Explained in Plain Sight

Explained in Plain Sight

Explained in Plain Sight is a true crime podcast that takes a second look at stories everyone thinks they already understand. We slow things down, add context, and break down the people, systems, and media narratives behind well-known cases. Some moments are serious, some are frustrating, and some deserve a little side-eye — because understanding what happened matters more than dramatic retellings.

Episodes

  1. 6 DAYS AGO

    Episode 4: Challenger — The Disaster That Started in a Meeting

    Most people remember the Challenger disaster as a tragic accident. This episode breaks down why it wasn’t. In January 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven people aboard. But the failure didn’t start in the sky. It started in conference rooms, late-night calls, and a system that made it easier to say yes than to stop everything. In this episode of Explained in Plain Sight, JC walks through what really happened. The pressure NASA was under, the engineers who raised concerns, the decisions made the night before launch, and the warning signs that were ignored. We also spend time with the crew of Challenger as people, not symbols, and examine how the investigation exposed a culture where public reassurance mattered more than reality. This isn’t a story about rockets.It’s a story about how disasters happen when no one wants to be the problem.

    36 min

  2. 7 JAN

    Episode 3: The McDonald’s Hot Coffee Case — The Joke That Hid the Truth

    Most people think they already know the McDonald’s hot coffee case. It’s been repeated for decades as the ultimate example of a “frivolous lawsuit.” That version is almost entirely wrong. In this episode of Explained in Plain Sight, JC slows the story all the way down. From a McDonald’s parking lot in Albuquerque to a courtroom in Bernalillo County, we break down what actually happened, who Stella Liebeck was, what McDonald’s already knew, and why the jury made the decisions it did. We also dig into how the media turned a serious injury into a cultural joke, how that narrative stuck, and why this case is still taught very differently in law schools than it’s remembered in pop culture. This isn’t a story about coffee.It’s a story about accountability, narrative control, and how easily the truth gets buried when a punchline is more convenient.

    19 min

  3. 1 JAN

    Episode 2: The Stanford Prison Experiment – Power, Permission, and the System That Wouldn’t Stop

    The Stanford Prison Experiment is usually taught as a simple lesson: give people power, and they’ll abuse it. But that version leaves out a lot. In this episode of Explained in Plain Sight, we slow the story all the way down. We look at why Philip Zimbardo wanted this experiment so badly, how it was approved, who the participants really were, and how a “simulation” became psychologically real in less than a week. We break down the day-by-day escalation, the punishments guards created, the breakdown of Prisoner 8612, the performance of authority by the infamous “John Wayne” guard, and the moment Christina Maslach walked in and refused to accept what everyone else had normalized. We also examine the immediate aftermath, the decades-long defense of the experiment, and why Zimbardo later compared Stanford to Abu Ghraib — plus what that comparison gets right and very wrong. This isn’t a story about people suddenly snapping.It’s a story about permission, systems protecting themselves, and how harm continues when authority isn’t challenged.

    51 min

  4. 24/12/2025

    Episode 1: Kitty Genovese and the Story We’ve Been Telling Wrong

    The murder of Kitty Genovese is one of the most referenced cases in true crime history. It’s often summarized as the moment “thirty-eight people watched and did nothing,” a story that’s been taught in classrooms, repeated in documentaries, and treated like settled fact for decades. In this episode, we slow that story down. We look at who Kitty Genovese actually was, what happened the night she was killed, and how a single headline helped turn a complicated, fragmented event into a cultural myth. Along the way, we break down what witnesses really experienced, how media framing shaped public memory, and why this case became the foundation for lessons that don’t fully hold up under scrutiny. This isn’t a dramatic retelling. It’s a closer look at a story everyone thinks they already understand — and why the truth is more complicated than the version that stuck.

    27 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

Explained in Plain Sight is a true crime podcast that takes a second look at stories everyone thinks they already understand. We slow things down, add context, and break down the people, systems, and media narratives behind well-known cases. Some moments are serious, some are frustrating, and some deserve a little side-eye — because understanding what happened matters more than dramatic retellings.

Information

  • Creator
    Explained in Plain Sight
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Explained in Plain Sight
  • Show Website
    Explained in Plain Sight
  • Provider