Serial is back. This morning at precisely 6am, host Sarah Koenig and her crack team at NPR’s This American Life debuted the first chapter in the second season of her wildly popular podcast. While season 1 was all about a captivating murder case, season 2 will investigate a new, compelling story surrounding U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl. Apparently Bergdahl left his small outpost in eastern Afghanistan and ventured into hostile territory to later be taken hostage by the Taliban; he would be the terrorist organization’s prisoner for almost five years. In May 2014, a deal was struck and the Taliban handed Bergdahl back to the United States. But things were not all peachy for the rescued solider upon his return; a celebration hosted by his hometown of Hailey, Idaho was promptly cancelled when Bergdahl’s fellow soldiers started labeling him a deserter and traitor to his country. In this season of Serial, Koenig–with the assistance of filmmaker Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker)–will explore the mystery behind Bergdahl’s decision to leave his post and the global ramifications that followed. “It’s a story that has played out in unexpected ways from the start. And it’s a story that’s still going on,” reads a post featured on the Serial site.
“Unlike our story in Season One, this one extends far out into the world,” Koenig blogs. “It reaches into swaths of the military, the peace talks to end the war, attempts to rescue other hostages, our Guantanamo policy. What Bergdahl did made me wrestle with things I’d thought I more or less understood, but really didn’t: what it means to be loyal, to be resilient, to be used, to be punished.”
And now, without further ado, I present “DUSTWUN,” the 44-minute premiere of Serial‘s second season. You can stream it free at Serial‘s site and on Pandora, or alternatively you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. In addition to complementary posts, the Serial team will be providing interactive 3D maps, graphics, and videos to help explain the story as it unfolds. Look out for new installments on a weekly basis.
Excuse me while I fall back into the trance that is Sarah Koenig’s investigative prowess. I’ve missed you, MailChimp. See you all on the other side.