Through episodes 2-4, host Sarah Koenig continues her development of the case of Beau Bergdahl as she furthers the explanation of her findings through Season 02 of Serial. In these developing episodes, Koenig dives into the perspectives of various others in terms of the explanation of the events that took place when and after Bergdahl abandoned his base.
As I mentioned in my first blog, Serial is still told by a single narrator. As the story has developed, the involvement of other perspectives is very prominent as it is used in order to provide the listener with a well-rounded interpretation of what exactly happened, not merely from one biased point of view. Episodes 2-4 focus primarily on Bergdahl’s capture and his imprisonment by the Taliban. In these episodes there is actual interview evidence that is used between Koenig and the Taliban. There is a translator used, however the listener is able to hear the actual recording which adds an aspect that is very interesting and effective. It made me, as a listener, question exactly how Koenig was able to acquire a full-on interview with the Taliban members pertaining to this issue, for that seems like a difficult task in itself. This also worked to lessen the bias. Throughout these episodes, it occasionally feels as though Koenig is defending Bergdahl, however the incorporation of these interviews reduces this bias and gives the listener the ability to make well thought out conclusions for them self.
In these episodes, the listener hears, directly from Bergdahl, specificities regarding the horrors that he went through while he was in captivity. It is explained that often he was left in a dark room for days, constantly beaten with a cloth over his face to restrict his vision, and even tied to a bed frame for days without the ability to move. These are brutal, disturbing details that are not comfortable to listen to. As a listener hearing all of this, it adds an intriguing aspect as it is reflecting real life experiences that happen to prisoners of war. Hearing about the actual experiences of Bergdahl causes the listener to step back and really engage in the trauma that he went through.
Not only does Koenig use interviews from the Taliban and Bergdahl himself, but she also incorporates those of Beau’s fellow soldiers and those that he abandoned when he left his base. These, once again, provide the listener with a well-rounded scope of the situation. As S02 of Serial develops it is occasionally difficult to understand what Koenig is trying to express to the listeners in terms of whether or not she is trying to prove Bergdahl innocent or guilty. Sometimes it feels as though she is trying to get the listener to sympathize with him, and other times it is just the opposite. This causes the listener to think critically about the events and draw conclusions from that.
Koenig uses background music, sound effects, and vivid imagery in order to paint the picture of the scene in the listener’s mind. The words she uses to describe the settings and capture the horrors of what Bergdahl went through makes Serial just that much more compelling. The sound effects and music are often used in times of suspense in order to captivate the listener’s attention and put them on edge. This is a very successful tactic when it comes to storytelling in podcast form. As S02 of Serial progresses, the listener is drawn in more and more each episode, often previewing facts of future events. The excitement and tension heighten as new elements are introduced.
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Hi Lauren! I love your analysis on Serial, and from what you’ve written, I’m definitely excited to listen to more episodes of this podcast. It reminds me a little of the podcast I chose to listen to, Limetown, in the sense that both have a similar plot of trying to solve a mystery or case through the use of interviews and other perspectives and testimony. On that subject. I thought your point that the direct interview from Bergdahl, though uncomfortable and disturbing to listen to, made it easier for the listener to engage in his story and in him as a character was really interesting, since I initially thought that hearing such gruesome details would make the listener feel turned off by the podcast or not want to continue listening. However, you’re right in that it makes the story seem more believable since they’re his actual experiences and trauma, and this makes the story more realistic, in a way. Limetown does something similar, though definitely not to this extreme, in that it makes the interviews very personal, often including small details that aren’t really important to the story, but makes it seem like the interviews are actually happening in real time, and the characters being interviewed are telling their actual experiences and thoughts, rather than reading off a report. I think these bits of “realism” in the interviews definitely makes them more interesting to listen to, and makes the podcast seem more like a true investigation, rather than something staged. Something else that stood out to me was that you mentioned that one of the big draws of Serial that keeps you engaged is the preview or foreshadowing of future events. I feel like that’s true, since foreshadowing makes us curious and want to keep listening to find out what happens next, but I think having too much foreshadowing could also make the podcast too confusing to listen to. I guess there needs to be a balance between what questions and answers we’re given, especially in an investigative podcast, which relies heavily on answering questions and solving mysteries, and that should be kept in mind when making fictional podcasts of our own.
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