- Consider the “moments of reflection” in the episodes you listened to this week. Helena Merriman (Tunnel 29) and Kelly Horan (Last Seen) have distinct writing styles, describe a couple of ways they differ.
I would say that Helena Merriman’s style is focused on moving the plot forward, while Kelly Horan circles around a central issue (an art heist whodunit), looking at one thing from multiple angles, with each episode covering a different suspect. Horan also asks a lot of questions in her moments of reflection, whereas Merriman puts forth a lot of exposition.
- Choose one moment of reflection from any episode. How well does that moment work as a bridge between the soundbite that comes before and after it?
Tunnel 29:
MERRIMAN: And you can imagine how risky this is: Stasi informants are everywhere. Not just in the East, but in West Berlin too. Stasi agents were known to kidnap people and take them back over the border into the east, and throw them in prison. And so the tunnelers had first big argument. Some of them say they should just give up, others say it’s worth the risk.
This moment of reflection is in between when the idea to tell the West Berlin Water Department about the tunnel is first mentioned, and when the decision to do so is stated. This moment of reflection successfully reveals the stakes of such an action. It ramps up the anticipation and anxiety for the listener and dramatically reveals that the diggers are going to take the risk.
Last Seen:
HORAN: Now, if you’re on the hook for one bad crime, why on earth would you want to raise your hand and make yourself a suspect in a worse one? Why would Merlino want to face that kind of heat?
This moment of reflection comes just after we learn that Merlino, after being arrested for cocaine trafficking, admitted to having a stolen painting he’d return for leniency. Moran is asking exactly what the audience wants to know, serving as an audience surrogate. She is effectively and clearly emphasizing the strangeness of Merlino’s behavior. It adds a bit of tension while we wait for the answer to her questions, which the next soundbite dutifully obliges. Moran keeps the audience on track-making sure that they are focusing on the “right” questions.
Audio Experiments 