Two Hundred A Day

Nathan and Eppy discuss S1E7 The Big Ripoff. Jim goes on a European jaunt to track down the truth about a widow who received a big insurance payout, but his client doesn't buy his conclusion that the husband is still alive. Trying to figure out a way to get paid for his work, Jim goes to the insurance company, leading him to yet another town in California to prove that Steve Nelson is still alive. We felt a very strong "back to basics" vibe with this episode, which features a fantastically tight script by series creator Roy Huggins, good humor, Jim pulling quick-thinking cons, and a fun mystery that keeps the energy moving with each reveal of the NEXT thing that's going on.

In our second half, we talk about our a new approach to the show, where we don't get so into the nitty gritty of each episode in favor of talking about how the overall story is structured. We break down this episode and how it transitions from one "act" to another, how to use plot holes as part of storytelling, and the ways in which the writing in this one always is serving more than one purpose, even the stuff that seemed like a throwaway gag when you first view it.

Want more Rockford Files trivia, notes and ephemera? Check out the Two Hundred a Day Rockford Files Files!

Support the podcast by subscribing at patreon.com/twohundredaday. Big thanks to our Gumshoe patrons! Check them out:

• Richard Hatem
• Victor DiSanto
• Jim Crocker - keep an eye out for Jim selling our games east of the Mississippi!
• Shane Liebling's Roll For Your Party dieroller app
• Lowell Francis's Age of Ravens gaming blog
• Kevin Lovecraft and the Wednesday Evening Podcast Allstars
• Mike Gillis and the Radio vs. The Martians Podcast
• And thank you to Dael Norwood, Dylan Winslow, Bill Anderson, Adam Alexander, Chris, Dave Y and Dave P!

Thanks to:

• zencastr.com for helping us record
• fireside.fm for hosting us
• thatericalper.com for the answering machine audio clips
• spoileralerts.org for the adding machine audio clip
• Freesound.org for the other audio clips

Two Hundred a Day is a podcast by Nathan D. Paoletta and Epidiah Ravachol. We are exploring the intensely weird and interesting world of the 70s TV detective show The Rockford Files. Half celebration and half analysis, we break down episodes of the show and then analyze how and why they work as great pieces of narrative and character-building. In each episode of Two Hundred a Day, we watch an episode, recap and review it as fans of the show, and then tease out specific elements from that episode that hold lessons for writers, gamers and anyone else interested in making better narratives.

Support Two Hundred A Day

Nathan and Eppy enter the publishing world in S4E2 Trouble in Chapter 17. "Feminity not feminism" author Ann Louise Clement wants to hire Jim as a bodyguard, which isn't his beat. But after witnessing an apparent attempt on her life, he can't not look into it. Unfortunately for Jim, Ann Louise is more interested in publicity than preservation, and he begins to suspect it's all a farce - until her agent is killed in an apparent case of mistaken identity. This snappy Juanita Bartlett episode isn't an "issue" episode, but we appreciate the chance to talk about how she uses the show to contrast progressive and retrograde ideas about feminism, as well as enjoy all of the Rockfordishness we know and love.

We have another podcast: Plus Expenses. Covering our non-Rockford media, games and life chatter, Plus Expenses is available via our Patreon at ALL levels of support.

Want more Rockford Files trivia, notes and ephemera? Check out the Two Hundred a Day Rockford Files Files!

We appreciate all of our listeners, but offer a special thanks to our patrons. In particular, this episode is supported by the following Gumshoe and Detective-level patrons:

• Richard Hatem
• Bill Anderson
• Brian Perrera
• Eric Antener
• Jordan Bockelman
• Michael Zalisco
• Joe Greathead
• Mitch Hampton's Journey of an Aesthete Podcast
• Dael Norwood wrote a book! Trading Freedom: How Trade with China Defined Early America
• Chuck from whatchareading.com
• Paul Townend, who recommends the Fruit Loops podcast
• Shane Liebling's Roll For Your Party dieroller app
• Jay Adan's Miniature Painting
• Brian Bernsen's Facebook page of Rockford Files filming locations
• Colleen Kelly, Tom Clancy, Andre Appignani, Pumpkin Jabba Peach Pug, Dave P, Dave Otterson, Kip Holley and Dale Church!

Thanks to:

• Fireside.fm for hosting us
• Audio Hijack for helping us record and capture clips from the show
• Freesound.org for other audio clips

Support Two Hundred A Day

Nathan and Eppy continue to tour the William Wiard-verse with S5E1 Heartaches of a Fool. After a truck accident lands Rocky in the hospital, Jim is determined to find out who caused it and hold them accountable. His quest leads to a country music star, a sausage-smuggling operation and a brewing war between corrupt union officials and a Chinese gangster. This might be the perfect episode for our show, even without considering the two Willie Nelson songs on the soundtrack. Highly recommended!

Show Notes: Nathan mentions this interview with Gigi Garner, and this remembrance that mentions James Garner's friendship with Willie Nelson.

We have another podcast: Plus Expenses. Covering our non-Rockford media, games and life chatter, Plus Expenses is available via our Patreon at ALL levels of support.

Want more Rockford Files trivia, notes and ephemera? Check out the Two Hundred a Day Rockford Files Files!

We appreciate all of our listeners, but offer a special thanks to our patrons. In particular, this episode is supported by the following Gumshoe and Detective-level patrons:

• Richard Hatem
• Bill Anderson
• Brian Perrera
• Eric Antener
• Jordan Bockelman
• Michael Zalisco
• Joe Greathead
• Mitch Hampton's Journey of an Aesthete Podcast
• Dael Norwood wrote a book! Trading Freedom: How Trade with China Defined Early America
• Chuck from whatchareading.com
• Paul Townend, who recommends the Fruit Loops podcast
• Shane Liebling's Roll For Your Party dieroller app
• Jay Adan's Miniature Painting
• Brian Bernsen's Facebook page of Rockford Files filming locations
• Colleen Kelly, Tom Clancy, Andre Appignani, Pumpkin Jabba Peach Pug, Dave P, Dave Otterson, Kip Holley and Dale Church!

Thanks to:

• Fireside.fm for hosting us
• Audio Hijack for helping us record and capture clips from the show
• Freesound.org for other audio clips

Support Two Hundred A Day

We hit our first goal on Patreon! Thank you backers! To celebrate, Nathan and Eppy discuss their experience doing the podcast so far, and how training our critical Rockford eye just keeps revealing more to enjoy. Plus, Eppy shares the benefits of what we've discussed in our narrative elements sections to his ongoing tabletop game of Urban Jungle!

Thanks to:
zencastr.com for helping us record
fireside.fm for hosting us

Support the podcast by subscribing at patreon.com/twohundredaday. Big thanks to our Gumshoe patrons! Check them out:
Lowell Francis's Age of Ravens gaming blog
Pluto Moved On Podcasts and Video Lets Plays
Kevin Lovecraft and the Wednesday Evening Podcast Allstars
And thank you to Shane Liebling!

Two Hundred a Day is a podcast by Nathan D. Paoletta and Epidiah Ravachol. We are exploring the intensely weird and interesting world of the 70s TV detective show The Rockford Files. Half celebration and half analysis, we break down episodes of the show and then analyze how and why they work as great pieces of narrative and character-building. In each episode of Two Hundred a Day, we watch an episode, recap and review it as fans of the show, and then tease out specific elements from that episode that hold lessons for writers, gamers and anyone else interested in making better narratives.

Support Two Hundred A Day

Nathan and Eppy go wildcatting with Jim and Rocky in S3E6 Coulter City Wildcat. Rocky is forced to sign over the mineral rights to a oil lease he won in a lottery he's been playing, and Jim is determined to find out why his dad was roughed up and what scam is at the heart of the matter. They take a road trip to Coulter City to unravel a stubborn mystery, and we have a great time riding along with them in their efforts. While we found the mechanics of the plot to be little obscure, this is a hell of a fun episode overall!

Here's the link to the economics paper about oil leasing we talk about - To Trade or Not To Trade: Oil Leases, Information Asymmetry, and Coase (2019)

We now have a second, patron-exclusive, podcast - Plus Expenses. Covering our non-Rockford media, games and life chatter, Plus Expenses is available via our Patreon at ALL levels of support.

Want more Rockford Files trivia, notes and ephemera? Check out the Two Hundred a Day Rockford Files Files!

Support the podcast by subscribing at patreon.com/twohundredaday. Big thanks to our Gumshoe patrons! Check them out:

• Richard Hatem
• Brian Perrera
• Eric Antener
• Bill Anderson
• Shane Liebling's Roll For Your Party dieroller app
• Jay Adan's Miniature Painting
• And thank you to Dael Norwood, Dylan Winslow, Dave P, and Dale Church!

Thanks to:

• fireside.fm for hosting us
• Audio Hijack for helping us record and capture clips from the show
• spoileralerts.org for the adding machine audio clip
• Freesound.org for other audio clips

Two Hundred a Day is a podcast by game and narrative designers Nathan D. Paoletta and Epidiah Ravachol. In each episode we pick an episode of The Rockford Files, recap and review it as fans of the show, and tease out specific elements from that episode that hold lessons for writers, gamers and anyone else interested in making better narratives.

Support Two Hundred A Day