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Author Topic: Serial S2 Podcast **SPOILERS**  (Read 5645 times)

saltine

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Serial S2 Podcast **SPOILERS**
« on: December 11, 2015, 12:44:36 AM »
Bowe Bergdahl Makes His Case on "Serial"

Listen and post your thoughts here.  Could be interesting to compare our thoughts. 

My first impression: My god, this guy is stupid and probably lying.
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jmbossy

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Re: Serial S2 Podcast **SPOILERS**
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2015, 03:09:14 AM »
Episode 1

I agree that Bowe's motivations do not remotely appear to justify his actions. However, given Serial's first season's infatuation with ambiguity, I trust that there may be more to this story that Koenig & Crew haven't explored yet.

Before now, I wasn't too familiar with Bergdahl's case, but thought it's broad strokes would make suitable material for Serial's sophomoric season. After listening to episode one though, I'm mostly curious whether this story has as enough intrigue to unearth via investigation. Serial season 1 was, in my opinion, a diary of journalistic doubt; As of yet I don't know if Season 2 will have much procedural connection to Season 1, which is a shame, because it was what I connected to most in S1. Not to say I'm "disappointed" so readily... I'm actually pretty excited the podcast medium can include such provocative subject matter.

I'm just hoping, given Koenig's closeness to Adnan's story, that Mark Boal is conducting the interviews with Bergdahl, and that the subject matter doesn't immediately invite micro-observant journalism, that Serial doesn't lose its personality. I want to feel the uncertainty of the hosts and the issue they've decided to cover.
« Last Edit: December 11, 2015, 03:12:24 AM by jmbossy »

colonel_mexico

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Re: Serial S2 Podcast **SPOILERS**
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2015, 10:58:15 PM »
I haven't followed this story very closely either, because the way it reads to me is he walked off on his own.  Either he deserted or he had slipped mentally into some time of battle fatigue or a delusion of grandeur that he'd either become famous or he was suicidal.  Not hard to believe that his own guys wanted to kill him, they were expending resources to find him when he had just taken off on his own volition.  Putting other men in danger is the worst thing you can do, especially for a selfish reason.  Whatever the actual reason is doesn't diminish in my mind that he did something very stupid and deserves to be punished.  His mental competency doesn't seem to be a major issue or at least he doesn't seem crazy or disconnected enough to say he doesn't deserve punishment.  Bringing to light what exactly?  Issues with commanders?  There are ways to go about this without getting captured and having rescue missions that lead to the deaths of troops.  This is an interesting series and the investigation is thorough, an examination without any obvious bias.  Nice and interesting work.
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saltine

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Re: Serial S2 Podcast **SPOILERS**
« Reply #3 on: December 19, 2015, 11:00:48 PM »
After listening to two episodes I feel that Bergdahl has made a very poor decision to coorperate with this podcast investigation.  So far nothing reflects well on his actions.  I have little sympathy for him. 
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Bondo

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Re: Serial S2 Podcast **SPOILERS**
« Reply #4 on: December 19, 2015, 11:08:06 PM »
Even if you take his story at face value and viewed as favorably as possible for him...he still seems like an idiot who strongly jeopardized people and operations by making them look for him. And this is a problem for the podcast itself. It doesn't feel like a mystery and one isn't pulling for its subject like they did with Syed...like, we didn't know if he was innocent, but we kind of wanted him to be.

philip918

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Re: Serial S2 Podcast **SPOILERS**
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2016, 04:36:56 PM »
Has anyone kept listening to this? I bailed after the second episode.

Teproc

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Re: Serial S2 Podcast **SPOILERS**
« Reply #6 on: January 17, 2016, 05:27:17 PM »
Has anyone kept listening to this? I bailed after the second episode.

I have. It's not what season 1 was, but it's interesting nonetheless, not for the story as much as the insider look at Afghanistan.
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oldkid

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Re: Serial S2 Podcast **SPOILERS**
« Reply #7 on: January 18, 2016, 02:09:19 AM »
There isn't the "did he or didn't he" aspect this season.  But I love the Taliban perspective on these events.  Learning a lot.
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saltine

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Re: Serial S2 Podcast **SPOILERS**
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2016, 03:09:56 AM »
This is hysterical ...  in both senses of that word.

Sarah Koenig: ‘I’m Trying My Best, You Little Shits’
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oldkid

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Re: Serial S2 Podcast **SPOILERS**
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2016, 09:43:57 AM »
I can just imagine that's how she feels.  I think the second season is good.  The latest episode is the best yet.  This season is more like a newspaper expose over a period of time. 
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

 

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