SERIAL (the podcast) (1 Viewer)

[jbutler]

Weirdest thing happened: my wife and stepdaughters took a 6-hour car ride last weekend and listened to Serial (my wife's second time, but their first) and were talking about it over the last week. So I listened to the first few episodes again after debating with them about (I think Adnan did it and Jay helped in some way and that most likely no one else was involved).

Then all of a sudden this morning, BAM, Serial releases the first episode of season 2 (website here).

If you didn't listen to season 1 at all, do yourself a favor and don't read any more of this thread or anything else and just go listen. There are a total of 12 episodes that range from 27 to 55 minutes each. The total runtime is about 8 hours 45 minutes. It's not amazing, but it is very good and it is really interesting to discuss and debate (if you're super hard up for discussion, you can also go download the Slate podcast here that discussed each episode of Serial as it aired).

Anyway, whereas season 1 focused on a 25 year old murder, season 2 focuses on a controversy which started 6 years ago when Bowe Bergdahl deserted his post in Afghanistan and was held by the Taliban for 5 years.

My criticisms of the show will likely be the same as last year (it is too convinced of its own preciousness and a fair amount of navel gazing goes on), but it is compelling listening and I wouldn't try to take that away from the producers.

Thought it would be good to have a devoted thread in case anyone else will be listening along. It's good to listen and discuss as it goes along to see how opinions change through the course of the reporting. I started last year thinking Adnan was quite possibly innocent (maybe a coinflip) and ended the season thinking he was 85% to be guilty.

 

[Jake_rrr]

I haven't started the new season yet. But I really enjoyed the first, and then have been listening to Undisclosed and sometimes Truth and Justice, or whatever he has changed the name to now.

I'm interested in listening to the Bergdahl podcasts though.

 

[jbutler]

I haven't started the new season yet. But I really enjoyed the first, and then have been listening to Undisclosed and sometimes Truth and Justice, or whatever he has changed the name to now.

I'm interested in listening to the Bergdahl podcasts though.

My wife is listening to Undisclosed and I tried, but didn't get into it. I was also talking with her about how irritating This American Life is and how exactly the same problems with that show are the things that irritate us both about Serial. But we're still listening, so obviously they're doing something right.

I'll reiterate my support for the Slate Serial Spoiler Podcast. It's a good way of highlighting the most intriguing bits of the latest podcast and can (or at least has for me) fill gaps in your listening if you might have zoned out for 10 seconds or so and missed something.

I guess this season is released every Thursday. I expect more people will get into it as the season progresses as was the case last year.

 

[brains613]

I do like how, without fanfare, the new episode was on my list in my Pocket Casts on Thursday morning. (I have it set to check for updates at 7 am.)

. I was also talking with her about how irritating This American Life is and how exactly the same problems with that show are the things that irritate us both about Serial.

Can you tell me what you mean by this? How is it irritating? I listen, and find some episodes compelling, and others not so much. There was recent one (567, I think) where a teenage girl outlines her abusive relationship, DURING the relationship. I was rapt.

 

[jbutler]

Can you tell me what you mean by this? How is it irritating? I listen, and find some episodes compelling, and others not so much. There was recent one (567, I think) where a teenage girl outlines her abusive relationship, DURING the relationship. I was rapt.

I guess the most accurate way I could put it would be to say that I find it tedious. I haven't listened regularly in a long time, but when I did (before the days of podcasts primarily when I would just have the radio on in the house or car without much regard for what was actually playing) I found myself so often yelling at the people, "Get over it! Get over yourselves! Let it go!"

That sounds pretty cold given your context above (abusive relationship, etc.), but most of the episodes dealt with things much more mundane and meaningless and undeserving of the attentive paid to them by the writer of the piece being broadcast. And I sort of get that that's the point of the show a lot of the time, but it's just not my bag. So when I hear Sarah Koenig on Serial put on that same sort of affected voice where she is more performing than explaining, I find my eyes rolling a bit.

 

[12thMan]

In the other podcast thread I said this about Serial:

and I was pleasantly surprised that Serial didn't make me want to drive off a bridge because of its ties to This American Life. I'm sure I would be interested in a ton of stuff TAL talks about, but the way they produce radio makes me crazy.."Our float plane drops us off at the dock in the middle of the night." *plane engine noise, sounds of a door opening, footsteps on a dock* "We are led into the village where the local children have stayed up way past their bedtime to get a good look at the weary group of travelers that will be staying with them." *footsteps on ground. young voices in the distance. Laughing kids voices get louder* And on and on and on, makes me want to never listen to anything audible again for fear of having to listen to more of that.

Serial definitely has some of that, but I feel the pretentiousness is toned down quite a bit from the majority of stuff I have heard that is produced/narrated in similar styles.

 

[kirchhausen]

My wife is listening to Undisclosed and I tried, but didn't get into it. I was also talking with her about how irritating This American Life is and how exactly the same problems with that show are the things that irritate us both about Serial. But we're still listening, so obviously they're doing something right.

I'll reiterate my support for the Slate Serial Spoiler Podcast. It's a good way of highlighting the most intriguing bits of the latest podcast and can (or at least has for me) fill gaps in your listening if you might have zoned out for 10 seconds or so and missed something.

I guess this season is released every Thursday. I expect more people will get into it as the season progresses as was the case last year.

I listened to several episodes of undisclosed, but it just made me angry. I know the people running it are biased towards Adnan, but at times it just felt like they were trying to present whatever evidence they could muster, throw it against a wall, and see what stuck.

As far as Serial, I had a few moments as well where I caught myself yelling at the podcast but overall the story was compelling enough that I listened all the way through.

I caught the 1st episode of the Bergdahl season of serial, and while it seamed interesting I'm wondering what the story is going to be about. I mean by all accounts the dude went AWOL, so what is the big controversy. If they are going to try and establish some sort of justification for that it's going to be a really hard sell no matter what this guy's reasoning was. I'll still probably listen (I have a long commute and anything is better than listening to the mouth breathing locals spouting off about the Washington DC football team) but I can easily see this becoming a hate listen unless there is some angle I don't see coming.

 

[jbutler]

I caught the 1st episode of the Bergdahl season of serial, and while it seamed interesting I'm wondering what the story is going to be about. I mean by all accounts the dude went AWOL, so what is the big controversy. If they are going to try and establish some sort of justification for that it's going to be a really hard sell no matter what this guy's reasoning was. I'll still probably listen (I have a long commute and anything is better than listening to the mouth breathing locals spouting off about the Washington DC football team) but I can easily see this becoming a hate listen unless there is some angle I don't see coming.

Had a very similar conversation this weekend. I think there must be an angle we're not intended to see yet, maybe one that doesn't turn on the facts, but on something entirely different. And in a way it could be a strength. The first season was obviously completely concerned with finding out the what and this season could be spent dealing with the why or the how. Or maybe they have some serious shit to put forward that would argue that Bergdahl was somehow more deeply involved with Afghani forces than we already know?

In any case, I do trust the show to a degree to know whether it's worth framing a whole season around a person/event and I have to think that if they have staked their entire second season on this one, there's a reason.

 

[brains613]

I guess the most accurate way I could put it would be to say that I find it tedious. I haven't listened regularly in a long time, but when I did (before the days of podcasts primarily when I would just have the radio on in the house or car without much regard for what was actually playing) I found myself so often yelling at the people, "Get over it! Get over yourselves! Let it go!"

That sounds pretty cold given your context above (abusive relationship, etc.), but most of the episodes dealt with things much more mundane and meaningless and undeserving of the attentive paid to them by the writer of the piece being broadcast. And I sort of get that that's the point of the show a lot of the time, but it's just not my bag. So when I hear Sarah Koenig on Serial put on that same sort of affected voice where she is more performing than explaining, I find my eyes rolling a bit.

I see. I never got that impression, though. I've only ever listened in podcast form, never on the radio.

Side note - While I was typing this, I got an email from MailChimp... (Used it earlier this year to send a mass email to customers...)

 

[12thMan]

I remember that every time I heard that open I hoped that the person who couldn't read "chimp" was someone who speaks English as their second or third language, otherwise it's tilting as hell.

 

[brains613]

Certainly speaks with an accent...

Also, the Army decided yesterday to Court Martial Bergdahl. Interested to see how this plays out.

 

[jbutler]

Anyone listening to this season? I hate to repeat my criticism of This American Life, but it's getting quite tedious and I'm afraid I'm not really seeing the point. I don't see where they're trying to go with this story and why they think they should take 10 hours to get there.

And now it looks like the show will air only biweekly. They're attributing it to all the new current news regarding Bergdahl. I still don't see where they're going with this, but I'm sure I'll grudgingly listen to the rest of the season.

 

[manamongkids]

I gave up after episode 2