Serial - the podcast *spoilers*

Ep. 12: Adnan's New Squarespace website

A guy who shoplifted from that mall remembers that there was no Lenscrafters. Whole alibi is false.

Turns out it's all happening inside a snow globe in the hands of an autistic streaker.

people really think SK is using a "solemn NPR monotone"? if anything she's too jokey and colloquial IMO.

the show is like those Dateline NBC episodes that are entirely dedicated to one criminal case that I used to watch when I was a kid stuck in the house on a friday night and only had 3 channels to choose from, but made by and for gen x/y instead of boomers. so for me it feels cozy and familiar.

yeah totally Sarah Koenig is the new Bill Kurtis

yeah I wouldn't call it solemn at all. It's very conversational, would almost say "affected immaturity," that sort of "gee gosh I'm just wondering well I don't know" stuff she does.

agreed

level of glibness is at times v on-the-nose

Slam dunk nailed it - it's a Gen X voice. Kind of straining to be hip ("I was totally that kid stoned at the party") and unable to commit to anything.

It does seem sort of effective as an interview style, like maybe it gets people to drop their guard with her. I've actually noticed Terry Gross does it sometimes, probably strategically.

I relistened to episode 1 the other day and I was struck by how, in this NPR-ish aw shucks way, it was totally selling the prurient stuff off the top. "For months now I've had to ask teenagers about their sex lives and drug use!"

Worst song of 2014:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8xyfK4lES8

ughhhhhhh why

it was too painful to watch more than 30s

yeah I couldn't

I labeled it, buyer beware

it gets worse though, keep listening

like fuck

I just spit at my computer

Good grief I'm so happy I've been staying away from all the fandom over this.

If you had to click and fully experience one, this song or the My Little Pony boiled in the jar of oh god I can't even say it, which would you pick???

I hate the theme music for Serial so much. In a couple of days, I may never have to hear it again (hope hope).

I would literally pick any other option vs. listening to this again. I would rather listen to an hour of all of my loved ones frightened and crying over this.

i watched all of it. i hate his hands.

oh man, that guy has like a dozen other rap videos. I was kind of hoping he was just a strawman TAL listener brought to life and handed a microphone by Sarah Vowell

holy crap

the comments you guys, wave after wave of positive comments

he has fans

we are doomed

Oh wow I just watched that and it is really bad! I don't like anything about it!

fuck that guy and his henley shirt

fuck that guy and his park slope back patio

so much secondhand embarrassment

he kind of looks like the "fifth beatle" of that Serial producer group photo

looking into this douche, it seems he's part of this whole dark world of rap cosplay where guys dress up as famous people and rap whitely at one another

oh he's one of the dudes in those historical figure vs historical figure rap videos (the only one I remember seeing is the Keynes vs. Hayek one -- or Keynes vs Friedman or something).

They can fuck off as well

there was a month-or-so with regular airing of that commercial with dude dressed as a pirate and rapping about being the 'high seas caesar' or some shit.

it was the worst

at least Hayek/Keynes was an actual historical argument. The Serial rap guy does stuff like Stephen King vs. Edgar Allen Poe. What was their beef again?

Poe's ghost hit King with a car

Poe's brother wrote House of Leaves

Can't wait for Thinkpieceapalooza after the finale.

just imagine Slate's pitch meeting tomorrow.

Adnan's tic of peppering his sentences with "right" irks me, I think that's one of the main reasons I think he probably did it

ha

solid pitch, can we get a "people who say right probably murderers" teaser pushed out to social media asap?

Tomorrow's episode is titled "What We Know", so I guess it's okay to start publishing the thinkpieces now.

some people are speculating that she has an interview with Jen she's saving for the final--as she's been using Jen's last name throughout the series

I guess not, then. But Jay's porn store buddy was the best interview of the series.

i get her point, but it's really unsatisfying that deidra just sez 'big picture' in re: explaining jay tying to the serial killer theory

Yeah, it seemed like they were trying hard to avoid the point that this was either Adnan or Jay, and as we've said here, Jay doing this by himself is nonsensical

A satisfying enough final episode, I think, although I'm a lot close to Koenig's producer's POV than I am hers or the Innocence Projects (not a juror thankfully so I don't feel need to be bound by Reasonable Doubt). Innocence Project's "big picture" answer sorta hilarious.