"In the Dark" reaction #2

The podcast bolsters its second season

Episodes two and three of the second season of “In the Dark” continue the deep dive into the ongoing prosecution of Curtis Flowers.

While listening to episode two, I found myself gripped by the description of the path witnesses, those called to the stand who testified to seeing Flowers walking along the path that allegedly led him to Tardy Furniture on the morning of July 16, 1996.

After being led to latch onto Flowers’ crusade for justice in episode one, I found myself confronted by the strength of the path witnesses’ testimonies in episode two. Further, I felt an eerie sense of sadness listening to Flowers’ parents, Lola and Archie, speak after discovering ahead of time that the former had passed away in July. Lola’s wish that her son would be released in time for the coming family reunion was particularly chilling.

In episode three, I found myself focusing intently on listening to the frantic back and forth between the stories of Flowers and Doyle Simpson. I was particularly impressed by host Madeleine Baran’s explanation of how bullets are matched to the guns from which they were fired.

The commitment the “In the Dark” team continues to show to thorough research impresses me, as in episode two, Baran goes above and beyond to interview every living person that is connected to the case. In my reaction to episode one of the podcast, I highlighted the ability of shows like “Dateline” and “Unsolved Mysteries” to captivate an audience over the course of a single episode. The difference between those shows and “In the Dark” is the latter’s ability to tell a story across a large arc and, with a potential seventh trial coming for Flowers, its ability to possibly add more chapters.