We’re all a little obsessed with crime. Be it televised procedurals or mob films, there’s a thrill to getting a glimpse inside the investigations and crimes themselves. With this in mind, Serial’s appeal and success came as no surprise.
We’re all a little obsessed with crime. Be it televised procedurals or mob films, there’s a thrill to getting a glimpse inside the investigations and crimes themselves. With this in mind, Serial’s appeal and success came as no surprise.
In case you’ve had no human contact for the past three months, Serial is an incredibly popular spin-off podcast from NPR’s This American Life. The weekly series, which aired its final episode today, follows journalist Sarah Koenig as she delves into a real life murder case.
The current season, which is also the show’s first, deals with the trial and conviction of Adnan Syed. Syed was convicted of the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, his ex-girlfriend, with their high school, and the suburbs of Baltimore as the backdrop.
Although Koenig is a masterful storyteller, the biggest draw of this series has always been the fact that this is real. This is true crime, and as such carries more weight with it. There’s always an added layer of fascination when you know something actually occurred.
However, where Serial differs from other true crime works is in the way it is presented. Yes, it is crafted to be entertainment, but it’s also an incredibly effective expose on how the justice system never works the way it’s supposed to, with people trying to do what they do best and often messing up every step of the way.
The shows ability to dive into deep detail and twist the audience’s perception along the way has been so on point, it’s even spawned a successful parody series:
Koenig examines this case from the ground up, turning over every document, and interviewing every person who could possibly know anything pertinent to the case. As we hear her tale of a second look at the case, we start to question the decisions which led to the conviction of Syed.
Why was the case built entirely around one witness whose story seemed to change from day to day? How could the state’s timeline possibly be accurate? Who else had motive to kill Hae Min Lee? And most frustrating, were there any goddamn payphones at the Best Buy?
For every question Koenig seemingly answers, six more pop up, like a hydra of doubt, intent on preventing anyone from getting a glimpse at the truth.
And therein lies the point: you can’t always find the truth–perhaps not ever.
There’s a reason people are convicted “beyond a reasonable doubt”–because there’s always going to be uncertainty. It’s easy to forget that, seeing as we’re a nation fed hour-long procedurals week in and week out in which the case is cut and dried. We know the truth and we know they’ll be convicted.
Real life isn’t an episode of Law & Order, however; it’s often messy and there are going to be lingering uncertainties.
I’m excited for the final episode of Serial, not because I think everything is going to be tied together but because I believe the exact opposite is going to happen.
Serial has shown us behind the curtain of the investigative and judicial system, highlighting their flaws with a bright red sharpie. Facts aren’t always as factual as they’re presented to be; stories aren’t always true or false; just because someone says one thing doesn’t mean they can’t act on another.
The reason Koenig can’t give us a satisfying conclusion is because there isn’t one to be found. She’s gotten us into the same situation she’s in, a situation where there’s no possible way we could ever fully believe Syed is guilty, but we also can’t think of any scenario where he’s not.
The evidence, or lack thereof, is just too muddled.
There’s not going to be a deus ex machina that’s revealed, fitting all the pieces into a clean image of what went down. That doesn’t happen in real life. Although I dread it, I know exactly how it will end.
Serial is going to end how it began: with a question.
(Editor’s note: the top portion of this piece was written before hearing today’s last episode. We’ll update this piece once we’ve crossed the threshold.)
