Cold, Reviewed
Plus: Brendan Dassey does a podcast interview
the true crime that's worth your time
The Cold podcast suffers from problems both production-related and political. In the first episode of the podcast, radio journalist Drew Cawley says that he was compelled to explore the disappearance of Susan Powell (that’s her, above) because he found her an interesting figure -- that, and he had access to a trove of documents, audio files, and information on the case that he believed could flesh out the story of her presumed death at the hands of her husband, who as police closed in on him killed himself and the couple’s two children.
I’m not suggesting that Cold should have hidden how the story ends -- as the case made national headlines, the jig is up, and if not, Google. But that means that within the first few minutes, we know that this is a story of alleged domestic violence, homicide, and the slayings of two children. We won’t see any justice or closure here, just pain. That’s a tough sell.
The sell gets even tougher because the show, or at least the episodes I managed to get through, focuses so closely on Josh Powell, the alleged murderer. Part of this is likely because Powell, for whatever reason, kept both a written and an audio diary, which gives the show an opportunity to both drop in clips of his Deep Thoughts, but to bring in a serviceable re-enactor to feed us his written remarks. That’s arguably a blessing, because otherwise, we’re buried under Cawley basically reading his script aloud to us, with little interruption. But here’s the thing: I don’t think we need to hear from this Powell at all, if the audio and written diary entries are any indication.
Throughout the episodes, Powell’s words as they are presented paint him to be a pretty garden-variety incel/4chan/Twitter reply guy/James Damore etc. Women who dare to demonstrate independence (like his mother, who fled from her abusive spouse) are “treasure-seekers.” A female friend who went to a bar by herself is “unladylike.” When another female friend went away to college, he details the note he sent her chiding her for now thinking that she is “better than me.” You have access to the internet, you know the drill.
I’m sure that there will be twists and turns to the case -- Powell’s dad sounds like a real alleged sexual shitshow -- and I have no doubt that there are interesting details to be learned. But here’s the thing: We’re living in an era where men with views like Powell’s are going to greater and greater lengths to get those positions on the global stage. At a certain point -- and this is something that journalists are wrestling with every day -- it becomes an irresponsible act to repeat their manifestos, Facebook shitposts, or, say, their audio diaries. In my opinion, this show crosses that line, then goes things one worse, as it fails to interrogate his misogynistic positions as it presents them. -- EB
The latest effort to free Brendan Dassey is a clemency appeal to Wisconsin’s governor. Dassey, who will turn 30 on October 19, penned a note by hand that was delivered to Governor Tony Evers and that read in part, “I am writing to ask for a pardon because I am innocent and want to go home.” The note, the AP reports, “also listed things he enjoys including Pokemon and hamburgers and drew a pair of hearts with the word ‘hugs’ in one and ‘love’ in the other.”
Legal analysis say that Dassey’s chances are remote, as the state has not commuted a sentence since 2001 and does not grant clemency until after a convicted person’s sentence has been completed. According to the Appleton Post-Crescent, Dassey’s legal team now includes interrogation expert Dave Thompson, who says he was sickened by the techniques used to elicit a confession from Dassey in Making A Murderer, and was compelled to assist in the clemency effort.
The New York Times reports that as part of the clemency effort, Dassey will be engaging in “television and print media exclusives” to help build up support for his release. One of those, an interview with the podcast Wrongful Conviction, dropped Tuesday, and can be heard here. -- EB
What I’m reading from my hotel room in Oklahoma City:
“Police Data and the Citizen App: Partners in Crime Coverage.” [NYT] Crime reporter Ali Watkins breaks down the tech she uses to report our her stories, including CompStat and the Citizen breaking news app.
“Director Bong Joon Ho reacts to the ID of alleged Memories of Murder serial killer.” [LA Times] The director’s 2003 movie was based in a set of unsolved serial slayings from the late 1980s-early 1990s. Last this month, an already-incarcerated suspect confessed to the killings.
“The 10 Essential True-Crime Podcasts That Shaped the Genre.” [Vulture] As part of a week focused on podcasting, Vulture is asking experts like Blotter friend Rebecca Lavoie for their genre-based recommendations. How would your list differ?
Friday on Best Evidence: I’m listening to The Last Days of August today, so I’ll have that review for you tomorrow!
What is this thing? This should help.
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