Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Based on a true story season 2.
Based on a true story season 2 ends with a massive betrayal and tantalizing cliffhangers that set up a possible season 3. Based on a true story Finishing off Season 1, Season 2 begins with Ava Bartlett (Kaley Cuoco) giving birth as she and her husband, Nathan (Chris Messina) try to move on with their lives. This proves to be a challenge when West Side Ripper serial killer Matt Pierce (Tom Bateman) becomes engaged to Ava’s sister Tory Thompson (Liana Liberato).
About that, a new series of murders began at the hands of a West Side Ripper copycat killer. Based on a true storyThe characters work to discover the copycat killer’s identity before it’s too late. Their investigation is complicated by Matt working to maintain his sobriety and curb his darker impulses, along with Ava making a new friend, Drew (Melissa Fumero), who is not who she claims to be. The final reveal of the copycat killer’s identity is shocking, connects to the show’s original premise, and paves the way for Based on a true story season 3.
Copycat killer’s identity and motivations explained
She is connected to one of Matt’s victims
The copycat killer is Paige (Sara Paxton), who is the sister of the late Chloe Lake (Natalia Dyer). Chloe was killed by Matt in Based on a true story season 1, episode 1, and it was her murder that helped Ava realize that Matt was the West Side Ripper. This caused Ava and Nathan to blackmail Matt and team up with him to start his success. Based on a true story true crime podcast. Paige is first introduced in season 2 when Matt comes to her in an attempt to make amends for his past crimes.
Paige’s victim |
Why did she kill them |
---|---|
Clark Miller |
He was the CEO of Snowfall Mattresses, the largest advertiser of true crime podcasts. |
Wendy Jenkins |
She was a true crime reporter. |
Dr. Friedman |
He wrote a book about serial killers. |
Jared Leto |
He played a killer. |
The Lipinksi sisters |
They hosted the Sisters in Crime podcast. |
Paige’s motivations are to punish individuals who have profited from the true crime industry.that glorifies and immortalizes the killers instead of remembering and honoring the victims like her sister. Every person the copycat killer targets in Season 2 has profited from true crime in some way. This includes killing Jared Leto because he is playing an assassin, as well as murdering the Sisters in Crime podcast hosts, Romy Lipinski (June Diane Raphael) and Rochelle Lipinski (Jessica St. Clair), and targeting Ava, Nathan and Matt for their podcast which profited from Chloe’s death.
Matt’s plans for Nathan and Paige, explained
The seeds of Nathan’s downfall were sown throughout the season
Paige being the copycat killer isn’t the final big twist in the plot of Based on a true story season 2. The final twist is Matt framing Nathan as the West Side Ripper. Matt puts on gloves before handing the bloody hatchet to Nathan, which places Nathan’s DNA on the murder weapon at the crime scene. A montage confirms that, despite his efforts to turn over a new page, Matt has been taking steps to frame Nathan throughout Season 2including storing incriminating evidence in Matt’s locker and planting incriminating DNA in Nathan’s Jeep.
Matt also manipulated Nathan into playing and refusing to abandon a tennis match against his former enemy, which led to Nathan getting into a public fight and having to spend a night in jail. All evidence apparently points to Nathan being the West Side Ripper, while Matt manages to evade authorities and go on the run with Paige. Matt’s decision to keep Paige captive rather than kill her means he still has plans for her, which could involve them becoming a pair of serial killers in season three.
Why Tory takes Matt’s son to the police
Your plans change
After the murder of Drew, who was actually Matt’s ex-wife Olivia, Tory takes in Matt and Olivia’s son Ollie (Kellen Patino). Tory plans to run away with Matt and Ollieand they’re about to go through with that plan before Matt goes to confront Paige and frame Nathan. When Tory is alone with Ollie, he asks if his father went to get medicine for his asthma. Tory was already starting to have doubts about her future with Matt. Realizing how little she knows about Ollie further solidifies her doubts.
Tory drops Ollie off at a nearby police station and tells him to go inside, as she now sees that neither she nor Matt have any obligation to raise him.
Unbeknownst to Ollie, Tory has already killed his mother and doesn’t want to see him suffer anymore. Tory drops Ollie off at a nearby police station and tells him to go inside, as she now sees that neither she nor Matt have any obligation to raise him. Even though Olivia is dead, Ollie mentions that his grandparents were supposed to get him, and they might be the ones to raise Ollie safely while Matt and Tory deal with their own dangerous lives.
What’s next for Ava, Nathan, Matt and Tory?
Season 3 Could Be the Wildest Story Ever
Despite all the incriminating evidence that led to his arrest, Nathan must try to prove he is not the West Side Ripper. Although Ava and Nathan have marital problems, Ava loves her husband and will undoubtedly do everything she can to help prove his innocence. They will have to be careful with the real West Side Ripper, Matt, after he betrayed them. It remains to be seen whether he and Paige will get together or if Based on a true storyThe killers will continue to be rivals in Season 3.
As for Tory, she is in trouble and needs Ava’s help, as she calls Ava and leaves a message with the word “turtle” in it. This is Ava and Tory’s code word for being in trouble and needing help, and this is how Ava communicated that she and Nathan were being held captive by Paige. It seems like Tory may want to move on from her marriage to Matt, and those feelings will likely only increase when she learns how Matt has fully returned to his old ways and how he cheated on Ava.
The True Meaning of Based on a True Story Season 2 Finale
The true crime industry has consequences
Based on a true story The season 2 finale explores the consequences of society’s obsession with true crime. Season 2’s copycat killer is born out of a phenomenon more interested in serial killers than victims like Chloe. Nathan being framed as the West Side Ripper is a consequence of his friendship with Mattalong with Nathan and Ava being accomplices to Matt’s past crimes. However, the show’s exploitation is more subtle than simply demonizing individuals who enjoy or profit from true crime.
All episodes of Based on a true story Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Peacock.
Ava points out that the desire behind society’s obsession with true crime is not new, as people have always wanted scary stories that would help them temporarily escape the stress and horror of their own world and everyday lives. That desire changed the lives of Ava, Nathan, Matt, Tory, Paige and countless others. Such consequences are poised to bring more entertaining drama, humor, mystery, and real-world commentary. Based on a true story season 3.
Based on a true story is a Peacock original crime thriller starring Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina as a couple who start their own True Crime podcast. Ava and Nathan Bartlett are expecting their first child despite marital problems as their finances continue to plummet, and their decision to hire a charming plumber to install a new bathroom leaves them trapped in a true crime story.
- Release date
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June 8, 2023
- Seasons
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2
- Writers
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Craig Rosenberg
- Presenter
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Craig Rosenberg