DeepSummary
The episode begins with a reenactment of a public service announcement against distracted driving. It then delves into the work of a medical examiner, Dr. L.J. Drakovich, who examines crime scenes and dead bodies to uncover the true stories behind them. He recounts a case where his examination of the victim's tongue revealed that a supposed suicide was actually a homicide.
Next, the episode explores the job of a crime scene cleaner named Neil Smither, who cleans up after murders, suicides, and accidental deaths. Despite the gruesome nature of his work, Neil is blunt and unapologetic, revealing that the job has made him realize how "dirty" people's living conditions can be.
The episode also includes a fictional short story by Amy Bender about a boy with a special ability to find lost things, and how he uses this gift to help find a kidnapped child. The final act follows Katie Davis' neighbor, Bobby, a former convict and drug addict who tries to turn his life around by coaching a little league baseball team in his neighborhood.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Crime scenes contain rich narratives and stories waiting to be uncovered, often through careful examination and deductive reasoning.
- The work of crime scene cleaners and medical examiners can be gruesome and disturbing, but also necessary and insightful.
- Fiction and storytelling can offer unique perspectives on crime scenes and the human experiences surrounding them.
- Attempts at redemption and personal transformation, like Bobby's coaching of a little league team, can stem from experiences with crime and incarceration.
- The episode presents diverse and unflinching perspectives on crime scenes, death, and the lives of those who work to uncover or clean up after them.
- Crime scenes and the stories they tell can be both horrifying and fascinating, reflecting the complexities of human nature and experience.
- The examination of crime scenes and the clues they hold can sometimes reveal unexpected truths and challenge initial assumptions.
- The episode highlights the importance of storytelling, empathy, and understanding in grappling with the darker aspects of human experience.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Every crime scene is a story of its own, is a novel, and it opens up in every direction.“ by Dr. L.J. Drakovich
- “I always thought I was going to be a loser forever, man. First of all, being clean makes me feel like, okay, I got a chance to be a winner. But the kids especially, it's something about kids. This is something I never thought, man, that I'd be able to do. It's like, man, I was walking after a practice like a week or two ago, I swear to God, I walked across Duke Ellington Bridge to the subway and I started crying. I started crying because I was so fucking happy. So happy that, damn, this is probably going to work out. I'm probably going to be able to pull this off.“ by Bobby
- “In my assessment of this, this was a homicide. Now, do I know for sure? No, I did not. But that's the logic.“ by Dr. L.J. Drakovich
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Episode Information
This American Life
This American Life
2/18/24
Every crime scene hides a story. In this week's show, we hear about crime scenes and the stories they tell.
- Medical Examiner D.J. Drakovic, in Pontiac Michigan, explains how every crime scene is like a novel. (5 minutes)
- Act One: Reporter Nancy Updike spends two days with Neal Smither, who cleans up crime scenes for a living, and comes away wanting to open his Los Angeles franchise, despite the gore — or maybe because of it. (12 minutes)
- Act Two: Actor Matt Malloy reads a short story by Aimee Bender, from her book “The Girl in the Flammable Skirt," about what can be and cannot be recovered from a crime scene, or from anywhere. (12 minutes)
- Act Three: Sometimes criminals return to the scene of their misdeeds — to try to make things right, to try to undo the past. Katie Davis reports on her neighbor Bobby, who returned to the scene where he robbed people and conned people. This time, he came to coach little league. (22 minutes)
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org