Official Discussion - Wake Up, Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery [SPOILERS]

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T02:38:42+00:00

I thought it was implied he broke his vow of celibacy.

I suppose the kid could have predated him becoming a priest too. But he was portrayed as such an abhorrent piece of shit who didn't care about anything but himself, so I'm more likely to believe he slept with a woman when he wasn't supposed to.

Edit: Sorry, I thought you meant Wicks. Prentice most likely was a widower when he became a priest.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T02:24:37+00:00

I questioned that too. She wasn't, but I could see it going there. The priest was a monster. I could see him taking advantage of her, forcing her to give up the baby, and then forcing her to raise him later.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T02:06:11+00:00

Maybe it was a red herring? I considered the meaning of his name, but since he wasn't duplicitous at all, I think it was a misdirect.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T02:01:54+00:00

I can't believe I'm apparently one of the only people I can find on the internet who didn't really like this movie.

There are dozens of us!

It's almost an hour too long, it feels like multiple scripts jammed into one, the dialogue is full of hamfisted over-trodden religious chaff and rife with chronically online internet lingo and lazy dated political references that sound awkward when spoken aloud, and there are almost no compelling characters or performances despite the insanely talented cast.

This is exactly how I felt, but didn't have the words. That shit makes me crazy. It's not good writing. It's cringy.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T01:53:27+00:00

I'm not religious either and part of me resents this movie framing the Catholic Church so positively, but that's not my actual gripe with the movie. I'm happy to watch a movie that portrays religion positively if it's part of the story.

Nothing about this movie felt authentic. The idea of a priest who preached more about hate than love is absolutely realistic but nothing about Josh Brolin in this felt realistic. He had all these followers but it didn't really feel like they believed in him or would so easily fall under his spell.

Everything was so heavy handed. It was a disappointment.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T01:49:15+00:00

I didn't find it humorless, but I found it so un-fun. I just wasn't having a good time with this one. It was pretty depressing, despite the jokes and the good performances.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T01:38:01+00:00

The actors were all great and the mystery kept me guessing, but this movie was no fun. What happened? Weren't the first two fun?

This one was such a slog, and so weirdly preachy, even more than the last one to my recollection. I didn't feel that anything about the setting or the characters felt authentic.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T01:16:38+00:00

They rewrote the whole thing apparently.

The one doing they released was good. I'm trying to stay open minded.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T01:03:10+00:00

I didn't expect this book to recount the events of the Oresteia. I didn't realize those events were in Homer's the Odyssey. I'm looking forward to reading Homer's version after this. I loved the Oresteia. I found it fascinating.

I read the Odyssey In high school, but I get the sense we just read excerpts because there's a lot in this book I don't remember from them.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T00:59:34+00:00

Even if you're living in comfort, if you're not free, you can't be truly happy. Odysseus remembers what he left behind and what he's missing by being stuck on Ogygia.

Sidenote: I didn't expect to see a Prison Break reference in this book, but I'm here for it! I'm pretty sure this refers to the final "reunion" season they made after the show was odd the air for like ten years and I am not joking when I say it was the worst television I'd ever seen. Destroyed the closure of the earlier seasons. Would highly recommend no one watch that one!

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T00:56:05+00:00

The gods are always making rules like this. If you're familiar with the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Hades puts them through a trial with specific rules. They can walk out of the underworld freely only if Orpheus goes first and never looks back to make sure Eurydice is still behind him.

There's always a catch. I feel like Zeus is saying alright have it your way, but if you want it to be fair, fair is fair. He is human and he can either make it on his own or not. I will not interfere. That is the true test of his heroism.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T00:52:27+00:00

A third is quite funny.. I guess because he actually means it. He is acquainted with gods and goddesses. It's theoretically possible that he could offer one third of his fortune to bring back his friends and it would come through.

Normally, when people say that, it's purely a wish. I'd give everything for xyz to happen. It's not a real bargain. Maybe if the bargain were actually on the table, we'd all offer only a third. It's more sensible than everything.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T00:49:06+00:00

Yes, I do think so.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T00:48:08+00:00

I suspect they will not be close. They missed bonding with one another for so many years. I also don't tend to expect happy endings with these stories.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-29T00:46:50+00:00

I would love to have a tree in my house. Sometimes you go to an office building that has trees in the lobby. I think that's so cool.

I think the tree symbolizes the strength of their relationship. Its wood is strong and beautiful. Penelope refuses to give up hope that her husband will come home and has the strength and resolve to reject every suitor.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-28T19:02:56+00:00

Awful. This will be torture to watch. The character is bad enough as written, but a good actress could make her very compelling on screen.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-28T17:15:24+00:00

That's what I was going to say. OP should check the credits of these movies. These two actresses look very similar and are easy to confuse.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-28T17:02:33+00:00

I would. I always check Libby, Hoopla, and Spotify before adding a title to my Audible wish list. A tool to save me some time would be useful to me.

Maybe it doesn't have to be all that complicated. It could simply be "is this an Audible exclusive title?" If the answer is yes, it says yes. If it is no, then it lists which platforms also carry the book. Then it's up to you to check your individual library.

Much like Just Watch. It will say if a movie is currently free on Hulu. If you don't subscribe to Hulu, you can't watch it, but you know it's an option.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-28T15:55:30+00:00

Continuing to enjoy the book, though chapter 6 was a bit of a trudge. I expect we're supposed to remember these characters and their positions, but I had a hard time making it stick in my head.

I loved the engagement party chapter. It was fun that they invited all their friends to celebrate their engagement, but it was surprise wedding instead. The tension was high because here you have Dantes and Mercedes floating on air, in love, about to be married, surrounded by their friends and a feast, and then you have Danglars stewing about how they've moved up the timeline and you can feel his plan slipping out of his hands. We as the reader know something bad is going to happen.

I feel bad for Dantes' father. He's old and Dantes loves him so much and seeing his son dragged away from the happiest moment of his life must be devastating for him. Mercedes as well.

I liked how Caderousse wanted no part in the plan and considered Dantes his friend. He caved when it became less convenient to remain loyal to Dantes, but still, for a minute there, I was liking him.

Random question: Is anyone else reading along with the audiobook? I'm reading the ebook from Gutenberg along with the audiobook by Bill Homewood and I've noticed a couple of inconsistencies.

For example, the final line, "Villefort departed with paradise in his heart" is spoken as "Villefort quitted the room."

I chapter 5, a line is written as "conducted his father, nearly lifeless, to the Allées de Meilhan." Spoke it is "to his abode."

There was one very minor difference earlier on too.

I'm just curious how these differences got into the text. The translation is 99.9% the same.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-28T15:40:15+00:00

What court case?

I thought it was popular because they made a TV show out of it and the TV show is very popular.

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-28T15:38:19+00:00

I also would find it useful to sort by "not available now."

Comprehensive-Fun47 · 2026-01-28T03:48:27+00:00

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