It’s not clear if Based On A True Story Season 2 wants to take the true crime industry to task or exonerate it. While the first season dropped its podcast premise prematurely, it seemed to genuinely want to care about the victims affected by serial killers and exploited by true crime aficionados. However, though this second season has a more streamlined plot, it doesn’t quite stick the landing on what it’s trying to say about America’s obsession with true crime.
At the start of Based On A True Story Season 2, it’s three months later, and Nathan (Chris Messina) and Ava (Kaley Cuoco) Bartlett get lucky in getting away with covering up the death of their friend Ruby (Priscilla Quintana). Their child is born, and Matt (Tom Bateman) takes a rehabilitation retreat with Tory (Liana Liberato) as a way to stop him from killing. But the fallout from the previous season haunts everyone, which doesn’t help when a copycat killer starts terrorizing the neighborhood.
Based On A True Story’s strength comes in the family and friendship dynamic between Nathan, Ava, and Matt. Their dynamic with each other is genuinely entertaining and, at times, heartfelt. This is the heart of the show; no matter how twisted a concept it is to befriend a serial killer, the show finds it rhythm when Nathan, Ava, and Matt are bouncing off each other. They are three people looking for a larger meaning in their lives, and in that sense, their connection makes sense.
Where the show takes a few missteps is in its execution of exploring the more serious topics living beneath the foundation of its most interesting character — Matt. Bateman really shines as Matt, nailing the darkly comedic moments and expertly handling the darker turns his character makes throughout the season.
Based On A True Story Season 2 uses Matt’s profession as a serial killer to evaluate how people can change for the better if they really try for it. However, while Matt does seem to want to be a better person, there’s no real exploration of the misogyny rooted in his desire to kill women who have wronged him and/or his friends.
This show kills a lot of women. Though the first season tries to acknowledge the callous way in which Ava and Nathan, along with the rest of the true-crime podcasting community, exploit victims for money, it never quite follows through on that acknowledgment. In fact, it contradicts it multiple times throughout Based On A True Story Season 2.
Take Tory, for example. After going on a spiel during the first season about how the podcast disrespected Matt’s victims, she’s now engaged to Matt and believes wholeheartedly in Matt’s rehabilitation. This is largely a result of sloppy plotting in the first season. It’s not clear when Tory and Matt first got together or how long they’ve been together. Her staunch defense of Matt during Based On A True Story Season 2 undermines her original stance against the podcast. Did she even really believe her words? Or were they a cover for keeping her relationship a secret from her sister?
These questions are not inherently a deal breaker when crafting a character. In fact, they’re a great place to start. But the lack of answers regarding character motivations for everyone, not just Tory, leaves them standing on shallow ground.
That ground gets even shakier when the season introduces guest stars Melissa Fumero and Sara Paxton. As two characters with a history with Matt, they represent the anger resulting from Matt’s actions. However, the show doesn’t do either of them justice, rendering their points moot by painting them as two women driven by hysterics and grief.
While Based On A True Story Season 2 is certainly entertaining, it can’t decide whether to fully address the exploitative nature of the true crime industry. The season ends on an exciting cliffhanger that sees Matt betraying Nathan and Ava to the police. Perhaps this is the turn that will lead to a true redemptive arc for all three characters.
But in order to do that, Based On A True Story needs to ultimately decide where it stands on what this show’s purpose ultimately is — a story about three damaged people searching for connection or a true take-down and exploration of the damage caused by the true crime industry.
Based On A Story Season 2 is available on Peacock
Based On A True Story Season 2
6/10
TL;DR
While Based on a True Story Season 2 is certainly entertaining, it can’t decide whether to fully address the exploitative nature of the true crime industry.