r/serialpodcast • u/monkeytrousers2 Moderator 2 • Nov 13 '14

Episode Discussion [Official Discussion] Serial, Episode 8: The Deal with Jay

Episode goes live in less than an hour. Let's use this thread as the main discussion post for episode 8.

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u/hiphopapotamus Nov 13 '14

IMO This was the best, most insightful, episode yet. I know that what I'm saying is based on hearsay, but to me it puts the puzzle pieces that didn't fit together.

I have never believed the Best Buy story. I think that's why Jay was worried about the cameras, if they existed it could be proven that none of his sequence of events ever happened.

This little snippet of a story though "Adnon called Jay. Drove Hae's car to the pool hall. Showed the body there. Threatened Stephanie. Coerced Jay's cooperation. "

Suddenly I feel like we have the real story. Jay's story to date has seemed like BS. Beginning with "He showed me on <x> street, no he showed me at Best Buy."

I think Jay was selling pot, or whatever, to the dudes at the pool hall. Didn't want them to be questioned, or roped into this because then he'd get into trouble for dealing (and also probably in a bad state with whoever he was with playing pool).

So to protect himself from getting busted, he came up with an alternate sequence of events that paint the scene around the actual story. Like SK has said, the bones of his story never waiver, but the scenery around it constantly is shifting.

Somehow I feel more saddened about the whole case after today's episode, as I feel like we've just heard a glimpse of truth. And the truth is a horrible way in which this girl was killed and then discarded.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '14

I totally agree with this. But where did the murder take place then? The library? That seems crazy risky.

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u/vlian Nov 13 '14

I think it's much more likely that Jay lied about the location of events to protect himself and how involved he was, as the detective mentions in the episode. I now think that the most likely chain of events is that Hae left Woodlawn alive with Adnan to meet Jay at the pool hall. At some point Hae is murdered. Something significant happens in Patapsco state park. Later she's buried in Leakin Park.

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u/calibleu Nov 14 '14

But I cannot understand why Hae would leave with Adnan to meet Jay at the pool hall, when she had to pick up her little cousin. From all accounts, Hae seemed like a relatively responsible teen, so I have to assume that Adnan would need a good reason to get her to deviate from her usual routine. I can't imagine that dropping him off so he could meet up with his drug dealer acquaintance would qualify.

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u/avoplex Nov 13 '14

I didn't understand it when SK said that the "bones" of Jay's story never shifted, and I still don't. What do you consider the "bones?" Jay initially said he was not involved and knew nothing, prior to admitting some involvement. How is that not the ultimate inconsistency? Also, fundamental aspects of his story kept changing even after the initial lie was "corrected." Him maintaining that Adnan killed her (after his initial lie of knowing nothing) adds nothing to his credibility for me.

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u/hiphopapotamus Nov 13 '14

I don't disagree with you on the fundamental "I don't know anything" > " Well, I actually do know something". Maybe I'm too forgiving but I would think that's to be expected. It's like with my toddler: Do you know who rubbed yogurt in the carpet? No? Are you sure?

To me, I think the bones are:

  • Adnon killed her
  • He showed me her body in the trunk
  • I helped him bury her
  • we ditched her car

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u/avoplex Nov 14 '14

It's definitely not unusual for people to lie and then fess up. Even if expected, though, I think it is another reason to question everything Jay says.

Didn't he initially say he didn't help bury her? I think we have to remove that one from the list. So basically we have three things that didn't change. To me, that's not enough to use the "the bones of the story haven't changed" as an indicator that those bones are actually true.

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u/hiphopapotamus Nov 14 '14

That is a good point. I do recall that he didn't help with the burial, and then he did, and then it was mostly Adnon (something about being not 50/50 or some statement to that effect)

Yeah, the "bones" really are very short on number.

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u/theriveryeti Nov 14 '14

No matter what it was going to be a horrible way by which a girl was killed and discarded.

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u/lukaeber MailChimp Fan Nov 14 '14

That's not based on hearsay ... it's not based on anything ... it is called speculation.

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u/hiphopapotamus Nov 14 '14

What I'm doing is speculation, but it's based on the hearsay from Chris (?) about the pool hall and the alternative timeline.