You've listened to Undisclosed, right?
- Arshia Sultan
- Feb 16, 2018
- 3 min read
Back in December, I wrote a blog post about probably the most famous podcast out there - Serial. I wanted to keep it high-level, meaning I didn't want to give too much away. But now I can't wait to dive right into the spin-off podcast not meant for the faint-hearted... that's right, I'm talking to all the people who ONLY listened to Serial. That's like ONLY watching the Harry Potter movies and not read the books.
If you haven't listened to Serial yet, what are you even doing here? Just kidding. But seriously, go listen to it.
Whew. Okay. So... where to even begin? I guess I'll start by filling you in on my thoughts after finishing Serial... That there was a tiny chance that Adnan did it, but that there was a bigger chance that Jay did it. But then I thought, why is no one looking into Don's alibi, or the possibility that the crime was committed by someone Hae Min Lee didn't know?
Serial did briefly touch on these topics, but considering the goal of the podcast was essentially to keep you entertained, Sarah Koenig never really went into detail. Man, she sure was hung up on "The Nisha Call" though.
The Serial team (from left to right): Sarah Koenig, Ira Glass, and Julie Synder. Image source: The Independent.
In early 2015, I found out that Rabia Chaudry, Adnan's family friend who was interviewed in Serial, was starting her own called Undisclosed: The State v. Adnan Syed (Season 1).
I found it interesting that Rabia chose to start her podcast by saying this:
With this disclaimer, it's clear that she wanted to lower expectations of Serial podcast fans. But at the same time, hearing this made me wonder just how intense the podcast would get.
And honestly, Undisclosed was a little overwhelming. In other words - it was information overload. Rabia and her co-hosts, Susan Simpson and Colin Miller had a bit of a bumpy start in making it an enjoyable listener experience, mostly because as she said in the first minute of the podcast, they never intended on it being a "beautifully crafted narrative."
So I had to be a little patient while listening to the first few episodes of Undisclosed. But honestly, it was so worth it. There was A LOT that Serial didn't cover in its first season that Undisclosed took the time to analyze in depth from a legal standpoint.
The Undisclosed team (from left to right): Colin Miller, Rabia Chaudry, and Susan Simpson. Image source: ABC news.
Here's what I thought about the podcast's hosts after only a few episodes in:
1) Rabia is kind of a badass. And not just because she hosts this awesome podcast all cool, calm and collected in that soothing voice of hers. She's a lawyer, NYT bestselling author and is hilariously savage on Twitter.
2) Susan (another badass attorney) talks faster than a Gilmore Girl. I actually had to stop at some parts, go back and re-listen. And apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks this:
BUT she's also incredibly sharp. She actually made a game-changing discovery that pushed Adnan Syed's case forward.
3) Colin Miller (badass #3) aka The Evidence Prof at the University of South Carolina School of Law, is the law professor I wish I had back in university. His friendly way of explaining even the most tedious legal jargon balances out Susan's speed-talking and Rabia's smooth voice.
I've always been fascinated by criminal law, and I found myself completely shocked at how badly Adnan Syed's case was handled. Without listening to this podcast, I probably would still be totally uninformed on how utterly unjust the U.S. criminal justice system is.
After wrapping up their first season, the Undisclosed team went on to cover many more cases involving wrongful convictions and criminal investigation, such as:
And more...
Although I've been a little caught up in a few other podcasts that I'll be reviewing soon, I think I'll be revisiting new seasons of Undisclosed in the near future.
Useful links:
Truth & Justice podcast (Host Bob Ruff, actually retired from his career as an arson investigator and fire chief in the pursuit of "Truth and Justice")
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