DREYER DRIVE PODCAST - EPISODE 033: THE PAPIN SISTERS
EPISODE DESCRIPTION: This week on Dreyer Drive, Ryan and Jacqueline reunite after a month apart to catch up on summer vacations, colonoscopies, and the weirdest things they did as kids to seem "different and interesting." Then we dive into our first spooky season episode about the Papin sisters—two French housemaids who committed one of the most brutal murders in 1930s France. Plus: Ryan discovers his microphone mute button has never worked, and we celebrate his dragonfruit harvest with the enthusiasm it truly deserves.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains detailed discussion of violence, murder, and disturbing historical events. Listener discretion is advised.
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00:00] - Cold Open & Podcast Introduction
Intro music and podcast premise
What to expect from today's episode
[00:01:06] - Catching Up: Ryan's Microphone Discovery
"You are both high and close"
The Ajax slogan that never was
Ryan discovers his mute button doesn't work
The implication for every meeting he's ever had
[00:01:56] - Home Renovation Horror Stories
The one-armed contractor story
French doors and slippery tile installation
Jacqueline breaks her wrist pretending to be a dinosaur
The acid trip encounter with the contractor
[00:08:18] - The Friend Who Lost Her Finger
Snowblower accident and the manicure set prize
Finding humor after trauma
"I love my little nub"
Creative stories about missing appendages
[00:14:25] - What's New: Colonoscopy Chronicles
Ryan's squeaky clean colon update
Being awake during the procedure
Watching your own colonoscopy on screen
[00:15:38] - Summer Vacation Survival
First real summer holidays with kids
The relief of routine returning
Constant "Daddy, play with me" requests
[00:17:23] - The Child Trading Experiment
When mom and dad traded kids with another family
The tomato force-feeding incident
Dan and Ryan's escape plan
"The 90s were a different time"
[00:24:01] - Are You Wearing Deodorant?
Family headstone plans
Daily deodorant checks
Porter family coat of arms in Latin
[00:28:42] - Question of the Week: Standing Out
What weird things did you do to seem interesting as a kid?
Ryan's Christmas stocking socks (unwashed for months)
The tracksuit incident and wearing two outfits in one day
Jacqueline's vintage advertisement phase
[00:37:28] - The "Eat a Beaver, Save a Tree" Story
Laminated advertisements as backpack keychains
Tenth grade naivety meets Spencer's Gifts
"I don't even see color... I don't even see arms"
[00:39:15] - Dallin's Orange Modrobes
Making cargo pants your entire personality
Cutting knees out of all other pants
Wearing the Modrobes underneath everything
[00:42:01] - Main Topic Introduction: The Papin Sisters
Spooky season officially begins
Setting up the story of Christine and Léa Papin
France, 1933, and a dark and rainy night
[00:44:07] - Early Life of the Papin Sisters
Clemence and Gustave's troubled marriage
Three daughters raised separately
The Catholic orphanage years
Amelia escapes to a convent
[00:48:50] - Working for the Lancelin Family
Christine (age 20) and Léa (age 15) hired as housemaids
Seemingly ideal working conditions
The white glove checks
Suspicions about the sisters' relationship
[00:53:40] - The Night of February 2, 1933
"It was, in fact, a dark and rainy night"
The broken iron shorts the electrical system
Madame Lancelin and Geneviève return unexpectedly
Christine "smashed-ed it" into her employer's head
[00:56:21] - The Horrific Details ⚠️
Content warning for graphic violence
The pewter jug attack
What happened next (details intentionally limited)
Discovery by Renée Lancelin
[00:59:40] - The Eyeball on the Stairs
Police mount the stairs to the attic
Renée picks up what he thinks is a jewel
Finding the sisters in bed together, naked
Immediate confession
[01:01:15] - The Trial and Public Reaction
French intellectuals and class warfare think pieces
"Op-ed nation" of the 1930s
Self-defense claims
Léa goes "deaf and mute"
[01:04:03] - The Sentencing
Christine sentenced to death by guillotine
Léa gets 10 years hard labor
Fun fact: Last guillotine execution was in the 1980s
[01:05:12] - Christine's Final Days
Separation from Léa drives her insane
Attempts to remove her own eyeballs
Starves herself to death in 1937
The theory of shared personality
[01:06:16] - What Happened to Léa
Released after 8 years on good behavior
Moves back in with mom Clemence
Gets hotel job under fake name
Lives until the YEAR 2000
[01:08:30] - The Documentary Discovery
Claude Ventura's 2000 documentary
Finding Léa still alive
The stroke that made her actually mute
Ryan visited Paris and might have stayed at her hotel
[01:10:49] - Spooky Story Debrief
"Pepin" pronunciation struggles
Ryan rates the spookiness
"People hurt people"
Preview of next episode's Porter family ghost stories
[01:12:15] - Unhinged Text: Dragon Fruit Support
Ryan's dragon fruit farming adventure
Hand pollination by moonlight with Q-tips
The Porter siblings' transformation from enemies to cheerleaders
"Everyone shut up my show is on"
[01:19:48] - The Porter Family Love Language
Not physically affectionate, don't say "I love you"
Jonathan's accidental "love you" and immediate regret
From hating each other to supporting dragon fruits
"I love your dragon fruits" - the closest they can get
[01:21:32] - Wrap-Up & Next Episode Preview
Two weeks until the next spooky episode
Get your Porter family ghost stories ready
Flashlights and candlelight discussion
Final thoughts on spooky season
EPISODE RESOURCES
Mentioned in This Episode:
The Papin Sisters case (Le Mans, France, 1933)
Video 99 / Coffee Time (Ajax plaza location)
Bunko (the dice game for "sad housewives")
Mawdrops (90s cargo pants)
National Sports (Boxing Day shopping)
Spencer's Gifts (source of inappropriate keychains)
Visual Content:
Crime scene photos (mentioned but NOT recommended)
Ryan's dragon fruit harvest photos on Instagram
Jacqueline's uncomfortable Disneyland photo
Referenced Media:
"I Think You Should Leave" (Netflix)
"Snaps" TV show
Claude Ventura documentary (2000)
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Next Episode: Porter Family Ghost Stories - Get ready for spooky tales from 26 Dreyer Drive
Listener Submission: What weird thing did YOU do as a kid to seem different and interesting? Send us your stories!
CREDITS
Hosts: Ryan Porter & Jacqueline PorterProduction: Dreyer Drive PodcastTheme Music: [TBD]Episode Length: 1:23:46
This podcast is named after the street where Ryan and Jacqueline grew up with their siblings in Ajax, Ontario, Canada. It's about nostalgia, family dynamics, and the weird things that shaped us—with occasional detours into true crime.
CONTENT NOTE: While we approach dark topics with our signature "what-should-Ido-with-my-hands" humor, we recognize the real tragedy of the events discussed. The Papin sisters case involves real victims and genuine trauma. Our discussion is meant to explore historical events, not to make light of violence.
