Listener sentiment
Listeners remain overwhelmingly positive about "Adults in the Room," praising the investigation into teacher sexual abuse at Seattle's Garfield High School as courageous, sensitively handled, and vital for understanding how institutions shield predators. Many reviewers — including Garfield alumni and listeners with parallel experiences at other schools — describe the series as personally resonant, crediting host Isolde Raftery and the survivors who came forward with rare bravery. The most recent wave of reviews (late August through September) is unanimously enthusiastic, with several listeners calling the series a masterpiece of investigative audio and expressing hope for a third season. The persistent fault line has quieted but not disappeared: a vocal minority has argued that Raftery centers herself over the victims, framing the project as personal vindication rather than journalism, while defenders insist her firsthand stake as a student reporter at Garfield is precisely what gives the series its structural honesty and emotional power. Minor criticisms about repetitive episode recaps, a stagnant musical score, and a release pace too slow for binge listeners recur but rarely undermine overall enthusiasm.
Apple4.5 · 234
Summary generated Sep 9, 2026
