Podcast Summary

Podcast: How I Died
Episode: S4 E08: We're Back
Release Date: October 8, 2025
Host/Production: Audiohm Media

Overview

In this pivotal episode of "How I Died," pathologist Jonathan Spacer finds himself swamped by bodies and secrets in the eerie town of Springfield. As the facility he works in reveals disturbing truths, Jonathan’s ability to talk to the dead brings painful reunions and urgent warnings. Old friends and old enemies resurface, raising new questions about who can be trusted and what price must be paid for the truth. The main focus is on revelations about Springfield Corp, simmering tensions between Jonathan and Amelia, and Crowley’s haunting presence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Crowley’s Return & Unfinished Business

• Crowley appears to Jonathan as a ghost, sparking confrontation in the lab, and expresses a desire to warn both Jonathan and Mendez.
  • Amelia initially tries to have Crowley physically removed, unaware Jonathan is conversing with a ghost.
  • Crowley hints at the importance of Mendez’s whereabouts: “15 Smith Avenue, Unit 2.” (01:19)
• Crowley reveals his own backstory: He’s Alex Mendez—the presumed dead brother from 1989—and survived for 264 days in a fallout bunker under the Springfield core facility.
  • “Everyone thought you died during the storm.” – John (03:04)
  • “I sort of did. Figuratively, I guess.” – Crowley (03:04)
• Crowley gives context on Mendez’s current state:
  • Mendez is wracked by guilt, obsessing over old case files and blaming himself for Crowley’s fate.
  • “He just sat in his apartment for months, pouring over those files.” – Crowley (04:46)

2. Springfield Corp Conspiracy

• Crowley delivers a dire warning: Springfield Corp is alive, thriving, and sanctioned by the US government.
  • “Trust me, kid. This group, it is Springfield Corp.” – Crowley (06:55)
  • Mendez dug too deep; both he and Crowley ended up at the facility under suspicious circumstances.
• Jonathan’s Crisis of Conscience:
  • Torn between exposing or infiltrating Springfield Corp, Jonathan debates whether to work from within against “the bad guys.”
  • “Is it better to let them do what they want on their own or be a man on the inside to help steer it?” – John (08:48)
  • “But you’re a doctor, not a cop.” – Crowley (09:09)
• Amelia’s Role Revisited:
  • Jonathan and Crowley are stunned—and worried—when they find out Amelia has been released from prison.
  • Tension escalates as Jonathan’s concerns about the facility deepen.

3. Facility Secrets & Moral Quandaries

• Walk-and-Talk with Amelia:
  • Jonathan and Amelia discuss the “Dog Town” sector—a disturbing hallway filled with not-quite-dead “creeps," suggesting the facility is hiding undead or suffering patients.
  • “The hallway just keeps going and going and going.” – Amelia (14:38)
  • “They’re not all as dead and so side as the good doctor led us to think at first.” – Amelia (15:02)
  • Jonathan confronts Amelia: “Do you think that’s funny?” (15:55) regarding her glibness about death and violence.
• Contrast in Attitude:
  • Amelia describes her black humor and fatalism, admitting, “I make jokes out of the darkest things just so I don’t have to feel the pain of taking them seriously.” (16:28)
  • A tense exchange about morality unfolds:
    • “Deep down, everyone’s like me... Your color is red. Bloody red.” – Amelia (16:05)
    • “I didn’t hurt people voluntarily. I’m not like you.” – John (16:00)
• Ghosts & Guilt:
  • Jonathan’s power to speak with the dead is out in the open, causing further friction between him and Amelia, who is both adversary and reluctant confidante.
• Springfield Corp’s True Face:
  • Jonathan finally confronts Amelia with the revelation: the facility is Springfield Corp, still active and deceiving them.
  • “Make a joke about how you ended up working for the same company that killed your brother and started all this shit.” – John (18:44)
  • Amelia is shaken, unable to offer her usual sarcasm.

4. Escalation and Cliffhanger

• Showdown in the Lab:
  • Amelia attempts to test an unproven serum, forcing a struggle between her and Jonathan.
  • Crowley, partially manifest, tries to intervene but is frustrated by his ghostly limitations.
  • “I am not going to let you hurt her with some untested serious. Let it go.” – John (19:22)
  • The situation ends unresolved, with Amelia taunting, “You test it out then. Oopsie.” (19:29)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Do you ever close your hand in a door for that split second before the pain hits? You’re both inside and outside somewhere at the same time. That’s how it feels.”
  — Crowley describes being a ghost (06:06)

• “Hating you doesn’t make him feel better either. So don’t be a martyr.”
  — Crowley tries to shake Jonathan out of his self-pity (05:48)

• “Deep down, everyone’s like me... All it takes is a little bit of pressure to show our true colors.”
  — Amelia, to Jonathan (16:05)

• “You’ve got people around you who know what you can do, and instead of enjoying it, you’re sulking... Boo. I’m trapped here with Amelia, being studied like a lab rat.”
  — Amelia taunting Jonathan’s reluctance to use his ghost-speaking gift (17:00)

• “I found last year that they’re still active. And because of that thing I’m so good at, I got to talk to that scientist you killed last year.”
  — Jonathan revealing the real identity of their employers, and tying past horrors to present dangers (17:55)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:08] Crowley’s ghost appears and passes information to Jonathan.
• [02:33] Jonathan realizes Crowley is Alex Mendez’s brother, presumed dead.
• [04:22] Crowley and Jonathan discuss the fallout of past deaths and guilt.
• [06:40] Crowley warns Jonathan about Springfield Corp’s true nature.
• [08:48] Jonathan questions the morality of working with evil from within.
• [14:30] Tour of the disturbing “Dog Town” — hallway of tortured experiment victims.
• [16:05] Intense conversation on morality, violence, and truth between Amelia and Jonathan.
• [17:55] Jonathan’s confrontation: revealing Springfield Corp’s continued existence.
• [19:13] Struggle over the experimental serum, escalating tensions.

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode is tense, haunted, and snarky—balancing existential dread with sarcastic humor. The ensemble’s chemistry shines, particularly the combative yet vulnerable exchanges between Jonathan and Amelia, and the ghostly, tragic wit of Crowley.

Summary for New Listeners

If you haven’t listened, this episode is a keystone in the “How I Died” story: deceptive institutions, haunted by literal and figurative ghosts, drive the heroes toward uneasy alliances and dangerous revelations. It’s packed with raw emotion, backstory reveals, and sharp banter, all set amid a backdrop of supernatural crime and moral uncertainty.