Based on a True Story's Jaw-Dropping Season 2 Ending, Explained

Based on a True Story’s Season 2 finale ended with some arresting drama.

Fans may have thought Ava and Nathan Bartlett found themselves  in a precarious spot in the finale of the first season of the Peacock black comedy, but it was nothing compared to the jam the crime-solving couple found themselves in at the end of the second season.

The final moments of the finale ended with Nathan (Chris Messina)  in handcuffs while his unconventional bestie, Westside Ripper serial killer Matt Pierce (Tom Bateman), managed to elude authorities once again, seemingly pinning his crimes on his friend instead.

Add that to the fact that Ava (Kaley Cuoco) and Nathan had been taken hostage just hours earlier by the crazed copycat killer out to seek revenge on those who had profited from true crime in honor of her sister, one of the Westside Ripper’s latest victims, and the couple couldn’t have been having a worse day.

What happened in the Season 2 finale of Based on a True Story?

The Season 2 finale began with Ava and Nathan in some serious danger.

After being cornered in an alley by the podcasting duo behind Sisters in Crime, the Lipinski sisters — who had figured out Ava and Nathan were behind the podcast Based on a True Story — took Ava and Nathan back to their studio in Episode 7. 

They wanted the couple to give them an exclusive on how they managed to take the true crime community by storm by creating a podcast featuring an actual serial killer, but before the conversation could kick off the serial killer known as the Copycat Killer snuck into the studio and savagely killed the Lipiniski sisters while an oblivious Ava and Nathan sat tied to chairs in another room.

From behind the glass of the production room, the shadowy killer then laid out the new plan for the trapped couple in the finale.

“People love murder podcasts, so I decided to take it up a notch and record a real murder: yours,” the killer ominously told them.

When Ava and Nathan objected, the killer told them that they were going to play a game first, much like a serial-killer themed quiz show, except that any wrong answer would get them stabbed.

“All you have to do is win and I’ll let you go,” the killer promised.

Who is the Copycat Killer on Based on a True Story?

A skeptical Ava decided to push back, describing the killer as just like all the other “loser men who feel invisible and can’t get the girl of their dreams until they discover murder.” 

But the Copycat Killer soon proved she’s not like the others, coming into the room with a bloody hatchet in hand. Although fans instantly recognized the killer as the sister of Westside Ripper victim Chloe Lake (Natalia Dyer), Matt was the only one to have crossed paths with her before and Ava and Nathan were still in the dark about her connection to the case.

As Ava desperately tried to recall all her true crime knowledge — sometimes failing to provide the answer just as the killer wanted and earning her and her husband painful reminders of her mistake — the killer finally honed in on her real motive, asking Ava to name the Westside Ripper’s last victim.

But just as Ava was struggling to come up with the name, her own sister Tory (Liana Liberato) began frantically texting her phone. The killer insisted Ava call her sister and tell her everything was “fine,” but Ava cleverly snuck in a secret message to her sister. She called her “turtle” in the call, a codeword from their childhood that meant she was in trouble. 

Across town, Tory, who had just tied the knot with Matt and kidnapped his young son, picked up on the clue right away, but initially didn’t know how to find her sister. 

Back in the studio, Ava was still desperately trying to come up with Lake’s name. As she was thinking, the killer mentioned the podcast would be sponsored by “Snowfall Mattresses,” a clue that finally put together the pieces for Ava. She realized the killer was targeting people who had profited from true crime, including the head of Snowfall Mattresses, a company that Ava noted were like “the biggest advertisers in the true crime space.” 

“Wow, Ava, I’m impressed. You figured it out. You figured out why I target sick, twisted, pathetic people like you, who enjoy listening to other people’s pain,” the killer replied.

Ava not only figured out the Copycat Killer’s unique motive, she also remembered Lake’s name. As soon as she said it, it was obvious that the name held extra meaning for the killer. 

Lake’s sister lamented that no one remembered her sister and focused instead on her killer’s devious deeds. A quick-thinking Nathan convinced the Copycat Killer to open up about Lake since she was already recording their exchange. 

What happened to Matt Pierce in the finale of Based on a True Story?

Meanwhile, Tory realized that Ava borrowed her Airpods and never gave them back, giving her an opportunity to track her sister’s location. When she saw that she was at Endgame Studios, Matt recognized the name from a message he received earlier from the Copycat Killer and agreed to go and try to help his friends. 

As the killer was sharing story after story about her slain sister, the lights in the studio suddenly went off, signaling Matt’s arrival. 

“You made it!” the Copycat Killer excitedly exclaimed after seeing him come through the door. “All this closure! I almost forgot about you.” 

He immediately recognized her as Lake’s sister, telling her that he was “impressed” she’d been able to fool everyone.

“I respect your craft,” he said.

After the mini-reunion, the killer told Matt she wanted him to confess on tape to his crimes, threatening Ava’s life if he refused. Matt wouldn’t agree, but offered her a car filled with money and a way to disappear instead.

But Lake’s sister wouldn’t get either in the end. While they were talking, Nathan managed to escape his zip ties and bashed her in the face, then untied his wife while the killer lay passed out on the conference table. 

Across town, Tory realized that kidnapping Matt’s son was a mistake and dropped him off at a police station, instructing him to go inside and tell police who he was. Then after looking at what appeared to be a gun in her purse, she called Ava and left her a troubling message: “Hey, Ava, Um, I don’t know when you’re going to hear this, but when you do: turtle.” 

Back at the studio, Matt checked the Copycat Killer’s pulse and realized she was still alive. As he pondered his next move, he told Nathan and Ava that he had decided to give up his killing ways.

“I’m just so tired, I’m tired of lying, I am tired of pretending to be something I’m not, I mean, it’s no fun anymore. It’s time. It’s time to hand myself in,” he said, as he passed the Copycat Killer’s hatchet to Nathan.

Matt insisted that he was going to go to the police and “tell them everything” finally setting the couple free from any responsibility, but when the cops surrounded the building just minutes later, only Nathan and Ava emerged from the building. 

When police searched the building, they found no sign of the Copycat Killer or Matt. Back outside, police arrested Nathan for murder and he suddenly realized that his friend set him up, flashing back to the conversation the pair had where Matt asked to store some things in his storage garage, insisting they take Nathan’s car to hide the body of Matt’s dead ex-wife, and even handing him the hatchet in the final moments before police arrived, getting his fingerprints all over the murder weapon. Nathan is placed in a police car and driven away.

The finale ends with a stunned Ava standing in the middle of the street as the SWAT team rushed into the building and news vans arrived to capture the latest true crime drama.

There is still no word if the addictively delicious black comedy will get a third season, but we’re hoping the series will return to answer many of the lingering questions, like what will happen to Nathan? What was Tory planning to do? And where are Matt and the missing Copycat Killer? 

To relive all the drama, watch Based on a True Story, available streaming now on Peacock.