‘Based on a True Story’ Recap: ‘Who’s Next’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

BASED ON A TRUE STORY -- “Who’s Next“ Episode 103 -- Pictured: (l-r) Kaley Cuoco as Ava, Chris Messina as Nathan -- (Photo by: PEACOCK)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘Based on a True Story’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Starting a podcast, should be quite the joyous and celebratory event. Simply because, the person or persons getting ready to launch one are about to embark on a special journey. One where they get to focus upon something they are passionate about with the rest of world and share their expertise with the masses. And thanks to our feverish consumption of the podcast, with the right structure and marketing, they can turn this into a career change and head into a new chapter of their life where day in and day out, they follow their passion and live their dream and well… how does one not get excited about that?  Well for some, there’s a lot to lament.
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After all, there is an investment in gear, and they may not feel comfortable with marketing or assembly of a show and that could bring forth overwhelming collaboration. Or in some cases, different views and battling egos can make the launch of a podcast an outright nightmare. To the point where second thoughts might come into play, or… in the case of Nathan and Ava Bartlett in the Peacock series, Based on a True Story, starting a podcast with a man that has happily admitted to being a serial killer could lead down an impossible path. One where the killer’s story is either told or buried with those that refuse to speak for them, regardless of their concerns. Which is precisely the struggle that this duo went through in ‘Who’s Next’. 

Because we came to learn that Matt didn’t want to cause Ava physical harm, and the same went for Nathan. No instead, Matt just wanted more leverage over this couple and used his skillset to point out the flaws in their current recording setup to get them to trust him and well… once they agreed to finally record on his terms… did Matt really go for broke. Because he didn’t like any of the edits that this couple made, nor did he like how the narrative was playing out. So, he made his own cut and his own changes and presented them to the couple as suggestive changes… until they pushed back on several elements, and that’s when this couple began to regret every single decision they had made up to this point. Because Matt wanted it his way and if not… well… everyone put two and two together regarding that.

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BASED ON A TRUE STORY -- "Who's Next" Episode 103 -- Pictured: (l-r) Kaley Cuoco as Ava, Tom Bateman as Matt, Chris Messina as Nathan -- (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/PEACOCK)

Which put the two of them in a dark place, where dreams were impacted with worry and where Nathan found himself in the midst of a deep moral conundrum. For they made a deal with the devil really, one that would cost them everything if they didn’t complete it and well, that meant selling their souls completely to keep their lives, and Nathan wasn’t sure if he could do that. But when the chips were down, and the chance was there to turn his back on Matt and just turn him into the cops… he instead opted to just roll with it. As though the ends would justify the pain and well, just like that… the podcast dropped to numbers that we were left dying to know, thanks to a juicy cliffhanger in this tale. 
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But what mattered more, was that consequences came into play for this rash decision on Nathan and Ava’s part. Because that allowed for this episode to go deeper. For this is at its core, a satire and examination of our obsession with fame and with pop-culture and podcasts, and how so many want to be the next big thing and will do whatever it takes to be that… when in fact, they shouldn’t. They should… do the opposite of what we saw here and surround themselves with the right people and take feedback and not let ego and drive come into play or a tamer version of this kind of conflict happens as do those doubts, and that was brilliant commentary on the podcast zeitgeist, one that might however… prove to be moot in this moment.

After all, the look on their faces indicated something big had indeed happened with the podcast, and well… having the Westside Ripper on it would indeed lead to big download numbers, and that kind of shock. Which means, this lesson would be applied the long way round… and that too should lead to amazing commentary. But in the here and the now, we can celebrate another fascinating chapter in this tale. One that really spoke to the dangers of going for broke with a risky idea, in a wild and hilarious manner of course, and it also spoke well to how hard it can be to find compromise in creativity when fame really is the endgame over the product and well, it will be interesting to see just how viral this podcast went and what success will do to everyone as this story continues along. Until next time.  

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