Podcast Summary: Slow Burn, Season 1 Trailer - Watergate

Host: Leon Neyfakh
Date: November 17, 2017
Episode: Season 1 Trailer: Watergate
Podcast: Slow Burn by Slate Podcasts

Episode Overview

This trailer introduces the first season of “Slow Burn,” a podcast series that explores the Watergate scandal in unprecedented depth. Host Leon Neyfakh sets up the season’s core mission: to capture what it truly felt like to live through the two-year unraveling that brought down President Richard Nixon—a journey far more complex, fraught, and astonishing than the rapid conclusion popularized in movies like “All the President’s Men.” Neyfakh promises to uncover forgotten stories, personal perspectives, and the slow, suspenseful buildup that made Watergate a defining moment in American history.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Watergate in Popular Memory vs. Real Life

• Contrast with “All the President’s Men”: Leon reflects on how most people—including himself before researching—know Watergate mainly through the film, where the scandal’s resolution is condensed into a rapid montage.
  • Quote (Leon Neyfakh, 00:13):

    "You've probably seen it, but do you remember how it ends?...The last story we see is Nixon resigns. It takes a little over a minute in the movie. In real life, it took about two years."

• The podcast aims to step past the "montage" to reveal what actually happened during those long, uncertain months.

2. Experiencing Watergate in Real Time

• Neyfakh raises critical questions about experiencing the scandal as it unfolded, not knowing the outcome.
  • Quote (Leon Neyfakh, 00:53):

    "What was it like to experience those two years in real time? What were people thinking and feeling as the break in at Democratic Party headquarters went from a weird little caper to a constitutional crisis that brought down the President?"

3. The Gradual Unfolding of Crisis

• The scandal grew from an obscure event into a full-blown crisis.
  • Quote (Archival Voice, 01:06):

    "If you think of the whole thing as moving from a wellspring in the mountains to a stream to a river to all of a sudden this huge rushing gusher. At this point it was like a trickle."

• Implies the story’s slow momentum, building suspense and uncertainty for those living through it.

4. Stories You’ve Never Heard

• Neyfakh teases deeply personal, lesser-known Watergate stories:
  • Martha Mitchell: Wife of Nixon’s Attorney General, whose life was upended by the scandal.
    • Quote (Martha Mitchell, 01:25):

      "The break in, that was the beginning of my being held a prisoner."

  • Curtis Prinz: A congressional staffer among the first to dig into the scandal’s connections.
    • Quote (Curtis Prinz, 01:36):

      "It was at that time that I realized that this thing went directly into the White House."

  • Elizabeth Holtzman: Young congresswoman unexpectedly joining the impeachment committee.
    • Quote (Elizabeth Holtzman, 01:49):

      "You can be sure that I would have scratched and clawed to get on that committee if I had an inkling of impeachment, but I had no inkling. And the powers that be had no inkling. And I’m sure the President had no inkling either."

5. The Unfolding Drama and Emotional Highs

• The sense of instability and excitement felt by participants.
  • Quote (Journalist/Participant, 02:09):

    "We were kind of on a high. We'd never been through anything like this before and we didn't know where it was going."

• Portrays Watergate as stranger, wilder, and more exciting than its history-book summary.

6. Modern-Day Relevance

• Neyfakh draws a parallel from Watergate to current headlines, emphasizing why revisiting this scandal matters now.
  • Quote (Leon Neyfakh, 02:15):

    "With today’s headlines once again full of corruption, collusion and dirty tricks, it’s time for another look at the gate that started it all."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Leon Neyfakh, 00:13:

  "The last story we see is Nixon resigns. It takes a little over a minute in the movie. In real life, it took about two years."

• Martha Mitchell, 01:25:

  "The break in, that was the beginning of my being held a prisoner."

• Elizabeth Holtzman, 01:49:

  "If I had had an inkling of impeachment, but I had no inkling. And the powers that be had no inkling. And I’m sure the President had no inkling either."

• Leon Neyfakh, 02:15:

  "It's time for another look at the gate that started it all."

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Introduction by Host Leon Neyfakh | | 00:36 | Archival news audio: Initial Watergate break-in coverage | | 01:06 | Describing Watergate’s slow escalation | | 01:25 | Martha Mitchell’s personal story | | 01:36 | Curtis Prinz on first discovering the White House connection | | 01:49 | Elizabeth Holtzman’s entry into the impeachment committee | | 02:09 | Emotional highs of those involved | | 02:15 | Season theme: Revisiting Watergate’s relevance today |

Tone & Language

• The trailer uses a mixture of investigative curiosity and suspenseful storytelling.
• Neyfakh’s narration is introspective and personal, inviting listeners into the confusion and uncertainty of the era.
• Archival voices bring an authentic, first-person immediacy to the retelling.

Summary

The trailer for “Slow Burn: Watergate” sets the stage for an immersive, character-driven reexamination of America’s greatest political scandal. Promising gripping, little-known stories and a fresh perspective on the slow, uncertain build-up of Watergate, Leon Neyfakh invites listeners to relive those years as they were experienced—confusing, suspenseful, and deeply consequential—while drawing subtle parallels to the present. The documentary style, with rich archival sound and reflective narration, promises depth for both newcomers and history buffs alike.