Rambling Review of Season Five, and Introducing the Formosa Files "Snack"
Looking back over S5, the adjective "fascinating" is repeatedly used by both John and Eryk, who struggle for words a bit to describe their gratitude to listeners, our sponsor, and for the honor of having a platform to tell stories and hear stories from some amazing guests. Formosa Files Season Six starts next week, but after this conversation, check out the first FF "snack" -- short, single-topic, not-exactly-deep-dive but still rewarding bits of podcast brain food.
Formosa Files — Season 5 Top Ten Best Episodes (?)
1. S5-E2 / S5-E3 – 228, White Terror, the Formosa Incident, and Nylon Deng (Parts 1–2)
One of the most consequential political stories in modern Taiwan. The episodes connect 228, martial law, and the self-immolation of 鄭南榕 (Nylon Deng), showing how Taiwan’s democracy movement evolved.
2. S5-E5 – South Africa and Taiwan (and the Sad Story of SAA Flight 295)
A fascinating Cold War-era relationship that most people forget existed. The episode uses the mysterious South African Airways crash to explain Taiwan–South Africa ties.
3. S5-E8 – Taiwan’s Stock Market Bubble and the Crash of 1990
Probably one of the most relatable episodes for Taiwanese listeners. Explains the speculative frenzy that created instant millionaires—and wiped them out.
4. S5-E9 – Taoyuan Magistrate Mass Murder and Gangsters in the Taiwan Government
A shocking political crime story that also shows the darker side of Taiwan’s local politics in the late martial-law era.
5. S5-E11 – “China’s Titanic” (1949) and the Cruise That Ended in Cremation (1994)
A gripping maritime disaster story tied to the Chinese Civil War and later forensic investigation.
6. S5-E13 – 1962: Taiwan’s Bloody Year You’ve Never Heard Of
True-crime history. The episode explores two serial killings that terrified Taiwan in the early 1960s.
7. S5-E14 – Takagi Tomoe: The Japanese Doctor Who Devoted Himself to Taiwan
A very “Formosa Files” story: a little-known but fascinating individual whose life reveals the complexities of Japanese colonial Taiwan.
8. S5-E44 / S5-E45 – The CIA Plan to Remove Chiang Kai-shek (Parts 1–2)
Cold War intrigue involving U.S. intelligence and the ROC leadership. One of the season’s most geopolitically interesting episodes.
9. S5-E47–49 – Wanderings Through Formosa (1898)
A translation and narrative of an Austrian traveler’s account of Taiwan under early Japanese rule, including encounters with missionaries and colonial officials.
10. S5-E52 – George Kerr and Formosa Betrayed
A major historical figure in Taiwan studies. Kerr’s book shaped Western understanding of the 228 Incident and Taiwan’s political identity.
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