The decision is something of a surprise, after the Army’s investigating officer found that Bergdahl should not face jail time or be discharged for leaving his unit in Afghanistan in 2009. Bergdahl was held by a Taliban affiliate group for five years until he was exchanged for five Taliban soliders who were being held in Guantanamo. If convicted, Bergdahl could spend the rest of his life in prison.
While Bergdahl, his family, and his attorneys are certainly scrambling, it’s possible that Sarah Koenig and the team behind Serial, the second season of which focuses on Bergdahl, are as well. The interviews done with Bergdahl were conducted by Mark Boal—who’s working on a movie script about the solider’s time in captivity—before Serial turned its attention to the case. Given the impending court-martial, it seems unlikely we’ll hear more from Bergdahl beyond what Boal already acquired. And despite Serial’s ability to affect the judicial system in its first season—Adnan Syed was recently granted a new hearing—the show hasn’t had to deal with a developing, national story before. The next episode will feature interviews with members of the Taliban, so it’s unlikely we’ll hear about the court-martial until (at least) episode three.