Podcast of The Week: Dirty John

Hey Guys!

It is officially Easter break for university students like myself and that means a break from dissertations and essays - FINALLY! The last few months have been stressful and hectic, so I'm glad to be getting back into blogging over my Easter break ❤

I'm back this week with another Podcast of The Week review! If you are a fan of podcasts look out for my Podcast of The Week blog posts in future as I'll be sharing details and reviews of all different types of podcasts from true crime, positivity and happiness to comedy and music ❤

This week is about the podcast Dirty John! 

Dirty John 

Dirty John is a Wondery podcast hosted by Christopher Goffard from the L.A Times. The podcast details the story of Debra Newell and John Meehan's short love story from deception, to manipulation and finally to death. Each episode details parts of the story, from how Debra and John met, to marriage and family conflicts and details on just how far John Meehan would go to get what he wanted, hurting not just one person but multiple. 

I started listening to Dirty John on Spotify after my housemate was telling us about the podcast and how crazy the story is, and then another friend recommended the series Dirty John on Netflix. So, I thought I'd start with the podcast first and then move on to the drama series. There are only six episodes detailing John Meehan and Debra Newell's story but there are a few bonus episodes talking with the cast from the Dirty John drama series which I found really interesting as well. 

Normally when I discuss podcasts I highlight episodes that I favoured, but with this podcast, each episode ties into each other and it is hard to pick a favourite when it's all the same story. Instead this week I'll just be discussing the entire podcast. 

When I first started listening to the podcast I was intrigued to find out what John Meehan could have done to be nicknamed Dirty John but as you listen on the story gets crazier and crazier! You'll find yourself stopping and listening intently to what is happening. In the podcast, you hear Debra, her daughters, John's sister and people who knew John Meehan re-tell the story and go into depth about the experiences they had to go through while John was in their lives. You'll find yourself captured by their stories.

When you listen to the first episode you get a slight confusion as it begins with a coroners report of a dead body and at first you are confused to who it could be and how it ended in such a violent death, but then by the last episode everything makes so much sense and all of your curiosity and questions are answered. John Meehan comes across as a charismatic, charming gentleman but as the story unfolds you are surprised to what lengths he will go to, especially if he doesn't get his own way. By listening to Dirty John you realise that you think you know someone when really they could be deceiving everyone around them. By listening to Debra you get the impression that she must have been so naive to stay with John even after the countless times he threatened her and lied to her, but John Meehan was a master of manipulation and as you hear her narrative about their time together you begin to understand why she would be so naive. There are times throughout the podcast where you find yourself getting so frustrated with Debra, especially when it becomes so obvious the type of person John is but once you hear her story and the relationships she had had in the past you feel sympathy. 

When you hear Debra's daughters recollections of the events that took place between October 2014 to August 2016 you realise what one person can do to a family and how one man can affect the relationship you have with your mother. I think by having Jaqueline and Terra (Debra's daughters) narrate their part of the story on the podcast made it so much more real and captivating as a listener. By the end of episode 6, you are left shocked at the outcome and how everything escalated so quickly (I won't give any spoilers!), you'll want to go and find out more from the reports!

Christopher Goffard is the one who reported on the case that is John Meehan for L.A Times. He hosts and narrates the show telling the story in such a compelling way where from the first episode you are drawn in. I was able to finish the whole podcast in two days and then went on to watch a documentary to find out even more details about the true crime case. I'm a huge fan of true crime podcasts so it wasn't surprising that I found the podcast so interesting! 

If you are a fan of true crime and investigative journalism then I highly recommend checking out the Dirty John podcast! 

To check out the podcast you can find it on Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or on Spotify - just click the link below:

What podcasts are you listening to at the moment? Let me know in the comments below!

See you soon ❤

Amy x