Episode 3: Who’s Next? – The episode picks up with Ava Bartlett (Kaley Cuoco) opening the door for Matt Pierce (Tom Bateman) who claims Nathan Bartlett (Chris Messina) said there is a leak. She awkwardly tries to deny it. Matt assures her that he stands behind his work before expressing what a bad Yelp review can do to a business. Escorting him to the kitchen, she looks over at her podcast research. He appears to do the same. As he makes small talk, she frantically searches for a weapon. He suggests she is the one who had suspicions about him being “The Ripper.” He says the murder podcast is hers. She denies the allegations. Grabbing a kitchen knife, he waves it around playfully.

Listening to Ava’s voicemail, Nathan becomes extremely anxious. He questions Matt’s late arrival which may be contributed to him picking up a friend.

At The Warehouse – Matt points out that the warehouse has only one exit. He warns that external noise can be heard inside the building. He assures Ava and Nathan that an audio tech could easily find the location after detecting the train noise. Handing them burner phones, he says this will be their only communication source from now on. He admits to giving his name as an alibi when the LAPD paid him a visit.

Simon And Ruby’s Home Gym – Ruby Gale (Priscilla Quintana) asks Ava why she is fuming. Carlos (Sebastian Quinn) gives Ruby a massage before joining Ava on the bench. After commenting on their chemistry, Ava admits her and Nathan’s relationship is problematic but they will be fine. They briefly discuss “Sisters in Crime” fearing the “Westside Ripper.”

Bartlett Household – Ava voices concern about the Lipinski Sisters stealing their spotlight.

New Location – Matt gives them a tour of the new posh location for the podcast. He escorts them into the garage filled with expensive rare vehicles. Entering the area where the podcast equipment is already set up, he suggests presenting a better product than “Sisters in Crime.” He tells them about upgrading their “gear” before questioning how they market their podcast without revealing his identity. She assures him that their podcast “Based on a True Story” will sell itself. He asks what about Nathan’s role in the podcast. She recommends keeping it concealed to enhance the intrigue. As the podcast kicks off, Nathan asks Matt to identify himself. Matt says, “I am the Westside Ripper” with seven victims that the police know nothing about.

Beverly Club – Nathan is shocked to see Matt at his workplace. Matt contributes the visit to him not answering his text. Nathan had to put Ollie (Kellen Patino) in the “Fun Zone” so they could talk. Matt informs him of the new cut. Nathan reminds him of how much work he and Ava put into editing the script. Matt says they haven’t killed anyone. He says their script needs to focus on him. Nathan tells him that he doesn’t have the authority to produce the final cut.

Fun Zone – Ollie begs for a few more minutes to play “Pokemon” before introducing Nathan to Gabby (Sophia Xu). Matt boasts significant knowledge of “Pokemon.” When he tries a surprise attack, Ollie pretends to be defeated. Gabby asks her mother, Michelle (Li Jun Li) if she can have a play date. They continue their chat.

Bartlett’s Residence – While editing the podcast, Ava recalls Matt’s murder confession when he approaches. She questions how he forget his actual number of victims. He assures her that she can always turn him in. She denies forcing anyone to tune into their murder podcast. Making her a mixed drink to take the edge off, he suggests telling Nathan how she truly feels. She says he couldn’t handle it, plus there is the baby to think about. He promises to help her before stabbing her in the chest when she wakes up with a jerk. Nathan suggests altering the content. She warns they cannot give up control.

Local Diner – Ava describes Matt and Uncle Stan’s trip to the gelato store as futile. offended, he asks if it should be another typical “dead white girl” podcast before providing a hypothetical example. She assures him that it isn’t necessary to go that in-depth. The demand continues until he says it will be his edited script with a new title of his choosing.

Beverly Club – As Nathan downloads the Ripper podcast, Michelle interrupts to inquire about his friend, “hot dad” at the Friend Zone. Troubled by their play date, he tries to convince her to back out because he can’t vouch for Matt. Walking away, she turns to inform him of the detectives’ second visit to the club. Ava joins him after Michelle’s departure. They are shocked to see the “Sisters in Crime” podcast had 500k downloads in the first 48 hours. She assures him that they can do so much better. He tells her that the detectives visited the club looking for him. He admits to no longer wanting to be Matt’s alibi. He voices concern about what his child would think if caught.

Seeing Detective Quincy Burrell (Miles Mussenden) and Detective Jessie Peterson (Yvonne Senat Jones) making their approach, he considers fleeing but she convinces him to get it over with. They work out what he can tell the detective before she departs. He is getting more hysterical by the second. Quincy asks where he was on the night Chloe Lake (Natalia Dyer) was murdered. Nathan claims he and Matt went back to his house. Seeing the detectives walk away, Ava rejoins Nathan who says he told them that he and Nathan were watching “Face Off.” She is relieved he remembered what Matt told him earlier. Checking the podcast downloads again, they are both left in complete shock when the episode ends.

 

Based On A True Story Review

The series is coming together rather nicely. It was refreshing to see the cutback on the raunchy humor. There were parts here and there, but for the most part, the episode seemed to focus on the main storylines at hand. I do appreciate the fact that the creative teams decided to make Matt’s character much more capable and knowledgeable. Although Ava isn’t completely inept, Matt’s superior attention to detail adds much more authenticity to the whole scenario.

Matt’s meeting and agreeing to a date with Michelle seems futile, but I can understand the need for it and it does add just the right amount of tension to an already taut scenario. All in all, I’d have to give “Who’s Next” a strong 5.5 out of 10.

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