MovieChat Forums > The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015) Discussion > Not as Good as Serial

Not as Good as Serial

posted 10 years ago by There_Is_No_Sayid
10 replies | jump to latest

There's been a lot of comparisons of this show to the podcast Serial, which makes a certain amount of sense since both are true crime stories which aired fairly close to each other. And there's been some mention of how the Jinx has a more satisfying ending because we actually seem to get an indication of Durst guilt with the letter and the bathroom confession.

But I don't think that this is as good as Serial is, and I'll tell you why. The ambiguous ending of Serial, which does not conclusively point to Adnan Sayed's guilt or innocence, is perhaps not intentional but is deeply fitting with the nature of the show. The Jinx is really about the eccentricity of Robert Durst, but Serial isn't so much ab I UT the crime itself as it is about the limits of knowledge. Sarah Koenig starts off the podcast by talking about how "I've spent the last year trying to figure out where a teenager was during two hours in January, fifteen years ago" and her summation of her feelings on the case is that she thinks there was not enough evidence to convict Adnan but "Did he do it? I'm not sure." In between those two points we get constant efforts of her and her team truing, and failing, to get at the truth. Because we can speculate about whether Adnan did this or that or what this piece of evidenceans, but we can never really know.

For me, the Jinx, while very engaging, lacked this sort of thematic depth. It was an interesting story about this crazy guy, but it doesn't equal Serial's meditation on the nature of truth and knowledge.

[–] thebigmouth 10 years ago

Hmmm... very interesting point. I would agree that Serial is a more intellectually satisfying meditation on the nature of truth and knowledge, as you say.

Emotionally, however, I think The Jinx is more satisfying simply because the bad guy gets caught. I think Serial suffered from the failure to offer a compelling alternative suspect to Adnan. In particular, I wish Koenig had spent more time exploring the possibility that Jay might be responsible for Hay's murder.

Maybe that would have undermined some of the thematic depth you mention. But it struck me as a glaring omission in an otherwise spectacular work of journalism.

TV: http://ihatemydvr.blogspot.com
LOST:http://eyemsick.blogspot.com

[–] rgibson-20 10 years ago

You sure the bad guy's been "caught"? Counting chickens are you? Remember Galveston.

[–] There_Is_No_Sayid 10 years ago

Even if Durst isn't convicted, which I think is a distinct possibility, we do have the show pointing pretty conclusively towards his guilt in the Susan Berman murder.

[–] thebigmouth 10 years ago

You sure the bad guy's been "caught"? Counting chickens are you? Remember Galveston.

I said "caught," not "convicted" lol.

TV: http://ihatemydvr.blogspot.com
LOST:http://eyemsick.blogspot.com

[–] shanayneigh 10 years ago

I think the operative word is "bad guy", not "caught". Durst may be a bad person, but it's far from clear that he's the bad guy, i.e. the criminal responsible for the deaths.

Working in the movie business since -92

[–] lordjames-1 10 years ago

I will agree that I enjoyed Serial more. Serial oozes with the feeling that blood, sweat, and tears were put into researching their case. You get the impression that far more thought and effort was put into the case in the year that Serial was researched than any investigator or lawyer ever put into it. (probably all combined) It was incredibly dense with important information. The Jinx on the other hand felt a little less dense. A little less focused. A little more willing to sensationalize. I could understand where Sarah started, where she was going, and why she was going there. It felt like I was along for the investigation. And that was very exciting. This was not always the case with The Jinx.

I appreciate that The Jinx had a satisfying conclusion. But, I was more impressed overall with Serial.

[–] There_Is_No_Sayid 10 years ago

That's a good point too. The Jinx didn't seem to be as deep a dive as Serial was. Maybe they just didn't show all the inner workings, but it seemed a bit lighter.

[–] jd_movie_luver 10 years ago

I loved them both! I personally liked Serial more just because of how in depth it went and how passionate Sarah was. And there was the feeling that you (the listener) are trying to solve the case alongside her. This made me listen almost non-stop all the way through. I agree w/ the person that said they wished Serial talked more about an alternate suspect. Particularly the serial killer they found who had just gotten out of jail around the time of Han's murder...that like the lawyer said is way more logical than Adnan. And I really don't think Jay did it.

But the Jinx was great because it was the telling of a "solved" case. Like any documentary you watch on true crime. You know the guy/suspect is a little off, you want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but then the 'evidence' stacks up against him and then you basically get a confession at the end. It visually paints out the picture for you of the crimes and the suspect. The Jinx is less of a whodunnit like Serial and more of a 'how/what/when/where dunnit by Robert Durst.

-------

[–] puirt-a-beul 8 years ago

I've never heard of "Serial", but I'd like to listen. Can I still find it somewhere?

Thanks!

You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.

[–] There_Is_No_Sayid 8 years ago

Yeah, it should be available through itunes or wherever else you get your podcasts. They've also got a web site up which has all of the episodes, including the second, less interesting, season which is about Bowe Bergdahl, the guy who was held captive by the Taliban for several years.

The first season is really excellent. It's about Adnan Syed, this guy who was convicted as a teenager in 1999 for killing his ex girlfriend Hae Min Lee. It's hosted by Sarah Koenig, a frequent contributor to This American Life. She talks about how years ago as a reproter for a Baltimore newspaper she had done a story about a lawyer who had been disbarred for mishandling client's money. That lawyer turns out to have been Adnan's defense attorney. That leads her into this investigation of Adnan's case and whether or not he was wrongly convicted (as his friends and family feel).

Although the hook for the show is that maybe this guy was wrongly convicted, and although Koenig clearly likes Adnan and hopes that he's innocent, she's still skeptical and presents all the evidence, including stuff that might be incriminating for him.

Part of what makes it fascinating is how she takes us into her process of investigation of these things. Like they've got one episode where they spend most of it trying to piece together a timeline for what a witness says Adnan did the afternoon of the murder and they actually go out and drive around to see, okay could he make it from school to the murder site in time. Could they make it to this place in time etc. At one point they're using cell phone records to try and figure out who was where when. They talk to many of people who knew Adnan at the time (although most of the people involved in the prosecution side of things refused to talk with them on tape). If there's one big downside it's that I think they don't do nearly enough to flesh out Hae Min Lee, the victim, as they do to flesh out Adnan, the supposed killer. They talk to some of Hae's friends and read some excerpts from her diary, but her family, understandably, wanted nothing to do with the podcast, so there is an issue where this show is all about her death but we don't get a great sense of her life. In fact, they seem to spend a lot more time on the life of the prosecution's star witness than they do on the victim.

Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I don't think Hugo can track anything.