The Weekly Croissant: "Vera" and other Cozy Mysteries
Why do murders make me feel so calm?
It has finally gotten cold in Nashville, and since I inhabit what was built as a “summer cabin”, November marks the beginning of a months-long battle for toe warmth at night. Luckily, our cold season is relatively short and mild, but it does get quite “Little House on the Prairie” in my home (I feel like this series is colonizer canceled/hasn’t aged well but it’s sort of an appropriate reference). We shiver while building a fire in the wood stove, and fill hot water bottles to tuck under the sheets.
Pictured: My dog Hartford trying to stay warm! (In reality, she is always warm, this is basically animal exploitation)
Luckily, there’s one thing that always makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside; murder. What is it about a dead body and the hunt for the killer that brings me to a place of so much calm? JUST KIDDINGGGG, it’s really about the cozy villages, the fun twists and turns, and the predictability of the plot structure. Right? RIGHT???
This small obsession started over the Pandemic (which I am now officially calling the Panini - shout out to my friend Amy Alvey for this cute pet name) when I had way too much time to watch TV. I needed something intense enough to be interesting but not intense enough to remind me of the day-to-day apocalyptic reality. Enter cozy mysteries, specifically foreign cozy mysteries.
Recently I have expanded my streaming subscriptions to include BritBox, and I am absolutely wowed by the number of cozy village detective series there are. I think this will keep me occupied for as many winters as I survive without being the subject of one of these shows (dark). This also means that I must not be the only one who finds comfort in such gore.
My current obsession is called Vera, a show that takes place in the Newcastle, England area. This city is a folk musician hot spot and a place that I’ve visited and played in several times, which makes it extra fun to watch. But another thing I love about this show is that it centers on a middle-aged, brilliant but not especially attractive or likable female detective, and her super hot, young male sidekick Joe, who is constantly fussing over her inability to take care of herself. Truly, the best.
If you’re looking to get started with some cozy mysteries, and not ready to bite the bullet on a new subscription, Netflix has some epic ones: Hinterland, Broadchurch, Lupin, Bordertown, Shetland, and Wallander to name a few! I particularly loved Bordertown which takes place between Finland and Russia. The first episode seems totally whack, but the character development over time is sublime.
Hope you all enjoy, and please shoutout your favorite winter TV shows below!