![]() In the popular television drama The Killing, the writers refused to reveal who the killer was to the acting cast, and, they later admitted, they weren't actually sure themselves. Yet in Syed’s case, Koenig is trying to prove, at the very least that there is a reasonable doubt. If she is unable to solve the case and expose its individual truths, inevitably Koenig's purpose is still to expose the shortcomings within the US criminal justice system, which Adnan's case irrefutably lays bare. In order to prosecute someone, attorneys merely have to prove that the defendant tent that there could be no "reasonable doubt" in the mind of a "reasonable person" that the defendant is guilty. Sometimes there is no easy answer, no satisfying climax. The instinctive desire to 'tie up loose ends' is rarely achieved in day-to-day life. #New serial podcast fall 2015 serialIn the most recent episode, Koenig seemed to go off on a bit of a tangent – was she prepping the listeners for an anti-climax in this week's finale?Įither way, Serial has delineated notions of conclusiveness. If it peters out – of which there is a huge risk– It feels like a betrayal for its listeners. If Serial finishes with a revelation of some kind, then fantastic. Each episode is edited right up to the point of release: she has no control over the narrative. “ How did you get to work? Did you drive or walk? Was it raining? Who did you see? Make a list of everyone you spoke to that day.” In the first episode, we are asked to recall a Wednesday, six weeks ago. We are frequently confronted with the notion of distorted memory, of being detached from the past, which makes crime so difficult to solve. The fact that we are listening to the voice of a potential killer, (the eerie theme tune followed by the ' global tel-link from an inmate at the Maryland correctional facility' has become a familiar fix for many of us) makes it all the more fascinating and macabre.īeyond ‘true crime’s obvious appeal, what’s intriguing is how Koenig engages with not just the social issues (race, religion, class) surrounding the crime but the objective problem of recollection. We see the events of 1999 through the eyes of an ordinary (though highly intelligent) person, who is considering the case objectively – at least at the outset. She not a detective, she doesn’t have years of experience in the criminal justice system. Her mind is open, her reasoning is rational, her tone conversational and matter-of-fact, her interview technique perfectly balanced. The fact that Koenig is essentially investigating the crime ‘in real time’ is what makes it so gripping: her thoughts unfold along with ours. For the first time, people are ‘binging’ on radio: Serial has been referred to as ‘ The Wire of podcasts.’īut what is it about Serial that makes it so unique? And can it maintain its momentum? Koenig has brought something completely new to the podcast genre. It has given rise to a mass of theories, as Reddit-users play detective, as well as a number of anonymous character witnesses speaking out online. The podcast has quickly become a global phenomenon: the fastest to reach five millionĭownloads in the history of iTunes. Koenig has sifted through reams of paperwork, re-enacted the events, and interviewed anyone with even the slightest involvement in the case teachers, phone technicians and, crucially, Syed himself. Koenig’s curiosity was piqued, and so began a year long, Herculean investigation. ![]() Chaudry was adamant that the boy she grew up with could not have committed this crime, claiming that Syed’s defence attorney had botched the case. It all began when Adnan’s childhood friend, Rabia Chaudry, approached Koenig a year ago, asking the journalist to look into the case. ![]() Her Muslim ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed has been serving time ever since. Journalist Sarah Koenig has been investigating – in real time – the death of Korean American Hae Min Lee, a senior at a Baltimore high school, who was strangled in a car park fifteen years ago. Serial, the twelve episode long podcast created by popular channel This American Life has, for the past two months, been causing a global stir. ![]()
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