Misc Serial Podcast - Page 3

Pushead2 · 11-03-2014, 01:13 PM

I searched for a thread or post about this podcast, but didn't see anything.

Anyone else been following and listening to the episodes? I'm completely hooked. It's so compelling and just absolutely intriguing.

Here's a brief summary from the podcast's site:

On January 13, 1999, a girl named Hae Min Lee, a senior at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County, Maryland, disappeared. A month later, her body turned up in a city park. She'd been strangled. Her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was arrested for the crime, and within a year, he was convicted and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. The case against him was largely based on the story of one witness, Adnan’s friend Jay, who testified that he helped Adnan bury Hae's body. But Adnan has always maintained he had nothing to do with Hae’s death. Some people believe he’s telling the truth. Many others don’t.

Sarah Koenig, who hosts Serial, first learned about this case more than a year ago. In the months since, she's been sorting through box after box (after box) of legal documents and investigators' notes, listening to trial testimony and police interrogations, and talking to everyone she can find who remembers what happened between Adnan Syed and Hae Min Lee fifteen years ago. What she realized is that the trial covered up a far more complicated story, which neither the jury nor the public got to hear. The high school scene, the shifting statements to police, the prejudices, the sketchy alibis, the scant forensic evidence - all of it leads back to the most basic questions: How can you know a person’s character? How can you tell what they’re capable of? In Season One of Serial, she looks for answers.

I provided some helpful links below:

Podcast: www.serialpodcast.org

Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/serialpodcast/

Pushead2 · 11-14-2014, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keg in kc

She's done a great job at keeping everyone guessing for 8 weeks, that's for sure.

As it stands right now, on what little information we've actually received via the podcast (and a bit more I've read online...) I would say that I don't believe Adnan guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, but at the same time I don't believe there's been anything presented to this point which indicates that he didn't murder her (or that someone else did). I'm starting to think that maybe he did. But I'm also wondering if that's not what SK is wanting us to believe, by keeping him off the podcast, for the most part, over the last two weeks. But I don't believe the narrative that was presented in court, and I do not, in any way, believe the prosecution's star witness. Hence my doubt.

Jay is clearly unreliable, clearly (to me) was coached to match his story to the prosecution's phone tower timeline, and was I believe more involved with the crime than just being shown the body after the fact and helping to bury it. And it really bothers me that he was able to skate off with two years probation in exchange for what appears to be constructing a false narrative which resulted in Adnan's life sentence (whether said life sentence is deserved or not, for the real crime, which I don't believe matches the story he told in court). I also think it's possible that Jenn Pusateri was more involved.

In any case, they've done a great job at setting the hook. There's no way I'm missing the last few weeks of this, and whatever "resolution" (if any....) is yet to come.

Well said, I think we have the same ideas just at the same time, I might be leaning a little more heavily on Adnan being guilty.

So which version is true? Adnan, killing Hae and showing Jay at the pool hall? Or Adnan killing her at Best Buy and getting the call that Adnan said "come get me, this bitch is dead."

Why would his friend lie this many years later?

keg in kc · 11-14-2014, 10:37 AM

The pool hall meet-up is more believable to me and if I remember correctly fits the cell tower evidence more closely, but I'm not sure I buy either the best buy or library parking lot scenario for the murder itself. I think it might have happened somewhere else, that Jay was present and/or involved and that he changed his testimony in an attempt to protect himself.

I guess a lot of people came out of yesterday's ep more sympathetic to Jay. I didn't. Dude sounded straight-up nuts to me, with only his 3 closest friends defending him (as friends will do, and even that defense was double-edged) and I wouldn't be surprised to hear more in ensuing weeks that paints him as a violent guy. I do not, in any way, buy the idea that he was scared for Stephanie's safety or afraid that Adnan would hurt her - he didn't start talking to the police for 6 weeks, and I think when he did it was all about self-protection. I do not believe any of his testimony in court. Particularly when he's answering with his polite little "yes, ma'am" and "no ma'am" to everything - that to me is actually more of an indication that he's lying (counter-intuitive I know) and/or been coached exactly how to respond to the defense's questions. His act in court at his own sentencing didn't convince me, either. Maybe I'm just too harsh.

I've known a lot of weird people. Like, tons. None of them ever threatened to stab me a little just so I could experience it. I'm not sure why, but that little anecdote really stuck with me. There's a lot of talk about motive, but if a guy that can randomly decide he wants to do something like that, even if it was, ah, in 'good humor', could he kill without motive, too, just decide it's something he wants to try?

The thing that stands out to me is the innocence project a week ago mentioning how rare true psychopaths are. But the way this case is shaping up, I'm not sure we don't have one here. I just can't decide if it's Adnan or Jay.

At the same time I'm still feeling like I don't know enough about Adnan. And if he did do it, I'm not sure if I've heard enough to believe it was a premeditated act rather than a crime of passion. I'm not entirely sure how all that works, though. He's supposed to have snapped because he lost his first girlfriend. I get that. But how does the cold, calculating crime evolve out of that?

I'm also curious about physical evidence. I thought during the ep a week ago that they established that there was no DNA evidence. But I read earlier today that, supposedly, in some appelate documents, it's revealed that hair and fiber was found on Hae's body and neither matched Adnan. (Maybe that was evidence discovered later that couldn't be presented at his appeals?) If that's true, it really makes me wonder what's going on.

Should be some interesting things to come.

keg in kc · 11-14-2014, 11:01 AM

Blog from Rabia about the last episode with some interesting stuff (like 1999 statements by Stephanie that paint things in a bit of a different light than the podcast has so far): http://www.patheos.com/blogs/splitth...tion-bias-ftw/

Pushead2 · 11-14-2014, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Blog from Rabia about the last episode with some interesting stuff (like 1999 statements by Stephanie that paint things in a bit of a different light than the podcast has so far): http://www.patheos.com/blogs/splitth...tion-bias-ftw/

Yeah there's so much going on, I don't think we'll ever get a satisfied ending.

keg in kc · 11-14-2014, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pushead2

Yeah there's so much going on, I don't think we'll ever get a satisfied ending.

I think it depends on what her intention was when she began the podcast. If it's really an exercise in serialized storytelling, then I don't believe she'd have started it without believing she had a chance at delivering a satisfying ending for the protagonist (technically she's the protagonist since this is a story about her research and journey of discovery, rather than the case itself, but I'm talking about adnan). That's actually part of the reason I'm skewed toward believing him innocent: what's the point of all this if he's guilty, and we end up right back where we started?

On the other hand, if she's more interested in providing some social commentary about a legal system that seems more interested in convictions than finding truth (something I expect to be covered in some depth next week), then maybe Adnan stays exactly where he is. Although to be honest, at this point it would not surprise me to find out by the end of this that there's very little truth in Jay's testimony and that the entire timeline was spoon-fed to him by the police. But I don't know what you do with that, as far as Adnan is concerned.

I do think that conviction versus truth issue's a drum that needs to be beaten regardless the outcome of the podcast. And as I mentioned, I just have a feeling we're going to learn some more ugly stuff on that front before it's over.

keg in kc · 11-14-2014, 10:40 PM

Document from one of his appeals is online, and it contains some really...interesting...information: https://pdf.yt/d/PUUcby-AZWfEhcuW

**Baby Lee** · 11-14-2014, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keg in kc

what's the point of all this if he's guilty, and we end up right back where we started?

You are aware that the hook of this series is that the matter is contemporaneous and ongoing, thus the creators do not know what the resolution will be, if any?

keg in kc · 11-15-2014, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

You are aware that the hook of this series is that the matter is contemporaneous and ongoing, thus the creators do not know what the resolution will be, if any?

I do realize that's in their mission statement, but my point remains regarding what her intention is with regards to narrative versus social commentary. Although I do question whether it's really being produced contemporaneously. I think (so far at least) that she's been very deliberate in structuring the podcast as a story rather than simply presenting evidence sequentially as she discovers it. It seems, to me, to be clearly following a narrative arc (I do not in any way say this is a bad thing...). And as I understand it they've been working on this for months. So even if she thinks she's telling the story in order of her discovery, she's not. A lesson learned from the podcast itself about how memory over time can perhaps become warped to match a narrative.

I don't think she necessarily knew, without question, where it would lead when she started podcasting back in early October, but I do think she had an idea, and probably more than she ever let on. I believe she would have structured the whole thing differently from the beginning if that wasn't the case. So that's why I suspect there's probably going to be some sort of resolution. Whether that's Adnan guilty or Adnan innocent I don't know. And in retrospect I do think finding out that Adnan really was guilty would be a resolution. It isn't just limited to exoneration.

But I also don't think it's 100%. I think it's more like 70%. I do think there's a possibility it ends up being 12ish episodes of wheel spinning.

Pushead2 · 11-17-2014, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keg in kc

I do realize that's in their mission statement, but my point remains regarding what her intention is with regards to narrative versus social commentary. Although I do question whether it's really being produced contemporaneously. I think (so far at least) that she's been very deliberate in structuring the podcast as a story rather than simply presenting evidence sequentially as she discovers it. It seems, to me, to be clearly following a narrative arc (I do not in any way say this is a bad thing...). And as I understand it they've been working on this for months. So even if she thinks she's telling the story in order of her discovery, she's not. A lesson learned from the podcast itself about how memory over time can perhaps become warped to match a narrative.

I don't think she necessarily knew, without question, where it would lead when she started podcasting back in early October, but I do think she had an idea, and probably more than she ever let on. I believe she would have structured the whole thing differently from the beginning if that wasn't the case. So that's why I suspect there's probably going to be some sort of resolution. Whether that's Adnan guilty or Adnan innocent I don't know. And in retrospect I do think finding out that Adnan really was guilty would be a resolution. It isn't just limited to exoneration.

But I also don't think it's 100%. I think it's more like 70%. I do think there's a possibility it ends up being 12ish episodes of wheel spinning.

I think there will be no 100% ending besides the fact that Adnan is in jail, but I do think this podcast is going to cause some serious stir in Adnan's appeal that's open.

I bet because of all the work that's being done to show "huh - what the **** happened here", I wouldn't be surprised if it's reopened or a retrial.

That is of course, there isn't a bombshell lurking within the remaining episodes.

Pushead2 · 11-17-2014, 02:10 PM

Rabia & Peter's google hangout.

Pushead2 · 11-19-2014, 03:22 PM

It appears that the Innocence Project are motioning for a retest of the PERK kit.

"Koenig’s unpublished reporting inspired UVAIP to launch its own independent investigation into the Syed case, Enright said, adding that one of her students came across a case on a police cold-case website in which an Asian woman had been raped and murdered in Baltimore County shortly after Lee’s death.

The police had a suspect in that case, Enright says. They confronted him about the rape and murder of the other woman, and he committed suicide in prison shortly thereafter. After he died, the police ran his DNA and got hits for several other unsolved rapes.

“[The detective] gave us enough things out of the dead guy’s file that we could file a motion to test [Lee’s PERK kit] in Maryland,” Enright said."

http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/s...adnan_syed.php

Pushead2 · 11-20-2014, 09:10 AM

Anyone listen to episode 9?

It has some good points in the beginning, but it's more of a good insight on certain things than it is revealing.

Pushead2 · 12-04-2014, 01:19 PM

Anyone catch episode 10?

I feel like this episode was a good beginning to winding down the series. We know by looking into things on this case ourselves, nothing immediate is going to happen. You can almost hear the sad reality that Adnan is most likely not being released in SK's voice. Not because she was "pro-Adnan", but because all of the avenues have been explored.

**Buck** · 12-04-2014, 06:12 PM

The thing that upset me about this episode was that they continually painted the lawyer in a negative light in previous episodes, and then we find out she tried her hardest to get Adnan's name cleared.

Money situation was shitty though.

DaveNull · 12-04-2014, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Money situation was shitty though.

Sadly it's all too common in the profession. At some point you've got to empathize with someone who has their own business with those many health problems and likely some pretty terrible health insurance. Not saying that it's right, but as soon as they said she had MS and diabetes I could tell how things were going to end up.

11-03-2014, 01:13 PM
Pushead2 **** off Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New York Casino cash: $7401882	Serial Podcast I searched for a thread or post about this podcast, but didn't see anything. Anyone else been following and listening to the episodes? I'm completely hooked. It's so compelling and just absolutely intriguing. Here's a brief summary from the podcast's site: On January 13, 1999, a girl named Hae Min Lee, a senior at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County, Maryland, disappeared. A month later, her body turned up in a city park. She'd been strangled. Her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was arrested for the crime, and within a year, he was convicted and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. The case against him was largely based on the story of one witness, Adnan’s friend Jay, who testified that he helped Adnan bury Hae's body. But Adnan has always maintained he had nothing to do with Hae’s death. Some people believe he’s telling the truth. Many others don’t. Sarah Koenig, who hosts Serial, first learned about this case more than a year ago. In the months since, she's been sorting through box after box (after box) of legal documents and investigators' notes, listening to trial testimony and police interrogations, and talking to everyone she can find who remembers what happened between Adnan Syed and Hae Min Lee fifteen years ago. What she realized is that the trial covered up a far more complicated story, which neither the jury nor the public got to hear. The high school scene, the shifting statements to police, the prejudices, the sketchy alibis, the scant forensic evidence - all of it leads back to the most basic questions: How can you know a person’s character? How can you tell what they’re capable of? In Season One of Serial, she looks for answers. I provided some helpful links below: Podcast: www.serialpodcast.org Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/serialpodcast/
Posts: 5,196

11-14-2014, 10:37 AM	#32
keg in kc oxymoron Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: OP/KC/Whatever Casino cash: $9556299	The pool hall meet-up is more believable to me and if I remember correctly fits the cell tower evidence more closely, but I'm not sure I buy either the best buy or library parking lot scenario for the murder itself. I think it might have happened somewhere else, that Jay was present and/or involved and that he changed his testimony in an attempt to protect himself. I guess a lot of people came out of yesterday's ep more sympathetic to Jay. I didn't. Dude sounded straight-up nuts to me, with only his 3 closest friends defending him (as friends will do, and even that defense was double-edged) and I wouldn't be surprised to hear more in ensuing weeks that paints him as a violent guy. I do not, in any way, buy the idea that he was scared for Stephanie's safety or afraid that Adnan would hurt her - he didn't start talking to the police for 6 weeks, and I think when he did it was all about self-protection. I do not believe any of his testimony in court. Particularly when he's answering with his polite little "yes, ma'am" and "no ma'am" to everything - that to me is actually more of an indication that he's lying (counter-intuitive I know) and/or been coached exactly how to respond to the defense's questions. His act in court at his own sentencing didn't convince me, either. Maybe I'm just too harsh. I've known a lot of weird people. Like, tons. None of them ever threatened to stab me a little just so I could experience it. I'm not sure why, but that little anecdote really stuck with me. There's a lot of talk about motive, but if a guy that can randomly decide he wants to do something like that, even if it was, ah, in 'good humor', could he kill without motive, too, just decide it's something he wants to try? The thing that stands out to me is the innocence project a week ago mentioning how rare true psychopaths are. But the way this case is shaping up, I'm not sure we don't have one here. I just can't decide if it's Adnan or Jay. At the same time I'm still feeling like I don't know enough about Adnan. And if he did do it, I'm not sure if I've heard enough to believe it was a premeditated act rather than a crime of passion. I'm not entirely sure how all that works, though. He's supposed to have snapped because he lost his first girlfriend. I get that. But how does the cold, calculating crime evolve out of that? I'm also curious about physical evidence. I thought during the ep a week ago that they established that there was no DNA evidence. But I read earlier today that, supposedly, in some appelate documents, it's revealed that hair and fiber was found on Hae's body and neither matched Adnan. (Maybe that was evidence discovered later that couldn't be presented at his appeals?) If that's true, it really makes me wonder what's going on. Should be some interesting things to come.
Posts: 58,682

11-14-2014, 11:01 AM	#33
keg in kc oxymoron Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: OP/KC/Whatever Casino cash: $9556299	Blog from Rabia about the last episode with some interesting stuff (like 1999 statements by Stephanie that paint things in a bit of a different light than the podcast has so far): http://www.patheos.com/blogs/splitth...tion-bias-ftw/
Posts: 58,682

11-14-2014, 10:40 PM	#36
keg in kc oxymoron Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: OP/KC/Whatever Casino cash: $9556299	Document from one of his appeals is online, and it contains some really...interesting...information: https://pdf.yt/d/PUUcby-AZWfEhcuW
Posts: 58,682

11-17-2014, 02:10 PM	#40
Pushead2 **** off Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New York Casino cash: $7401882	Rabia & Peter's google hangout. __________________ "**** up once, lose two teeth....”
Posts: 5,196

11-19-2014, 03:22 PM	#41
Pushead2 **** off Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New York Casino cash: $7401882	It appears that the Innocence Project are motioning for a retest of the PERK kit. "Koenig’s unpublished reporting inspired UVAIP to launch its own independent investigation into the Syed case, Enright said, adding that one of her students came across a case on a police cold-case website in which an Asian woman had been raped and murdered in Baltimore County shortly after Lee’s death. The police had a suspect in that case, Enright says. They confronted him about the rape and murder of the other woman, and he committed suicide in prison shortly thereafter. After he died, the police ran his DNA and got hits for several other unsolved rapes. “[The detective] gave us enough things out of the dead guy’s file that we could file a motion to test [Lee’s PERK kit] in Maryland,” Enright said." http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/s...adnan_syed.php __________________ "**** up once, lose two teeth....”
Posts: 5,196

11-20-2014, 09:10 AM	#42
Pushead2 **** off Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New York Casino cash: $7401882	Anyone listen to episode 9? It has some good points in the beginning, but it's more of a good insight on certain things than it is revealing. __________________ "**** up once, lose two teeth....”
Posts: 5,196

12-04-2014, 01:19 PM	#43
Pushead2 **** off Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New York Casino cash: $7401882	Anyone catch episode 10? I feel like this episode was a good beginning to winding down the series. We know by looking into things on this case ourselves, nothing immediate is going to happen. You can almost hear the sad reality that Adnan is most likely not being released in SK's voice. Not because she was "pro-Adnan", but because all of the avenues have been explored. __________________ "**** up once, lose two teeth....”
Posts: 5,196

12-04-2014, 06:12 PM	#44
Buck Take a Chill Pill Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Carolina Casino cash: $8329900	Serial Podcast The thing that upset me about this episode was that they continually painted the lawyer in a negative light in previous episodes, and then we find out she tried her hardest to get Adnan's name cleared. Money situation was shitty though.
Posts: 44,562