Day 7: Serial Kills

“Have you heard Serial?” seems to be the most popular question asked this season (only slightly beating out, “Do you hear what I hear?”). While I am loath to get involved with anything this far into the hip zeitgeist, and though I find it a bit offensive to suggest that listening to podcasts is somehow new (I’ve been listening to podcasts for over seven years), I listened to the first episode, and I quickly found myself binge listening (another ugly term…I’m down the rabbit hole here) to the other nine. I now look impatiently at my podcast feed for my weekly fix.

In case you have been living under a rock (or in the real world) Serial is an offshoot of the popular radio (and podcast) program This American Life. The podcast, hosted by Sarah Koenig is a retelling/reexamination of a murder case of fifteen years ago. Annan Syed, a high school student of Pakistani heritage was accused and convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in Baltimore 15 years ago. Each week the narrator examines some portion of the story: the event, the witnesses, the trial, the evidence, all with the purpose of trying to find the truth amid the mountain of conflicting detail. From the first episode, we have been invited to speculate whether this (no longer so) young man is an innocent victim of circumstances who is serving a life sentence based on a miscarriage of justice, or a cold-blooded killer, who claims innocence only to exploit the narrator.

We are currently 10 episodes in, and I frankly don’t have any idea what is true, what is false, and what I am being manipulated into thinking. The narrator is pretty good about maintaining impartiality, recognizing both exculpatory and damning facts, but perhaps this is even a manipulation. I am hoping that by the end, clarity will emerge, but based on something that was said in today’s episode, I am starting to worry that the series might end up with a draw, allowing the listener to draw his or her own conclusion. (I currently am liking a joke made on another podcast hoping that it turns out that the reporter did it).

This isn’t really new, crime procedurals, both fictional and fact-based have been on radio and television for years. One could easily picture a Law and Order episode dealing with a similar case, or a 48 Hours true crine episode. The difference is that this analysis is stretched, taking several months and looking at every detail

So if you are looking for a wonderful, engaging story, and you are willing to risk a possible stalemate, them Serial is for you.

I think Jay did it, but, as always, I welcome your

 

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