Serial: Season 01 Discussion - This American Life meets True Detective

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Unsubscribed rather than listen to the latest episode. This show was initially promising but turned out to have very little substance. It's all just anomaly hunting - the host pays lip service to the fact that memories are incredibly fallible but spends every episode picking apart some witness's memory for insignificant details that don't match someone else's fallible memory.

It'd be alright if it was just for entertainment but these are real people's lives being tossed up in the air all over again for no good purpose. The brief attempt at humanising the victim in the previous episode after several episodes humanising her probable killer was pathetic, and I don't blame the victim's family for not getting involved.

Then you have the inevitable gaggle of internet morons digging up people's Facebook profiles etc. This is the one thing worth debating about this show. I personally think in this day and age reporters and publishers have to take the internet reaction into account before deciding to publish/broadcast things like this. At the least there should be a disclaimer asking listeners to butt out and not play amateur detective. But no, everyone's fucking impressed with themselves about this amazing internet phenomena they've created. We're crowdsourcing investigations! It's the most popular podcast ever! Sure, nothing useful relating to the murder case will come of it but everyone will forget that once they've started Season 2.

But then according to the many positive reviews, the show's not about the murder case anyway. It's has all sorts of deeper meanings like how people's memories change over time and how the search for truth is elusive. Well I don't know about you, reviewer, but I can watch Rashomon, or read Psychology Today, and get the same message without the unfortunate side effect of poking at a family's and a community's wounds and unleashing the internet on them.

Unsubscribed, with malice aforethought. Fuck this smug reporter who thinks she's innocently Just Asking Questions, fuck the publisher, and fuck every listener who doesn't at least pause a moment before googling, say, Jay's full name to consider if maybe this isn't a little creepy.
 
SmZA said:
Unsubscribed rather than listen to the latest episode. This show was initially promising but turned out to have very little substance. It's all just anomaly hunting - the host pays lip service to the fact that memories are incredibly fallible but spends every episode picking apart some witness's memory for insignificant details that don't match someone else's fallible memory.

...

Unsubscribed, with malice aforethought. Fuck this smug reporter who thinks she's innocently Just Asking Questions, fuck the publisher, and fuck every listener who doesn't at least pause a moment before googling, say, Jay's full name to consider if maybe this isn't a little creepy.
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Well said. I have been critical for weeks but the final straw for me was SK failing to bring up the phone booth info I mentioned above.

I haven't unsubscribed, though. At this point I'm hate listening like I hate watch The Walking Dead. I want to see just how bad it can get.
 
Agree with a lot of your criticism, SmZA. However, I disagree that the project is inappropriately "poking at wounds". The murder and conviction are fifteen years old. Having never lost--nor had--a child, I suppose it's possible I just can't understand, but it seems to me the social value of this shared experience of Serial outweighs a family being reminded that their daughter is still murdered. As far as I've seen it looks like Sarah Koenig was super respectful in reaching out to them and then backing up when they declined to be involved.

My feelings lately have basically been that I'm glad the thing exists because of all the ancillary worthwhile things it's inspired but I basically dislike the thing itself.
 
Geez, it's fine if you don't like the podcast but are you really making the case that in-depth crime reporting is some ethically dubious thing? Do you consider all the journalism about the West Memphis Three that led to their being set free an example "of real people's lives being tossed up in the air all over again for no good purpose"?

Reviewing a case that the justice system may have gotten wrong is good, legitimate journalism, and the fact that Serial's wild popularity has led to people's privacy being invaded doesn't change that. I don't see how this story being presented in a podcasting format makes it somehow more controversial than the countless books and long-form articles that are published about other cold cases and potentially unjust convictions.
 
Takuhi said:
Geez, it's fine if you don't like the podcast but are you really making the case that in-depth crime reporting is some ethically dubious thing? Do you consider all the journalism about the West Memphis Three that led to their being set free an example "of real people's lives being tossed up in the air all over again for no good purpose"?
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I wish the reporting done here was even half as in-depth as the West Memphis Three stuff. This entire podcast is just half-assed crap compared to it.
 
I guess I am saying the serial format of this show makes it inherently shitty. We're listening along to this reporter's vapid meanderings as if she's a character on True Detective. Except everyone gets a chance to jump on Google and crack the case before she does.

If it were a different case with stronger evidence for innocence (other than the reporter not understanding that nice boys sometimes kill girls, or that a witness misremembering being on a mountaintop at the wrong time is not all that fucking important) then maybe I wouldn't have had such a problem with it. The thing is we won't know for sure until the conclusion - maybe some astounding piece of evidence surfaces. I suspect it'll end with nothing resolved and no-one will care once Season 2 starts.

I absolutely think that responsible journalists in the 21st century should be considering internet detectives/vigilantes before reporting certain things. That might be an unpopular opinion. At least think about how you present information in order to minimise the effect on victims & other subjects. The producers of this particular show probably didn't expect it to be as popular as it is but they haven't changed their approach in the episodes since going viral so they've no excuse. It is purposely designed to maximise the ears listening and maximise the eyes on this case, with no effort whatsoever to minimise the impact on the people at the centre (most of whom are unwilling). They've even started including testimony from listeners who were around at the time, enhancing the perception that if you're the one person who Googles the one obscure witness and helps blow the case wide open, you'll get to be a part of it. It's fucking gross, and it deserves to be examined seriously. It's just a shame the initial backlash energy was expended on mostly flimsy racism accusations.
 
Still basically agree with your criticisms. Can you motivate "no effort whatsoever to minimise the impact on the people at the centre" a bit more? I know Jay and Hae's family are probably unhappy about this thing. But has it been the case that they've been harassed / harangued / harmed in any way? What has the impact been on them? In what ways could she have reported this that would have minimized impact on them?

I do feel that it's basically irresponsible presenting it like this: following inane threads but framing them as important, keeping the investigation active, basically inviting people to contact her and contribute their "findings". Is any of that basically worthless activity actually inflicting itself on Jay, the Lees, whoever?
 
Is anyone else just listening to it as an entertaining radio show? From the very beginning it was apparent to me that if I went outside the bounds of the show, such as googling or going on reddit, it would be to my own detriment because of how the show is produced. I understand that people really like the show, and want to engage with this real life story, but you're just going to end up breaking it. This is all on top of the fact that this is Sarah's first time doing something like this so I have no idea where people are getting their expectations from because they in no way reflect the reality of the program or what it intends to be.
 
SummitAve said:
Is anyone else just listening to it as an entertaining radio show? From the very beginning it was apparent to me that if I went outside the bounds of the show, such as googling or going on reddit, it would be to my own detriment because of how the show is produced. I understand that people really like the show, and want to engage with this real life story, but you're just going to end up breaking it. This is all on top of the fact that this is Sarah's first time doing something like this so I have no idea where people are getting their expectations from because they in no way reflect the reality of the program or what it intends to be.
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I'm enjoying a podcast about a reporter sharing things she has learned about a crime committed 15 years ago.

I think the discussion about the ethics of the show are interesting and fair, but some of the other criticism makes me wonder what people were expecting.
 
Brakke said:
Still basically agree with your criticisms. Can you motivate "no effort whatsoever to minimise the impact on the people at the centre" a bit more? I know Jay and Hae's family are probably unhappy about this thing. But has it been the case that they've been harassed / harangued / harmed in any way? What has the impact been on them? In what ways could she have reported this that would have minimized impact on them[
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Hae's Brother said:
As title states, I am Hae's little brother. Do not ask me anything. I probably will read comments/questions but will not reply or answer any questions.

To prove that I am her brother I was thinking putting up Hae's baby pictures but I don't want it to be used by the media. So I give you an info that wasn't in the podcast. Hae's cousin was in kindergarten at Campfield Early Learning Center. Our cousin is now college student about to graduate. That's how long it has been.

If you google map it, you kinda get the idea what Hae had to drive everyday right after school. I believe Campfield let out at 3pm. So she didn't have alot of time to mess around. Since our grandparents were expecting our cousin few mins after school. It was Hae's first time failing to pick her cousin up from school...

Don't care if you believe me or not. I am just big fan/user of reddit. When I found out there was subreddit for this, I had to do AMA for reddit community. But sorry I won't be answering any questions because... TO ME ITS REAL LIFE. To you listeners, its another murder mystery, crime drama, another episode of CSI. You weren't there to see your mom crying every night, having a heartattck when she got the new that the body was found, and going to court almost everyday for a year seeing your mom weeping,crying and fainting. You don't know what we went through. Especially to those who are demanding our family response and having a meetup... you guys are disgusting. SHame on you. I pray that you don't have to go through what we went through and have your story blasted to 5mil listeners.

Can't believe how popular this podcast got. I didn't know until I got a call from my cousin (Same cousin Hae picked up from school) to tell me that there was a podcast about my sister. I have been listening since ep1 and kept it secret from the family. I googled it and found this subreddit, and a today news(?). Although I do not like the fact that SK pick our story to cover, she is an awesome narrator/ writer/ investigator. No wonder why this podcast is so popular. I have not contacted SK, and probably will not. Being a media person that she is, she wants some big ending. you can tell my her reaction to innocent project taking her case and private investigator. Either she is bias or want some kinda big ending to this podcast. This is my opinion on her bias. NOTHING ELSE (you know what I am taking about...)

Like I stated before, no one knows about this podcast other than myself and my cousin. My mom doesn't know. Depending on how this show ends, I will tell her and maybe a REDDIT interview. I think mail chimp got too much publicity out of this. Maybe if this post goes on front page!?!?!? (sorry reddit joke...).

Verification:

I know the ultimate proof would be posting my picture with my username but I am not comfortable with that.. so here is facebook chat Sarah and Dana sent. As you can see, they did try to contact me but I ignored it.

Update:

Sorry about posting their personal info. I was so careful not to post my personal info that I forgot about their info. Screenshot has been removed.

Thank you for your kind words. Sorry if I sounded scornful. It wasn't my intention.
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http://www.reddit.com/r/serialpodcast/comments/2mmldf/i_am_haes_brother_do_not_ama/
 
OpinionatedCyborg said:
http://www.reddit.com/r/serialpodcast/comments/2mmldf/i_am_haes_brother_do_not_ama/
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That specifically says that Hae's family mostly don't know about it and Hae's brother, who does know about it, isn't scornful. He's understandably... reticent? uncomfortable? about the thing. And I respect and sympathize that he doesn't want to participate in it. If the total impact to the Lees is this one guy hears about people planning meetups and listening parties then I can't say I'm too concerned that they're being subjected to any kind of trauma...
 
xbhaskarx said:
Well said. I have been critical for weeks but the final straw for me was SK failing to bring up the phone booth info I mentioned above.
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I can't imagine there was enough time between that info rising up and the release of the current episode to come up with anything verifiably substantial enough to have to insert or find a way to have it tie in thematically with the actual episode's topic. Unlike the last episode's current updates which consisted of actual audio accounts that could fit directly into the podcast structure, it'd amount to nothing more than her quickly relaying info based off a single source, as substantial as her quickly alluding to Hae's brother's post. I'm not sure what it even gains in the long run, there's nothing to build anymore and at which point you run into the other end of the complaint spectrum where people find that the show is chasing loose ends and getting caught up in minor details.
 
Thanks for posting that OpCyborg. However the degree of interference in the subject's lives that is or isn't acceptable depends ultimately on whether the investigation has any legs. If there's a solid case that justice was not served in the trial fifteen years ago then of course a journalist should report on it, even if it means people close to the case have to deal with painful memories. My contention is that this particular investigation is a load of crap, and I can't believe after a year of work how little they've got to show for it.

That's not to say I'm convinced of the suspect's guilt. Just that they've raised nothing of value to justify a miscarriage of justice case, or to justify the ghoulish fascination they've stirred up for probably no ultimate good.

Separate to that is my issue with the serial format. Most crime journalism that's done is published after the fact, once the investigation is more or less over. Picking apart details in a case is perfectly normal and of course most of those threads are going to turn out to be inane. What's different here is that every detail is exposed in near real time for listeners to pick apart for themselves with the help of Google. Except those listeners have no journalistic or police training, no concept of ethics in journalism (sorry), no context within the community involved, and nothing to lose by sticking their noses into stuff that's none of their business.

There are of course situations where public involvement in an actively investigated case is helpful, even vital eg. missing persons. I don't think this is one of them. But again the ultimate determination will come after the (probably) anticlimactic final episode; I'm just concerned that by then everyone will shrug their shoulders, forget the troubling aspects of this program and care only about what's coming in Season 2.
 
I have no evidence for this, but I have the feeling the producers are on some level uncomfortable with some of the reactions they've been getting from their more enthusiastic listeners, and that's why they've ruled out another murder case for Season 2. They're experienced journalists, not stupid or lacking compassion. Their show isn't worth much but that's a risk of investing a year in an investigation where you don't know the outcome. I think they handled it badly but my opinion doesn't matter until the final ep airs and the big finale many listeners are hoping for doesn't happen.

There are only a couple of outcomes that would change my opinion. First, obviously, they produce some real evidence either way - but unless it comes out of the blue (like from a listener) I'll be asking why they wasted ten episodes of our time holding such evidence back. The other would be if the journalist managed to evoke some inkling or admission of guilt from the dude at the centre of it all. That would almost justify the lengths she's gone to in winning his trust.
 
SmZA said:
I'm just concerned that by then everyone will shrug their shoulders, forget the troubling aspects of this program and care only about what's coming in Season 2.
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It is distressing, I agree, that indefinite and analytically inaccessible (beyond download figures) acts of consumption aren't going to visibly dovetail with your point of view.

Participatory uptake is repugnant, passivity is repugnant. And you get to pretend that you're "concerned" about a potential future event, when that's really just a way of phrasing snark about an offhandedly generalised audience in the present. Because "fuck the listeners".
 
I'm on episode 9 and there are a couple of things that I think the narrator has missed, and I would like to know if anyone here knows the answer to these questions.

1) Did Jay tell police the body was in Leakin Park before that information hit the news? Did Jay ever tell them the body was in Leakin Park?

2) A piece of red fabric was found near the body. Did this fabric match the red gloves that Jay said Adnan was wearing?

3) Why was the state so sure Hae died around 2:30pm? How did they come to this conclusion when they found her body a month after she died?

4) Why did Jae have Adnan's phone? I don't remember what Adnan said about this. It seemed to be glossed over fairly quickly.


Right now, I think Adnan is likely guilty. The fact that Jay knew where Hae's car was is the biggest piece of evidence, imo. So I have no doubt that Jay knows who the killer is. I suspect he had a larger role in this than he admits to.
 
Wow, I finally decided to listen to the first episode yesterday afternoon and I spent the rest of the day blowing through the entire thing. I'm glad I held off on the show for this long because having to wait an entire week for each new episode would have been excruciating.

The case against Adnan seems very flimsy to me, but then I wonder how much my opinion is swayed by getting to hear Adnan explain his side of things at such great length.
 
FutureZombie said:
I'm on episode 9 and there are a couple of things that I think the narrator has missed, and I would like to know if anyone here knows the answer to these questions.

1) Did Jay tell police the body was in Leakin Park before that information hit the news? Did Jay ever tell them the body was in Leakin Park?

2) A piece of red fabric was found near the body. Did this fabric match the red gloves that Jay said Adnan was wearing?

3) Why was the state so sure Hae died around 2:30pm? How did they come to this conclusion when they found her body a month after she died?

4) Why did Jae have Adnan's phone? I don't remember what Adnan said about this. It seemed to be glossed over fairly quickly.


Right now, I think Adnan is likely guilty. The fact that Jay knew where Hae's car was is the biggest piece of evidence, imo. So I have no doubt that Jay knows who the killer is. I suspect he had a larger role in this than he admits to.
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1) I believe that was in the news before the investigation really began in earnest.

2) I don't think the red gloves were ever recovered.

3) That's right after she was last seen alive and right before she failed to pick up her niece from daycare. I don't think she can rule out that she was abducted for a while before she was killed but I imagine there'd be evidence for that like rope burns or something.

4) So Adnan could call Jay when he needed to be picked up. (And yeah, it doesn't make a lot of sense.)

SmZA said:
Thanks for posting that OpCyborg. However the degree of interference in the subject's lives that is or isn't acceptable depends ultimately on whether the investigation has any legs. If there's a solid case that justice was not served in the trial fifteen years ago then of course a journalist should report on it, even if it means people close to the case have to deal with painful memories. My contention is that this particular investigation is a load of crap, and I can't believe after a year of work how little they've got to show for it.

That's not to say I'm convinced of the suspect's guilt. Just that they've raised nothing of value to justify a miscarriage of justice case, or to justify the ghoulish fascination they've stirred up for probably no ultimate good.
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I still don't understand why you expect them to solve this case. When you see a new book published about the Zodiac Killer or whatever, do you assume the writer will have incontrovertibly uncovered the killer's identity and that arrests will be imminent? Or do you expect that they'll review the history of the case, maybe uncover a new fact or two, and then suggest their opinion? How is Serial doing anything different from that?

What they've done "of value" is relay a fascinating and unusual case (maybe not fascinating to you, but obviously fascinating to millions), uncover dozens of holes in the official police story, cast light on some troubling issues in the way police interrogations work, demonstrate how the police and prosecutors gather evidence solely to support a potential prosecution and not to uncover truth, show how bizarre procedural issues in a trial can be the difference between walking free and a person spending the rest of their life in jail, and so on. These topics are highly interesting, rarely reported on, and have clear social value. It's not a journalist's job to solve cases, and I don't believe SK ever said anything to suggest that would be the outcome.
 
SmZA said:
I have no evidence for this, but I have the feeling the producers are on some level uncomfortable with some of the reactions they've been getting from their more enthusiastic listeners, and that's why they've ruled out another murder case for Season 2.
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I think they've ruled out another murder case because they don't want to be The Murder Podcast.

No matter what they report on, people will have a chance to stick their noses in someone else's business.
 
listening to his these days is giving me an appreciation of the economy of this american life's storytelling and the diversity of topics. it's not that the craft of the show is bad or that it's no longer tackling interesting stuff - though some of the folksy "just a layman trying to understand it as best i can" tone doesn't really work when you're trying to determine whether a lawyer did a good job (the best recent episode was the innocence project woman who was rad). it's just that the serial hook that drew me in is now putting me off. i want to learn more about the justice system, i'm just bored of the context of this one single case. erroll morris had the good sense to be in and out in 100 mins in his expose of a single shakey conviction.
 
Salazar said:
Participatory uptake is repugnant, passivity is repugnant. And you get to pretend that you're "concerned" about a potential future event[...]
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I don't think I said anything against passivity. Many people are fascinated by the show and that's fine, I was too until I concluded they had nothing of substance relating to the case (and I could be wrong, maybe they're holding back something for the final episodes).

The potential future I expressed concern about - nothing happens, any impact on the people who had their friend or family member killed is brushed aside for speculation over Season 2 - has probably already been decided. The producers have been working on this thing for a year, they're just serialising the presentation of it. So I think it's legitimate to raise that concern now, since they know what the final episodes will contain even if we don't.

My uncharitable view is they spent a year investigating this case and ended up with not much of value, so decided to serialise it in the hope that before the finale some new evidence is raised to retroactively justify their effort. If they'd done anything to discourage the amateur detectives I'd have less of an issue with their program but I think they're hoping for a save from the listeners. If true, I think that's gross, and I see why the police, the victim's family and the chief witness wanted nothing to do with it.

Anyway I've unsubscribed to the show and I've said all I have to say until the finale so I'll quit shitting up this thread.
 
Finally got to listen to the newest episode; the information about Gutierrez is interesting, particularly the decline she was on at that time and what happened after.

I get the complaints about her style, voice, etc, but that can still work (and had) with the right presentation. But the audio they've played so far definitely seems a little more awkward.
 
Can we talk about how totally disappointing Koenig's limpdick approach to talking about racism was in this last episode? She kept going all sympathetic about "mixing stereotypes in with facts" or whatever, meanwhile that tape of the prosecutor going on about Paki men murdering women and fleeing to Pakistan and that whole "honor" business. Was so straightforwardly racist I couldn't believe a judge would allow it.
 
Brakke said:
Can we talk about how totally disappointing Koenig's limpdick approach to talking about racism was in this last episode? She kept going all sympathetic about "mixing stereotypes in with facts" or whatever, meanwhile that tape of the prosecutor going on about Paki men murdering women and fleeing to Pakistan and that whole "honor" business. Was so straightforwardly racist I couldn't believe a judge would allow it.
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I know, it was the stereotypical "Public Radio Voice Of Reason" where they're afraid to call out anyone on obvious bigotry. Ends up causing more harm than good.
 
I still don't know what to make of Gutierrez. How common is all her seemingly weird behavior?

Do defense clients usually get a phone call demanding $10,000 in cash for an expert witness?
 
border said:
I still don't know what to make of Gutierrez. How common is all her seemingly weird behavior?

Do defense clients usually get a phone call demanding $10,000 in cash for an expert witness?
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Rarely if ever (an assumption, but probably an accurate one). I think the implication is that she needed money she didn't have for medical bills.

edit: Re Phone booth: I was listening with the assumption meant an actual, physical phone booth. Not a payphone hung on the wall, but the whole deal, or at least the a stand seperate from the wall. I'm wondering if this is because Jay meant an actual phone booth or if he didn't have the terminology for whatever a payphone built into the wall is.

It would be a shame if they spent that much time discussing something that was entirely pedantic.
 
Re: Phone booth - I don't really get it... they have call records in the US too, right? There shouldn't be any sort of discussion about this.
 
raindoc said:
Re: Phone booth - I don't really get it... they have call records in the US too, right? There shouldn't be any sort of discussion about this.
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They probably had them then, but investigators didn't find it important enough to dig into? But by now, I think SK said the records were all thrown away.
 
Brakke said:
Can we talk about how totally disappointing Koenig's limpdick approach to talking about racism was in this last episode? She kept going all sympathetic about "mixing stereotypes in with facts" or whatever, meanwhile that tape of the prosecutor going on about Paki men murdering women and fleeing to Pakistan and that whole "honor" business. Was so straightforwardly racist I couldn't believe a judge would allow it.
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My jaw dropped when I heard that-really disgusting.
 
Brakke said:
meanwhile that tape of the prosecutor going on about Paki men murdering women and fleeing to Pakistan and that whole "honor" business. Was so straightforwardly racist I couldn't believe a judge would allow it.
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Apparently that was during a bail hearing so there was no jury present.
 
Was it ever confirmed that Jay smoked weed (specifically himself) that day? I just find it odd if so, that, he'd smoke weed with Adnan, hang out with some acquaintance who may blackmail him.

Someone just committed a murder I mean ... there's a dead girl in the trunk and a guy who might blackmail you for other crimes.

If I was Jay, I'd be pretty creeped out by this guy and would try and stay away from him as soon as possible, not hang out, relax, and do shit with him, before burying the body. I'd probably do that as soon as I can, and just get away from him. I just find it bizarre behavior, that's all.

Edit: Of course that could mean either both or one of them are sociopaths to some extent.

Also something I've just thought about ... isn't it a bit coincidental that Adnan met with this so called acquaintance that day, to hand him his car and phone? But ok it might just be the case but here is another kicker if Jay is framing Adnan ..what exactly is Jay's plan? Why be seen with him throughout the day if you are trying to frame him? What does that achieve other than cast suspicion on yourself.

My theory is that Adnan might just be a sociopath, and Jay is either complicit in the murder or was reluctantly brought in on it through coercion. Adnan, does not care that he is seen with Jay (why would he anyway?) so he just does the socipathing thing and get high having fun and going to pray later on in the day.
 
Brakke said:
Can we talk about how totally disappointing Koenig's limpdick approach to talking about racism was in this last episode? She kept going all sympathetic about "mixing stereotypes in with facts" or whatever, meanwhile that tape of the prosecutor going on about Paki men murdering women and fleeing to Pakistan and that whole "honor" business. Was so straightforwardly racist I couldn't believe a judge would allow it.
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Yeah that was actually the first time I really went "wtf Sarah". It's the "well they didn't say *racial slur*, so we can never be sure" line of thinking. That bail hearing scene was disgusting. The prosecution's lawyer said "Pakistan" the same way that tea partiers say "Democrat".

I don't really have a problem with this type of long form reporting. This type of story has been done before on TAL and in many news outlets. My larger issue is with the online detectives who refuse to respect individuals' boundaries, but the rise of the online detective is a problem that extends far beyond Serial.

edit: I think many of the rising critiques are a preview of the shitshow we'll see when Sarah obviously doesn't neatly tie up the season with a big red bow.
 
The crazy thing is, whether or not Adnan did it, it's crazy to think that he was put away based on the words of ONE guy.

Where were the shovels? The autopsy? For god sakes, Hae was strangled to death, why couldn't they figure out who's hands were on her neck?!

And why did Jay get someone else to help him hide the shovel?
 
Setting aside Adnan's guilt, I don't think he got a good trial.

So I think the real question is: do you think Justice was served in this case?
 
I still believe that regardless of Adnan's guilt there shouldn't have been enough evidence to convict him and that his lawyer, the cops, the jury, and the entire justice system failed him.
 
S1E11: Rumors

While this episode helped some in getting a better glimpse at who Adnan is as a person, the majority of it felt too much like padding before things are wrapped up.
 
Holy shit, that letter from Adnan. I wonder if it will ever be released. I'd really like to read it.

The episode answered many questions in regards to people claiming Adnan is a psychopath or why doesn't he show anger. Then ending on the letter with Adnan stating how he feels about the show and SK bringing it all back up. Not gonna lie, it got me in the feels.
 
daveo42 said:
S1E11: Rumors

While this episode helped some in getting a better glimpse at who Adnan is as a person, the majority of it felt too much like padding before things are wrapped up.
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Yep, episode felt like fluff to me. Interested to see how they choose to wrap things up though.
 
The last couple episodes have felt like fluff to me. This show had such a strong start but it's really been losing me over the past couple eps. It's a shame, I hope they don't do more episodes then they need next season, although I can see how that would be difficult if you set the amount of episodes before you start the investigation.
 
I liked this episode. Sure it doesn't go into the crazy details of the case but knowing the background on him and all that is interesting to me.
 
I've gone from really liking the show to questioning a lot of the choices that have been made by the producers. I think other folks in the thread have done a good job of explaining those issues so I won't go into them. This weeks episode was especially annoying, i.e."I heard this crazy rumor about Adnan at a party but I'm not going to explain it since it's probably not true." OK, so why even bring that up? I'm glad they're ending the show next week. I feel bad for everyone involved in this case - I don't think this podcast has helped anyone involved.
 
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