A Comprehensive Review of the Serial Podcast: Episodes 9-12 Analysis

This report provides a critical review of the Serial podcast, focusing on episodes 9 through 12. The analysis delves into the narrative structure, character development, and the ethical implications of the true-crime format. The review examines the portrayal of Adnan Syed, the defense lawyer Cristina Gutierrez, and the impact of the podcast on the audience's perception of the case. It explores themes of doubt, justice, and the complexities of the legal system, highlighting the ambiguities and unresolved questions presented by the podcast. The report also considers the podcast's ability to engage listeners and its influence on the public's understanding of the case, concluding with reflections on the role of luck, truth, and the impact of the crime on the victim and society.

Running head: PODCAST REVIEW: SERIAL
PODCAST REVIEW: SERIAL
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Episode 9
To be Suspected brings the listeners an uncanny uncertainty that does not go in vain
rather sticks to the till the end, unresolved. Adnan is taken to the trial as a suspect of
committing the murder of Hae. This episode pricks the conscience of the listeners time and
again through the narration of Adnan of the series of vents he went through and how they
really affected them. The podcast overshadows any crime dramas on television when Adnan
portrays how he can compare standing trail with the nothingness that is generated from
holding pens in hands and sitting without any purpose for hours (Buozis, 2017).
The listeners are thrown into the gutter of dilemma regarding the indifference of
Adnan at his trail when he was continuously accused of committing the heinous crime.
Anybody in his place would have gone insane and protested if he was not guilty but Adnan’s
silence makes the listeners doubt his innocence. This episode crafts doubts so intricately that
it makes Adnan question himself to be as a loyal Muslim or not and makes him outrageous
for the car and smoking weed. It is another doubt that the creators drop I the minds of the
listeners is why Adnan had to remain silent in the course of two trials.
However, the episode creates a dramatic possibility both for the listeners and Adnan.
The insight of the episode shows us how beautifully the plot is woven to be engrossed into
the plot of Adnan being sentenced. On one hand, the listeners become so enthralled with
Adnan’s condition that they even start doubting the authenticity of law while on the other
certain listeners continue to suspect him for remaining silent and not being able to speak up
for himself. Adnan is conferred with strange mindset who considers the reaction of his father
sitting beside him to more important that why his father should sit beside him.
Episode 10

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This episode, namely The Best Defense is a Good Defense questions the listeners to
doubt their religious belief. Here the host, Sarah Koenig tries to make Adnan’s mother act as
an instrument to deploy how judicial decisions can be altered through religious bias. She has
raised her voice by claiming that Adnan is put to this position only because of his belonging
to a minor community. However, the host does not really make the episode leaning towards
religion rather she draws instances on how culture affects the upbringing of an individual.
The most important part of this episode is how the defense lawyer namely, Cristina
Gutierrez is considered to be the culprit of blowing the case of Adnan. She has been accused
by the judge for lying inside the court regarding evidence. She clearly denies about the phone
that had to be brought into the court as the evidence for the case. In the second trial, Gutierrez
had some fair chance to prove Adnan as non-guilty but she clearly lost them with her baffled
attitude and confusing way of presenting logic in the court (Rosenthal, 2016). The evidence
of phone could have been proved to be something positive for Adnan where she interrogated
the state events in such a foolish way that makes the listeners not only doubt her capability as
a defense lawyer but also about her intention. It is really not clear why she had to commit
such act of stupidity when she was bestowed with the responsibility of saving someone’s life.
The other suspects could have been interrogated with more conviction and confidence
whereas she gave the jury and the judge the opportunity to doubt herself instead of the victim.
Here the entire system of law has been put to question and the listeners feel astonished at
such clumsiness of a lawyer.
Episode 11
Rumors is penultimate episode that has nothing extra and new to offer to the listeners.
This episode is designed in a manner in which the concept of humanity can be questioned.
This episode does not talk about what happened to the case or the suspects like Adnan or the

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present boyfriend of Hae. This episode does not progress anywhere chronologically rather it
directly asks the listeners what it takes to become a cold-blooded murderer or whether it is
easy to commit such a hideous crime or not (Engley, 2017). She puts in some questions that
in order to become a murderer one has to be a psychopath or not and is it possible for any one
of us to commit such crime if situation put us into certain condition.
The entire Muslim community being supportive of Adnan is not completely honest at
some points. This leads Gutierrez almost believe that Adnan to be the real culprit. Different
groups were there in the community where some said positive things about Adnan while
some believed what media had been spreading about Adnan and the rest were not so
courageous to be part of the interviews. The honesty and emotional turmoil of Adnan has
been demonstrated in this episode when people from his community revealed that he had
been observed to steal money from the donation box in mosque to which he replied with
truthfulness that he never did it after her mother caught him red-handedly. He feels torn from
inside because his personal life starting from eighth standard has been brought into the trial
where the rest were exempted from this regular emotional turbulence.
Since Adnan has been confirmed to be a peacemaker it becomes too difficult to digest
him to be the killer. The episode ends with this question that whether it is necessary for the
situation of excitement to make an individual psychopath and he can commit a murder only
then.
Episode 12
The final episode entitled, What We Know is really strong in nature. It is replete with
new information with new characters along with new interviews. New sources of information
emerge in this episode. A possibility of DNA test that was raised in the episode could have
cleared the record of Adnan however it was never performed. The truth about Adnan’s

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prosecution was never understood because it was never clear for what reason he had to be in
prison. It is not possible for the listeners to believe Adnan to be entirely innocent but the way
he had been assessed is also doubtful. Serial ends with a note where the truth is questioned
and made something unattainable at times (Durrani, Gotkin & Laughlin, 2015). Sometimes
the truth is so complicated that it does not surface at any cost.
The people who have worked so hard to gather all the information about this case has
probably tried more than the police to get the hold of the truth. However, Adnan can be seen
as an agent of bad luck as well as a professional in the field of lying. Although it would sound
very irrational in an emotional way yet it cannot be avoided that Adnan, being a simple boy
has received huge attention from unexpected places like national jurisdiction. He has been
successfully dawn attention of a significant part of the nation to consider him innocent
whereas the nation has sent him to custody long ago.
If anybody is truly unlucky here in this case is the victim, Hae. She loses her life for
no justifiable reason. It is still doubtful who the real killer was however, it cannot be denied
that one life is reduced ton nothing at the end. This crime of murder has always been a threat
to society that needs to be checked. This episode is more into deciding how luck acts in favor
of Adnan and also destroys him from within.

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References
Buozis, M. (2017). Giving voice to the accused: Serial and the critical potential of true
crime. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, 14(3), 254-270.
Durrani, M., Gotkin, K., & Laughlin, C. (2015). Serial, seriality, and the possibilities for the
podcast format. American Anthropologist, 117(3), 1-4.
Engley, R. (2017). The Impossible Ethics of Serial: Sarah Koenig, Foucault, Lacan. In The
Serial Podcast and Storytelling in the Digital Age (pp. 87-100). Routledge.
Rosenthal, A. M. (2016). An application of Chemerinsky and Levenson's proposed code of
ethics for legal commentators: the serial podcast. Geo. J. Legal Ethics, 29, 1317.