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| Bowe Bergdahl |
In 2014, the Serial Podcast did something not common in the podcast community: it became a sensation. With limited exceptions to maybe NPR and a handful of WTF with Marc Maron episodes, the idea of a podcast striking the cultural zeitgeist remains unheard of with almost a decade into its existence. From the first moment that audiences heard that piano melody to determining their thoughts on a murder case, it became water cooler-discussion level of entertainment. In an unfathomable move, host Sarah Koenig had to find a new story that would captivate without being a retread. Thankfully, the strange story of military figure Bowe Bergdahl provided that substance and gave the show a season that arguably trumps the original and solidifies its legacy as definitive podcasting.
The subject of Bergdahl is a touchy one, and Koenig was smart not to go into this alone. With assistance from reporter Mark Boal (who also wrote the films The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty) and Annapurna Pictures, she received hands-on interviews and information regarding not only Bergdahl, but the many procedures and regulations that goes into the military. It was with this that the audience would best understand Bergdahl's capture by the Taliban, and of which would place him into notoriety even among his own troops. The story evolved into a high wire act of determining if it was Bergdahl's incompetence or the military's oversight. Thankfully, Koenig's reporting has only gotten better and makes the issue just as open-ended as one could think.
For those familiar with "Season 1" as it's dubbed, the format is very straightforward. Koenig and her reporters focus on a central concept to better understand Bergdahl's case (which has yet to be resolved). The journalism surrounding the show is tight, as it manages to provide equal measures of narration and facts, allowing the audience to understand the situation in accessible terminologies. The various interviews are also telling, as Bergdahl gets his fair share of nasty language tossed at him. Like all great reporting, the formatting is key, with plenty of cliffhangers on a biweekly schedule and balanced debate for both sides of this argument.
If there was one complaint about Season 1, it was that Serial was banking on a novelty concept: a person wrongly convicted of murder. It has been done before, and Koenig's reporting was too infatuated with its many characters, even to the point that she breaks up Season 2 at times to highlight the ongoing trial of her previous subject. Its praise and many knock-off podcasts will seem baffling and misleading to what the medium's true potential could be. There was nothing wrong from a production standpoint, but Season 1 failed to bring anything invigorating to the medium that wasn't done before.
Season 2 is possibly more timely and important to modern audiences. As mentioned, it is a conflicting look at the value of the military and the people that they recruit. While there will be those who despise Bergdahl for breaking protocol, there will be those who sympathize with his mental illness. The debate is richer with subtext and allows for more thought that goes beyond Bergdahl's unfortunate situation. It raises questions to the system that protects Americans overseas and how they're treated in dire straits. It's gripping and the work of excellent fiction. However, this really happened, and it builds a fascinating portrait of a complicated idea and reflects what audio journalism can be at its best. The interviews alone are richer and more telling than anything that Season 1 provided.
With a medium that's growing exponentially fast, it's strange that Serial ended up becoming the runaway hit of podcasts. Even then, it's nice to know that the show that started with a novelty concept managed to finish its second year with a story that not only matched the original in terms of gripping content, but arguably expressed the show's own importance. In an election year, the themes that faced Bergdahl's story feel more relevant than ever, making you question more than what's on the surface. It's what journalism does at its best, and it makes you excited to see it thrive in a more accessible way.
The real question is what is next for Serial. As mentioned, there's likely going to be additional reporting for the ongoing stories in Season 1 and Season 2. But what is going to happen with the show's future. Does it do further international stories relative to America's justice system? It would be fascinating to see if that story could even match the overall narrative impact that Season 2 had. Either way, Koenig has proven herself more than capable of carrying this show and serving value to the podcast medium. One can only hope that she continues to until the next wave of journalism media kicks in.
OVERALL RATING: 4.5 out of 5
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