Speculations about Serial, the watercooler event of the year

Adnan Musud Syed is serving time in prison for the murder of his girlfirend Hae Min Lee (inset photo) in Baltimore Maryland USA.

Opinion

It reinvented podcasts, became a weekly addiction for millions and turned every listener into a DIY detective. Yes, we're talking about Serial, and after today's final instalment, we asked some superfans to share their thoughts.

* This story may contains spoilers. Do not read if you haven't listened to all 12 episodes of the Serial podcast here.

Ah Serial, it's changed my enthusiasm for walking to work forever. Who knew a podcast could be so compelling. Did Adnan do it? I don't know, but I think there's a good possibility that he's innocent, and for me, that's enough to feel that he never should have ended up in jail for life. The state's case against him was flimsy, and bizarre, and full of holes, and had Adnan's lawyer Christina Gutierrez been on top of her game, he probably never would have been convicted. While the fascinating, tragic story remains full of questions, in a legal sense, I feel like the "innocent until proven guilty" adage should have been better implemented in Adnan's case. But I guess that's the American "justice" system for you.
- Lydia Jenkin

Moment of truth - deep down, I think Adnan did it. I don't want to believe it but all signs point to him. And being too nice to murder someone isn't a legitimate defence - as he himself has pointed out multiple times. Yes, Jay is shady as all hell. Yes, Christina Gutierrez buggered up Adnan's defence. And yes, there is so much reasonable doubt in this case that an acquittal should have been the only option. But did he do it? I think so.
- Joanna Hunkin

I was completely hooked after the first episode of Serial and listened to the next four episodes practically one after the other. My theories around Adnan's guilt have swayed backwards and forwards. Sometimes I think he's a psychopath and murdered Hae Min Lee, but other times I think that he has, tragically, been set up. One thing I do know is that Jay is a liar. Whether he did it, or Adnan did it, or someone else did it, I think Jay lied and got an outrageously sweet deal from the prosecutor and that makes me mad.
- Sophie Ryan

Aside from today's final episode, I've listened to Serial beginning to end three times over. I've poured over the letters, the call-logs, maps and timelines trying to make sense of it all. Who really killed Hae Min Lee? Like most of the world obsessed with Serial, I am constantly changing my mind but I just keep going around in circles (thanks for that Reddit). Even while listening to the season's finale, my mind was racing. Was it Adnan? Was it Jay? Was it someone else? Who is lying? I could easily write an entire essay of speculations, and believe me I have more than a few theories, some of which involve Jay and Jen being more involved than they are letting on, or going with the idea that the murder didn't happen at the Best Buy and what that could mean. A big part of me just doesn't want Adnan to be guilty ... but in the end, my own conclusion for the murder of Hae will always be the same: a big unsatisfying "I don't know".
- Rachel Bache

Sarah Koenig (left) with This American Life producer Ira Glass, and Serial co-executive producer Julie Snyder.

Serial has a hold on me. I listen to the podcast running through the Domain or walking to work. The descriptions of bodies in car boots/public parks get the better of my imagination and I usually end up sprinting out of wooded areas or across Grafton Bridge fearing for my life. Each week I wonder whether Jay did it, or if Adnan is a psychopath who has pulled the wool over Sarah Koenig's adoring eyeballs, and whether or not we should go to Leakin Park. Recently I finished an episode and accidently accosted Nicholas Jones (Herald education reporter) during a long, probably awkward elevator trip and explained with relish how a murder from 15-years-ago has captivated minds worldwide.
I like the way Koenig talks. I like that her dialogue has sparked a fresh conversation on corruption in the US justice system. I like the rather murderous smile Serial has put on my face. Brilliant.
- Patricia Greig

For some time I have been a fan of listening to audiobooks in my car, so when I heard about Serial, was keen to give the podcasts a go. Right from the start I felt there was something not right about Adnan's conviction and am increasingly sure of his innocence. I can't quite fathom Jay, but the fact he wouldn't agree to be interviewed does not weigh in his favour. Adnan's phone call at Cathy's (not her real name) was surely with Aiesha and his panic due to concern about being caught with pot in his car and not knowing what to say to the cops - because he didn't know what happened to Hae. Would I listen to a podcast series again? Yes, but probably like this, if I could listen to the whole series on my terms, not having to wait for a week for the next instalment.
- Sue Baxalle

I have a love/hate relationship with Serial. Was it Jay? Was it Adnan? Or was it someone else who killed Hae? These questions are bouncing around my brain. All the time. I always thought Jay was the one who killed Hae and that he was trying to frame the ex-boyfriend, Adnan. Not sure why. Jay just seems like the shadiest person in the story and I don't understand why he would even confess to "helping Adnan with the disposal of Hae's body" when Adnan has always denied having anything to do with it. Adnan seems like a nice guy, and obviously Sarah Koenig is also an Adnan-fan, but clearly he is hiding something too and probably did have something to do with the murder which means him being in jail is probably justified. I guess we will never know for sure who killed Hae. However, what I do know, is Serial has made me think differently about what people say and the way people act. I can't wait to see where season two goes.
- Liana Thaggard

Damn you Sarah Koenig - what am I supposed to do on Fridays now? Actually, what am I supposed to do with my life full stop? Talking about Serial has become my default conversation starter, my go-to ice breaker, a weekly event that's gone from something I look forward to, to SOMETHING I MUST HAVE NOW. And now it's all over. Who did it? I don't really care - my enjoyment in Serial has been the little things: the Budweiser-swilling streaker in the park, the way Koenig asked a personality trait expert if "snapping is a thing", the pisstake YouTube videos, and the crack-up Mail Chimp ads that air at the start of every episode. I love the way Serial has unfolded like a great book - and I don't want to spoil it by going online and seeing photos of these people, because I've already given them all faces and haircuts and body types and eye colours, like my own Serial TV show. Which, by the way, can't be too far away. If there's one story in 2014 that deserves to be told over and over, it's Serial. And Amen to that. Now, back to episode one ...
-Chris Schulz

• Listen to all 12 episodes of the Serial podcast here.

* Have you been listening to Serial? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

- nzherald.co.nz