After You Listen to KFC Radio You Should Listen To Serial

by Superproducer BC on November 14, 2014

serial

I’ve talked a little bit about Serial on Mailtime and followed up with it on Twitter. The feedback is mostly positive so I decided to write a little bit about it. The first part is for those who still haven’t tuned in. I’ll do my best to convince you to check it out. After that I’ll do a little on where we are through episode 8. That part will be full of spoilers so hold off if you aren’t caught up.

 

Why you should listen to Serial.

 

Serial is a murder mystery. The trick is though, the murder has already been solved. At least in the eyes of the courts it has. In 1999 a 17 year old girl was murdered and her ex-boyfriend was sentenced to life in prison. That’s not a spoiler, it is revealed in the first few mins of the first episode. Sarah Koenig is the narrator of the story. She is a journalist who decided to investigate the case. Needless to say, she felt it warranted investigation. Without going into detail here, the 1st episode quickly lays out why there is some cause for concern in case. Koenig has spent the last year investigating the case and chronicling it via this audio podcast.  The truly revolutionary part of this whole “story” is that it is basically still being written. The ex-boyfriend is still in jail and there is no sign that he will be getting out any time soon. Unless, of course, the story we are listening to has some type of impact.

 

While Serial is clearly non-fiction it is still a story being told to you by an author. Koenig may try to be impartial but she represents her findings the way she interprets them. She does her best to remain objective but it’s clear (at least through episode 8) that she has at least some doubt that this crime was not fully resolved. She has enough doubt, in fact, to spend 12 months speaking with a convicted felon (many episodes feature phone calls with the ex-boyfriend/possible murderer) and everyone else she can find that knew anything about the situation. Can she possibly make a difference in this real life crime thriller? Will we get to witness it as it is unfolding? It’s a wild experience to consider and that is why I am completely captivated by it. Most of the episodes are around 30-35 mins long. The 1st is closer to an hour. Give the 1st episode a listen and if you aren’t into it, stop there.

http://serialpodcast.org/

 

 

Now, for those of you that are caught up…. SPOILERS AHEAD do not read if you aren’t caught up through Episode 8.

 

Like I said, this is only for those who have listened up through Episode 8: The Deal With Jay

 

Fucking Jay man… What a weird thing it is to get to finally hear about this guy 15 years later. Earlier in the series I had decided that it was basically Jay’s word against Adnan and since Jay got a sweetheart deal from the prosecution, that he was the “bad” guy. I guess that’s still possible. But as you learn more about Jay it seems like it would be difficult for him to pull off such an elaborate scheme to frame Adnan. You have to remember this is real life and not a movie or TV show where they can suddenly reveal a mastermind behind the whole story. Then again, I keep holding out hope that the reason Sara Koenig and the producers decided to tell this story is that there is something truly compelling that we have yet to hear about what happened that day. I’m basically holding out hope that there is a twist ending when in real life there are no twist endings. I’ve read all sorts of conspiracy theories on Reddit where Jay was jealous that Adnan was banging his girlfriend (why did Adnan buy Jay’s gf a birthday present?) or that Hae was buying weed from Jay and something went wrong. All that would make for a WILD ending to the story but I think it’s wishful thinking. If you can’t tell, I’m definitely leaning towards Adnan being fully involved at this point. I hope Koenig can at least cast some doubt back in the other direction to make it interesting, before either solidifying the court’s decision or calling for some type of appeal (if that’s even legally possible, I don’t know).

 

Few other things from earlier in the series:

 

The Nisha Call: big WHOOP. There is so much hearsay in this case I can’t see why Koenig chose to say the “The Nisha Call” was so important. So what if it was the only friend of Adnan that got called. Jay can’t just look in the phone and call a chick that Adnan knows? Yeah, she testified that she remembers talking to Adnan but this show is 99% about how memory is fallible. Jay could have easily just said “yeah I’m here chilling with Adnan” and she mis-remembers.

 

The cell tower records: this stuff does NOT look good for Adnan. I get that he doesn’t remember his every move that day but a call coming from near Leakin Park? Not good homie.

 

Mr. S: don’t think he’s involved but he may be the most aggravating part of the story. And the part that’s aggravating is that I’ve been conditioned by fictional dramas to think that the one guy you only see for a few seconds always ends up being a major plot point. That’s not real life. I desperately want a flashback where we see how he actually stumbled upon the body. How he looks and seems like he may have some sort of mental handicap but he starts to walk straight and Keyser Soze’s all of us. Can’t happen but I wish it could. If the body was that well hidden I really want to know how he found it.

 

Neighbor boy: that was just a kid who made up a story to impress a girl

 

 

Christina Gutierrez: WHY ARE YOU DEAD? Actually, this is probably the reason the podcast can be so intriguing. Because we can’t speak with Adnan’s lawyer there will always be a massive hole in the story. Koenig teased that maybe she threw the case to get more money on the appeal. Would be interesting to say the least.

 

Asia in the library: Asia actually makes me think Adnan did it and I know that sounds weird but here is why: If I were Adnan, even after 15 years, I would still be screaming ASIA!!! TALK TO ASIA!!! Every single day of my life. If he is with Asia in the library he isn’t at Best Buy killing Hae. So why doesn’t he say that? I mean I know he brought it up but why doesn’t he say that constantly? Is it because she recanted her story once? I get that makes her unreliable in terms of the court process but if that was really the only person who could for sure prove my innocence, it would be all I talk about.

Point the finger at Jay: Along th same lines as the Asia thing. JUST POINT THE FINGER AT JAY DUDE!!! Why won’t he say that? Why won’t he even throw that out there to Koenig? I’m not talking about a legal defense. But he won’t even say it to a reporter?? He’s called Jay pathetic so it’s not like he has respect for him. And Jay has testified under oath all about burying the body. SO… if Adnan is innocent, then Jay either a) is making up a completely fabricated story that put you away for life in prison or b) MURDERED your ex-girlfriend and then MADE UP A STORY TO PUT YOU AWAY FOR LIFE IN PRISON!!! And you don’t have a bad word to say about him?? What the fuck dude. Have we just not heard this yet? Is Koenig holding out on us? I need to know. Need it.

Thoughts? Holler at me on twitter @BrendanClancy

Previous post:

Next post: