For my podcast discussion blogs, I decided to listen to and analyze the podcast “Bear Brook.” Immediately the name of the podcast caught my attention, which led me to listen to the trailer, the first episode, and the second episode. This podcast hinges upon two barrels found in Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshire. In 1985, a blue barrel was found by a group of boys playing hide and seek, and then brought to the attention of the police three months later by a hunter. Inside the barrel were the nude, skeletal, dismembered remains of a woman and a young girl. In 2000, a second identical barrel was found by detective, John Cody, about 300 feet away from where the first barrel was found. Inside this barrel were the remains of two more young girls. Jason Moon narrates this podcast and, in the first two episodes, makes it clear that there is too much unknown in this case to leave it alone. He feels that it was not investigated properly as a result of many factors. Moon interviews people involved and goes to the crime scene himself to hopefully uncover some answers.
The beginning of this podcast isn’t what you might expect. Moon starts this naturally dark podcast in a seemingly light-hearted way. A flashback to 1985 and a bunch of boys playing hide and seek in a forested area. Seems normal right? Moon further sets the tone by playing “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds in the background. If this song doesn’t immediately make you think of the Breakfast Club, I don’t know what will. Moon then describes each of the boys in a way that gives them a role in the group (also similar to the Breakfast Club). Eventually, the music breaks. The barrel is found by one of the boys and a rotten smell seeps into the air. Moon makes it clear that this is where the story stops being like an 80’s movie.
Moon interviews a variety of different people: the Morgan family (a family that lived in a trailer park close to Bear Brook State Park and also parents to one of the boys playing hide and seek), Ron Montpleasure (the cop who found the first barrel), people in the community, and Rhonda and Scott Randall (people further investigating the case) to name a few. When these people speak, most of the time they’re not answering direct questions that Moon has asked, but instead, just sharing part of a story. Frequently, Moon gives background information on the person he’s interviewing, paraphrases what he or she says, and relates that information back to the bigger story to help the listener make connections. It also isn’t uncommon for Moon to inject his opinion into the podcast. For example, after he sees the scene of the crime himself and finds that the barrels weren’t actually found in the middle of a thick forest, but instead, they were found on the outskirts of the forest closer to the trailer park on a private property, he shares his shock that both barrels weren’t found at the same time.
Additionally, there is a difference between Moon narrating from the outside and narrating from the inside. Towards the end of the second episode, Moon travels to the cemetery where the four bodies are buried. In this instance, the listener hears sound effects like a car door slamming, leaves crunching, and wind blowing. He reads from the graves of the unidentified bodies and says, “Oh my God, here it is.” This response feels more “real-time” than some of his other narrations and I feel that it’s important to point out this difference. I find that it’s valuable when Moon inserts himself directly into the investigative role because I feel more closely connected to the crime and story he’s trying to tell. Overall, the podcast’s linear progression makes it easy to follow, the interview clips included are insightful, and Moon’s narration is interesting and entertaining. I’m excited to continue listening.
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