Serial Season 4: These Guantánamo stories miss what the podcast does best.

Without a doubt, the new season of Serial, the podcast’s fourth, addresses a worthy topic: what went on at the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay in Cuba following the Sept. 11 attacks. After an introductory episode full of sardonic details—the gift shop selling “It doesn’t Gitmo better than this” coffee mugs, former low-level personnel saying things like “I partied my ass off at Gitmo”—co-host Sarah Koenig settles in to tell two far more serious stories in Episodes 2 and 3. While there’s nothing wrong with using a different form to tell a well-known story—particularly one with which some younger listeners may be unfamiliar—this season’s Serial nevertheless feels like a bait and switch. Related From Slate The New Serial Podcast Comes the Closest Yet to Re-Creating the Appeal of Season 1 There’s a clue to what makes Serial work best right there in the title.