Saturday, July 23, 2011

Murder-wise

Almost every Saturday night finds me sitting down at 10  to watch  "48 Hours Mystery."  I'm riveted.  I draw the line at looking at the crime scene photos--too real, too much blood, awful.  But I'm fascinated by the undergrowth of people's lives: the affairs, the bankruptcies, the drug or gambling addictions, the yearning for a new partner, and the imponderable resistance to the idea of divorce (vs. murder). 

Over the years, I've gleaned the following:

1. The murderer, often a sociopath, has the grandiose idea that no one will ever figure out the crime.

2. Given cell phone records, surveillance cameras, and DNA tests, the police almost always figure out the crime. 

3. Hardly anyone's what they seem.   Terrible things are going on behind closed doors and perfectly manicured lawns.  I find this oddly comforting  (schadenfreude?).  This is bad of me.

4. Left-brain people such as my husband and my friend Rebecca  hate this show and won't watch it with their spouses.

5. Right-brain people  such as Rebecca's husband, Leroy,  and I  love this show and have to watch it, even in re-runs.

6. Criminals are often really good, if illogical, liars.

7. If you want to know at the beginning of the show if a suspect ends up getting convicted,  check out what top they're wearing when they're interviewed: if it's orange or blue and has machine-stitching at the collarless neckline, they lost at trial.

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