'Serial' Podcast Finale: The End Of An Investigation And 'What We Know'

It's over. The 12th and final episode of "Serial," the podcast that re-examined a real-life murder, was released Thursday, and we can now say for sure that we know maybe who probably did it, sort of. In the finale, titled “What We Know,” host Sarah Koenig introduced new information and developments and offered final thoughts as she wrapped up her year-long investigation of the 1999 murder in Baltimore of 18-year-old Hae Min Lee and the conviction of her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed.

For a while now, "Serial" fans have understood that the podcast -- a spinoff of radio's "This American Life" -- would probably not provide the concrete answers they were looking for. In many ways, last week’s episode prepared listeners for something that would be far from definitive but perhaps conclusive enough to satisfy. For some, that was infuriating. Others took it as an opportunity to expound on the nature of truth, the viability of true-crime reporting and as an opening for bad-taste Twitter jokes. But after 15 months of reporting, there had to be an ending. Whether or not we would like the ending was not left up to the series' listeners or creators. Lest we forget, "Serial" is about real people and ongoing events. The imprisoned Syed has a hearing in January.

The series premiered on Oct. 3, and halfway through it, in early November, Buzzfeed conducted a highly shareable but unscientific poll of people's opinions about the case. "The Definitive 'Serial' Obsessive Poll' found only 15 percent of listeners thought the case ultimately would be resolved; 33 percent said they would be fine with no resolution, and 52 percent said they would be somewhere between "fine" and "upset" without a conclusive ending.

But do listeners still feel that way? Even before the episodes about the trial and attorney Cristina Gutierrez's missteps, 93 percent of participants thought Adnan's lawyer did a bad job defending him. Odds are, the 55 percent of people who think "maybe [Adnan is guilty], but there is something really fishy about the details" still feel that way. Or at least that's how Sarah Koenig feels.

For as many pieces of evidence Koenig revisited in this week's episode, she also provided new tidbits. Yes, there could have been a pay phone at, or in, the Best Buy. She pulls up old architectural plans showing a pay phone inside the vestibule. We also learn a little more about key witness Jay thanks to his friend Josh.

Listeners were also introduced to Don, Hae's boyfriend. Don does have an alibi for that day and the computer-generated time card from LensCrafters rules him out as a suspect.

As for the mysterious call to Nisha made from Adnan's cell phone an hour after Hae's murder, it turns out it's possible the call was a "butt dial." But if so, what about the call to Jenn's landline during the time Jay was with her? That would imply Adnan, or someone else, had the cell phone. As Dana says in the episode, Adnan would have to be the unluckiest boy in the world in order to explain all of the inconsistencies in the different versions of what happened on the day Hae was murdered.

For the 29 percent of Buzzfeed poll takers who most wanted to know who Sarah Koenig thought did it -- she (almost) told us. Many listeners will hang on to the idea of a serial killer. Ronald Lee Moore, a murder, rapist and burglar, was out of prison at the time of Hae's death and the Innocence Project will test DNA evidence found with Hae, including the PERK kit, against Moore's samples.

"You, me, the state of Maryland, based on the information we have before us, I don't believe any of us can say what really happened to Hae," Koenig concluded. "As a juror, I vote to acquit Adnan Syed. I have to acquit. Even if in my heart of hearts I think Adnan killed Hae, I still have to acquit. That's what the law requires of jurors, but I'm not a juror. So just as a human being walking down the street next week, what do I think?"

¯_(ツ)_/¯

Koenig "nursed out." As much as she may have wanted to give us a "with the candlestick in the parlor" conclusion, she couldn't. The story is not over and the case will resume in real life after being reopened by this podcast.

Frustrated? Relieved? Content? Tell us how you feel about the conclusion in the polls below:

Want more "Serial"-esque podcast episodes to listen to? Check out this list of other amazing true crime shows, including other investigations by Koenig herself.