TOW #22 - Serial Podcasts (Season 1)

There is something about Sarah Koenig's voice that sticks in your head.  Maybe it's the way she can explain the most gruesome of details, in a completely passionate, yet ironically objective, tone of voice.  While telling the story of a murder trial for Adnan Syed for her podcast Serial, Koenig portrays the voice of both sides.  Syed was charged in the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee.  While to this day Syed proclaims his innocence, it has now become the job of the rest of the world to decide for themselves who they believe is innocent.  With endless twists and turns, newly uncovered evidence, and interviews with the key players in the case itself, Koenig is able to provide a narrative yet informative tale, one which certainly, while never stated, would seem to support Syed's innocence.
Throughout season 1 of Serial, Koenig states numerous times that she isn't taking a side.  However, her interest in the case was first sparked through a letter sent to her by Syed himself, from prison.  Therefore, her original ties to the case will always be through the defendant.  Koenig also spent large chunks of time going over the state's timeline, and refuting details that were overlooked in the original trial.  In addition, Koenig was able to track down a women named Asia Mcclain.  While she was never contacted by Syed's lawyer, Mcclain has proven to be an important witness in the case, as she clearly remembers seeing Syed in the library during the time of the murder.  The small details that don't add up in the state's case, as well as Mcclain's complete confidence in Syed's innocence, all serve to prove the way in which Syed received undue sentencing.
While Serial has captivated audiences all over the world, it has also made a difference to Syed himself.  Recently, a new hearing was granted to determine whether or not there was sufficient reason to retry the case in court.  Mcclain testified at these hearings, and Koenig documented each day for her avid audience.  It is clear that there is evidence that was overlooked during the original trial, and each new day brings the hope that Adnan Syed will be freed, or at least will be proven guilty in a much more concrete manner than in which it was originally done.