‘Based on a True Story’ Recap: ‘Love You, Buzzfeed’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

BASED ON A TRUE STORY -- “Love You, Buzzfeed“ Episode 106 -- Pictured: Kaley Cuoco as Ava -- (Photo by: PEACOCK)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Six of ‘Based on a True Story’. To revisit the previous episode, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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When we last settled in to discuss the wondrous Peacock series, Based on a True Story, we pondered a bit on what was going to come next for Matt, Ava, and Nathan. Simply because, they had fully committed to the dark path in front of them. Where they were going to celebrate the evil of murder and do everything necessary to make their show about that, a success, so they could enjoy riches beyond their wildest dreams. And while that is indeed a bold decision with big risk and potentially big reward… there have to be negative consequences to taking part in such a wild and unorthodox act, and well… it just so happens that the next episode in this fascinating journey, explored what those consequences could look like.
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But not before… pondering upon the potential reward for taking such a bold risk. For when we caught up with this trio in ‘Love You, Buzzfeed’, they were simply on cloud nine. Because everyone and their sister was captivated by the podcast, to the point where features were now popping up left and right in the news about the podcast and the downloads were simply through the roof. To the tune of fifteen million people, in fact, and all of them were eager to hear more from the Westsdie Ripper, and everyone wanted to know who was behind the show and the joy that brought this trio was evident. To the point where there was a hop in their step when they arrived at Simon and Ruby’s for an evening of dinner and charity, and that mood only improved when it looked like Spotify was going to offer them a massive exclusivity contract.

However, that’s about when the good times ended for this trio. Because Ruby… was very curious about the phone she found back in Vegas with Carlos at her side, and she used it to call Matt and confirm… that her friend was working with the Westside Ripper, and that people she adored were basically behind the hottest podcast in all of the land, and that prompted Ruby to get bold. To the point where she confronted Ava in private with the knowledge of what she’d discovered, and that forced Ava to work hard to deflect the truth and keep the status quo going. Making it seem as though that might be only road bump this trio would encounter on their way to podcast stardom, but the night only got worse from there. In part because of one wild dinner, wherein Simon decided to surprise everyone with some hideous behavior.

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BASED ON A TRUE STORY -- “Love You, Buzzfeed“ Episode 106 -- Pictured: (l-r) Brandon Keener as Paul, Annabelle Dexter-Jones as Serena, Priscilla Quintana as Ruby -- (Photo by: PEACOCK)

For in essence, he felt tonight was the night to expose Ruby’s affair and regain agency over his marriage. All by offering Carlos all the money he needed to get his personal training business going on the East Coast, provided of course, he took the money and ran to New York right away. Which he did, because… that was his dream. But that cruelty brought forth pain for Ruby, the kind that motivated her to grasp for control in life by making a new demand to Ava. In that, she wanted in on the show, and she told Simon all about it to cover her bases and give her leverage and that served as the first real consequence of this journey. In that, others will want to share in success and will be ruthless to take part in it, especially those who pretend to be our friends and well… the evening only went downhill from there, because shortly after Ava tried to rally the team to figure out a strategy on how to handle this… dual disasters arrived.
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One of which, involved Simon again… since he crossed a horrible line when confronted about his toxic actions. The kind that shocked the crowd and changed how his friends look at him… and sadly, while they were trying to process what the heck just happened before their eyes, another big surprise arrived. Wherein the trio came to learn… about the court of public opinion and the realities of putting a controversial show out there. In that… some people won’t be cool with the content, and they will speak out about that in a manner so bold, that others will follow them. Such as how Jessica Alba made note that the show was sick, period, and if it was real… it was in poor taste and an abomination. And soon, others on the internet that agreed felt empowered and called them out for what they had assembled and just like that… every podcast host in the country dropped the show, including Spotify. Effectively, putting an end to the show and everyone’s dreams.

Which meant… the real consequence of going this route… was not so much that it was a failure… but that Ava and Nathan sold their souls for nothing but a glimmer of fame. And now they have to carry the truth that they were playing nice with a serial killer for no good reason and will spend the rest of their days… filled with regret. Regret over disrespecting the dead and sensationalizing their tragic stories and for enabling a monster. Who is once again, thinking about indulging his blood lust and that could bode poorly for a couple that know his secret and failed to give his ego what it desired, and what’s amazing… is that this all happened two episodes before the end of the season. That means, some big moments undoubtedly await us as we wait to see if Ava and Nathan can put their lives back together or if enabling and learning about a serial killer will cost them more than they ever imagined. Until next time.

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