Overview of Rewind with Karen & Georgia - 105: Proclensity
This rewind episode revisits a 2018 My Favorite Murder installment with fresh commentary, updated context, and lots of off-the-rails banter. Karen recounts the murder of fashion writer Krista Worthington in Truro, Massachusetts, while Georgia delivers her classic, highly detailed retelling of Typhoid Mary. The episode also leans into the show’s long-running humor about old podcast moments, accidental word inventions, and listener-favorite bits like “death confetti,” “fingers and faces,” and the now-legendary made-up word “proclensity.”
Episode Highlights
What this rewind episode is about
- A look back at Episode 105, “Proclensity,” originally released on January 25, 2018
- Includes:
- commentary from Karen and Georgia
- updated case notes
- old jokes and reference-heavy banter
- a listener email about teaching handwashing with the Typhoid Mary story
- The hosts also celebrate the episode title “Proclensity,” which came from an on-air slip and later inspired merch
Tone and format
- The episode is part recap, part nostalgia trip
- Much of the runtime is filled with:
- memories from early tour shows
- joking about their old routines and inside jokes
- discussion of TV, podcasts, and weird true-crime media
- playful corrections and callbacks to past errors
Story 1: The Murder of Krista Worthington
Who Krista Worthington was
- Krista Worthington was a successful fashion writer who had worked for major publications like:
- Elle
- Harper’s
- Women’s Wear Daily
- The New York Times
- She moved to Truro, Massachusetts, in 1997 to escape her high-pressure fashion career
- She came from a prominent family and lived in one of their homes near the harbor
The crime
- On January 6, 2002, Krista was found murdered in her kitchen
- Her 2-year-old daughter, Ava, was found beside her body
- Krista had been:
- stabbed in the chest
- raped
- left to bleed out on the kitchen floor
Investigation and suspects
The case initially produced several possible suspects:
- Tim Arnold, her neighbor and ex-boyfriend
- Tony Jacket, the father of her daughter and a married local fisherman/shellfish constable
- Krista’s father and his much younger girlfriend, which created family tension
The eventual suspect and trial
- DNA evidence eventually led police to Christopher McGowan, Krista’s garbage man
- McGowan claimed:
- he had consensual sex with Krista
- another man, Jeremy Frazier, was actually the killer
- The defense argued:
- the crime scene was contaminated
- racial bias influenced the investigation and jury
- McGowan had a low IQ and was manipulated
- McGowan was convicted in 2006 of:
- first-degree murder
- aggravated rape
- aggravated armed burglary
Later developments
- In 2008, jurors came forward claiming racial tension in deliberations
- Appeals were filed and denied
- In 2012, McGowan’s defense attorney, Bob George, was convicted of money laundering
- In 2024, McGowan requested renewed forensic testing of a sweater tied to the case; results have not been publicly released
Key takeaways from the discussion
- The episode highlights how the case was complicated by class, race, and sexism
- Karen and Georgia note how the media and dramatizations often painted Krista in a suspicious light because of her relationships
- The hosts are frustrated by how victim-blaming shaped the public narrative
Story 2: Typhoid Mary
Why Georgia chose this story
- Georgia opens by talking about her fascination with infectious disease, plagues, and epidemics
- She says the flu is already an epidemic in that year’s winter, setting up a story about one of history’s most famous carriers of disease
Who Typhoid Mary was
- Mary Mallon, later known as Typhoid Mary, was an Irish immigrant cook in New York
- She worked for wealthy families and was eventually identified as an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever
- She could spread the disease without showing symptoms herself
How she was identified
- A sanitary engineer, Dr. George Soper, investigated multiple typhoid outbreaks
- He traced outbreaks to homes where Mary had worked as a cook
- He eventually concluded that Mary was spreading typhoid through poor hygiene and food handling
What made her dangerous
- Typhoid is spread through contaminated food or water
- Mary’s cooking methods were especially risky because she often prepared foods that weren’t thoroughly cooked, including:
- ice cream
- raw peaches
- Georgia emphasizes that Mary likely spread typhoid by not washing her hands
Quarantine and confinement
- Mary was forced into quarantine on North Brother Island in New York
- She refused to believe she was contagious and resisted washing her hands
- After being released under the condition that she stop cooking, she later changed her name and returned to food service
- That led to another outbreak, after which she was re-confined for the rest of her life
Death and legacy
- Mary died in 1938 after spending decades in captivity
- An autopsy confirmed live typhoid bacteria in her gallbladder
- Georgia notes that Mary is believed to have infected dozens of people, with some estimates higher than the official count
- The story is framed as a cautionary tale about public health, handwashing, and asymptomatic spread
Notable Moments and Running Jokes
“Proclensity”
- The episode title came from Georgia accidentally saying “proclensity” instead of “propensity”
- The word became a fan favorite and later inspired merch
Other memorable bits
- “Death confetti” from an old live show moment
- “Fingers and faces” from a beauty shop joke
- “Shellfish constable” as a strangely specific and funny job title
- Repeated jokes about:
- herky jerky cheerleading moves
- old health/sex education books
- bizarre made-up product names
- the idea that “the couch is forever”
Listener Email / Educational Use
Teaching handwashing with Typhoid Mary
- A listener named Angela shared that she teaches an after-school cooking class for elementary students
- She uses the Typhoid Mary story to show why handwashing matters
- The kids respond to it as a spooky cautionary tale, and it improves compliance in class
- Karen and Georgia love the idea of using true crime and public health history as a memorable teaching tool
Updates and Closing Notes
Episode-related updates
- The hosts briefly mention:
- a podcast about infectious disease, This Podcast Will Kill You
- the show’s ongoing evolution and network history
- merch tied to the episode title “Proclensity”
Overall takeaway
- This rewind is a mix of true crime, public health history, and classic My Favorite Murder humor
- Karen’s case stresses the complexities of race, class, and media bias in a murder investigation
- Georgia’s Typhoid Mary segment remains a standout example of the show’s ability to turn grim history into a memorable, educational, and funny story