Based on a True Story (2023–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Who's Next - full transcript

- We need to talk.

Nate told me you sprung a leak?

- Uh...

we don't... we
don't have a leak.

- Yeah, he said it was
the new pipe I put in.

I can't have that.

I insist.

I gotta stand behind
my work, you know?

One bad Yelp review,
and I'm canceled.

Not that you'd ever do
that, but, you know,

it's the principle.



After you.

Okay.

Let's see what we
got going on in here.

So, uh, how's work, huh?

How's the market?

- Yeah, you know, it's good.

It's, uh... everyone's
always looking for a bargain.

So it's...
- Yeah.

- Tough.

- Ah, here it is.
Yeah, there is a leak.

So strange he didn't tell you.

- Well, it's not really...

- You know, in my experience,

husbands don't keep
that many things secret



from their wives.

You know?
- Hmm.

- Right?

You guys tell each
other everything

till death do you part.

Hey, Ava?

How long do you want
me to keep this up?

- Wh-what?

- You're really gonna make me
keep looking for the fake leak?

So...

Here's what I think happened.

I think you figured
out the whole thing...

The booties, the scratches,

Pomona, all of it.

There's no way our sweet Nathan
put all that together himself.

He's not wired like us.

I think you came up
with this... podcast.

- No idea what
you're talking about.

- Mm-kay.

Here's what I'm gonna do...

I'm gonna give you...
one more chance

to tell me the truth.

'Cause if this is gonna work,

if we're gonna move
forward as partners,

there's gotta be
trust, am I right?

So what's it gonna be?

- This is Ava.
Leave a message.

- Hey, it's me again.

Just call me when
you get this, okay?

He's still not here.

I don't know where you are.

Just... just call me.

You're late.

- Yeah. I brought a friend.

Okay, so let's be clear,

if we are gonna do
this, no more lies.

One of us goes down,
we all go down.

And this location?

Amateur hour.

You got one exit,
no escape route,

and it's way too loud.

- I don't... I
don't hear anything.

- Mm-mm.
- Do you?

- Mm-mm.
- Oh.

Do you wanna know what I hear?

- Sure.

- The train station
100 feet away.

The couple talking
shit about the traffic.

The
meth head mumbling

at the dumpster.

What if just one of them
mentions a street name?

Every single second
of this podcast

is gonna be studied, enhanced.

The cops are gonna
hear everything.

The SWAT team will be
here in 60 seconds.

You guys wanna play murder,
you don't half-ass it.

- Mm-mm.
- Of course.

- From now on, we use burners.

- Burners?

- Uh...
- Burners.

All right, kids...

rest of today's canceled.

I'll find us a new location.

Oh, hey, and just
a little heads-up,

your friends came to see me.

You know, the LAPD?

- What?
- It's all good.

I gave them my
alibi. They took off.

- What alibi?

- You know, after the bar,
we went back to your house.

We got fucked up and
watched "Face/Off."

- I'm your alibi?

No, they're...
They're gonna ask me.

- It's okay. It's okay.
- Yeah.

They are gonna ask you.

But we're partners now, right?

Buddy?

You watch my back...

and I won't stick
a knife in yours.

- God, Ava...

- Are you okay?
- Yeah, I'm good.

- Girl's got some
rage in her today.

- Tough day, uh-huh.
- I like it.

Let's go.
- Okay, you ready, baby?

- Oh, I'm ready.

There we go, there
we go.

Nice! Yeah, baby.

Give it to me hard.

- Harder, harder...

- Harder!

- Oh, my God.
- Come on!

- Look how wet we are.

- Oh, my God. You
always get me wet...

- You're a little wet.
- One way or another.

- Ooh, that feels
nice, doesn't it?

- Mm.
- It's hot.

- Stop.

- I'm gonna get you
some electrolytes, okay?

- Okay, thank you, baby.
- Ava, electrolytes?

- Yeah...
- All right.

- Wow.

You guys have some
insane chemistry there.

- You have no idea.

- Well...
- So speaking of...

I don't know.

You and Nathan have had some
weird-ass energy lately.

- Nathan and I are just
going through some stuff.

It's fine.
- What, like you're...

- We're totally
fine. We really are.

- Okay.
- Yeah.

- Well, I have something
that might cheer you up.

- Hmm?
- "Sisters In Crime."

New season.
- Really?

- Just announced.
Dropping Friday.

It's all about the
Westside Ripper.

- "Sisters In Crime" is huge.

If we don't get out before
then, we are fucked.

I don't want all of our
sacrifices to go to waste

because of the fucking
Lipinski sisters.

We gotta fast-track
this, and now.

God, I hate using this phone.

It makes me feel
like a criminal.

- Yeah, well, at least
you're not his alibi.

I mean, I don't wanna
lie for a serial killer.

I just... I don't wanna do that.

- Listen, we'll deal with it
when we have to... if we have to.

Maybe they won't even follow up.

Oh, wait. Look, he's ready.

He found a place for tomorrow.

- What kind of place?

How'd you find this?

- I installed a toilet here.

The Toto UltraMax single flush.

It's a nice couple.

They're in Mykonos, I think.

They're in fashion.

- Stop, stop.

Don't do that.

They gave you the code?
- Eh, don't ask.

- Holy shit.
- Yeah, no one's gonna bug us.

We're good.

- Wow. Um, okay, that's great.

This is good.
- It's so clean.

- So we should
probably... We gotta move

because we only have a few days.

- Guys, guys, I don't care
about "Sisters In Crime."

All right? They're hacks.

The audience is gonna
smell it a mile away.

We don't need to be first.
We just need to be better.

All right.

- Um...

where's my gear?

- Oh, I upgraded.

Look, you guys
wanna half-ass this

like everything else
you do, that's fine.

Me, when I do something,
I wanna do it properly.

So before we start,
let's talk marketing.

Like, if we can't
reveal who we are,

how do we sell this?

- Well, you know, no
one ever went broke

betting on America's
obsession with murder, so...

plus we have a
really good title.

It's "Interview with
a Serial Killer."

- Boom.
- Oh.

- She... that was her.

- Yeah.
- It was... it was great.

- Okay, but guys?

I actually had a really
exciting idea on that.

What about...

"Based on a True Story"?

- People love that shit.

It could be the ultimate true
crime podcast, all right?

And we could even make
a universe out of it.

- A what?
- A universe.

Like, "Based on a
True Story: Miami,"

"Based on a True
Story: Atlanta."

Just like the housewives.

- Wow.

- We do a serial
killer in each city.

- You know, here's what I think.

Maybe we just try and,
like, master this first

before we start talkin'
spin-offs and, you know...

- Okay, yeah. But
you know what?

For later, we could, uh...

We could do something really
cool with the subtitle.

"Based on a True Story: The
Westside Ripper Speaks."

You know, just, like,
uh, I don't know,

"Top Gun: Maverick."

- Yeah, no, it's...

It's totally like
"Top Gun: Maverick."

- Great, okay. Well,
look, let's sit.

- We're gonna use
a voice filter.

We'll add that in.
- Okay.

And, uh, who do we say you are?

I mean, you're
interviewing me, right?

- We're not gonna reveal who
we are or how we know you.

That's part of the sell.

We're gonna give
details each week

only the killer knows.

Um, and, you know,

it's gonna create a lot of buzz.

People are gonna go
crazy for more info.

- Yeah, okay. Great, great.

Let's do this.

- Let's start from
the beginning.

- Recording.

- Who are you?

- I'm the Westside Ripper.

I've killed seven women

that the police are aware of...

and at least 20 more.

I was so young. 18.

She was my first.

But from that day on, I just...

fell in love with it.

- That's fuckin' nuts.

- I know. It is.

The planning, the details.

No wonder why no
one can catch him.

- You really think
there's 20 more bodies?

- God, I don't know.

All these creeps have,
like, a weird competition

with each other, you know?

They wanna be in the
Bundy Club, 30 plus.

I think people are gonna go nuts

when they hear this.

- Yeah.

- Hey.

- Hey, what are you doing
here? You can't come here.

- Well, if you
answered your texts,

then I wouldn't have to be here.

And I had to put my
kid in the Fun Zone

just so me and you could
have a little talk.

- Okay. What are
we talkin' about?

- I got some exciting news.

I made a new cut.

- A new what?

- A new cut of the podcast.

- You made your own cut?

- I listened to yours,

and, honestly...
I didn't love it.

- Really? We think
it's really great.

- The ending just
doesn't work, all right?

Or the beginning.

And Uncle Stan? That music...

Look, it just doesn't
sound authentic.

- Okay. Um, I gotta tell you,

we've done tons of research.

And we're listened to
hundreds of true crime...

- Yeah, but have you ever
actually killed anyone?

- Are you fucking kidding me?

You can't come to
the Beverly Club

and talk about killing people.

- You don't have any
lived experience.

- All right?

It just doesn't feel real.

- Let me tell you something.

We know what we're doing,
and you need to trust us.

- Why?
- Why?

- Yeah, why? Why do
I need to trust you?

This is my story.

I'm trying to protect my brand.

And you keep wasting time

cutting to these
other characters.

- They're good characters.

- Nobody cares.
- Okay.

- You know what
they do care about?

Me. They care about me.

Anytime you cut away to the cops

or the victim's family,

they're just gonna fast-forward

till they get to the
serial killer shit.

So let's just... just
give 'em what they want.

- You don't have final
cut of the podcast.

Do you understand that?

- I'm gonna send it
to you, all right?

Just take a listen.

It's all a discussion.

I hope Ava loves it.

Oh, and Nathan?
- Yeah.

- You missed one.

- Petrificus Totalus!

- Tarantallegra!
- Wingardium Leviosa!

- Tarantallegra!
- Petrificus Totalus!

- Flipendo!
- Flipendo!

- Hey, Ollie. Ready to go?

- Please? Five more minutes.

- Aw, buddy.
- This is my new friend, Gabby.

- Oh, hey, Gabby.

I, uh... hey, I got
something for you.

- This a spoon? Expelliarmus!

- Flipendo!
- Oh, you got me!

- Can we have a playdate?

- Gabby, you ready to go?

- Mom, we're gonna
have a playdate!

- Are we now?

- Uh, hi.

- Hi.
- Hey.

- That was a really good fall.

- Yeah, I've been practicing.

- I'm Michelle.
- Matt.

Great to meet you, Michelle.

- Nice to meet you.

- Can we, Dad?
- Can we, Mom?

Please?
- Can we?

- I guess we don't
have a choice.

- Yes.
- Yes.

- We have no choice. Yes.

- The first time I did it,

I went home covered in blood,
my heart beating like crazy.

I was sure the police

would come knocking on my door,

but no one came.

- God, I keep wondering...

Is it really 20?

- Give or take.

- How do you not remember?

- You can always turn me in.

One phone call, and
all of this ends.

- I mean, I'm not
forcing anyone to buy it.

People don't have to listen.

- Of course.

- There are a hundred
podcasts just like it.

- Absolutely.

- Was it really more than 20?

You know what I think?

You need to take the edge off.

Can I suggest something?

Why don't you...

Why don't you talk to
Nathan about it, you know?

Just... just tell
him how you feel.

- I can't.

He's not like us, you know?

I mean, he wouldn't
even raise his prices

when we couldn't
afford the mortgage.

That was the day I realized

that the world was gonna
eat this guy alive.

If he sees I'm having
doubts about this, he'll...

He'll completely collapse.

Like, this will all be over.

- You need to be strong for him.

- I can't fail.

I mean, it's not
just us anymore.

- I can help you.

- How are you gonna help me?

- Babe?

Babe?

Hey, babe.

- Mm, yeah. Hey.

- You okay?
- Yeah.

- Okay. So Matt
did his own cut.

- He what?

- He didn't feel
it was authentic.

- Okay,
what did he change?

- I listened. It's... it's...

It's just mostly dialogue,

and he did add some new music.

He put Uncle Stan back in,

changed the ending,
changed the beginning...

- What the fuck?

That's an entirely
different version.

- To be fair, some
of the changes

sounded kind of good.

Like, the music...
- Oh, fuck this guy.

If we give up control now,

we are never getting it back.

Okay? We hold the cards.

- We hold the cards?

Just listen to it and... okay?

And see what you think.

- Fuck, fine.

But I'm taking notes and
making my own changes.

Thanks for coming.

I can't wait to hear
what you guys think.

Both: Hey.
- Hey.

- Yes.
- Yes, do you want to, uh...

- Yep.
- Start?

- Listen, your
new work is great.

- Aw.
- Yeah.

The dialogue really pops.
- Yeah.

- Um, the new ending is
actually really good.

- It's better,
right? I told you.

- It's... it's...

- We got the emotion
back in there.

- Yes.
- Yeah.

- Mm-hmm?
- We just, like...

We just have a few notes.

- Yeah, sure, of course.
It's all a discussion.

- Okay.
- So, uh, yeah.

- Terrific.
- Hit me.

- Awesome.
- Mm-hmm.

- So the first one, Uncle Stan.

I think we can just end
with him at the carnival.

I don't think we need to
go to the gelato store.

- Yeah, it's just... it's
about my emotional journey,

the highs, the lows.

It's very moving.

- Honestly, does
it really matter

if Uncle Stan got
you a chocolate cone

or a waffle cone?

I don't think
anyone's gonna care.

- You know, I really
know this genre.

Like, I... trust me.
- She knows it.

- Can I ask you guys a question?

- Mm-hmm.

- Do you want this to just be

like every other dead
white girl podcast,

just about the body count?

We are better than that.

What I'm trying to
do here is drag you

out of your Mar Vista,
chicken Caesar comfort zone

and embrace something
truly visionary.

All right? Let's ask
the big questions.

Who's worse, the guy that puts
the bolt in the cow's skull,

guilty,

or the people that sit around
a restaurant and eat it?

- I just...

I don't think we need
to get into that.

I think people might
just tap the fuck out.

- You know, all I'm trying to do

is just elevate
the material, okay?

So, uh, yeah. Any more notes?

- Actually, yes.
- Yeah, we do.

Um, one more. And this
one we can't budge on.

We gotta cut your last
line, "Who's next?"

- Mm...

- The deal was no more murders,
so there's no more next.

- Sure, yeah.

Between us, there's
no more, right?

But the audience, they
don't need to know that.

You know, I mean, it can't be

"Interview with a
Retired Serial Killer."

Guys, come on, that's not hot.

You know?
- It's not hot.

- Our selling point here
is that I am still active.

I'm out there, watching.

Who's next?

You feel that? See?

It sells jeopardy,
danger, stakes.

That's what's gonna
get our fans excited.

- We're not comfortable
being a part of a project

that's promising future murders.

- Guess you should
have thought about that

before you got into business
with a fucking serial killer.

- You did say this
was a discussion.

- Oh, yeah, no, and it is.
- Okay.

- Always is. It always is.

Until it isn't.

In the end, there
does need to be

one voice that's in
charge of the creative.

- Sure.

- We got the Stanley
fucking Kubrick...

- Okay.
- Of serial killers here.

- So Uncle Stan stays in,
"Who's next?" stays in,

and we go with my title, right?

All good?

- I think that's... Okay,
I think that's fine.

- Mm-hmm.
- Right?

- Yeah, all good.
- Great.

You are not gonna regret this.

I'm gonna upload
it onto the server.

- Server?

No, I got the VPN ready.
- Yeah.

- No, no, no. VPN's
not secure enough.

I got an off-shore
Russian server.

It's totally untraceable.

- Oh, my God, what?
- Don't ask.

- Okay.
- Guys...

I think we should toast.
- Mm.

- Yeah? Come on.

- Sure, let's do it.
- Yeah?

"Based on a True Story."

both: "Based on a True Story."

- Welcome to "Based
On A True Story:

The Westside Ripper
Speaks," season one.

What you're about to hear
has never been done before.

An interview with...
- Nathan.

- An active serial killer.
- Nathan.

- Hey.
- Hey.

Michelle, how are you?
- Good, good.

Quick question.
- Sure, hit me.

- That friend of yours at
the Fun Zone the other day,

the hot dad?

- The hot dad?

Are you talking about Matt?

- Yeah.
- What is he like?

- Um, I have no idea.

I mean, I don't really
know him that well.

I just met him.
- Oh.

Just wanted to check in with you

if he was good people.

'Cause we have a
playdate coming up.

- A playdate?
- Yeah!

Yeah. Our kids
are hangin' out.

- I don't know if that's a...

- I mean, it's not a
weird, sexy date, per se,

unless he wants to make it one,

which would be
kind of awesome...

- Yeah, no, I...
- But, um...

- I just want to
be honest with you,

I can't really vouch for him.

I mean, LA guys, right?
- Yeah.

- You gotta be
careful out there.

- As long as there's no
red flags or anything.

- i...

- What's the worst
that could happen?

- Listen, I can't
totally vouch for him.

- That's... oh, one more thing.
- I just met him.

- The cops were
here for you again.

- What? When?
- Yesterday, the same ones.

What is going on?

Do you have a secret
life or something?

- Me? No.

I wish.

- Okay, well, can
you, um, call them?

'Cause the LAPD hanging
around the Pilates room

isn't a great look.

- Yeah, sure.
- Okay.

- I'm on it.
- Okay, bye.

Wish me luck.

- Bye.

- Nice. All right.

Good, good.
- Let's go again, Dad.

- Ready?

Nice, okay. Nice,
nice, nice, good job.

All right, cool, I'm gonna
show you how to hit this.

Cheat a little
bit this way. Yep.

You start here, and then you
go high, low, high, all right?

Come on.

Ready?
- Yep.

Thanks, Dad.
- You got it, buddy.

All right. Let's do this.

- Babe, hey! Hi.

- Hey, you okay?
- Yeah.

- What are you doing here?
- No, I'm good.

The new numbers are dropping
in five minutes, the downloads!

So I wanted to be here with you.

- Holy shit, already?
That was fast.

- I know.
- What do we need?

- Well, "Sisters In
Crime," first 48 hours,

did half a million
downloads, so...

- Half a million?
- I know.

- That's a fuckin' lot.

- Yeah, but we're
gonna be a hit.

We're gonna blow them
out of the water.

So exciting.
- Listen, uh...

- What?

- I don't wanna do the alibi.

- Why? What do you mean?

- The cops came back again.

- Shit, really?

- Yeah. They're
not gonna stop.

I don't wanna do it.

Look at this kid.

Look at the way he
looks at his dad.

I want my kid to
look at me that way.

- Ew, that's Lewis Heeney.
He's a total fucking creeper.

He tried to fuck me
at the luau party.

- What?
- Yeah.

He hits on all the
pregnant women.

Everyone knows that. He's
a real fuckin' weirdo.

So you might want to
find another example.

- Okay, fine. He's not great.

But I don't want my
kid to remember me

as a guy who helped a
fuckin' serial killer.

- We're not helping
him. We're stopping him.

Your kid is gonna
remember a hero.

And that's...
- Oh, fuck.

- What?
- The cops are back.

Fuck. Shit.

- Okay, let's, uh...
- They're fuckin' here.

- Let's just go
take a walk, okay?

Yeah, let's just
kind of walk quickly.

It's... okay.
- We gotta think, okay?

We just need a minute to think.

- Let's go...
- I'm...

- Let's go this way.
- Where are we going?

- Let's go for the stairs.
- Stair, really?

- Go with the stairs.
- Oh, great.

- Come on, come on.
- That's great.

- Okay, okay? You good?

Can you go any faster?
- Pregnant women love stairs.

Go, go, go, go, go.

- Oh, my God.

- Fuck, they're coming.
- Okay, you're acting crazy.

- Okay, we gotta
think this through.

- You gotta calm down.
- Should I run? I'm gonna run.

- Give me a kiss.
I'm gonna run.

- You're not gonna run.
They know where we live.

There's no running.
- Okay.

What am I gonna say to them?
What the fuck am I gonna do?

- Listen, we are
literally a minute away

from all of our
dreams coming true.

Do you understand that?
- What if it tanks?

What if I'm selling
my soul for nothing?

- Okay, what is the alibi?

What is the movie that
he said? The alibi.

- I think it was the,
uh... Was it "The Rock"?

- I think it was "Con Air."
- No, it wasn't "Con Air."

"Snake Eyes."
- This isn't a guessing game.

- What the fuck was it?
- Just... I don't...

Listen, we have ten...

Wait, we have
literally ten seconds.

If you do not alibi this guy,

our entire house of
cards falls down, okay?

Do you understand that?
- You gotta go.

- Okay, okay.
Okay, listen to me.

Listen to me.
Alibi, alibi, alibi.

If you want to.
It's your choice.

If you don't alibi,
I swear to...

- No, no, no, babe. Babe,
I don't know what to do.

- There he is.

- Hey.

- Just the man
we're lookin' for.

- Hey, I'm still waiting
for my spin class.

- Let me... let
me work on that...

- All right.
- And I'll get back to you.

- Sweet, sweet.
- What's up?

- The night of the
Chloe Lake murder,

when you left the
bar, where'd you go?

- Where'd I go?

I went home.

- Were you alone?
Anyone with you?

- Was anyone with me?

- What did you say?
What did you say?

What happened? How'd it go?

- I said "Face/Off."

- "Face/Off." Oh,
my God, I love you.

This is amazing.
This is amazing.

I love you so much.

- Let's check out the numbers.
- Okay, yes, let's do it.

- Here, okay? Have a seat.

- I just... I want you to know

I'm so proud of you.

And, um, you really
did the right thing.

- Okay, take it easy.

- Well, you know,
semi-right thing.

Have it right here.

It's so exciting!

- It's gonna work. Here we go.

Let's see those half
a million downloads.

- Holy shit.

- Nice shot, Dad.