Hallmark Mysteries + Burgers, Peanut Butter Cups, Zombies, and Hikes
Surely *one* of those will strike your fancy in this bite-sized edition.
Catching up on Home-Media Consumption
Hallmark+ Enters Mystery Season With Sugar & Vice
March might seem like a strange time to debut a mystery-movie lineup, yet Easter is traditionally Scandinavia’s crime-show season. I guess Hallmark is just a little more cosmopolitan than its American peers in following that precedent.
The Hannah Swensen mysteries – née Murder, She Baked – have been a mainstay at the network since 2015, and Sugar & Vice is the thirteenth entry in the series. It doesn’t quite reach the lofty heights of the Mystery Island films, but that’s a high bar to climb. Hannah Swensen still holds its own.
As with the other twelve films, Sugar & Vice falls under the “cozy mystery” banner. It’s amusing, pretty clever, and the baked goods – the anchor of the movies – look tasty. At about two million dollars a pop, Hallmark productions aren’t known for large budgets, but the pastries here trump what you see in many high-scale productions.
Come for the baked goods and stay for the red herrings – Sugar & Vice is one for any and all Agatha Christie fans. I’m a sucker for a confined-to-one-building premise, which is what we get with this mystery.
It isn’t the end of Hannah Swensen, either. Hallmark has already completed movie number fourteen, Cooked to Death, which is scheduled to air later this year.
Perhaps more excitingly, Hallmark+ recently picked up all the seasons of Remington Steele, one of the urtexts of the modern crime procedural. A show with pre-Bond Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist as private investigators? A prerequisite 1980s will-they-or-won’t-they romantic subplot? What’s not to love?1
I’m telling you – Hallmark+ is a strong contender for the only streaming service you need.
iZombie – CW’s Sadly Forgotten Cult Favorite
Would there have been an iZombie without Remington Steele? Maybe, but this oddball zombie-themed procedural certainly owes a lot to ’80s network shows.
Debuting on CW in 2015, iZombie follows Liv, a Seattle-based medical resident, who is turned into a zombie during a boat party. We’re not talking your stereotypical undead, either – she still functions like every other human being, but also possesses super-strength when angered, and an appetite for brains. To deal with the latter, she takes a job in the King County morgue, where she feeds on incoming corpses.
With her newfound diet, she inadvertently ingests the victims’ personality traits and experiences flashbacks from their lives. The perfect twist on your traditional comedic murder-mystery, which lasted for five seasons.
Rose McIver portrays Liv well, and Rahul Kohli shows some serious comedic chops as the only person aware of her newfound identity. And, to tie it back to Hallmark, Liv’s ex-fiancé is depicted by one of their premier contract players, Robert Buckley.
Where do you find iZombie, then? This is where it gets tricky. iZombie was one of the last shows of its ilk – quirky, high-concept mysteries with killer soundtracks – to air on a traditional TV network. Rights lapsed – likely music-related – and you can only purchase the first two seasons digitally. One additional season is available on physical media.
I’m willing to bet that the more connected Digest reader will know how to acquire the whole show, but far be it from me to make any suggestions.
SMA5H’s Chicken Sandwich
Look, I get it – chicken sandwiches have fallen out of fashion. After nationwide chains like Popeye’s and Chick-fil-A aggressively spiked the market in a much-publicized chicken battle, the phenomenon plateaued and became a routine joke. I’m not going to rip into all of that, but just because a dish becomes unfashionable doesn’t mean it is bad in and of itself. A well-prepared chicken sandwich can stand up to any traditional burger.
SMA5H2 is one of the spots that gets it right and even adds a small twist of its own. The burger – I’m not getting in the middle of the is-a-chicken-sandwich-a-burger debate – is made up of multiple chicken tenders, fried but not greasy, which give a proper crackle of a bite. Nicely seasoned, too, and the brioche bun adds a sweet contrast.
I don’t know, I feel like I’m supposed to vax poetically, but a good chicken sandwich should be simple, and there isn’t a lot more to SMA5H’s handheld. That is a good thing – clean flavors are not something you often see in chicken sandwiches, at least not from the big players. You’re not going to mistake it for health food, but then, you won’t feel overly heavy after the meal, either. Just a good overall package.
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The Peanut Butter Omission
While writing the “Reese’s vs. Trader Joe’s” peanut butter cup post, I straight out forgot that I previously published a related piece: The Plant-Based vs. Organic Reese’s showdown.
Hershey’s has since discontinued the Organic Reese’s, and I don’t think that bothered anyone too badly. It wasn’t great. The oatmilk version is still around and is probably the best option if you, for whatever reason, want a Reese’s Cup.
More egregiously, I called the now-defunct Olympia nut-butter king, Cobb’s, by the wrong name in the Trader Joe’s post. That has since been fixed, and our editorial department apologizes for the oversight.
The Sedona Hike Snaffoo
Meanwhile, in the Sedona-hikes post, I claimed Oak Creek Trail #108 had nine stream crossings. The correct number is thirteen.
I should also have mentioned that you can burn an additional twenty percent of calories by using hiking poles – further proof that they’re made for a young buck like me.
Merch for the People!
Don’t just read Awesomeness – wear it! This distinguished publication proudly features two official shirts – or magnets, stickers, or whatever medium you can think of: The Hallgrrrl and Zune. Why those? For one, the Hallmark channel and Riotgrrrl are, as I’ve said before, the natural combination. And, who doesn’t love the Zune?
Go shop at The Better Taster Boutique for only the finest goods.
Brosnan might disagree. He lost his initial Bond gig after the producers unexpectedly renewed the show, preventing him from signing on for the movies. He did, of course, get the role a few years later.
Setting aside its unfortunate stylization.