Blog Post Week 4: Serial

     Serial is a podcast that I had never heard of before this class which is extremely surprising since it is completely up my alley. The first season was about a murder mystery, one of my favorite genres of stories. One of the things my mom and I do together is watching shows like Dateline and 48 hours. Not so obvious murders where you find yourself second-guessing what you know about a case until they reveal the real murder at the end. The third season's topic is about the US justice system and whether or not it is actually fair. This is a topic that I am very passionate about and have many opinions on. As you can probably tell, I enjoyed the the premise and the first episode of the third season more than the first season. The first season piped my interest in mystery, it reminded me of a book I read and those memories with my mother. It was fun to listen to. However, the first episode of the third season did more, it piped my morals. These past two years, I have had no time for interest when the unraveling of the systemic injustice of America and its justice system was going on all around me. Listening to Anna's story solidified the idea of "small crimes that are punished with fines are only enforced to oppressed the poor." I was happy that Sarah Koenig told the lawyer what Anna was actually paying for her "crime". It showed the disconnect between the people and the enforcers of the law. It is a podcast that needs to listen to today. 

    Both the first episode of the first season and the first episode of the third season have the same laidback but interesting energy. It does not feel like the host is talking down to you or lecturing you. She has an upbeat yet informative tone. The way she speaks pulls the listener into the story, making them want to pay attention and keep listening. In both episodes, we, as the listener, follow her through a day of her investigation. As much as we are focusing on the case, we are also focusing on her point of view on it. Both episodes end without a solid answer to the question that she asks at the beginning of them. She does not know who killed Han Lee or if the justice system works the way it intended. In a way, it keeps the podcast realistic and makes Koenig more relatable. 

    I think the biggest and arguably most important idea from Spinelli and Dann's analysis of season one is the intimacy between the listener and Koenig. I would say there is more of that in season three. In finding out if the justice system is or is not actually just, Koenig is intentionally or unintentionally doing it for the listeners. As Ross showed us, lawyers and policemen do not understand what it is like to be a normal person trying to be a law-abiding citizen. Most people have little to no knowledge of the law and how lawyers work. It gives the average person the help they need if they were to ever find themselves in a courthouse. She does this by not only by putting you into the courthouse with just her words, but it gives you a bird's eye view of what is happening. That is what makes Serial special, you get every side of every argument you could possibly need.