Serial

I just listenered to all nine on vacation last week.

Do we know there's going to be some sort of "end"? I'm a littl worried, based on the trajectory and what Ive heard so far, that she's going to get to "Well, I still don't know what happened. Thanks for listening."

 

As Nick Saban would say, "Trust the process." Sarah's been doing this for 10 years, Ira Glass for even longer.

 

I heard her interview on Mike Pesca's podcast and she said that there were going to be about a dozen or so. This was a few weeks ago, so the success might stretch it out a couple of more. She said that she was something like 65% sure of how it was going to end.

 

New episode dropped today, so, bump! Obvious, it gave more credence to the idea that Adnan's attorney was possibly distracted and/or ineffective because of her health issues, but it wasn't a slam dunk issue to me. Koenig played some of the trial transcripts, and she grills over Jay pretty good, which worked well enough in the first trial to get a mistrial and a not guilty polling from that jury.

 

I listened to first episode during drive to work today.
Will listen to episode 2 on the way home.

 

Interesting episode. I guess that there was no choice with respect to the mistrial. I was pretty shocked that he asked for a plea deal.

 

I've now listened to five episodes.

I really enjoy it, although I think it is colored by her belief in Adnan's innocence, a belief that seems to be largely based on a kind of I-don't-think-this-guy-is-a-killer naiveté.
I'd also say a lot of the perceptions of the details and investigation have been naive or simplistic.
However, I'm really enjoying it. A long time ago, when I was a crime reporter, I wanted to do a big enterprise package as a retrospective of a major trial I covered. The exec. editor ixnayed it.

 

Buck, I binge-listened and started listening to the Slate podcast between episodes. I think it is a good companion, even if I often didn't agree with the hosts.

 

I'll get another episode in when I drive home tonight, and another at the gym this weekend. That's about as much as I can binge. That'll be seven episodes in four or five days.

Is the Slate podcast breaking down Serial episode by episode? Maybe I can download Slate breakdown of episode 6 this afternoon, If they both come in around 30 minutes, I can listen to both back-to-back on the way home.

 

I found the Slate podcasts more annoying than anything. I didn't agree with the hosts a lot of the time either and I found Katie particularly irritating. I haven't listened to the last Slate episode yet and haven't decided if I'm going to.

Overall, I just don't know what to think. And I kinda like that. I know it's bugging the hell out of some people, but I'm enjoying the ride.

FYI, for those still catching up, this week's podcast (episode 10) was one of the longest - 54 minutes.

 

Check back in after a few more episodes. Part of what makes Sarah really good is she eventually explores stuff from a lot of different sides.

 

I've started listening to both the Slate's Serial Spoiler and The Serial Serial podcasts between episodes. I've liked hearing the differing views and really like when they've added information not in the regular episodes. I haven't actually spent time on the sites (yet), but I do have the reddit serial site and Rabia Chaudry's blog bookmarked.