354: Mistakes Were Made

In a powerful rerun of one of This American Life's most haunting episodes, Ira Glass explores the devastating consequences of well-intentioned but catastrophic decisions through the story of Bob Nelson, a TV repairman who became the unlikely leader of a cryonics movement in 1960s California. What began as a passionate belief in freezing the dead to revive them in the future spiraled into a series of irreversible failures: bodies stored in garages, makeshift vaults, and a sealed capsule that leaked nitrogen, likely destroying the remains of nine people—including a dying seven-year-old girl named Geneviève. When the truth emerged, Bob faced a lawsuit, lost his marriage, and was branded a murderer by the cryonics community. Yet he insists he acted out of love and necessity, arguing that secrecy was the only way to keep the dream alive. The episode’s second act turns to the poetry of apology, using William Carlos Williams’ famous poem "This Is Just To Say" as a lens to examine how people confess without truly repenting—whether it’s stealing plums, destroying a house, or betraying a partner. The variations on the poem, from a student’s burning of money to a poet’s admission of adultery, reveal a universal human pattern: the apology that sounds contrite but carries no real remorse. The episode ultimately asks: What does it mean to be sorry? Bob Nelson’s story shows that even when someone believes they’re doing the right thing, their actions can still cause irreversible harm.