Post: #1

Kept hearing how GREAT this was. So I downloaded the first few episodes. Is it just me, or is kinda for chicks? I'm halfway through episode one - should I continue??

Post: #2

Only people Ive heard talking it up are women. That's enough for me to stay away.

Post: #3

It's okay. Worth listening to if you have to drive somewhere.

Post: #4

(01-03-2015 06:37 PM)Checkmat Wrote:  It's okay. Worth listening to if you have to drive somewhere.

"OK" is kinda what I sensed...I was expecting it to be GREAT because it got so much buzz, but its narrated by a chick FOR chicks. Too much girl power in it for me. Its as unbelievable as Elektra or any other stupid girl super-hero movie where some small chick throws grown men around because , you know, grrlpower!

And I am only going to listen to the rest exactly as you say: I have a 15 hr drive in front of me next month, maybe i'll kill a few hours listening then. But otherwise, can't be bothered.

Post: #5

It's a spin off of This American Life - of course it sucks. I like NPR programs, but this american life is continuously the highest-rated, most boring, faux-high-brow, SJW-listened-to, bourgeois-elitist show ever. Whenever a This American Life show topic comes on that I'm interested in, within 5 minutes Ira Glass fucks it all up. Except that the narrator has changed gender, Serial is no different.

Post: #6

I don't go near NPR and especially avoid anything by the women there, having had the misfortune of once knowing some of them in real life.

I assumed there was some sort of agenda behind this podcast since it was conceived (heh) by a woman, Sarah Koenig, but didn't think about it too much.

And then I saw a Tweet by a guy named Rialby on the Heartiste blog which seemed to nail it in one sentence:

"@heartiste where are you on the Serial phenomenon? Sounds like Koenig fell hard for a killer. Thoughts?"

Post: #7

Serial is popular with SWPL's because it's a spin-off of NPR's This American Life podcast. I've never listened to This American Life or even heard of it before Serial, but Serial itself is fantastic. I would not write it off just because of what it span off from. It's not like Serial has anything to do with politics or feminism so it being narrated by a young Jewish liberal woman doesn't make any difference.

It is very addictive, if you keep going you'll probably demolish it all in a few days. The ending was anti-climatic though, but that was to be expected by the time you got there.

Post: #8

(01-04-2015 01:20 AM)Days of Broken Arrows Wrote:  I don't go near NPR and especially avoid anything by the women there, having had the misfortune of once knowing some of them in real life.

In NPR's defense though, NPR has come out with some great programs: Planet Money, Car Talk, Marketplace, some Selected Shorts (they once had on Jay McIrnery's Bright Lights Big City, which is AWESOME). The news on my morning drive is better than any other news source as well on the radio.

And as much as Serial sucks, in its defense they may have initiated a re-examining of a (potentially) innocent man locked up for murder. Which is a good thing.

Post: #9

I've listened to the first four episodes. Like Checkmat said, it's worth listening to on a drive or on a plane, but don't set time aside for it.

It's certainly entertaining enough to hold your interest, but occasionally the narrator slips into "vocal fry" which can be grating.

Post: #10

Had a good friend I trust talk it up. Will take a listen.

Post: #11

The reason I listened to this podcast was because I live 20 minutes away from where all the stuff in this podcast was happening. Overall, I'd say it's a very good listen especially when you get to the later episodes and the best part is how it gets you thinking.

Post: #12

So, just heard an acquaintance prattle on about this podcast, as did a female relative. Both are SWPLs and of course they love serial.

So what's the verdict? Was it worth the listen? I can't help but sense parallels to The Wire, a show popular with SWPLs that also happens to show black people at their worst.

Post: #13

The verdict is ... it's good/ok. Not amazing, but entertaining for drives. Season 2 just started and while it seems more effort has been put involved- it's just not as good because the subject isn't as compelling.

For those looking for their new true crime fix - I recommend watching Making a Murderer. The series just premiered on Netflix. Delves into the story of a man who was put away in prison for rape, only to be acquitted 18 years later... and then be sent back to prison 2 years later for murder. The documentary goes into whether he did the crime, or whether the police were corrupt and had ulterior motives.

Unlike Serial - there is no narrator. All the dialogue is done through phone recordings/interviews/etc.