Netflix's newest murder mystery limited series, Fool Me Once, is full of twists and turns—and one very shocking reveal at the end.
Adapted from Harlan Coben's novel by the same name, the thrilling whodunit follows ex-soldier Maya Stern (Michelle Keegan) as she grieves the death of her rich husband, Joe Burkett (Richard Armitage) and her sister, Claire Walker (Natalie Anderson).
Early on in the eight-episode series, Maya catches a glimpse of her late husband on a hidden nanny cam, and starts trying to connect the dots. As Maya spirals deeper into the mystery of her husband and sister's deaths, she becomes even more desperate for answers.
But, did Maya actually see Joe on the nanny cam? Is he really still alive? And if he isn't, then who is Joe's murderer? Below, here's everything to know about the ending of Fool Me Once. *Spoilers ahead!*
What happened at the end of 'Fool Me Once'?
In the series finale, Maya finally admitted to her former military colleague, Shane (Emmett J. Scanlan), that she had a suspicion that Joe killed her sister Claire after she discovered some surprising information about his past.
Supposedly, Joe had a dark streak back in high school, when he forced a classmate to drink so much alcohol that he died, and then pushed his own brother, Andrew, to his death after hearing him say he wanted to tell the truth about that classmate's death. Oh, and Maya also found out that Joe's family, the Burketts, had been running a pretty sketchy pharmaceutical practice.
But what wasn't totally clear was why Joe killed Claire. Throughout the series, Maya searched for answers, finally cornering a hacker named Corey the Whistle. He was responsible for leaking some footage of Maya killing civilians in the army, which resulted in her losing her job. Corey told Maya that he struck a deal with Claire— she agreed to help him investigate Joe's family if he wouldn't release the audio of Maya clearly ignoring orders (which would have been "much worse" for Maya if made public). But when Claire found out about the dark deeds of the Burkett Family pharmaceutical wing, she ended up dead.
As Maya began to put the pieces together, she realized that her husband killed her sister to keep his family's secrets safe. Joe killed Claire in her home and then staged the crime scene to look like a robbery gone wrong.
Who killed Joe?
At the end of Fool Me Once, viewers finally learn that Maya was the one who killed Joe. (Plot! Twist!)
In a flashback, Maya—suspecting Joe of killing Claire—asked her friend Shane to test a bullet from her gun. That testing showed that it was the same gun that murdered her sister. Maya also noticed Joe's handprints on her gun, which she kept in a safe lockbox at home.
After learning the truth about her sister's murder, Maya asked Joe to meet her at a park and confronted him about Claire's death. (Of note: Prior to this conversation, she swapped her original gun in the case at home for another one that was disabled, knowing Joe might try to use it.)
During this confrontation, Joe attempted to shoot Maya, but he quickly realized the gun was empty. Maya's theories were confirmed, so she shot and killed Joe.
Maya then told the police that bikers tried to rob them and shot him. She staged the scene and even used blood from Joe's body to make it seem like she was holding him as he passed.
Wait, what about that nanny cam footage?
Well, the nanny admitted that it was fake and made up by her and her partner. And for the person responsible for setting this up? It was Joe's mother, Judith! She suspected that Maya was lying about the death of her son.
Who killed Maya?
After all of this, Maya confronted the Burketts in their luxurious mansion about their unlawful pharmaceutical practices, Joe's dark past, and the nanny cam fiasco.
She then admitted to killing Joe, but reminded them of their company's illegal practices. Judith offered a deal to blame everything on Joe, since he's already dead, but Maya didn't want to go along with that plan.
Before anyone could make any other plans, Joe's other brother, Neil (James Northcote) shot Maya and killed her. In true thriller fashion, the Burketts found out that this entire interaction was live-streamed online thanks to the nanny camera Maya set up in their living room before she was killed.
Sydney is a freelance writer in the beauty, lifestyle, and wellness space. She has written for multiple publications throughout her career, including InStyle, Architectural Digest, Glamour, and Elle, in addition to a copywriting for a handful of beauty and wellness brands.
