Podcast Advent Day 3: Serial - The Case of Adnan Syed

Day 3 is for the true crime girlies! If you're a podcast person, it's very likely you know about this one, but in case you don't, or in case you haven't yet taken the plunge, you can thank me later! This is also the 1st episode of a series, meaning I'm really inviting you to listen to the whole series, and I'm confident you'll be pulled in once you start. 

In Serial - The Case of Adnan Syed, Sarah Koenig is an investigative journalist who follows a lead to learn more about what happened to Hai Min Lee, a teenager from Baltimore who was found murdered in January 1999. Her ex, Adnan Syed was convicted, but as we learn early on, based on what seems like very flimsy evidence. Sarah joins the story 15 years later when friend and immigration lawyer is still trying to work through the file to find a way to support Adnan prove his innocence as one of the most liked kids in high school. The podcast also speaks to some of the aspects of the US justice system, a topic she leans more into in later series of Serial.

The story is told in parts, where originally one episode was released a week. The concept was designed as a radio show but made as a podcast to lower the pressure. This worked and it quickly put podcasts as a concept on the map. I came to this one around a year after its release - I was immediately hooked and binged it like a Netflix series.

When I think about what draws me to this one, it's certainly the story. You're drawn into a universe where you feel things have been mixed up and you listen on in the hopes that the pieces get reordered back into a shape you recognise e.g. either you learn whether Adnan was the perpetrator or if he wasn't, he is granted his freedom. 

You're going to have to listen to it to find out the answer to that one. And with Sarah's ways of storytelling, it will be worth it. She is honest and openly reflective about how she feels while working through this case, and it's a fantastic course in curiosity to listen to her interview and then narrate and link the findings. 

I personally love re-listening to this series, especially on a plane or (and this might just be a me thing) when I'm working on something that needs concentration because I don't have to listen too carefully to the details (having listened to it so many times), so at this point, I just find the music and the voices very comforting. If Serial series 1 was a paperback book, the copy on my bookshelf would have a well-worn spine. 

So, to make the obvious point obvious - if you haven't tried it yet - this is your sign that you must!