“With well over 40 million downloads, season one of Serial was one of the most popular podcasts to date. Host Sarah Koenig was able to capture her audience with her unique blend of investigative journalism and storytelling. So far, season two, which aired in early December, has managed to keep listeners wanting for more after each episode, but lacks an objective view of the story in question.
Season two shines a new light on a controversy that is storming the media — Bowe Bergdahl is notorious for the desertion of his post in Afghanistan, but his motive was unknown to the public until his appearance on Serial. The Taliban captured him soon after he deserted and held him captive for five years, and only after a well-orchestrated prisoner exchange involving President Obama and the release of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay was he freed. Now, Bergdahl faces a court-martial for desertion.
Almost like a movie, the second season explores Bergdahl’s desertion, time in captivity, and various escape attempts with vivid descriptions. The tones of the story seem to change with each different segment. For example, the tale of Bergdahl’s desertion builds suspense with aspects of his preparation being carefully detailed, but the episode ends with Koenig deadpanning, “That was me, calling the Taliban,” after she contacted them to discuss their capture of Bergdahl.
Season two evokes the same emotion listeners felt for Adnan Syed, the protagonist of season one. During the episode, “Escaping,” Bergdahl goes in-depth into the descriptions of his torture, and his reports of what occurred to him as a prisoner were raw and graphic, making listeners feel pity. Additionally, because Koenig has been able to organize the podcast in a true crime, fiction-like way with suspense and narrative, she catches the interest of not only people who wish to learn more about Bergdahl’s case, but also people who just like hearing tales of intrigue and adventure.
Telling the story in a podcast format only draws listeners further in — if the story was told in a true crime novel like Truman Capote’s book In Cold Blood, Koenig would be unable to keep listeners in suspense with dramatic music and the episodic “week by week” format where one part of Bergdahl’s story is revealed every week.
Another factor that attracted many listeners to Serial’s first season was the detective-like analysis of the cases by host Sarah Koenig. In a strategy she calls “zooming out,” Koenig starts with the suspect’s statement and “zooms out” to cross-check with many other sources and eventually decide on the veracity of the suspect’s carefully crafted story.
Koenig reviewed many texts, emails, and letters as a part of this investigative strategy in season one. By following this tactic, Koenig revealed to the audience many different insights into the case one at a time, so the audience can systematically organize the evidence provided, formulating their own story of what happened.
However, the second season focuses too much on Bergdahl himself. Without valid sources besides Bergdahl, Koenig is unable to “zoom out.”
Koenig promised in a couple of episodes, including “Escaping” and “The Golden Chicken,” to provide opinions and findings of diplomats and government officials to balance the claims Bergdahl has made.
However, Koenig hasn’t delivered. A report from a military or government superior regarding Bergdahl’s case could prove all other aspects of his story, including his motive for deserting, to be true. Simply put, the podcast focuses too heavily on Bergdahl’s opinion without bothering to fact check it with other possible sources.
As we learn in the first episode, “Dustwun,” Bergdahl attempts to explain his desertion by saying he left to protest poor leadership at his military base. No other soldiers commented on this motive or even agreed with Bergdahl’s choice to leave. Since such a critical component of Bergdahl’s desertion was left underdeveloped by the producers, Bergdahl’s credibility is as much in question as his sanity.
Despite the issues mentioned with the second season so far, the producers still have time to improve on the podcast if they maintain the suspense of the plot and add more credible opinions to clarify Bergdahl’s account. If Koenig stays objective with Bergdahl’s case by including other references, then she will produce a well-rounded story with fair arguments for those wishing to defend or prosecute Bergdahl. Then again, the second season of Serial is all about Bergdahl’s case and his opinion, and if he can defend himself, the future lies in whatever Bergdahl says.”
