In The Dark – Season 2 Update: Five Years Later
Host: Madeleine Baran
Date: October 8, 2025
Overview
This deeply reported, intimate episode marks five years since In The Dark’s groundbreaking Season 2, which investigated the case of Curtis Flowers—a man who was tried six times for the same 1996 murder and spent 23 years behind bars before being exonerated. Host Madeleine Baran and producer Samara Freemark return to Winona, Mississippi, to visit Curtis, now living with and caring for his ailing father, Archie. The episode traces how Curtis has rebuilt his life, the enduring impact of his wrongful conviction, the complex dynamics of returning to his hometown, and ultimately, the final days of his father’s life.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Returning to Winona and Reuniting with Curtis Flowers
- (02:00–04:09): Madeleine and Samara recount the drive to the familiar Flowers family home and their first moments with Curtis, who has dramatically lost weight for health reasons.
- Curtis reveals surprise at living in Winona again, noting his initial fears about safety and community backlash:
"Wynonna is not somewhere I would just want to go…just to be safe." — Curtis Flowers (03:54)
Life After Prison—Celebrity, Quiet, and Caretaking
- (05:09–08:14): Curtis shares his transition from prison to brief national visibility—speaking engagements, media appearances, random celebrity encounters, Roc Nation shout-outs to moments of "spook" and unease:
"It was so much happening all at once. It just spooked me." — Curtis Flowers (07:45)
- After a short-lived marriage and stint as a handyman, Curtis settles into daily caretaking for his father:
"Nowadays, his life revolves almost entirely around one person. His father, Archie Flowers." — Madeleine Baran (08:14)
Archbishop Archie: Family Bonds and Decline
- (08:29–16:50): Archie, once a quiet pillar in Curtis's life, is found diminished by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, but remains the axis around which Curtis orbits.
- Flashbacks and archival tape trace Archie’s devotion—driving to visit Curtis in prison, singing gospel in visitation rooms, performing with the Melody Kings—contrasted with his current decline.
"He said, man, you don't have to hang around here looking after me… I said, look, if you can take care of me, I can't take care of you for a little while." — Curtis Flowers recalling Archie (12:59)
- The sacrifices of caretaking and the depth of the parent-child bond become a central theme:
"It's a lot… stress you out. But he's a good dude. He really is." — Curtis Flowers (14:05)
Return, Reputation, and Racial Realities
- (17:58–22:25): Madeleine explores what it means for Curtis to live openly in a town once divided—often sharply along racial lines—over his guilt or innocence.
- Discussion of Curtis’s now-iconic "Locally Hated" bumper sticker (18:50):
"I was, well, they hate me anyway. Let me get that one." — Curtis Flowers (19:07)
- Curtis details now-friendly, but often awkward, encounters with locals who confess they assumed his guilt.
"We did not know. We'd always just assumed you were guilty because the District Attorney, Doug Evans, said you were." — Curtis paraphrasing locals (21:13) "They should think for themselves and not take something somebody else say." — Curtis Flowers (21:55)
Legal Fates and Unanswered Chapters
- (22:25–24:19):
- Doug Evans, the DA who tried Curtis six times, retired in 2023; Curtis and others have filed bar complaints with little response from authorities.
- Curtis sued Evans and law enforcement; the lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
- He receives $50,000 a year for 10 years from the state for wrongful conviction—the maximum allowed:
"Better late than never. But 23 years of your life, gone. You can't even get it back." — Curtis Flowers (23:59)
Everyday Injustices and Small Town Surveillance
- (24:19–27:31): Curtis reflects on ongoing, systemic injustice, e.g., the police targeting local Black residents, and how his notoriety both insulates and isolates him.
"You come crawl over here and they everywhere. ...just stopping somebody. They got nothing better to do." — Curtis Flowers (24:47)
- Relays a story about police seeking security camera footage from his home, to which he cheekily refuses:
"I said, I did 23 years, I did 23 wrong for you. Now I'm supposed to just turn some footage over and help them guys… I don't rap people out like that." — Curtis Flowers (26:47)
- Relays a story about police seeking security camera footage from his home, to which he cheekily refuses:
The Weight of Care, Loss, and Memory
- (28:35–31:58): The difficulties of caring for his father—exhaustion, long nights, finding fleeting moments for music and connection—are vividly detailed, culminating in a poignant father-son duet of a family gospel song.
- (33:05–36:36): Curtis expresses his longing for a new life elsewhere, where he is not continually recognized and reminded of his past—even as he cherishes his ties to family and home.
Family, Grief, and Closure
- (36:54–40:04): The group visits the cemetery where Curtis’s mother, Lola, is buried. He describes her enduring support—the daily calls, her belief in his eventual release—and how he continues to visit her grave for solace and conversation:
"I can have a conversation with my mom, talk about things that are going on, what I'm feeling. ...I got this sense of calm over me, you know?" — Curtis Flowers (39:10; 39:56)
Epilogue: Archie’s Passing
- (42:18–end): After their visit and while preparing the episode, the team learns of Archie’s death.
- Curtis recounts Archie’s last request of him:
"Be the glue for everybody. Keep them together and make sure they stay happy. Because Daddy’s tired and I'm ready." — (Curtis, quoting Archie; 46:55* estimation)
- Curtis recounts Archie’s last request of him:
Memorable Moments & Quotes
-
On the surreality of freedom and fame:
"Curtis, this is like the weirdest transition from Parchment Prison to that." — Madeleine Baran (07:34)
-
On small-town perception and exhaustion:
"If I stop somewhere, people want to talk…every day, it’s like you’re reminded of what I’ve been through." — Curtis Flowers (35:49)
-
On the impossibility of compensation:
"23 years of your life, gone. You can't even get it back." — Curtis Flowers (23:59)
-
On family sacrifice and duty:
"Daddy, the only reason I'm still here right now…something would have happened to him today, and I would be out of here by the weekend." — Curtis Flowers (34:55)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 02:00 — Arrival at Flowers' home; reunion with Curtis
- 05:39 — Curtis describes his life after release: public attention and odd jobs
- 08:14 — Shift to caring for his father
- 10:26 — Reflections on family prison visits, singing with Archie
- 16:22 — The emotional cost and unfairness of Curtis’s lost years
- 18:50 — "Locally Hated" bumper sticker and reputation in Winona
- 22:25 — Doug Evans, accountability, and settlement details
- 24:47 — Police scrutiny of Black residents; Curtis’s approach to law enforcement
- 28:44 — The demands of caretaking; music as comfort
- 33:24 — Driving through Winona and reflecting on history
- 36:54 — Visits to the family cemetery; conversations with his late mother
- 42:18 — Goodbye and Archie Flowers’ final days and death
Tone & Language
The episode is profound yet conversational, suffused with warmth, bittersweet humor, and an ever-present sense of loss and resilience. Curtis’s dry wit and stoic acceptance are matched by Madeleine’s gentle, empathetic interviewing style. The narrative blends reportage and memoir, past and present, always foregrounding the human emotional stakes.
Final Note
“Be the glue for everybody. Keep them together and make sure they stay happy. Because Daddy’s tired and I’m ready.” — Archie Flowers’s final words, as recounted by Curtis, resonate as a coda to this moving update. The episode is a portrait of perseverance and quiet heroism amid the unresolved wounds and daily demands left by an epic injustice.
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