I’m actually addicted.
I came across Serial while listening to the Drive Home with Dan & Maz on NXFM, ages ago but waited until recently to actually listen to it. I have a really addictive personality so literally listened to the podcasts one after the other. God knows what I would have done if I’d had to wait each week like when it first came out (I was the same with Game of Thrones – always late to the party!).
So what is Serial?
Serial is a podcast hosted by Sarah Koenig which tells one story – a true story – over the course of an entire season. This is so up my alley it’s not even funny. I LOVE Criminal Minds, NCIS, or pretty much any murder mystery shows on TV, so if you’re in any way like me in that regard, you should totally listen to this podcast!
The first season, which is the one I’ve just listened to is about the murder of Hae Min Lee, a high school student, in 1999. Her 17 year old boyfriend, Adnan, was arrested and jailed for the crime. He maintains his innocence to this day but what I found really interesting was that the case was presented very differently to any other crime show or true crime show that I have watched.
Having listened to all these facts and hearing different versions of what could or couldn’t, did or didn’t happen left me wondering. I didn’t come away from listening to Serial knowing whether the guy had done the crime or not but wondering if anyone is murdered, how do you actually find the truth. In all those criminal TV shows, the cases are solved with ease. I know if I had a real live case to solve like poor Hae Min Lee’s, I don’t think I could cut through all the hidden agendas and biasedness. I have rarely watched or listened to something that had me think hard about what different peoples motives are or were.
I found it really interesting to hear from someone that has maintained their innocence for over 10 years, is in jail and is almost at peace with the fact they are in prison after such a long time. The podcast made me question how many people have been incarcarated in the justice system but are actually innocent of their crimes and have just been forgotten about?
I find it so interesting to listen to true crime stories and often wonder what makes people act the way they do. This story is quite complex, and brings about a lot of questions, so if you’re in any way like me and enjoy getting your brain working, you should definitely give this podcast a list.
I’m looking forward to Season 2 already!
LINK: http://serialpodcast.org/