Serial: episode by episode
Episode recaps of the podcast series Serial, an investigative journalism program from the producers of This American Life
True-crime podcast S-Town even better than Serial, rave viewers
With all seven episodes released at once, Serial producers’ new ‘southern gothic’ venture is wowing binge watchers
Serial season two: why did the 'must-listen show' suffer a sophomore slump?
Sarah Koenig’s record-breaking podcast helped trigger renewed interest in the format when it launched in 2014, but when it tried to repeat the trick with its second season it struggled to find its feet
Serial recap – season two, episode 11: Present for Duty
In the season’s finale Koeing digs into Bowe Bergdahl’s mental state after his diagnosis with schizotypal personality disorder and his time in the Coast Guard
Serial recap – season two, episode 10: Thorny Politics
Sarah Koenig digs into Bergdahl’s release and why the White House held an event in the Rose Garden, when originally a more low-key event was planned
Serial recap – season two, episode nine: Trade Secrets
The overarching sentiment about the trade for Bowe Bergdahl’s freedom was that the US had traded five terrorists for the life of a deserter, but was it true?
Serial recap – season two, episode eight: Hindsight, Part 2
In the second part of a long investigation into Bowe Bergdahl’s state of mind, Serial uncovers psychological issues in his past which could partly explain why he walked off his base
Serial recap – season two, episode seven: Hindsight, Part 1
Sarah Koenig investigates more theories about why Bergdahl walked off base, and finds colleagues and friends who find any explanation hard to believe
Serial recap – season two, episode six: Five o'clock Shadow
This week Sarah Koenig looks into Bergdahl’s mental state and a Guardian photo causes serious problems for the soldiers of OP Mest
Serial recap – season two, episode five: Meanwhile, in Tampa
This episode of the now biweekly podcast examines efforts in the US to find Bowe Bergdahl, involving a determined friend and a cat mask
Serial recap – season two, episode four: The Captors
This week’s episode focuses on the Haqqani Network, the group who kidnapped Bowe Bergdahl and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Rohde
Serial recap – season two, episode three: Escaping
As Bowe Bergdahl attends a court hearing in real life on charges of desertion, the podcast explores the harrowing details of his capture by the Taliban and attempted escapes
Serial recap – season two, episode two: The Golden Chicken
Sarah Koenig interviews a Taliban spokesman and uncovers the story of Bergdahl’s kidnap – while also showing she doesn’t understand Taliban humour
Serial recap – season two episode one: DUSTWUN
The hit podcast’s long-awaited second season has arrived, with host Sarah Koenig introducing how she plans on getting to the bottom of one of the most intriguing stories of recent US military history: that of Bowe Bergdahl
