Spoiler Warning: Based on a True Story Season 1Just when you think Based on a True Story is going to be about couples coming together for laughs and tears, as any friendship would, the plot turns into a winding road toward murder town. The series follows Ava and Nathan Bartlett who are seemingly a normal and happy couple. They have friends who they share plenty of time with, and they take part in ordinary activities as most grown adults do. Ava has her podcasts and Nathan, well, he was demoted, but together, the two are strong.
Though life is going fairly well for Ava and Nathan, they become oddly obsessed with The Westside Ripper, a serial killer who they think has killed a local female after a night out at the bar. Nathan and Ava immediately blame someone new in their life. They offer not to turn them in if they take part in a podcast about murder.
Nathan is approached by the cops, and he gets caught in a lie about knowing the dead girl. Worried about being blamed for the murder, Ava and Nathan devise a plan to stay looking as innocent as possible. Still believing that the murderer is who they think it is, they wait for them to answer their proposition. Eventually, they take the bait, but things aren’t as easy as they seem.
With every episode, there’s a mystery. Who killed who? The actors Kaley Cuoco as Ava, Chris Messina as Nathan, and Tom Bateman as Matt create an eerie tone among normal, happy times. They keep you questioning who the murderer is and if the one murder is even related to The Westside Ripper. Let’s take a look at some of the show’s standout moments.
Murder on the Mind
When Nathan loses his job, it starts the spin in his wife’s head. She, pregnant and a realtor that listens to crime podcasts, is already engrossed in murder, so the tale of The Westside Ripper has crossed her mind many times. With more time on his hands without a job, Nathan and Ava come up with a podcast about the local serial killer. They plan to host Matt, their plumber, who they believe is the murderer. However, Nathan and Matt were seen together on the night of the most recent murder, so Nathan may know more than what he is first leading on to believe.
Matt Takes the Bait
When Nathan approaches Matt to be part of his and Ava’s podcast, Nathan walks away without saying a word. Days later when the police question him on his whereabouts on the night of the murder, he says he was with Nathan. Since the police are already on his tail, Matt decides to be part of the podcast about his 20+ murders as The Westside Ripper. Though he is copping to the truth behind a fake voice on the podcast, nobody but Ava and Nathan knows about Matt being a murderer.
Can Matt Keep His Promise?
In exchange for Ava and Nathan not turning Matt into the police, Matt had to promise to not hurt anyone ever again. He, however, comes across one of his only surviving victims, so she claims, making the foam in his mouth begin to fizzle. He arrogantly approaches her. He chooses to blackmail the claimed victim for using the money she has for personal affairs. Afraid of what’s to come next, as she has now been revealed as a liar, she jumps from the top floor at the party they have crossed each other’s paths at. Though Matt didn’t murder her, he provoked her to take her own life, leading to even more trouble ahead.
Ava Gets Caught in a Big Lie
When Ava is confronted by her friend Ruby who overheard her, Nathan, and Matt talking about being the creators behind the podcast, Based on a True Story, their secret is far from being kept. Not only that, but she found her burner phone that had dropped out of her pocket which has all the text messages about Matt being the serial killer. Ava denies everything in a panic. However, she can’t hold off too long with the lies. She tells Ruby that she and Matt are broke and had to confront Matt about faking the murder stories in order to make money. Ruby believes her at first, but not for long.
The Podcast Gets Canceled
Since Based on a True Story has murderous and gruesome content, the podcast gets pulled from every platform it was released on. Nathan then comes up with a plan to get around the rules of their honest yet horrifying stories. This leads to Matt asking if he can murder again, as he misses the allure. He has his sights set on Ruby, becoming closer to her. But it gets even worse. When Matt disrespects her on their date, Ruby goes back and decides to blackmail Nathan for what he allegedly told her while high on drugs. What’s been said isn’t revealed, but all clues of the first murder are beginning to lead toward Nathan.
Nobody’s Safe
The ending of the first season is one of the biggest cliffhangers, leaving viewers yearning to know what comes next. Before the ending scene where Simon, Ruby’s husband walks in on Ava and Nathan cleaning up her blood on their kitchen floor, Matt’s new affair is revealed. Not only do Ava and Nathan have to worry about what to do with Simon, they are going to have to come up with a way to save Ava’s sister, Liana, before her new boyfriend, Matt kills her.
Based on a True Story may not be based on a true story, thankfully, but the cast does make sure to make every scene as realistic as possible. The comedy thriller was released exclusively on Peacock in June of this year. The second season hasn’t been confirmed, as producers are likely awaiting the overall success of the series upon its recent release. However, if Based on a True Story does get approved for Season 2, there are plenty of ways the plot can go, making the anticipation even stronger.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
