Is Joe's Fate Sealed in Fool Me Once?

The new Netflix series Fool Me Once is packed with unexpected surprises, kicking off with the mystery of whether Maya's husband Joe is truly deceased. Here's what you should be aware of.

Fool Me Once is the newest installment in Netflix's Harlan Coben Collection, joining other successful TV adaptations of the author's books such as The Stranger, Stay Close, Innocent, Hold Tight, The Woods, and Gone For Good.

Official synopsis states that in "Fool Me Once," Maya Stern grapples with the brutal murder of her husband, Joe. However, when she installs a nanny-cam to monitor her young daughter, she is surprised to see a man she thought was dead in her house. Throughout its eight-episode run, the book is filled with unexpected twists and turns. If you want to know the fate of Joe, here are the spoilers.

Does Joe die in Fool Me Once?

Yes, Joe Burkett (Richard Armitage) does die in Fool Me Once, having been shot by none other than his wife Maya Stern (Michelle Keegan).

Maya took charge of the investigation into Joe's death, determined to uncover the truth about who killed him. But her resolve is tested when she finds footage of Joe hugging their daughter after his death. As she delves deeper into the case, she is confronted by Shane, who reveals that the same gun was used to kill both Joe and her sister Claire. In a shocking confession, Maya admits that she was the one who shot Joe.

In the finale, we learn that Maya suspected Joe of murdering her sister. Shane helps her discover that the bullet came from a handgun only she and Joe had access to. Joe's motive was to silence Claire for leaking information about his family's pharmaceutical company to Corey, who was threatening to leak an audio recording that led to Maya losing her job.

After discovering Claire's actions, Joe staged her murder to look like a burglary, but this was not the first time he resorted to murder to protect himself. It is later revealed that in 1996, he pushed his brother Andrew overboard a yacht after Andrew threatened to expose their involvement in the death of their schoolfriend Theo Mora.

Furthermore, Joe also killed the yacht’s captain, Tommy Dark, who was being bribed by the Burketts. Corey also uncovers another dark secret of the family, discovering their involvement in distributing dangerous drugs and falsifying data from their pharmaceutical company for profit.

Maya, after discovering the truth about her sister, swaps the live handgun for a dud one. She arranges to meet Joe in the park, away from the rest of the family, and confronts him, labeling him a killer. Joe, feeling exposed, reaches for his gun and fires, unaware that his weapon is disabled. Recognizing that he would gladly kill her and that there is no way to prove he murdered Claire, Maya shoots him three times in the chest.

Netflix

The secret cam footage revealed that the nanny and her partner, Izabelle and Luka, had been paid by Joe's mother Judith Burkett (Joanna Lumley) to manipulate the footage and create a deepfake using footage from Joe and Maya's wedding. This was done because Judith, who was suspicious of Maya, wanted to cause her to unravel and confess to the murder.

The Burkett family finally faces consequences for their actions, but it comes at the ultimate price of Maya’s life. Unaware that she is secretly live-streaming the confrontation, they shoot her dead. They will undoubtedly face a lengthy prison sentence for their crimes.

You can now stream Fool Me Once on Netflix and find more information about the series below.

Editor's P/S

As a passionate fan of the Harlan Coben Collection, I was eagerly anticipating the release of Fool Me Once on Netflix. The series did not disappoint, delivering a gripping mystery filled with unexpected twists and turns. The show's first episode left me on the edge of my seat, wondering whether Joe had truly met his demise.

The revelation that Maya was the one who shot Joe was a shocking twist that I did not see coming. The series did an excellent job of building suspense and keeping viewers guessing until the very end. I found myself rooting for Maya as she grappled with the truth about her husband and the secrets that he had been hiding. The exploration of Joe's dark past and his involvement in the deaths of his brother and the yacht captain added depth to the story and kept me intrigued.