‘Fool Me Once’ Ending Explained | Who killed Joe Burkett? Maya Stern exposes Burkett family's dark secrets
Contains spoilers for ‘Fool Me Once’ Season 1
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND: Who doesn't love a good murder mystery right in time for holidays? If you're a fan of Netflix thrillers, chances are you've already binge-watched numerous series based on Harlan Coben's books, such as 'The Stranger' or 'The Innocent'.
Coben's most recent project for the streaming platform, 'Fool Me Once', which released on Monday, January 1, 2024, follows Maya Stern (played by Michelle Keegan), a former special ops pilot navigating a disturbing mystery in the aftermath of her husband Joe Burkett's murder.
What is ‘Fool Me Once’ all about?
Maya and Joe, a married couple with a 2-year-old daughter named Lily, face tragedy when Joe [played by Richard Armitage] is killed in a robbery. To ease Maya's concerns about Lily's care, a friend gives her a nanny cam.
However, when Maya reviews the footage, she witnesses the seemingly impossible: Joe, alive and visiting their daughter. This eerie sight prompts Maya to delve into the mystery surrounding her husband's death.
In her investigation, she discovers a disturbing connection between Joe's murder and the previous death of her sister, Claire, both linked by the same gun.
While Detective Kierce sets out to unravel the mystery behind Claire and Joe's death, Maya embarks on her own adventure all the while being followed by a mysterious red car.
‘Fool Me Once’ Episode 8 recap
Until now, our understanding of Maya's quest for answers surrounding her husband's death led us to believe she was tirelessly piecing together the circumstances, exploring even the possibility that he might have survived the park shooting.
However, the penultimate episode's cliffhanger revealed a shocking twist – contrary to previous assumptions, Maya was the one who had pulled the trigger, ending her husband's life. This aligned with the suspicions of the police, discarding any notion of a red herring or a fake-out.
The final episode of 'Fool Me Once' swiftly confirmed the grim truth. The weapon used was the same secret handgun accessible only to Maya and her husband, Joe.
The chilling revelation added another layer of complexity to the narrative, linking this tragedy to the earlier murder of Maya's sister during an alleged burglary.
The lingering question remains: how did Maya find herself in the harrowing act of killing her husband under the moonlight in that secluded park?
‘Fool Me Once’ ending explained
Maya discovered that her husband Joe might be involved in her sister Claire's murder. To test her suspicion, she secretly switched their household gun with a deactivated one and arranged to meet Joe in a park. When he reached for the weapon, unknowingly using the dud, Maya confronted him about her theory.
However, Joe proved her fears right by attempting to shoot her. In self-defense, Maya shot Joe in the chest but initially staged it to appear as a robbery. She used the blood from the gunshot wounds to make it look like she'd lovingly embraced him as he died.
To divert the police's attention, she mentioned seeing two teens on motorbikes in the park, implicating them in the supposed 'robbery gone wrong'.
Unfortunately, one of the bike riders witnessed Maya shooting Joe, hinting that the truth might eventually come out. Despite this, Maya bought herself time to uncover the motive behind Joe's murder of her sister Claire.
Who killed Maya Stern's sister Claire Walker?
Maya's husband Joe orchestrated a staged break-in at Claire's residence, where he used Maya's concealed Glock 17 handgun to fatally shoot her. Claire, employed by Joe's family company, had unearthed evidence exposing the Burkett family's involvement in deliberately falsifying pharmaceutical trial results for financial gain.
She had intended to blow the whistle on their misconduct, having discovered this information while working for Corey the Whistle. Claire convinced Corey not to release the incriminating audio from Maya's military mission video in exchange for her assistance in exposing the Burkett family's fraudulent activities.
Joe, becoming aware of Claire's intention to expose the truth, killed her to safeguard both his and the Burkett family's reputation.
How did Joe Burkett appear on the nanny cam?
Izabelle and Luka, employees of the Burkett family, digitally manipulated footage to fake Joe's interaction with little Lily. They dressed Luka in Joe's shirt and digitally replaced his head with Joe's, as seen in Maya's wedding flashbacks.
Joe's mother Judith Burkett paid them to scare Maya, suspecting her involvement in his death. The duo did it for money and family loyalty, believing Maya had harmed Joe.
'Fool Me Once' is available to stream on Netflix now!