Serial episode 11 transcript serial#
Serial episode 11 transcript verification#

Koenig shows us that she’s a journalist, first and foremost. She has been a relatively unbiased investigative journalist doing what she's supposed to, and here we get a glimpse of how unsexy and tedious research and fact-checking can be. She did the grunt work of following up on leads, she talked to experts, she explored every possible avenue of every lead, no matter how incredulous she was or how bombastic the accusation. As they say at J-school, 'If your mother says she loves you, check it out.' Koenig, in this respect, followed the proper protocol.

The foundation of journalism, after all, is facts. As a journalist, I was a bit ashamed to come to this realization.

Serial episode 11 transcript serial#

In terms of knowledge gleaned and narrative intrigue, this episode was a flat line of meh-ness.Īs I pondered this episode, I realized something unsettling about myself, and perhaps every other Serial listener: I expected something sensational. It takes an extreme emotional manipulator-and only here is the word psychopath correctly, clinically used-to murder and maintain innocence. Those that commit such murders might not remember what they've done in the moment, and when confronted with evidence that they have, hurriedly try to cover it up. However, Koenig asks, does being a thief a murderer make? Not necessarily, and Koenig spends the rest of the episode talking to a particularly bland criminal psychologist who verifies what we all sort of know: Murders of passion are often done in a blind rage.

Serial episode 11 transcript verification#

The total amount ranges from being some chump change to thousands of dollars, but there are eyewitness accounts and verification from Adnan himself. The second rumor has more evidence behind it: Adnan and a small posse of young congregants stole money from Friday prayer donations at the local mosque frequently. Koenig tracks down a guest of a long-ago party who allegedly started this rumor, drives several hours expecting the worst, and gets a blank stare in return. One rumor she mentions is unnamed besides hinting at something about Adnan that, if it were true, would implode the entire case and Koenig’s efforts. This week, Koenig focused on following up on rumors that hinted at a potential duplicitousness in Adnan's character. My immediate reaction to this week's episode? A yawn, I kid you not. For an episode previewed last week with the provocative drop of the word “psychopath” and titled 'Rumors,' I had high expectations for something that was as riveting as last week's deft handling of white-reporter-privilege allegations and vivid profile of Cristina Gutierrez. But probably it was also because of how boring this installment turned out to be. Perhaps the yawn was because of early-morning working hours. I still have hopes that the last episode will be better than this week's effort–my least favorite, by far.Īre there redeeming qualities that I am missing?īasu: My immediate reaction to this week's episode? A yawn, I kid you not. It now seems overwhelmingly likely that Serial will end in ambiguity, though Adnan's story may well outlive it depending on whether or not the Innocence Project finds any useful evidence. As a Redditor put it, 'Charming guy charms reporter, later writes letter explaining he was trying to not be charming lest he be accused of trying to charm reporter.' If he's being candid, there is a certain irony to his attempted approach.

This is ostensibly a defense mechanism against people believing him to be untrustworthy. He writes Koenig a letter explaining that from the outset he’s endeavored to try to prove his case to her based on the facts. So why this particular aside?Īdnan's appearance at the end of the episode is the only part I found interesting.

None of the analysis that's offered goes very far toward providing solid answers. Later in the episode, there's speculation with an expert witness who has interviewed a lot of killers about whether Adnan could be a psychopath, or could have convinced himself that he never committed a murder even after doing it, or could have done it without even realizing his crime. Frigid Offices Might Be Killing Women’s Productivity Olga Khazan