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Susan Burton first heard about the case through a local news story.
When the women brought up the agony in the moment, they were often dismissed.
While Burton had not gone through fertility treatment herself, she felt a distinct pull to the case.
The resulting series for Serial Productions,The Retrievals, is simply incredible.
(Burton produced the story with Laura Starecheski.)
I cant stop thinking about it.
In presentation,The Retrievalsis less of a traditional investigative piece than one might expect.
I had questions about these experiences of trust and betrayal, of justice and the specific longing towards motherhood.
Key limitations would shape how the story was ultimately assembled.
Morticone wouldnt speak with Burton, and neither would a representative from Yale.
Their interiorities felt like the right subject.
But whats so formalistically intriguing is the wayThe Retrievalsfavors a softer touch.
Burton functions as an empathetic observer shepherding the tale with discernible distance.
The women drive to the clinic before work in the morning for blood draws.
The women are wheeled out to the recovery room.
The Retrievalsbroadly continues Serial Productions streak in this style.
But doing it that way is a choice, you know?
It wasnt the right choice for me or for this material.
Since its release,The Retrievalshas elicited a strong response for the frank unambiguity of its inquiry.
Burton manages to succeed where many other seasons ofSerialhave failed,Lizzie OLeary wrote in Slate.
There is actually a conclusion offered: Womens pain is not treated equally because women are not treated equally.
She adds, with what seems to be a shade of ambivalence: Thats what matters, right?
That her actions affected women seeking motherhood is a bitter irony not lost on anybody.
Indeed, the ideological nature of motherhood starts to feel like a subject worth reconsidering.
The womens lawsuit remains ongoing.
That, of course, leads to more questions.
Who are the people making that decision, and why is that decision happening?
