The Idiot - Trailer

About this episode

M. Gessen explores the troubling story of their cousin Allen, who is arrested for attempting to murder his ex-wife.

The New York Times writer M. Gessen is widely known for their award-winning writing about totalitarianism, terrorism and the erosion of human rights. Now, M. is examining a more personal target: their least favorite cousin, Allen. For decades, they saw Allen as a fool, a pompous ‘international businessman’ who bragged about shady deals. But then Allen is arrested for trying to put a hit out on his ex-wife, and M. cannot wrap their head around the news. He’s just an idiot, right? Not a would-be murderer?

People in this episode

Host: Allen

Guest: M. Gessen

Topics covered

• totalitarianism
• terrorism
• human rights
• personal narrative
• crime

Keywords

• M. Gessen
• Allen
• totalitarianism
• terrorism
• human rights
• crime
• podcast

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The New York Times

More episodes of Serial

• The Idiot - Chapter 5 · March 26, 2026 · 29 min
• The Idiot - Chapter 4 · March 26, 2026 · 1h 3m
• The Idiot - Chapter 3 · March 26, 2026 · 50 min
• The Idiot - Chapter 2 · March 26, 2026 · 50 min
• The Idiot - Chapter 1 · March 26, 2026 · 22 min
• The Preventionist - Ep. 3 · October 30, 2025 · 58 min