doing a little crimes on the way to crime-solving. I support you. I'm jumping in, but just take care of yourself.”

Meghan: And she's like, “Will do.” 

Colleen and Meghan: And then doesn't. 

Meghan: And he still loves her anyway. 

Colleen: Yeah!

[Sound Cue: Kitchen tools clink underneath the spoken words “Cooking Corner”]

Meghan: In this segment, we look at the delicious foods, snacks, and beverages within this book. 

Colleen: There were a lot in this one. And part of that's because it takes place at an inn that also serves food and stuff like that. Even still! Hannah Gruen's there, and even when Carol goes back, she's making food for everybody. 

Meghan: Mm-hmm.

Colleen: But, like, the first thing- Page five, they're coming in out of the storm and Nancy's like, “I need some tea and cinnamon toast.” And I was like, “There we go, there's my classic Nancy.” 

Meghan: Haven't looked at a menu, just like, “You- You have cinnamon toast, yes?” 

Colleen: “I've decided.” 

Meghan: “Everyone has cinnamon toast.” 

Colleen: And everyone knows that that's the perfect thing to serve to people coming in out of a storm, so. 

Meghan: Exactly. And this is actually fairly early as well. In Chapter Two, after they have kind of established themselves at the inn and met everybody, Nancy has gone up to the tower, met Asa, then comes back down and sets this whole plan in motion because it's Asa's 11th- 100th birthday. 

Colleen: Did you say “11th birthday”? 

Meghan: I was gonna say “111th birthday.” 

Colleen: That's some Lord of the Rings stuff.

Meghan:  It's a Lord of the Rings- I know. It keeps happening. 

Colleen: Incredible. 

Meghan: Or I keep trying to say “Eleventy-first birthday.” 

Colleen: That's what it was. I was like, “Eleven is not right.” Amazing. 

Meghan: Because it's Asa's hundredth birthday, Carol wants to do something nice. Her adoptive foster parents, whatever they are, won't let her. So Nancy's like, “Well, I'm a paying guest. Customer's always right!”

Colleen: I love that. 

Meghan: And so she's like, “I would like to order a spread of, like, your most delicious food. And also I'm going to be having it up in the tower.”

Colleen: “Just so you know.” 

Meghan: “And also Carol's coming too. And so are these two girls.” 

Colleen: “You don't want to lose my business, do you?”

Meghan: Exactly. She asks for a jellied consommé, which I don't know if I'm saying correctly, but-

Colleen: [inaudible] 

Meghan: Sliced breast of chicken, hearts of lettuce with Roquefort dressing, which is blue cheese. 

Colleen: Oh, thank you. 

Meghan: Nut bread, ice cream, chocolate layer cake, and fruit punch. 

Colleen: That's, like, a whole thing. 

Meghan: Yes. Now, of all of them, I did not know the Roquefort [pronounced “Rrroh-kay-fort”]. Again, correct my French pronunciation. 

Colleen: I feel like they Americanize this, like Roquefort [pronounced “Roke-furt”]. 

Meghan: Yeah.

Colleen: Or something like that.

Meghan: It's blue cheese. I looked that up. But I also looked up jellied consommé. I was like, “What is this?” The recipe that I found was: “Boil lean beef with carrots and celery and, like, some other flavors, for four hours.” 

Colleen: Hmmm.

Meghan: “Then put your gelatin in.” 

Colleen: Hmmmmm!

Meghan: “And you’ve finished.” 

Colleen: Hmmmmmmmmm!!!!

Meghan: So that, of course, sent me on a journey of the history of JELL-O. 

Colleen: Yeah?

Meghan: And-

Colleen: Horrendous. I don't like meat JELL-O. 

Meghan: No, no. So this was written in 1968. By the end of the 60s and 70s, it seems, is when the JELL-O fad was fading. 

Colleen: Okay. 

Meghan: Post-World Wars. It seems the World Wars is [are] really what boosted Americans’ love of JELL-O and flavored JELL-Os. 

Colleen: We didn't have to do that.

Meghan: No.

Colleen: No one asked us to.

Meghan: To the point that in the 60s, they were selling savory JELL-O mixes. 

Colleen: God, no.

Meghan: They were removed from the shelves in the 70s, though. 

Colleen: Thank goodness.

Meghan: So don't worry. And yeah, it has just continued to fade into obscurity ever since. However- 

Colleen: This is a good Frindle reference. “When you add an “e” to “fad,” you get “fade.” And I predict this fad will fade.” And that's me seeing any meat jelly. 

Meghan: I would like to go read th- So this is the last paragraph of the article I read from SeriousEats.Com. 

Colleen: Oh good.

Meghan: About the history of JELL-O, just because I really enjoyed this.

Colleen: Thank you for your research, because I could not bear to look this up. 

Meghan: [reading from the internet] “In its heyday, JELL-O salad was ubiquitous across the United States. Today it is, in the words of Perfection Salad author Laura Shapiro, ‘A once-loved dish, safely congealed in the decorative mold of history.’” 

Colleen: Sick burn on JELL-O! 

Meghan: Yes, so. 

Colleen: Amazing! 

Meghan: Apparently this was something very, very fancy, but I, for one, am glad that I do not have to try this. 

Colleen: Yeah, that is not for me. Also, I hope that that was on the menu, because making it for four hours and then putting in gelatin- Like, cinnamon toast, I get ordering that off-menu. It's still a little weird. I would never go to a restaurant and be like, “Cinnamon toast!” Due to, that's one of the three things I can make at home. But, um, I also love that Bess heard the spread and was like, “Absolutely, I am super on board for this. I don't know what Nancy's doing, but yes, please.” 

Meghan: Yes, exactly. 

Colleen: She also- “Bess looks wistfully at the maraschino cherry, which obstinately remained in the bottom of her glass.” And it's like, “Yes, girl.” 

Meghan: Been there so many times. And then we have a lot of the other classics. I think hot cocoa is served three separate times.

Colleen: Yeah! One of them was in, like, a jug. 

Meghan: Yes. 

Colleen: Or a pitcher. I've never made a pitcher of cocoa before. I have made a crockpot of cocoa, which then congealed at the bottom, which was not amazing. It was just like all- It got unstirred, or maybe I didn't stir it all the way. It was just deliciously clumpy. 

Meghan: Or it just can- cooked some more at the bottom. 

Colleen: Yeah, that was real nice. That was awesome. Question for you! 

Meghan: Yes. 

Colleen: Uh, so Nancy, when she's checking in on Carol like, “Did you have to do something for dinner? Do we need to pause this treasure hunt?” She goes, “Did Mrs. Jemitt ask you to, like, put a roast in the oven?” She goes, “‘Oh! I was supposed to put a leg of lamb in the stove.’” “In” is such a strange choice of prepositions to me.

Meghan: Well, I guess it's also just, I mean, like, you put things in the oven. 

Colleen: And in fact, Nancy did model this sentence phrasing one sentence prior. 

Meghan: In. In the oven? 

Colleen: In the oven. We can say “in the oven.” Carol goes, “Oh, in the stove!” Yeah, for sure! 

Meghan: And that's what- I mean, like, some people interchangeably use “oven” and “stove.” I guess when I think of “stove,” though, I think of the part that gets hot. 

Colleen: Yes. I think of the, the heating elements on the top. 

Meghan: Yes. Or if you have a wood-burning stove, it's the part that- 

Colleen: That the wood is in.

Meghan:. Yeah, the wood's in. 

Colleen: So I don't know. I was just curious about that. 

Meghan: And just as a side note, the way Nancy brings it up is, like, kind of the same way you do with your siblings when, you know, your mom's out doing her errands, and “Hey, weren't we supposed to do something for dinner? [gasps] Oh my god, I didn't put the chicken out to thaw!”

Colleen: Amazing. 

Meghan: That definitely didn't happen multiple times in my teenage years. Um, reminded me of both, just to like cover your own butt, “Did your foster mom ask you to do something for dinner? Because it is almost dinnertime and I know your foster mom.” 

Colleen: And she's terrible?

Meghan: “And she's kind of a B-word.” And-

Colleen: Mm-hmm. Nancy's so sweet. I love Hannah. Nancy's stressed out because Bess and George suddenly are not talking to her because of the whole family feud. Specifically, the issue is the new will, drawn up a day before he died, says that Carol, who's been so good to him- Does he know, when he writes the will, that she's related to him? 

Meghan: Yes. 

Colleen: So she- He knows, but also she has been, like, the only person that has been good to him just for the sake of being good to him, and not for like trying to get money or whatever. And even the- His family members who knew he had money were totally ignoring him until it looked like he might die. Wild that they waited until his hundredth birthday, because I feel like that most people don't get there even today, so.

Meghan: Yeah.

Colleen: Anyway, but they- He basically said like, “Yeah, she gets eight-ninths of my property and everybody else can split the remaining ninth.” And so Bess and George, because their parents are upset, are like, “Well, we're not going to talk to Nancy.” And I think part of that is, like, they were told not to talk to her. 

Meghan: And I think everyone thought that Nancy and Carson kind of inserted themselves into the situation. 

Colleen: Mm-hmm.

Meghan: Which-

Colleen: Carson would never. 

Meghan: No, he was specifically requested. 

Colleen: Mm-hmm.

Meghan: Asa had already, like, in his mind, rewritten his will. 

Colleen: He just needed, like, legal representation. 

Meghan: He just needed a lawyer there. And it just happened to be Carson Drew. And so it just further complicated, I think, their friendship for a hot second. 

Colleen: Exactly. And so Nancy's depressed, and her father's lost in thought, and Hannah Gruen just hovers over them, coaxing them to try her waffles. And I think that's very sweet. I love Hannah. 

Meghan: “Please eat my waffles. They'll make you feel so much better.”

Colleen: And, and she's right. They will. Do you want to talk about butterfly pie? 

Meghan: Oh, yes! The butterfly pie. 

Colleen: [singing] Butterfly pie! 

Meghan: And ‘cause-

Colleen: She says, “‘I'll tell you the name, but you'll never guess what it is. Ever hear of butterfly pie?’”

Meghan: I did search “butterfly pie” and Google wasn't 100% sure what I wanted and was like, “Here's a pie with a butterfly on it!”

Colleen: So this is not a well-known thing. 

Meghan: No, no. 

Colleen: It says that “Carol had made a lemon chiffon pie and then stuck in two large wafers, which she had fashioned into the shape of butterfly wings, and then decorated them in various patterns with vegetable colorings,” which I think is very, very cute. 

Meghan: That is very cute. 

Colleen: And she must have spent a lot of time on it, and she really wanted, like, Nancy to come home to this. 

Meghan: Yes. 

Colleen: That's really nice! And apparently it tastes even better than it looks, according to Carson Drew, who would never lie about a thing like this.

Meghan: And it sounds like it looks pretty good. 

Colleen: Oh yeah!

Meghan: Lemon chiffon pie. 

Colleen: Lemon chiffon pie slaps. 

Meghan: Mm-hmm. 

Colleen: Mm-hmm. Oh, also later they have potted ham. 

Meghan: Potted ham. 

Colleen: Not canned. 

Meghan: Oh yes, yes, I saw that. 

Colleen: They have “canned chocolate milk, potted ham, and relatively fresh bread.” 

Meghan: All- I feel like- 

Colleen: That's the last meal of the book and it's not good. 

Meghan: All of those things together. Canned chocolate milk.

Colleen: Mm-hmm.

Meghan: Potted ham, and-

Colleen and Meghan: Relatively fresh bread.

Colleen: We've had so many good meals in this book, but this is the one we're ending on? Okay.

[Sound Cue: European-style emergency vehicle siren sound plays underneath the spoken words “Fashion Police”]

Meghan: In this segment, we look at the outfits and clothing on all the different characters, but this was not a very clothing-heavy novel.

Colleen: No. They used all their time up on seventeen meals of toast and tea and cocoa.

Meghan: Yes, yes.

Colleen: There was no time for outfits. I mean, they do go on a shopping spree, but I don't think they describe what they even get. But that's a really nice time, because they make up with Bess and George in the elevator, because they're all there. And Nancy's like, “Listen, I promise we weren’t inserting ourselves. It's like, Carol's legitimately a nice, great person. And this is really what Asa Sidney wanted. He just wanted a lawyer and we were nearby. Like, it's not about that.” And Bess and George are like, “You know what? You're right. I don't know why we're letting this get between us.” And then they all go shopping together for Carol, ‘cause she's never had nice clothes. She basically only wore uniforms for her school, and then they took her out of school. So she's like, “I got nothing.”

Meghan: Yeah! And speaking of uniforms, one of the only descriptions we do get of clothing otherwise in the book is that both Carol and her foster mother Mrs. Jemitt are both wearing black dresses with a frilled apron, which of course makes me think of, like, the, like-

Colleen: Typical maid uniform?

Meghan: Yeah, the French maid uniform outfit, so that's also what I pictured her in the whole time, which- I'm sure that the skirt is not as short-

Colleen: Oh, that's the uniform she was talking about! I was thinking “school uniform,” but she was probably talking about “maid uniform.”

Meghan: Ahhh, yeah, because she has, like, a whole maid uniform.

Colleen: Aw.

Meghan: So, like, I don't know, there's something, I don't want to say “degrading,” but because of just, like, our modern day- 

Colleen: Mm-hmm.

Meghan: -like, interpretation of the French maids, and-

Colleen: -and how it's-

Meghan: -the sexualization of it?

Colleen: Exactly, it's been way oversexualized and it's been made into a whole thing. Yeah, it doesn't describe what they got for Carol, but she had been “outfitted from head to toe in attractive clothes” and she got a haircut. 

Meghan: Yes. 

Colleen: That was very cute. 

Meghan: And it boosts her confidence so much. 

Colleen: Yeah!

Meghan: I like that. 

Colleen: She looked very lovely and seemed to have gained self-confidence. I really like that. 

Meghan: Yeah, a good outfit, or clothes that, like, really make you feel more like you-

Colleen: It's very empowering! I love it.

Meghan: It is. It is. It makes you feel like you. 

Colleen: Yeah!

[Sound Cue: High-pitched sounds imitating a camera flashbulb play underneath the spoken words “Picture Perfect”]

Meghan: In this segment, we discuss the illustrations, the ink drawings always included in the Nancy Drew books. And the first one I want to talk about is actually the cover. All the other covers that we've had so far have kind of been, like, a vignette. The Lilac Inn was always one of my favorite covers where you see, like, what looks like Ghost Nancy, like, reaching, and real Nancy's like, “Ahhh! What is that!” That's what I'm used to. This is the first one where, I think, we stray from that, and we have Old Man in the background looming out of the darkness, with a giant twisted candle in the forefront, and then faded Nancy-bust looking behind at the old man, and looking a combination of terrified and disgusted. Which- I didn't remember this book. So I was like, “Asa must be not all he seems.”

Colleen: Right!

Meghan: Because, like, this looks- She's scared of him. She's gro-

Colleen: You're right! She does look disgusted. I didn't catch that. In the picture, like you say, looming out of the background, all I see of him is head, extremely long beard, (he looks mad) and, like, this sort of outline of his shoulders. There's enough room that we could have drawn his whole body. 

Meghan: No.

Colleen: But it's just, like, fading into the darkness. And it, like, seems to suggest that he's not only mad and old, but also, like, unkempt and maybe dangerous. And he's just depressed, man. He's just sad. 

Meghan: And-

Colleen: They're like, “Congrats on living so long.” He's like, “All I did was not die.” He's depressed. And Nancy's like, “He seemed like he was not having a good time mentally or whatever.” I don't know the actual quote, but they're like, “He's depressy.” 

Meghan: Yeah. He's not a bad guy. The cover to me was a little bit off-putting. 

Colleen: All I remembered from, the, like, I was like, “Oh, Sign of the Twisted Candles, I remember reading this.” I remembered the cover and I remembered, like, maybe, like, looking for treasure in a big house, but that doesn't narrow it down, man. 

Meghan: That could be anything. Every few books. What's your Picture Perfect? 

Colleen: I had one. I just had- It's more of a complaint. It's more of a comment. Uh, when Nancy goes- “‘Here's the secret compartment,’ Nancy cried out.” That's, like, the little, like, description of this picture. It's in the middle [singing the next few words while searching through pages] of Chapterrrrr [back to regular speech] Seventeen. Um, and, I just noticed in the background that George, while having a boyish haircut, is wearing, like, a full dress, and has her knee turned in coquettishly, and none of this is accurate to any description of her we've received at all. She's always wearing, like, shorts and pants and boyish clothes, and she has, like, bright lipstick on in this pic. I'm like, “None of this is correct.” 

Meghan: That's not George. 

Colleen: That's not George. 

Meghan: Who is that?

Colleen: That's an imposter, is what that is. Bess is hanging out. It's fine. George is not here. This is a replacement.

Meghan: Yes. Oh my, I hadn't noticed that. Yeah, that's not- That's actually- 

Colleen: The way she's standing, it's like, [stereotypically-feminine voice] “Oooh.” 

Meghan: And it's not. 

Colleen: “I'm demure!” No, you're not. 

Meghan: No, she's not! That's part of the, the- 

Colleen: The canon. 

Meghan: Yeah! Like, oh. I was disappointed. Disappointed. Okay, and then I do have an actual picture that's not the cover to discuss. So this is near the end of Chapter Eight. Nancy and Mr. Hill, who is a banker that Carson Drew knows well, and has involved in this whole mystery as being the witness to the signing of the will, and then if Carson's taking care of something, he sends Mr. Hill to watch the house. The Jemitts are sneaking out of the house with candlesticks and, uh, seemingly- 

Colleen: The largest candelabra. 

Meghan: Yeah, some candelabras and, like, just a piece of wood, maybe? 

Colleen: Yeah, he does have, like, a two-by-four. 

Meghan: That's just a two-by-four. 

Colleen: It's an important, valuable two-by-four. 

Meghan: And so that part of the picture is, it's fine. 

Colleen: It's fine. 

Meghan: Nondescript. But my favorite part is in the background. 

Colleen: Okay.

Meghan: In the background, Nancy and Mr. Hill are half-concealed behind a tree.

Colleen: What do you mean, “half-concealed”? They are just next to a tree. 

Meghan: Okay, Mr. Hill's hand and one leg are behind the tree. 

Colleen: That's not half-concealed. The rest of them are all out in- 

Meghan: Including- Nancy seemingly has a flashlight pointed at them. The Jemitts notice nothing. 

Colleen: The flashlight is making like a [singing] doo-doo-doo-doo, [back to regular speech] “I'm-hypnotizing-you” spiral. 

Meghan: Yes, it has a big spiral. And then, if you look closely, both Nancy and Mr. Hill have just dots for eyes and also dots for mouths. 

Colleen: It's so creepy.

Meghan: And you know, these pen drawings are usually, like, highly detailed. 

Colleen: Mm-hmm.

Meghan: It looked especially hilarious in the scanned version on my digital copy. 

Colleen: Mm-hmm. We love the Xerox of a Xerox. 

Meghan: Yes. If you want to take a look at that, head over to our Patreon. That'll be on there for free. 

Colleen: Yeah.

Meghan: And you can- 

Colleen: We need you to share in this. We can't describe it. 

Meghan: Yeah, there's only so well an audio format can paint this picture for you. 

Colleen: Such a great picture. I didn't even notice that he's just stealing a two-by-four. I guess it could be a box, but I think it's not. Also, these are ugly candelabra. 

Meghan: Yeah. 

Colleen: Oh, this is also when I realized that “candelabras” is not a thing. “Candelabra” is the plural. “Candelabrum” is the singular. 

Meghan: Oh!

Colleen: I realized this because it was like, “Oh, she's stealing two silver candelabra.” And I was like, “Hmm.” 

Meghan: “Wait a second.” 

Colleen: And I was wrong. 

Meghan: Huh. 

Colleen: They're ugly, though. 

Meghan: They are.

[Sound Cue: Synthesized harp plays descending notes under the spoken words “Blast from the Past”]

Meghan: In this segment, we just discuss all of the Blasts from the Past that stood out to us. In the good- In good ways and bad.

Colleen: There weren’t. There weren't a lot of bad ones in this one. They've been insensitive in the past, but I really think this was just a lot of “Wait, what? Is that a thing?” 

Meghan: Mm-hmm.

Colleen: My first one I noticed is that almost every time they talk about Mr. or Mrs. Jemitt, they're like, “It's a couple named Jemitt. It's Mother Jemitt. It's Father Jemitt.” Mrs. Jemitt doesn't have a name. 

Meghan: No, she doesn't. 

Colleen: Like, not only does she not get to keep her last name, she doesn't have a first name. I think Mr. Jemitt maybe gets one at some point?

Meghan: I don't even know if- I don't know if he does. 

Colleen: That's fair. 

Meghan: And honestly, this isn't the first time we've seen that in the novels. 

Colleen: That's true. 

Meghan: The wife is just “Mrs. Whatever.” 

Colleen: Mm-hmm. Or “Mother Jemitt” or “The couple Jemitt.” Of like, “Okay, I get it.” What do you have? 

Meghan: Um, okay, so I did have kind of the JELL-O, which I covered.

Colleen: And that's okay that that's in the past.

Meghan: Yes. Yeah, thank goodness that's in the past. But I covered that in Cooking Corner. Asa says that he is a Chandler [pronounced with a “ch” sound]. A Chandler [pronounced with a “sh” sound].

Colleen: Yesss.

Meghan: And immediately I was like, “Chandelier. Chandler [pronounced with a “sh” sound].” 

Colleen: I was just thinking Friends. 

Meghan: Oh, Chandler [pronounced with a “ch” sound]. Yeah, but like the, the word, ch- I don't know if it's pronounced “chandler [pronounced with a “ch” sound]” or “chandler [pronounced with a “sh” sound]”, but it is C-H-A-N-D-L-E-R, and that is a candlemaker. 

Colleen: That-

Meghan: And so I, of course, looked into it, and that is exactly where the word “chandelier” comes from. 

Colleen: You're so smart!

Meghan: Which was a group of candles. Now they are electric. Most households had a chandler [pronounced with a “ch” sound here and from this point onward], someone who made the candles. And when I say “most households,” I'm talking, like-

Colleen: Rich households?

Meghan: Very, very far into the past, yeah. Pre-electricity and- 

Colleen: Mm-hmm.

Meghan: Wealthy families usually had a chandler. 

Colleen: [“posh” voice] We also have a chandler and it's my father-in-law because he keeps bees. So. 

Meghan: Oh! Yes!

Colleen: [regular speaking voice] That's where our wedding favors came from. 

Meghan: Yes, he is a chandler. 

Colleen: This guy- This guy, again, we have another inventor who's very rich off his patents, and he has all his framed patents. I really like how important inventors are in the Nancy Drew books. 

Meghan: Yes, this is where everyone's getting their fortunes. 

Colleen: Yeah, he invented twisted candles and it appeared to be, like, as the wax runs out, it collects, so you can burn it again later, is kind of what I got from it.

Meghan: So you're not, yeah, you're not wasting the wax and the tallow.

Colleen: I had a- When the old guy is startled, he was half-asleep, and then Nancy busts into the tower room to give him food, but also, like, definitely she's not really supposed to be there, and he thinks that she's his dead wife, ‘cause they both have red hair, and he's half-asleep. And old. And he goes, “‘Well, if I can't tell a very pretty and very much alive young woman from an old piece of canvas and paint, then I shall have to visit an oculist.’” I really like “oculist.” I think we should call eye doctors “oculists” again.

Meghan: I would like to go to the oculist. 

Colleen: I think it would be nice! 

Meghan: One of the other things that ends up happening is- This is when we're back at Nancy's house and Carol's there. Nancy sees through one of the windows, (this is actually one of the cliffhangers), sees a scary face in the window. It's Mr. Jemitt.

Colleen: Mm-hmm. He's always getting caught eavesdropping. 

Meghan: I know, he's everywhere and he has never not-

Colleen: She whacks the wife in the face. She's like, “I'm going out this door, it's quicker.” And then- ‘Cause she knows that the wife is eavesdropping, and so she whacks her in the face with the door. 

Meghan: Oh gosh, yeah. They are dropping eaves all over the place. 

Colleen: They are! 

Meghan: So after seeing him in the window, Carson orders them to close all the doors, close up all the windows, and turn on the air-conditioning system. 

Colleen: Ooh, exotic. 

Meghan: And I was like, “Wait, what?” And yeah, air-conditioning was invented in 1902 at a- 

Colleen: I'm sorry?! 

Meghan: Yep, at a bookstore-slash-magazine storage-warehouse thing. They-

Colleen: Oh, to keep the books- 

Meghan: Yeah, the books and the magazines kept- The pages would, like, curl up. And so they asked someone to figure out a way to get rid of the humidity in the room. 

Colleen: Okay!

Meghan: And by getting rid of the humidity, he realized that it cooled. And if he did the opposite, it heated. 

Colleen: Okay! I didn't know this. [inaudible]

Meghan: Yeah, and once he realized what he had done, he left this company and formed his own. The rest is, is history, as they say.

Colleen: That's awesome. 

Meghan: So yeah, I thought that was cool. [Note from Transcription-Colleen: Literally!] By the 1960s, every- It said, “Most new houses that were being built had Central AC included.”

Colleen: That's cool. 

Meghan: Yeah.

Colleen: Speaking of inventions, I really like Asa's toast. He's trying to, like, give his backstory and he's like, “Actually, this is really depressing. Um, is there any fruit punch left? ‘Let us drink to the new world of electronics, spaceships, and trips to the moon, but always soft candlelight.’” 

Meghan: Yes. 

Colleen: It was very good. 

Meghan: That- It was so good. I loved that part. 

Colleen: And I really want to look at the original book, ‘cause this is ‘68, so that is the, the moon landing. [Note from Transcription-Colleen: Technically the moon landing was still being worked on, since it didn’t happen until 1969.] That couldn't have been in the original, right? 

Meghan: No, I don't think it could, because it would have been in the 1930s. 

Colleen: Right. 

Meghan: And this is 1968. 

Colleen: They probably did not say “spaceships” or “trips to the moon.” 

Meghan: Yeah. 

Colleen: I just thought it was very nice.

Meghan: Yeah.

Colleen: I've just got a phrase. “‘Boy, she was about as friendly as an ice cube.’” Uh, Ned about Bess when they're having a little tiff. 

Meghan: Ugh, I was so upset at Bess. 

Colleen: Me toooooo. I understand that if it's your family and they're telling you a story and they've never really lied to you before- I, I get it. But come on, Bess, you know better.

Meghan: Yeah. this was my last thing, and it was just a small turn of phrase that I enjoyed from the book. And that's when Carol is like, “I'm gonna make you butterfly pie. Ever heard of it?” It says, “‘No,’ Nancy laughed. ‘Sounds alive.’” 

Colleen: Oh I thought it was- I thought it was [that] she thought there would be butterflies alive in it, like four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. 

Meghan: Oh, I thought she meant more like, “Sounds groovy,” but “Sounds alive.”

Colleen: Ohhh, interesting. 

Meghan: I wonder which way it is. 

Colleen: I don't know. I thought she was like, “I mean, you can serve me bugs. I don't really care.” 

Meghan: Maybe, yeah! Maybe you are correct. I guess I just read it as, yeah, just like a phrase I'd never heard. Like-

Colleen: That's awesome. I think what happened here- They heard a scream and it distracted them from spending time with Asa when they're having their tea party. And I think it's, like, Mrs. Jemitt just trying to distract them. They rush downstairs because they hear a woman screaming, and they're like, “Okay, let's go deal with that. What's going on? Is someone in danger?” Nancy goes, “What happened?” And Mr. Jemitt goes, “‘Search me. Some crazy woman just trying out her lungs, I guess.’” It's not really a Blast from the Past, except for just, like, “Yeah, we just call women crazy all day long.” But I just thought it was really funny. My other little one was [that] Ned and Nancy are just taking some time out. They go to a country club, and they're there for dinner, and they’ve, they’ve only planned to go to dinner. And then Ned's like, “‘How about a swim at the country club? We can rent some gear.’” I'm like, “Are you renting bathing suits, too? Okay…” 

Meghan: I wondered that, too. 

Colleen: Because if I'm going to dinner, I'm not bringing a bathing suit, but Nancy might. She might have one in her car. I wouldn't put that past her. 

Meghan: I wouldn't either. But I do kind of get the impression that they really did- 

Colleen: Just rent bathing suits? 

Meghan: Rent bathing suits. 

Colleen: Which is fiiine…

Meghan: I am not interested. 

Colleen: I'm not interested, personally. 

Meghan: At all! I don't want to- Nope, I don't want to share a bathing suit. No. I'll share a lot of things, but that's not it. 

Colleen: Yeah. Yeah.

[Sound Cue: The spoken words “Wound Watch” are followed by a low voice exclaiming as if punched in the stomach]

Meghan: In this segment, we look at the wounds sustained by our dear darling Nancy.

Colleen: Nancy gets whacked, uh, by a hairbrush, because she steps in, because Mr. and Mrs. Jemitt are just fully abusing their daughter in plain sight, and are hitting her with a hairbrush because I think she says, like, “If you're gonna act like a two-year-old, you're gonna get hit like one,” which is nothing. I guess it says more about their parenting. And so Nancy's like, “Absolutely not.” She's like, “How dare you interfere ‘with a mother correcting a wayward child?’ ‘You're only a youngster yourself!’” and Nancy replies “evenly,” “‘You certainly are proving yourself unfit to take a mother's place.’” So then Mrs. Jemitt hits her with the hairbrush and it's like, first of all, “What?” And then Nancy's like, “Um, I literally can sue you for this.” Like- 

Meghan: Yeah. 

Colleen: “You can't just attack strangers.” She [Mrs. Jemitt] goes, “Who do you think you are?” And she [Nancy] goes, “It literally does not matter. You can't hit people. That is illegal! You have committed assault.”

Meghan: Even though Nancy does not immediately reveal who she is, it does end up [that] the card gets pulled-

Colleen: “And my dad's a lawyer.”

Meghan: “Do you know who my father is?”

Colleen: She doesn't start with that!

Meghan: She does not start with that. But then she [Mrs. Jemitt] does immediately backtrack when she realizes that this is Nancy Drew, who has been in the news quite a bit.

Colleen: Oh yeah, she's like, “Not only has your father been in the news, but I've seen your name in the news.”

Meghan: And she's like, “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have hit you with a brush.” 

Colleen: And she goes, “You shouldn't have hit anybody with a brush.” 

Meghan: Ugh.

Colleen: Oh, Nancy.

Meghan: And then we do have to add a knockout to our running tally. 

Colleen: Mm-hmm.

Meghan: Nancy is chloroformed by Mr.- Is it- 

Colleen: No, it's not! It's his goon. 

Meghan: Oh, his goon. 

Colleen: Womp-womp. 

Meghan: Yeah. 

Colleen: He had done a favor for this guy. Random guy. I don't know if we get his name. It's, like, “Krill” or something.

Meghan: Yeah, I think “Krill” is correct. 

Colleen: Incredible. And so he had done a favor for Mr. Jemitt. And so to pay Krill back, Jemitt goes, “Here, do this other job for me,” which is not how that works. But he's going to go intimidate Nancy away. Nancy is there with Ned. And they're at the house. And nobody else is there anymore because they've all moved out, because the guy died, and nobody has rights to it. And so they- Like, the police are, like, tallying up all the stuff that's in the house. But they're not there at that second. So this guy's there. He's on a ladder. He falls down. He looks hurt, and the phone lines have been cut at the house. So Nancy's like, “Ned, go get a, like, hospital guy.” 

Meghan: Ambulance? 

Colleen: Yeah, that's what I- Yeah. I know about ambulances. He's like, “Well, will you be okay, Nancy?” She's like, “Absolutely, he's clearly knocked out. This is fine.” And then-

Meghan: He was fakin' it the whole time! And we find out later that he was tasked with stealing the papers that no one was able to find until the very end. 

Colleen: Mm-hmm.

Meghan: And kidnapping Nancy. 

Colleen: So he was supposed to kidnap her, too. We were supposed to add another kidnap tally. We just added a knockout tally, putting us at five knockouts in nine books. 

Meghan: Yes.

Colleen: And three three kidnappings. And Ned thought she was kidnapped because- 

Meghan: Krill, or whatever, realizes that he cannot search and kidnap at the same time. 

Colleen: He's got a lot going on.

Meghan: Too many steps. 

Colleen: Yeah.

Meghan: So he hides Nancy's body. Limp-

Colleen: Unconscious body. 

Meghan: Her unconscious body under a bed. 

Colleen: That has, like, a long frilly thing to hide under.

Meghan: Yes, yes. 

Colleen: A little bit of room.

Meghan: She gets, like, chloroformed outside. Doesn't she?

Colleen: She does. Oh yeah, he takes her inside. 

Meghan: Yeah, he takes her inside. That must be when he's like, “Shoot, I cannot kidnap this woman and do my other job that I've been tasked [with].” 

Colleen: So much to do. 

Meghan: “I've got too much to do.” So he hides her under a bed.

Colleen: And she tries- Nancy tries to avoid getting chloroformed because she's been here before. She tries to hold her breath. But she doesn't hold it for long enough because he just, like, he perseveres. And we think that she should have held her breath and then gone limp as if it had worked. 

Meghan: Yes. And then continue acting.

Colleen: Mm-hmm.

Meghan: So maybe, maybe Nancy will learn, you know. We're seeing her adapt.

Colleen: Mm-hmm!

Meghan: It wasn't enough. 

Colleen: It wasn't enough, but she's trying. 

Meghan: Yeah, so maybe next time she can avoid getting chloroformed. We'll see.

Colleen: And Ned jumped into action and was like, “I assumed you were kidnapped, so I did this, this, and this.” I'm like, “There we go.” He's also learning. 

Meghan: “I did the same things I did last time you were kidnapped. But it turns out this time you weren't kidnapped. So that didn't work.” 

Colleen: So yeah. This Krill. I did, I looked it up. He is Mr. Krill. 

Meghan: Mr. Krill. 

Colleen: And he then stays with Mrs. Dilberry. And I'm like, “Where are we getting these names, guys? These were terrible.” I love them. But with all of his tasks, he sounds like the, the king [Note from Transcription-Colleen: I meant Prince Humperdinck] from The Princess Bride of like, “My wife to murder. I'm positively swamped!”

 [Sound Cue: Klaxon horn (commonly known as the “Ahooga horn” or “old-timey car horn”) blares, followed by the spoken words “Crash Course,” followed by another instance of the Ahooga horn]

Meghan: In this segment, we continue to tally all of the different vehicular accidents. 

Colleen: And problems. 

Meghan: And problems surrounding our Nancy Drew.

Colleen: There's so many. I may have told you this before, but my father had taped a very old Nancy Drew movie for me, and she is the worst driver, running into stuff constantly. I'm like, “She's not like that. She's, she's, she's, you know, impulsive, but she solves her mysteries.” She's like that! It's in the books. We added two and a half more issues in this one. The half doesn't count because basically, she is in her car. She's driving to really quickly get Mr. Hill from the bank to sign off on this will, ‘cause Carson has to stay there and they don't want anybody to interrupt, ‘cause they know the family members will hate that there is a new will, because they will suspect that they're not in it, right? And they're right. And so she she goes really fast to get Mr. Hill, but then she knows Mr. Jemmit's, like, following, and then she takes a turn really fast and he doesn't, and then his car gets stuck in a ditch. So she does force him to have a car accident, but that doesn't count, ‘cause it's not the car Nancy's in. I just need to let you know-

Meghan: Got it.

Colleen: -that she did cause an accident, kind of intentionally. She was trying to just get him off her, off her tail.

Meghan: And she is pretty satisfied [inaudible] ditch. 

Colleen: She is pretty satisfied! and then later he's, like, all, like- His car is all crumply and he's like “Rr rr rr rr rr!” Shaking his fist at her, and she's like, “Oopsie!” 

Meghan: Uh-huh! “I wonder what happened to your car!”

Colleen: “It's so sad!” The very first thing is, they have to walk the last little bit to the inn, because they get stuck behind a downed tree. Day ending in “Y” for these guys. [Note from Transcription-Colleen: That is an archaic phrase that I still use for some reason, meaning, “This only happens on days that end with a ‘Y,’ also known as every single day of the week.”] Oh my gosh. It's, like, the first picture. 

Meghan: Yup.

Colleen: And also- Oh, I did mark this picture for Picture Perfect. but I'll just talk about it now. Uh, in the text of the novel, the tree comes down across the road, and so they can't go any further, so they have to walk the last little bit in this driving rain to get to the inn, and it's fine. The inn is the titular Sign of the Twisted Candles. In the picture, the tree is fully coming down actively onto the car. 

Meghan: Which is not true. 

Colleen: It's not true. I think that happened in another book.

Meghan: That's not what happened [here].

Colleen: No, so we've got one thing where they can't drive.

Meghan: Yes, the illustrator must be mixing up the books.

Colleen: That's exactly what it is. I've- 

Meghan: Just copy-paste [your picture from the previous book]. That's not how it [illustrations] worked back then.

Colleen: “Bess and George are upset? Okay, got it.” So there's one thing where they're stuck on the road ‘cause the tree came down. And then later, her tires get slashed. 

Meghan: Two of ‘em! 

Colleen: Two of them, and she only has one spare. So that's another thing she needs to adapt and overcome. So we are now up to, in nine books, fifteen incidents with Nancy's car specifically, and four incidents with other vehicles that Nancy was in charge of, not counting the horses. 

Meghan: Oh no!

Colleen: So many problems. I'm glad we're keeping a tally because there's so many problems. 

Meghan: Yeah, I need the data. Because it's one thing to just feel in your heart of hearts, “Hey, hasn't this happened before?” It's another to have, have the numbers in front of you. 

Colleen: Right here! In my little chart. 

Meghan: Poor Nancy. 

Colleen: Poor Nancy.

Meghan: And her vehicles. 

Colleen: I don't know why anyone gets in a car with her at this point.

Meghan: Does she have insurance? 

Colleen: I hope so.

Meghan: What are her insurance rates? 

Colleen: Her insurance rates is [are] called: “My dad's a lawyer.” 

Meghan: Yeah!

Colleen: “I'll sue this tree right now.”

[Sound Cue: Sizzling sounds, as if from a hot pan, underneath the spoken words “Sick Burn”]

Meghan: In this sometimes-segment that we just invented just now-

Colleen: Whilst [pronounced will-st] recording. 

Meghan: Is it “whilst” [pronounced will-st] or “whilst” [pronounced why-lst]? 

Colleen: It's both. 

Meghan: Both!

Colleen: I think. I've decided it's both. 

Meghan: It's both. You heard it here. [Note from Transcription-Colleen: No it’s not; it’s “why-lst.”] We are keeping track of any sick burns we hear in- Well, we read in our Nancy Drew adventures. So you have a, a sick burn for us?

Colleen: I do. So two of the relatives that are, like, jostling to get into the house- This is right before, uh, Carol spills three buckets of mop water down the stairs, so they can't get up to the tower room. They both pull up at the same time. They're trying to get in the house. Nancy's “accidentally” standing in the way and is, uh, trying to prevent them from getting to interrupt Carson and Asa writing up and finalizing the new will, right? So we have Jacob Sidney and Peter Boonton. They're arguing. Nancy's like, “I'm not at liberty to discuss with whom Asa is conferring.” She says, “‘Won't you two gentlemen have some tea?’” Jacob sneers, “‘Two gentlemen? I can account for only one here.’” And the other guy, Peter, goes, “‘Well, thank you for the compliment, Sidney. I'm glad you admit you're no gentleman.’”

Meghan: [laughs]

Colleen: Like, “Ohhhhh! Got him!”

Meghan: That was a good one.

Colleen: I thought it was great. Did you have, uh, an insult from the beginning? 

Meghan: Um, yeah, in the very first few pages, when the tree incident blocks them from making their way to the inn.

Colleen: And/or comes down on the car.

Meghan:  Who knows? Who knows? We've got two different perspectives. Bess says, “‘I'm sure I look a fright.’” She ran fingers through her tousled blonde hair. George remarks, “‘Who wouldn't? When we've just barely escaped being blown into space,’” which I took to mean, “Yeah, you look pretty rough, Bess.” 

Colleen: It also-

Meghan: “But, you have reason to.” 

Colleen: Exactly. And it also remarks that, like, George has short hair so hers probably- 

Meghan: Hers is fine.

Colleen: I'm assuming this means George does not have terrible hair but she is like, “Yeah, it does make sense that you look like crap right now.” 

Meghan: Yeah, and I feel like George often has those backhanded compliments. 

Colleen: Oh yeah. 

Meghan: Like, underhanded phrasing, specifically targeted at Bess. And know that they’re cousins- 

Colleen: Yes, they're sniping cousins and it charms me immensely. 

Meghan: Yes. Yes. 

Colleen: Especially when Bess snaps back, because she doesn't always. 

Meghan: Yes. Yes.

Colleen: Thank you for joining us for this trial segment.

The spoken words “Drew’s Clues” are followed by the sound of the dog from Blue’s Clues barking four times in a recognizable pattern]

Meghan: In this segment, we take a look at what makes Nancy tick, or new things that we've learned about her as a character since, you know, she's the main character in all of the books. And usually the crime and the mystery takes the front seat. But we like to make sure we're paying attention to Nancy. What do you have? 

Colleen: It says here on page two that Bess and George haven't been to this inn even though it belongs to their relatives. And so they had actually asked Nancy to come with them because they had heard some rumors about how Asa's being treated, and they weren't sure if it was true. And it says, “If there was a mystery, it would be a challenge to Nancy, affectionately called by her friends ‘Our Detective.’” 

Meghan: “Our Detective.” 

Colleen: I thought that was sweet. 

Meghan: That is sweet. What I wrote was actually in reference to, uh, during Wound Watch-

Colleen: Oh yes. 

Meghan: The, Mrs. Jemmit is, like, irate. Her behavior is, like, escalating and escalating.

Colleen: Starts at eleven.

Meghan: Yes. 

Colleen: Which is bad.

Meghan: And Nancy- It talks about how “cool” her demeanor is, “her piercing blue eyes.” Like, she can't be-

Colleen: Her “even tone.” 

Meghan: Her even tone. She can't be intimidated.

Colleen: I love that. That's a great thing about her

Meghan: I'm just very impressed, as someone who is, honestly, very easily intimidated.

Colleen: ‘Cause we've seen her be cool under pressure for, like, “Oh, a car is rolling down the hill toward me,” or whatever. But that's a different kind of thing from social pressure, of, like, “Hey, I'm actively witnessing abuse and I need to stop it.” 

Meghan: Yes. Yes. I feel like it just, it says a lot about her.

Colleen: Yeah.

Meghan: And her demeanor, her motivations. She's great. I love her. 

Colleen: That's a good one. Short but sweet segment. 

Meghan: Yeah. Short but sweet.

[Sound Cue: Simple piano tune underneath the spoken words “Sleuthing Skills”]

Meghan: In this segment, we continue to add to your growing list of skills that you need, you, the listener, need, to solve your next mystery. 

Colleen: So, very importantly, if you're not sure yet whether you can trust the little orphan girl (who is almost your own age) near you, and you, you do know you have to introduce everybody with their first and last name for some reason. That is vital, that you do that. But if you're not sure you can trust her yet, you must on-purpose slur the last names so the girl cannot repeat them. You gotta know when to slur and when not to slur. And that's, that's one of the times, is if you're not sure whether to trust them, but you have to say the last names for some reason. This happens twice. How many Nancys are in this town that, like that's gonna be fine? 

Meghan: Right?

Colleen: That's gonna cover for it? How many women named George? 

Meghan: Right? 

Colleen: Whatever. 

Meghan: It's fine. Another skill that you need, this is connected to something we've already talked about: When someone assumes that the nondescript male with you is a police officer, use that to your advantage and continue to just go along with it. And “Yes, I am of course allowed to be snooping, because this is a cop with me.” 

Colleen: Yeah. 

Meghan: “Probably.” 

Colleen: “Probably! I'm certainly not going to correct you. The customer, and criminal, is always right.” 

Meghan: Always right. 

Colleen: I've always said that. You also need to know when people are eavesdropping on you, even if this time they are not immediately in view, and you have to be able to loudly change the subject as if you are continuing the conversation. So Carol is, is warmed by the new friendship with Nancy, is leaning toward her, telling her stuff about how Father Jemmit is sneaking around with packages, and he has a lot of money that he shouldn't have, but in the middle of the sentence, Nancy goes, “That's very interesting. Once we had some baby robins in a vine outside a bedroom window, too. Do you have many wrens?” And Carol's like, “What the heck?” And then someone walks in, and it's the creepy foster dad, so it was the perfect timing for it, but Carol was like, “What are you talking about?” But luckily, says this in her head. 

Meghan: Yes. And I think, need, relatedly, you need to always be on the lookout for eavesdroppers, and assuming- 

Colleen: Even in your own home. 

Meghan: -even in your own home, that there could be somebody listening. So pay attention. Make sure you're always looking out those windows, behind the doors. 

Colleen: Keeping your air conditioner on so that they can't eavesdrop. 

Meghan: Yes. 

Colleen: Oh, but sometimes, sometimes you have to know when it is good to have eavesdroppers. For example, they are given the clue from Krill, who is now in jail, that the Jemmits are hiding out near a road called “something like ‘student,’” and that's nothing. And so they are talking loudly about it at a restaurant, and a woman leans over and is like, “I couldn't help but hear. And do you think maybe you're looking for Steuben Road?” So it's important to know when to talk loudly about your clues near helpful eavesdroppers. 

Meghan: Yes. 

Colleen: And that's a hard one. That's hard to learn. You just gotta know. That's more of an intrinsic quality. 

Meghan: It is, it is. So good luck continuing to develop your sleuthing skills so that you, too, can be in the newspaper like Nancy Drew.

[Sound Cue: Four distinct drum beats that mimic the opening of the song “Accidentally in Love” by Counting Crows, followed by the sung words “Accidentally Gay”]

Colleen: In this segment, we talk about the things in the books that, while perhaps not intended to be gay or queer, are absolutely able to be interpreted as such by the modern reader. Most of mine- We've talked about a little bit in my Ship of the Week with Nancy and Carol, but immediately- We're twenty pages in. Nancy and Carol already have this fast bosom friendship, as is her wont. Oh! We haven't heard from Helen! 

Meghan: I know. 

Colleen: Where the heck is Helen?

Meghan: Where? 

Colleen: [inaudible] with her weird husband? 

Meghan: Jim Archer. Must be. 

Colleen: She better- They better be in the next book. I am, I am suspicious and concerned. Anyway, she is like, “Okay, I gotta go deal with X, Y, and Z.” And before she leaves, she gives Carol a quick kiss and is like, “Remember, my dad's a lawyer, so, like, keep us in the loop here.” But like, I don't kiss any of my friends goodbye. And maybe that's on me. Maybe I should start that. But I do think that they're gonna think it's weird. I think that's gonna seem, seem strange. 

Meghan: Yes. Yes.

Colleen:  What did you get?

Meghan: There are often, when we talk about, like, “gay” and “queer,” like, the actual use of the literal word. 

Colleen: Yeah.

Meghan: And so I just enjoyed, in Chapter One, the “queer-shaped shadows.”

Colleen: The shadows are going “Yasss, queen.” 

Meghan: Yeah, so I was like- 

Colleen: Feathers and beads, and the shadows were in drag. 

Meghan: Yes, I, I love the queer shadows. 

Colleen: I think that's nice for them.

Meghan: Yes.

Colleen: Queer shadows is actually when there's, like, a prism in the window, and then the shadows come through in rainbows. 

Meghan: Yes! That was it. And that's exactly what they wanted me to picture. 

Colleen: Exactly. This is more of just a queer vibe that George always gives me. This is the second-to-last sentence of like, “Okay, we're, we're figuring everything out. Carol's gonna share time between Bess and George's house.” I don't know if we'll hear from her again, because I kind of don't remember her, but I hope we do, but anyway. They're like, “We figured everything out. Everything's good with the money. Everything's good with Carol.” And George is like, “Anyway, also Carol should learn judo.” I just think it's great. I'm like, that is such a butch lesbian [thing to say]. Like, this is how- This is the George I know, not the George in the dress and lipstick from that picture. I think the illustrator from this book was just kind of phoning it in. 

Meghan: Yeah, yeah. They had a rough week. 

Colleen: Yeah, there's a lot going on. 

Meghan: Just kind of did the bare minimum this time. 

Colleen: Exactly. But George is like, “Yeah, and that way if those horrible Jemmits ever break jail, she'll know how to handle them. Judo!” 

Meghan: Yes. 

Colleen: That's where it's at. 

Meghan: That's it. That's the solution.

[Sound Cue: Scribbling as of a pencil on paper underneath the spoken words “Miscellaneous Mysteries”]

Meghan: In this segment we just have any extra mysteries, any things that didn't get solved, questions we still have.

Colleen: I know you've got a big one. Do you want me to get my small ones out of the way? 

Meghan: Yes.

Colleen: Okay. My first mystery is, “Why is this a nice thing to say?” Because it's t- It's implied that this is a nice thing that Carol says about Asa. She goes, “‘I love old Mr. Sidney. He's so friendless and pathetic.’” 

Meghan: Oh no!

Colleen: It is implied that that is a kind thing in, in, in, in her heart. My next wondering is, um, I mentioned earlier that Nancy kind of forces Mr. Jemmit into a ditch and he goes, “Rr rr rr rr.” I had said that he was shaking his fist at her. That's not accurate actually. He is shaking both fists over his head while actively driving, which doesn't seem the safest. I just don't think it's safe. My third of four leftover mysteries is why doesn't Carol know how “hot and cold” works? She found something and she's making Nancy guess for it, because that's helpful in this time-sensitive mystery. 

Meghan: Yes.

Colleen: “‘I looked under a false drawer. And what do you think I found?’” Nancy goes, “‘Clothes?’” “‘No.’” “‘Jewelry?’” “‘You're getting warm, Nancy. It was a diamond bracelet.’” That's not getting warm. She got it right. That's, that's, I would say “blazing hot” or “you solved my mystery!” 

Meghan: “That's it! You got it!”

Colleen: “You're getting warmer.” And finally, why did the author feel the need to do a little science education here? We are in the middle of trying to make sure that Nancy and Hannah don't get rabies from the bats. And it goes, “Nancy followed and in a minute, the flying mammals came, too.” So it's just a little, like, “Remember, bats aren't birds.” 

Meghan: “They're mammals.” 

Colleen: “They're mammals and they fly.” 

Meghan: “Flying mammals.” 

Colleen: “You're welcome.” 

Meghan: Amazing. Okay, my mystery is: Early in the novel, Asa sits down with Mr. Drew and goes over the family tree, but why not for us? Why do I have to reconstruct the family tree based on implications and little dropped pieces of information? 

Colleen: Because you like it. That's why. 

Meghan: No, okay, but, like, this was like a confusing thing, you know? Because you've got two sides of the family. 

Colleen: Yeah, I noticed some question marks in this diagram. 

Meghan: Well, this is because they didn't tell me what anyone's name was, or how many kids everyone had! 

Colleen: So this family tree, unlike the one in the first book, does not make a circle.

Meghan: Yeah, um-

Colleen: Oh wait. 

Meghan: Excuse me. 

Colleen: Oh wait! 

Meghan: The important part of this is the fact that it becomes a circle at the end!

Colleen: Oh, it does! I was actually wondering this, low-key during the book, and I was like, “I'm not going to worry about it. Meghan will solve this.” 

Meghan: I will! I will solve this. 

Colleen: Okay, please!

Meghan: Okay, so. Asa Sidney is married to Jenny Boonton [pronounced “boon-tawn”]. Boonton [pronounced “boontuh”]? 

Colleen: I've been saying Boonton [pronounced “boon-tin”], but I don't know why. 

Meghan: Boonton [pronounced “boon-tin” here and from now on]? I don't know. So, all of this conflict is between the Sidney side of the family and the Boonton part of the family. In the end, they all get shafted together, and so then they all end up on the same side because they all get, like, 1/64th?

Colleen: 1/63rd. It's seven times nine. 

Meghan: Sorry! 1/63rd of- 

Colleen: A normal thing to put in your will. 

Meghan: Yes. And so, they all end up together, which is why everyone ends up, like, feeling good at the end. So actually, Bess and George are Asa Sidney's great-grandnieces. Because-

Colleen: And so is Carol? 

Meghan: Carol is, as well. From-

Colleen: Okay. 

Meghan: So, and we'll get there. 

Colleen: Okay.

Meghan: But Asa's unnamed sibling's son is Jacob Sidney. 

Colleen: Okay. 

Meghan: And he had a daughter, Helen Sidney, that we find out about in the last three pages.

Colleen: And you're like, “Thank god, I can fill in one of these question marks.” 

Meghan: Yeah, well, because we didn't have this part yet. So part of the other family strife is that Asa, while he was earning all of this money, was not a very attentive father and husband.

Colleen: Mm-hmm.

Meghan: And his daughter died. He had thr- Some sons and a daughter. Daughter died. Wife left with the sons, assumedly. 

Colleen: And the sons never had kids, he said.

Meghan: Yeah, and so his kids never had kids. So the Boonton side of the family is where Bess and George come in. 

Colleen: And that's from his wife. 

Meghan: His wife's unnamed sibling has at least two kids. Peter, who is a character, Peter Boonton- 

Colleen: Yes.

Meghan: -is in this book. Then another unnamed sibling. That unnamed sibling is the parent of Louise Fane, which is George's mother-

Colleen: Mm-hmm.

Meghan: -Anna Marvin, which is Bess's mother-

Colleen: Mm-hmm.

Meghan: -and then, again in the last three pages, we learn that Anna and Louise had a brother named John Boonton. 

Colleen: Mm-hmm.

Meghan: John Boonton from the Boonton side of the family married Helen Sidney, Jacob Sidney's daughter from the other side of the family. They are unrelated, but- 

Colleen: Because they're all- Because one's Asa's sibling's descendant- 

Meghan: Yes.

Colleen: -and one is Asa's wife's sibling's descendant. So they are not related. This is just like the first one!

Meghan: I know! I know! 

Colleen: Oh my god.

Meghan: So Helen Sidney- 

Colleen: Okay.

Meghan: -is Asa's, uh, grandniece. 

Colleen: Okay.

Meghan: And John Boonton is his grandnephew. 

Colleen: Okay. 

Meghan: They got together. 

Colleen: Mm-hmm.

Meghan: And I guess no one knew this! They eloped and had a daughter.

Colleen: And then had a car wreck. 

Meghan: And then a car wreck, and they died, leaving behind a little orphan girl that they had named Carol. Carol goes to the orphanage and is renamed Sidney [Note from Transcription-Colleen: Actually she is renamed Sadie, but there are a lot of names to keep track of here]. 

Colleen: As you do at the orphanage, I guess? 

Meghan: Yes, and then she is adopted by the Jemmits, and he says-

Colleen: But Asa had been... 

Meghan: Asa already knows. 

Colleen: He's, like, a board member at the orphanage, and he had taken a fancy to this little kid. 

Meghan: Oh yes, that's right, he didn't know yet.

Colleen: And he had been like, “But since I like this little girl so much, let's just call her Carol.” So she's changed names three times and not everyone knows. 

Meghan: Yes, so she was born Carol, [then] had her name changed to Sydney [Sadie] in the orphanage. Asa was like, “I, for some reason, love this little girl.” And when the Jemmits adopt her, or foster her- They don't really adopt her.

Colleen: Mm-hmm. They don’t.

Meghan: He insists that they live at the inn and take care of the inn, so that he can still- 

Colleen: -see the-

Meghan: -see this orphan girl. 

Colleen: That he took a shine to.

Meghan: And he says he wants her to be named Carol.

Colleen: Because his own daughter-

Meghan: After his deceased daughter. 

Colleen: Is that why Helen and John named her that? 

Meghan: Yes, after [the] deceased daughter. 

Colleen: They're-

Meghan: And so her name is legally Carol Boonton, and she is related to everyone in the book except for the Drews and the Jemmits, I guess, and Mr. Krill. 

Colleen: Incredible.

Meghan: And so!

Colleen: And so? 

Meghan: Then, it becomes a circle. 

Colleen: It becomes a circle. So this is really exciting for you. You love this.

Meghan: It was so exciting. The last three pages just made the novel for me.

Colleen: You love when family trees are circles. 

Meghan: Yes, but only in certain ways. 

Colleen: Only in certain ways. 

Meghan: I'd like to be clear. 

Colleen: But then, and this is the part that kind of makes me a little grumpy at the extended family. When they realize that they're actually related to her, they immediately forgive her for inheriting eight-ninths of the estate. And they're like, “Well, since you're one of us, it's fine.” Like, “Okay, sure!” 

Meghan: Yeah. 

Colleen: Feels a little weird. 

Meghan: And based on the way Jacob Sidney and Peter Boonton were behaving earlier in the novel, I don't know if it's, uh, good that they know who has all of the money. 

Colleen: Yeah. We'll worry about that later, because we'll definitely see her, because she lives with Bess and George. 

Colleen and Meghan: Right? 

Colleen: So keep an eye out if Carol and also Helen come back. Because I'm very attached to both of these women. And Nancy is too. 

Meghan: Her bosom friends. 

Colleen: Her bosom friends.

Meghan: If you would like to see this family tree that I have drawn, check our Patreon. This is one of our free perks. You can take a look at my hand-drawn, question-mark-covered family tree. 

Colleen: She's got at least six question marks.

Meghan: For Carol Boonton. 

Colleen: But you don't have to be a patron to look at it. We just need you to have a visual aid.

[Sound Cue: Upbeat synthesizer chords reminiscent of a game show introduction play underneath the spoken words “Gumshoe Game Show!”]

Colleen: Welcome to the Gumshoe Game Show! 

Meghan: [muffled vocal sound effect reminiscent of static/gargling]

Colleen: Was that an audience?

Meghan: Yup!

Colleen: I thought it was a dentist...thing. 

Meghan: No, that's the audience together mak[ing noise]. 

Colleen: Both, both of those are great. So once again, Nancy has not received an actual gift, and that's okay. She doesn't have to. What would you like to play for, Meghan? 

Meghan: Ooh. I do want a twisted candle. 

Colleen: They do seem pretty cool. All right, writing it down that what you're competing for is a twisted candle. All right. I'd like to tell you about the theme of my gumshoe game show this week, which is- 

Meghan: Oh my gosh, I can't wait.

Colleen: Actually, I was covering it with my hands during the limerick portion, because they're on the same page for no good reason.

Meghan: Oh boy!

Colleen:. But now it's uncovered. You still can't look at it, though. 

Meghan: Okay.

Colleen: And I thought, you know, in keeping with my theme, I will pick one tiny little detail and develop a whole, uh, theme out of it for the Gumshoe Game Show.

Meghan: Amazing. 

Colleen: And so, I would like you to hear my thought process. And it was about the time when Mrs. Jemmit was stealing two ugly candelabra. And I was like, “Wow, ‘candelabra’? It should be ‘candelabras.’” No, it's not. “Candelabra” is the plural. “Candelabrum” is the singular. You might be thinking, “Oh, is this about singular and plural words?” No, I was thinking, “Wow, talking about candelabras, let me take this little tiny detail and make a quiz.” Meghan, what's the name of this book?

Meghan: The Si- The Sign of the Twisted Candles. 

Colleen: Yeah, candles are actually a big deal in this book, so this is not even that small of a detail. This is all about candles! 

Meghan: Ah, yay!

Colleen: And I was like, “Wow, what a small detail. I'll just make a quiz out of it.” And then after I wrote the whole quiz, I was like, “This is actually great. The whole book's about candles.” 

Meghan: And chandlers. 

Colleen: And chandlers. Chandler will not be featured in this because I don't know a lot about Friends except that my sister-in-law likes it. This is, uh, specifically the Broadway candle quiz. So because it is Broadway, you do not get multiple choice. 

Meghan: Oh no! 

Colleen: I think you'll still be okay, though.

Meghan:. Oh gosh, I hope so. 

Colleen: Alright, Question Number One: What number auction lot is the chandelier in pieces that begins Phantom of the Opera? 

Meghan: [British accent] “Lot 666, ladies and gentlemen. A chandelier in pieces.”

Colleen: Very good! You've got one of one correct on the game show. Number Two: Name the two characters in Rent that sing “Light My Candle.” 

Meghan: Okay, I am not as familiar with Rent, but I've seen it, and I just need to remember character names, not actor names. 

Colleen: Oh yeah. 

Meghan: Okay, Adam Pascal plays Roger. 

Colleen: He does play Roger. 

Meghan: Roger and Mimi. 

Colleen: Very good. 

Meghan: Nice! I did have it! I did have it. 

Colleen: You did have it. I would never know the actor names, because I don't know real people. …full stop. Number Three: What are the characters in the 2019 Moulin Rouge Broadway production drinking that inspires them to sing a cover of Sia's “Chandelier”? What are they drinking? You're looking for the drink from Moulin Rouge. 

Meghan: I don't, I don't kn- I've only seen the movie, with- 

Colleen: You could guess from that as well. 

Meghan: I'm going to guess it's absinthe. 

Colleen: It is absinthe. 

Meghan: Oh my gosh.

Colleen: They just don't sing “Chandelier” in the movie. 

Meghan: They don't. 

Colleen: No. 

Meghan: But I hoped that that was the part. 

Colleen: You are correct. They are drinking absinthe. Number Four: What excuse does Lumiere (the candelabrum) offer Belle for why the dishes can sing and dance in Beauty and the Beast?

Meghan: “After all, Miss, this is France!”

Colleen: Very good. See, I knew you would not need multiple choice. 

Meghan: I wish our listeners could see the look of panic that keeps, that keeps appearing on my face. 

Colleen: And I wait patiently, because I know the lyric is going to just click into the right slot and then come out the mouth. But she doesn't know that. 

Meghan: I don't! Apparently, I don't trust myself. At this point, I'm four for four. This is the best!

Colleen: You are four for four. You are doing very, very well. Number Five. And there's a bonus opportunity at the end. 

Meghan: Okay, okay.

Colleen: Who gives Jean Valjean two silver candlesticks in Les Mis? Bonus if you can give me the lyric. 

Meghan: Okay, okay. Um, it's an, oh gosh, the, I, bl-bl-bl-bl.

Colleen: You're doing great. 

Meghan: I know, I know. 

Colleen: He might not have a name. 

Meghan: He does, though. That's the thing. Not, like, a full name, but he had, he's the, um- He's the bishop. 

Colleen: Yes, I was looking for “The Bishop.” 

Meghan: Of somewhere, and that's where I can't remember, is where he is the bishop of. 

Colleen: When I was, you know, checking various lyrics to make sure I had it right, it just said “Bishop.” So I'm going to give it you for “Bishop.” 

Meghan: Okay.

Colleen: But can you give me the lyrics, for a bonus point? 

Meghan: Let's see, it's... [humming]

Colleen: I was hoping this would happen. 

Meghan: [singing] “And then, out of Christian goodness, / When he learned about your plight. / You maintain he made a present of this silver. / That is right. / But messieur [Note from Transcription-Colleen: Actually it is “my friend” rather than “messieur”], you left so early / Something surely [Note from Transcription-Colleen: Technically it is “surely something” but that’s the tiniest detail] slipped your mind / You forgot I gave these also / Would you leave the best behiiiiind?”

Colleen: Perfect! That is a perfect score! Six out of five. You get a twisted candle.

Meghan: Can I get two twisted candles?

Colleen: You do get two twisted candles since you did just so perfectly.

Meghan: And it is called The Sign of the Twisted Candles.

Colleen: It is. And he says-

Meghan: Isn't it?

Colleen: It is. Sign of the Twisted Candles, and he said “you left the best behind” so you get two candles. Very well done. 

Meghan: Yay! 

Colleen: Would you like to hear the possibilities I had before I found actual candlesticks? I was like, “Okay, but like, let me, let me, let me look through musicals.” We had- I knew Les Mis, “Light My Candle,” I knew Phantom, obviously. But there is also “Walk Through the Fire” from the Buffy musical. 

Meghan: Buffy!

Colleen: We have “Burn” from Hamilton. 

Meghan: I was, I, I, honestly, I thought we were going that way.

Colleen: But I was looking, and it's not necessarily a candle. 

Meghan: There's no candle. 

Colleen: Yeah, exactly. And then at the beginning of, and the end of, Hadestown, Eurydice, of course, is holding a candle and asks if anybody's got a match, but the candle itself is not in the lyrics. So I really wanted to have these.

Meghan: Tough, yes. 

Colleen: But there were so many options. I was like, “I don't know if I can get five out of this. I'll just see.” And I was like, “I have, like, eight or nine.”

Meghan: That was a fun quiz! 

Colleen: You did it! 

Meghan: I only say “fun” because it was something I was good at. 

Colleen: Yeah, you were very good. 

Meghan: It was one of my hyperfocuses. 

Colleen: Exactly, and you're great at it.

[Sound cue: Same eerie piano tune reminiscent of the Nancy Drew PC game soundtracks that played at the top of the episode, now extended to play underneath the rest of the episode.] 

Meghan: Thank you so much for joining us on Me and You and Nancy Drew.

Colleen: This podcast is lovingly dedicated to the memory of my wonderful mother, Char, World's Best Mum, and the woman who got me hooked on sassy female detective stories. I also want to thank my brother, Ben, for creating most of our sound and music cues for this podcast. Thanks, Ben.

Meghan: You can check out our website, meandyouandnancydrew.com, for show transcripts, links to our social media, and our Patreon, where we'll post any images that we described during the podcast. Those will be visible to anyone without a paywall, so that we're not describing nebulous images that you can't see at home. Um, but if you'd like to become a patron, there are various perks there, including outtakes or things that got cut for time, stickers and cross-stitch patterns to create your own Drewseum at home, and more! 

Colleen: Thank you, Meghan, for editing the podcast, doing a lot of research about podcast creation, and adding a few additional sound cues as needed.

Meghan: Thank you, Colleen, for also editing the podcast, for transcribing it, and for helping create our logo. 

Colleen: Thank you to our partners for all the support and love, and especially for lending us their microphones that they bought for a completely different purpose but said we could borrow once in a while. 

Meghan: Thank you to libraries everywhere for giving access to Nancy Drew books, and all the other books that we mentioned today, and just media of all kinds, to people everywhere for free.

Colleen: And finally, thank you, of course, to Carolyn Keene, for independently writing each of the Nancy Drew books from 1930 to modern day. We couldn’t do this without you and your 613 individual novels.

Meghan: And don’t forget the moral of this episode:

Colleen: “If it were not for our dreams, we should be poor indeed.”