The Boston Globe

•

Channel • 6 Shows

True Crime

True Crime

Series
Relationships

Relationships

Updated fortnightly
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated weekly
News

News

Updated 24 Feb
Personal Journals

Personal Journals

Complete series
News

News

Updated weekly

24 FEB

Justin Garcia: “Monogamy is not just one thing.”

Meredith has long been interested in the Kinsey Institute, a place were researchers focus their work on sex and relationships.In this episode, Meredith interviews Kinsey Executive Director Justin Garcia about his new book, “The Intimate Animal: The Science of Sex, Fidelity, and Why We Live and Die for Love.”Meredith read the book in one sitting.Her conversation with Justin covers many topics including monogamy, emotional intimacy, and how to keep long relationships working.They also discuss the concept of “slow love,” and why younger people think of marriage as the end of a road, as opposed to the beginning.Remember, Love Letters is also an advice column. When you ask a question, you help others wondering the same thing. Email your question to loveletters@boston.com.Sign up for Meredith’s newsletter at Boston.com/meredith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

24 Feb

•

38 min
SEASON 1, EPISODE 1

EPISODE 1: Officer Pastillas

On the docks of New Bedford, Massachusetts, whispers about a rogue police officer harassing fishermen and stealing drugs come to a head aboard a scalloping boat late one night. The officer forces his way on board, saying an informant told him there would be drugs on board, and demands some. But when another officer, Mark Raposo, shows up, he thinks his colleague is in the middle of a “drug rip.” Now Raposo is ready to blow the whistle on what he’s seen. And it turns out that this officer’s abuse of the informant system is just the tip of the iceberg in this historic port city. *Note: this episode was updated Mar 12, 2025, to include a statement from police that the Globe received after the deadline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S1, E1

•

53 min
SEASON 1, EPISODE 2

EPISODE 2: Blind Trust

Spotlight reporter Dugan Arnett receives a desperate phone call from an informant who’s now in prison. He says he's afraid for his life because other inmates know he cooperated with police. This informant always knew he’d be in danger if someone from his gang found out that he was a snitch. What he didn’t anticipate was being betrayed by police, including a New Bedford officer who shares information with a member of the informant's gang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S1, E2

•

41 min
SEASON 1, EPISODE 3

EPISODE 3: The Chief

Meet New Bedford’s police chief, Paul Oliveira. He’s had a hand in both of the stories we’ve already heard. And the Spotlight Team's reporting shows there's a dark backstory behind Oliveira's rise to the top of the department. Oliveira wrote the playbook on using informants. In this episode, a former New Bedford narcotics cop who worked alongside the chief for nearly two decades agrees to go on the record about everything he’s seen… and taken part in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S1, E3

•

34 min
SEASON 1, EPISODE 5

EPISODE 5: “All this for nothing”

Two former New Bedford informants tell shocking stories. The first: a woman who didn’t even know she was being used as an informant by the cop she was sleeping with. The second: a man who was Paul Oliveira’s informant decades ago and who knows – better than anyone – how the police chief exploits the secrecy of this world. Spotlight reporters Dugan Arnett and Andrew Ryan try to get answers and accountability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S1, E5

•

46 min
SEASON 1, EPISODE 4

EPISODE 4: Cops & Robbers

When Frank "Rizzo" Simmons was a big-time drug dealer in New Bedford in the '90s, he went toe-to-toe with a drug cop named Paul Oliveira. After a major bust of Frank’s headquarters, Oliveira tries to turn Frank into an informant. But snitching goes against everything Frank believes in. This won’t be the last time Frank will have to decide if he should cooperate. But the next time, it’s going to be harder to stay true to his code. Because next time, he'll be asked to snitch on Paul Oliveira. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S1, E4

•

38 min
10 FEB

Third Wheels Are the Best Wheels

Third wheeling has long had a bad reputation. If you’re a single person, you may have heard that hanging out with a couple makes you the odd person out. But Meredith doesn’t believe that. She LOVES third wheels – and has third wheeled with plenty of couples. In this episode, Meredith’s sister, Brette, explains how her social life, as a newly divorced person, involves hanging out with a bunch of wonderful couples. Brette says that being a third wheel has broadened her community and enriched her soul. Meredith also interviews Brad and Marco, one of the couples for whom Brette third wheels. They explain why having a shared friend makes their relationship stronger. Consider this episode a guide to being a platonic third, and a love letter to third wheels and the couples who truly believe “the more the merrier.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Feb

•

39 min
SEASON 1, EPISODE 6

UPDATE: Case Dismissed

Reporters Dugan Arnett and Andrew Ryan are back in court to learn the fate of a case that has spanned eight years. In 2017, New Bedford police accused Steven Ortiz of being at the center of a major drug trafficking ring. But an officer involved in his arrest was sleeping with Ortiz’s fiancee while using her as an unwitting confidential informant. This case was what first brought Arnett to New Bedford. In the two years since he broke the story, one drug trafficking case has already been tossed. Now, an even bigger case hangs in the balance. And the outcome could bring a reckoning for police and prosecutors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S1, E6

•

22 min
27 JAN

Your ex is still on Venmo

Must you block your ex on social media? Maybe. Probably. It could make your breakup a lot easier to deal with. In this episode, Meredith talks to Love Letters podcast producer Jazmin Aguilera about Jazmin’s recent breakup. They listen to a classic episode about exes and social media, and talk about what lessons ring true in 2026.Enjoy a discussion about letting go in person and online.Remember, Love Letters is also an anonymous advice column. When you ask a relationship question, you help others wondering the same thing. Email your question to loveletters@boston.com. Sign up for Meredith’s newsletter at Boston.com/meredith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

27 Jan

•

36 min
30/12/2025

The Chimera

Elise, 17, appreciates that she’s growing up in a world that understands what it means to be nonbinary. She just wishes people had an easier time understanding fluidity. Because sometimes Elise feels like a boy, and other times she feels like a girl. Sometimes these changes shift with the seasons. In this episode, Elise explains how her fluidity affects her dating life – because some people who fall for her as a masculine person might be less interested if she becomes more feminine months later. She also reveals she might be a chimera – meaning, as she sees it, she might literally be two people in one. Elise and Meredith talk it through together. If you love Love Letters, give us all the stars. We love validation. We’re also an anonymous advice question; when you ask a relationship question, you help others wondering the same thing. Email your question to loveletters@boston.com Sign up for Meredith’s newsletter at Boston.com/meredith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30/12/2025

•

40 min

Narrative mini-series, news, commentary, and audio storytelling from the leading newsroom in New England.

Website

The Boston Globe

Top Shows

Justin Garcia: “Monogamy is not just one thing.”

EPISODE 1: Officer Pastillas

EPISODE 2: Blind Trust

EPISODE 3: The Chief

EPISODE 5: “All this for nothing”

EPISODE 4: Cops & Robbers

Third Wheels Are the Best Wheels

UPDATE: Case Dismissed

Your ex is still on Venmo

The Chimera

About

The Boston Globe

Top Shows

Top Episodes

About