Married to Christy and father to Natalie and Abby, Ben is fiercely protective of his family and children. He makes his living as a house painter and has been best friends with his tenant, Dave, since high school. Living across the street from the Murphy family, he frequently stepped in when Tom’s father, Scott, was serving abroad. Ben is the one who found 5-year-old Tom’s body while on an early morning run.
Detective Cornell is the top Homicide Detective for the Charlotte Mecklenberg County Police Department. Her commitment to justice is unparalleled, so it's no wonder she has the highest close rate in her department. When 5-year-old Tom Murphy is murdered, Cornell embarks upon an unrelenting pursuit of the offender, who she believes, from early on, is Ben. Her unwavering dedication to her job makes her the most formidable opponent - or a highly valuable ally.
Christy is married to Ben and mother to Natalie and Abby. As a a realtor, she is the breadwinner of the Crawford household. Christy was originally from money, dropping out of college after getting pregnant. She has a close relationship with her brother, Michael. Living across the street from Tom, Christy has always been friendly with the Murphy family.
Jess is the mother of 5-year-old Tom and married to Scott, a military man. A part-time saleswoman at a clothing store, Jess raised Tom mostly alone while her husband was serving abroad. She is very close to her younger sister, Nicole.
Dave is Ben's best friend since high school and current guesthouse tenant of the Crawford family. He loves Ben and the girls, but doesn't get along with Christy. A supposed musician and full-time jokester, Dave played with Tom whenever he was at the Crawford house.
Natalie is the 16-year-old daughter of Christy and Ben, and the big sister of Abby. Too pretty for her own good, she is the typical snarky teen towards her parents and little sister. Natalie babysat for Tom Murphy often, both at her house and his.
Abby is the wide-eyed and inquisitive 12-year-old daughter of Christy and Ben, and little sister of Natalie. A daddy's girl, she shares in her father’s fierce protection and loyalty to family. Living across the street, Abby played with Tom often.
Ben Crawford runs frantically through the woods in the pouring rain in the early morning hours. Coming upon a neighborhood, he desperately yells for help. He stops at his house, ringing the doorbell and banging on the door, yelling for his wife Christy to open up. Later, authorities confirm the death of 5-year-old Tom Murphy who was found in the woods. Returning home, Ben is greeted by Christy and their 16-year-old daughter Natalie. But they aren’t alone: Detective Andrea Cornell wants to ask Ben some questions. It’s clear she thinks Ben is guilty of killing Tom.
News travels and the media stake out the Crawfords’ home in connection to the murder. Natalie is especially affected, try as Ben may to downplay it. He confides in childhood best friend and current guest house tenant, Dave Lindsey. Ben attempts to reach out to Tom’s mother, Jess Murphy, but his call goes unanswered. As they settle in for the night, Christy inquires about the morning’s events and Ben is curt; it’s apparent the couple is in the beginning stages of a separation. In the morning, the family is bombarded by the media, while Ben is summoned by Cornell for more questioning.
At the station, Christy’s divorce lawyer comes to Ben’s aid. Cornell requests a DNA sample, but the lawyer advises against it. When Ben comes home, Christy’s brother Michael is there to help babysit, as Natalie is too upset to do so herself. Photos of Ben getting summoned by police have made its way to the Internet and the comments are horrendous. Ben and Dave go boating; Ben reveals Christy is leaving him and she wants the girls. Dave realizes that’s why he wanted to go out the night before – the night he found Tom.
The Crawfords are cleaning up after dinner when Cornell comes over with more questions for Ben. She shows him a series of photos of various kinds of flashlights, asking if he has any of them. Christy points out one in particular that she got him a couple of years ago for his birthday. When they go out to his truck to show Cornell the flashlight in his kit, it isn’t there. Later, Ben questions Christy’s loyalty.
Ben takes Cornell on the route he took the morning he found Tom. She continues to question him, taking jabs at his memory and inquiring about his calls to Jess. She also presses him on why he refuses to take a DNA test, causing him to walk away abruptly. He returns home to find a swarm of police searching his property – his walk with Cornell was her ploy to get him out of the house. When he inquires about a search warrant, she didn’t need one, as Christy gave them permission.
Ben and his younger daughter Abby run an errand. Upon returning home, they are bombarded by reporters and cameras, causing Abby to burst into tears. Ben brings a distraught Abby back to the car and down to the station – he knows what he needs to do. On his way to the car the next morning, he discovers the words “CHILD KILLER” painted in red on his white fence.
At his job, his client pays him off even though Ben hasn’t completed the painting yet. Ben makes calls to his clients to ask if they need any work done, but they all decline, saying they’ve been done. It’s becoming evident that Ben’s connection to the murder is making him a social as well as a professional pariah. After a blow-up on the phone with Cornell, Ben has a vivid memory of teaching Tom to swim, causing him to break down. Later, he sits down with Cornell, who continues to interrogate him as well as deliver some knowledge served up by the DNA test: Ben is Tom’s father.
Ben visits Tom’s memorial site when he sees Jess approaching. He confronts her, asking if she knew that Tom was his son. She reveals she didn’t know until that day, only finding out from Cornell, who made the discovery via Ben’s DNA test. Ben maintains his innocence and Jess assures she believes him as she knows who did it. At Jess’ house, the two discuss Tom’s father, Scott, whom Jess believes killed her son. She reveals Scott wasn’t the saint many pegged him to be. Scott doesn’t know Tom is Ben’s – no one else does. If he did, he would have killed Ben. Their conversation is interrupted by Nicole, Jess’ sister.
When Christy inquires about Ben’s whereabouts, he admits to talking with Jess, who believes Scott killed Tom. An officer comes to the door with a summons from Cornell. Ben is not being arrested this time. At the station, Cornell informs Ben the coroner confirmed the cause of Tom’s death to be blunt force trauma and they determined the make and model of the flashlight used in the murder. Frustrated that Cornell still suspects him, Ben requests a polygraph test, much to the dismay of his lawyer. When the test is determined as inconclusive, his lawyer quits on him and advises getting a criminal lawyer.
Ben overhears Natalie planning a secret rendezvous and follows her, only to discover she is meeting with Scott. After witnessing affection between them, he runs across the street, causing Scott to leave. When Ben confronts her, she is furious. That night, an inconspicuous Ben searches for Scott at his army’s barracks, but he isn’t there. At the dinner table, Christy notices the tension between Ben and Natalie. He informs her Natalie is seeing Scott, as he witnessed the two holding hands. Baffled, Natalie corrects him: what Ben really saw was Scott giving her his silver star to put on Tom’s casket.
The next morning, Ben is running around the neighborhood when he hears screaming at Jess’ house and sees Scott’s motorcycle in the driveway. Jess and Scott are having a violent screaming match when Ben runs in and throws a punch at him. Scott retaliates, throwing punches and choking him. Jess yells at Scott to stop but he refuses until Nicole appears and demands he let go. Later, Ben goes to Cornell, pressing her on why she isn’t questioning Scott for the murder. It’s clear she still believes Ben did it.
While getting ready for bed, Ben’s phone rings. It’s Jess, calling him in tears asking him to come over, as she’s overwhelmed with details for Tom’s funeral the next day. Christy is understanding and tells him to go, but she’s visibly upset. Ben goes over to Jess’ house. Reminiscing about her son, Jess bursts into tears, with Ben consoling her. Jess tries to kiss Ben, but he pulls away. Returning home, Ben finds that Christy laid out beddings for him on the couch; she is not pleased.
The next day, Ben confronts Christy, insisting nothing happened with Jess the night before. He receives a call from Cornell who has an urgent message but he cuts her off to go to Tom’s funeral. Later that night, the family is gathered around the television when Cornell appears at the door. She delivers her message in person: there was a leak in the crime lab and the press knows about Tom’s paternity. Going back inside with his family, the news announces Ben is Tom’s biological father, shocking and upsetting the family.
Going into Abby’s room, Ben gently but honestly informs her that he is Tom’s father. Upon realizing Tom was her brother, she bursts into tears. Later that night, Christy confronts Ben about details surrounding the night he and Jess slept together six years prior. Christy recalls she and the girls were at her brother Michael’s following a fight between Ben and Christy, right after her abortion. Ben sleeps on the couch again. Waking up in the middle of the night, he opens his eyes to Scott standing above him. Scott threatens him saying if he doesn’t go to prison, he’s going to kill him.
Ben and Dave shop for a gun following his encounter with Scott. Upon coming home, Ben sneaks out of his truck and into the house while the media swarm the truck with Dave driving. Inside the Crawford home, when Natalie comes home and catches Abby crafting with her glitter makeup, the two sisters get into an argument. Abby snitches on her sister, revealing to Ben that Natalie is attending a party at her boyfriend Cooper’s house. When a dressed up Christy makes her way out, Ben stops to question her. She is icy towards him; it’s clear he’s not forgiven for letting her find out he had a baby with Jess on TV.
Ben goes to Jess’ and tells her that Scott knew Tom’s paternity before it was announced. Jess informs Ben that she didn’t tell anyone about it, except for her sister. When Nicole doesn’t answer Jess’ call, she suspects something is wrong. Ben and Jess go to Nicole’s place and find her and Scott in bed together. Cornell gets involved and Ben thinks he’s off the hook, but it’s clear she still suspects Ben. The next day, Ben walks into what appears to be a private conversation between Natalie and Christy.
The Crawfords and Dave set up Christmas lights in the house. Dave gets a little too handsy with Natalie. Ben goes out to his truck. Upon opening it, a flashlight falls out. Shocked, he scrambles to hide it in his garage. At the winter fair, Ben feels eyes on him, but Christy insists on being normal. Some neighbors invite Ben and Christy to join them at their table but Kevin Williams is especially cold to Ben. The sound of children fighting interrupts their conversation. Abby pushes a classmate to defend her father.
Upon returning home from a run, Ben sees Cornell and Christy going into the garage. Cornell wants to see a receipt for the flashlight to help eliminate him as a suspect. When Cornell leaves, Ben and Christy get into an argument. He pleads with Christy to stand by him. As soon as she’s out of the garage, Ben hides the flashlight by wrapping it in a box, like a present. He receives a phone call about a gig and starts work with Arthur Fenton. The men bond, until Arthur says something that unnerves Ben, conjuring up bad memories of the fateful morning. Arthur apologizes, but the damage is done.
Ben goes to Tom’s shrine to give him a Christmas gift: a bicycle bell. Scott sneaks up on him in full uniform – they let him go free, as he had an alibi: he was with Nicole. He didn’t come forward because he didn’t want to hurt Jess.
Ben insists he didn’t kill Tom and makes peace with Scott. That night, Ben informs Jess Scott didn’t do it, and she doesn’t take the news well. Tom’s killer is still out there. When Christy’s shopping bag falls, Ben goes to pick it up and discovers she bought new lingerie… and a pregnancy test. Ben confronts Christy about the pregnancy test, but she refuses to discuss it.
Ben turns to Dave, admitting the flashlight came back. Dave is the voice of reason for once; he also reveals he can hear everything through their bathroom window. When Dave insinuates he believes the pregnancy test is Natalie’s, Ben goes ballistic and looks for her. Abby snitches on her sister once again and uses her laptop for details about the party.
With Dave and Abby in tow, Ben goes to the party to find Natalie. There, he confronts her and intends to take her home. When Cooper stands up to Ben, he pushes him aside, causing Natalie’s boyfriend to throw a punch at her father. Ben proceeds to fight back and shoves Cooper onto a table, threatening him. A drunk Natalie throws a low blow at Ben, alluding he’s a killer. Dave brings Natalie outside and the family leaves the party. When Natalie refuses to get in the car with Ben, Dave accompanies Natalie while Ben and Abby walk home.
The next day, Ben tells Christy he knows the test was for Natalie and the two have a talk. Christy invites Ben to sleep in their bedroom again. Cornell comes to the door, showing Ben and Christy footage from the night before when he threatened Cooper’s life. Cornell needs to get a statement from Dave, so Ben goes to the guest house to fetch him. Looking at Dave, Ben notices glitter all over Dave’s chest – it’s Natalie’s glitter. Ben barges in and upon finding evidence Natalie stayed over, Ben throws Dave out of the house in a rage – right into Cornell’s arms.
After a public revelation, Ben struggles to keep his family together -- and maintain his innocence.
I loved the first three episodes. But is the mystery the exact same as the Australian version? If so, what's the point? Too many remakes on network TV right now.
When we started watching Secrets and Lies I had know idea there was an Australian version...
I think this US version stands on it's own very well though!!
On his run, Ben hears loud music coming from the Daly house. He also sees the Richardsons arguing. Noticing the cut on Ben’s forehead, Dr. Richardson invites Ben to drop by his office. Returning home, Ben sees Natalie and apologizes. She speaks to him for a moment, but when he inquires about Dave, she gets upset. Cornell drops by the house – for once it’s not for Ben, but for Natalie. With Christy and Ben present, it is revealed two nights before Tom was killed, Natalie was supposed to be babysitting him. Instead, she had Vanessa watch him and went to a concert with Cooper.
Ben goes to the Richardson home to speak with Vanessa, who is visibly upset. On her coffee table sits a ragged stuffed bunny, which he recognizes from Tom’s shrine. When he mentions it, Vanessa reasons it wasn’t supposed to be there, as it was her son Malcolm's. Vanessa shows Ben photos of her son and leaves the room for a beverage. With Vanessa out of the room, he discovers a photo of a badly bruised Malcolm, as well as a police report. Later, Ben investigates the Richardsons, discovering they changed their last name. He also learns the doctor had been fired from his job for sexual misconduct.
Speaking to an officer at the station about his discovery, Cornell accuses Ben of going around her. She reveals to him that Natalie wasn’t at the concert with Cooper – and that he should talk to his friend Dave. Ben pays a visit to Dave, who is staying at his mother’s. Their meeting is cold and Ben inquires about Dave taking Natalie to the concert. Dave explains he bought the tickets for them and when Cooper flaked at the last minute, he only attended to make sure she was safe. When Ben presses Dave on what else he told Cornell, Dave is insulted and kicks Ben out.
When Vanessa invites Christy and Ben over for dinner, Ben refuses, but changes his mind. At dinner, he slips away to do snoop around. When he is caught, he accuses Joseph of being Tom’s killer and storms out. Christy follows her husband home – as does Vanessa. She explains Malcolm had undiagnosed hemophilia and was bruising for months. The doctor at the hospital thought they were abusing him and called the police, who put him in a group home where he was beaten. What Ben saw was their evidence to help get him back, but it was too late: he died two weeks before the hearing. When Ben probes about the sexual misconduct charge, Vanessa remains mum about it, as it has nothing to do with Ben’s son.
At breakfast the next morning, Natalie comes downstairs, placing her pregnancy test in front of Ben and the family. She is not pregnant. When her parents reprimand her, she shoots back that they had her at a young age. Ben admits fault and lectures his daughter in a loving way, softening up not only Natalie but Christy too. Natalie explains that nothing happened with Dave – after all, he is like an uncle to her.
Later, Fenton reveals information he dug up about the Richardsons, thanks to Ben providing him with details earlier. Apparently, Joseph and Vanessa had the same mitochondrial DNA – they have the same mother. While they claimed they didn’t know they were related, Fenton believes it makes for a great story. When he shows him an article about the Richardsons’ story, Ben comes to the realization that Fenton is a reporter – and Ben is his unnamed source. Realizing he made a huge mistake, Ben frantically goes to their home to warn them, but no one is there. He leaves a voicemail, apologizing profusely.
Returning home, Ben finds Dave moving his things out of the guest house. When he apologizes to his friend, he gives Ben a list of demands in order to receive forgiveness. It’s a long list and they all consist of beer. It’s clear things between Dave and Ben will be back to normal. When Dave leaves, Cornell appears and informs Ben that the Richardsons are gone. She also reveals Ben called Jess the night of Tom’s murder, a fact he doesn’t recall. He didn’t end up calling Jess exactly; instead, he called a random person named Sarah Jenkins who has a similar number, leaving a highly suspicious-sounding message for Jess.
Ben and Christy share a heated intimate moment, leaving him hopeful about the state of their relationship. He calls Dave to inquire if Ben had called Jess while they were together that night at the bar. Dave can’t remember anything from that evening. Ben overhears Christy on the phone. When he inquires who it is, she downplays it as just a client. Christy leaves and Natalie points out that she left her wedding ring on the stand, leaving Ben confused.
Spotting Matt walking alone outside, Ben calls out to him. Hearing Ben, he runs into the woods, with Ben chasing him. Matt falls but continues running, dropping a blue jacket stained with blood – the same one Cornell questioned Dave about. He makes it to the river and drops his computer in. Ben assists him home when it begins to rain. Matt doesn’t like getting wet at all. Luckily, Matt’s mother Lisa comes to the rescue with an umbrella. Ben mentions the blue jacket to her, but she brushes it off. When Ben goes back to the woods, the jacket is gone.
Ben tells Cornell about the jacket, but she’s not interested. Upon returning home, Kevin Williams confronts Ben about accusing everyone in the neighborhood. Ben returns to the woods only to bump into Tyler, Matt’s brother, smoking. He has visible cuts on his hands. He’s supposed to be at school, but according to him, plans changed. Ben brings up the encounter to Dave who divulges that Tyler used to be an addict. The information has Ben
suspect Tyler as the killer.
Abby gets turned away from a classmate’s party as repercussion for what happened at the winter fair. The next morning, Christy’s car is vandalized, with the word “Guilty” written on the side of it. When Ben inspects the car, he finds a cigarette on the floor. He goes to the Daly house and informs Lisa, who denies Tyler is home. When he insists her son is in town, she dismisses him. Later, Ben asks Natalie about Tyler. She has nothing bad to say about him and is convinced he didn’t do anything to Tom.
On his way out to run, Ben sees a trail of blood on the sidewalk and goes to investigate. The blood leads to his garage, with more splattered on the door. Opening the garage door, he discovers dozens of flashlights carefully placed in rows on the floor. He looks on in shock. Cornell appears behind him, responding to a text he sent her. When he tells her he didn’t send it, she asks him to step away, as it is a crime scene. While Ben shrugs it off as a juvenile prank, Cornell takes the situation seriously, calling it an act of vandalism and considering it a threat. She tells him to watch his back.
Ben wants to talk to Matt, but Lisa refuses to let him. After hearing commotion upstairs, he barges into Matt’s room. Seeing Ben in his room, Matt starts to have a violent episode that escalates. Tyler appears and attempts to calm his brother down. Ben is positive Matt killed Tom. When he threatens to call the police, Lisa is willing to talk. She initially tries to cover for Tyler, but he reveals it all: he crashed his car while drunk and is in hiding, with help from Lisa. Tired of not owning up to his mistakes, he takes responsibility by calling the cops, who are on their way to get him.
Convinced that Matt killed Tom, Ben goes to Cornell. She tells him he is losing his mind. It couldn’t have been Matt as it was raining the night of the murder. According to Lisa, Matt hates the rain and won’t go outside if it’s raining. Also, his GPS bracelet shows he was at home sleeping at the time of the murder. Later, Cornell comes to the Crawfords’ door with their vandal: Natalie’s boyfriend, Cooper. Cooper confesses to tagging their fence and messing up Christy’s car. When Natalie inquires why, he says he was angry at Ben for not allowing him to see her and he apologizes.
With Cooper’s confession, Ben assumes the ordeal is over, but Cornell thinks otherwise, as the flashlight incident is unrelated. The culprit is someone who knows him or at least someone who thinks they know him. After turning his car on, Ben receives a threatening text from an anonymous sender. His car suddenly turns off on its own, making it clear that someone is definitely watching him closely.
In the aftermath of his truck incident, Ben is safely out, but not before he had to break the window to do so. Cornell informs him that someone hacked the security system – this is someone highly skilled. They also weren’t able to trace the real source text she received from his number. Ben has a stalker and Cornell offers to assign a police detail to him. He declines, reasoning she wants to follow him around so she can send him to prison. Dave voices concern over Ben’s safety and Christy surprisingly agrees with him. When Ben tells Christy he thinks Kevin may be his stalker, she encourages him to talk to him first.
Ben heads to the Williams’ house and encounters Elaine. When he asks for Kevin, Elaine speaks her mind about her opinion of Ben. When the conversation gets heated, Kevin appears and confronts Ben. Ben tells Kevin he knows it was him; Kevin responds saying he knows it was Ben. Cornell, Christy and a police detail interrupt their conversation, with Cornell insisting on protection for his family.
Meanwhile, Ben continues to receive texts from himself, the latest a video of him sleeping in his room along with incriminating audio of his conversation with Dave about the flashlight. When Dave advises to show Cornell, Ben panics and the two inspect his room. Calling on Cornell, her team finds a military-grade covert camera. In order to find out if there are more hidden away, authorities have to search his whole house. He voluntarily leaves to stay at Dave’s so that the police won’t follow him and the family will be safe with the detail.
At Dave’s, Ben confides in him about when everything changed between him and Christy. It was six years ago when she had the abortion. When she returned home, he was upset at her, so she took Natalie and Abby with her to Michael’s. It was Fourth of July weekend and a solo Ben attended the Williams’ barbecue, where he ended up cheating on Christy with Jess. There’s a knock on Dave’s door it’s Jess. When Ben dismisses her kindness, she storms out. He runs after her, but he’s too late so he returns to Dave’s. Before he can open the front door, a figure puts a gun to Ben’s head. It’s his stalker, Kevin.
In an abandoned warehouse, Ben is tied to a dolly with his head covered and wearing headphones blasting heavy metal music. Kevin takes the cover off of Ben’s head and douses him with water. He terrorizes Ben while questioning him, trying to scare him into confessing. It’s revealed that Kevin stopped liking Ben on Independence Day six years prior, the day he caught Ben and Jess having sex all those years ago. As a former military man, he was enraged that Ben cheated with the spouse of a soldier fighting for our country. Kevin admits to stalking Ben, as he is positive he is Tom’s killer.
Kevin continues to terrorize Ben, making it clear he is upset that he slept with a soldier’s wife. When he subconsciously says Elaine’s name, Ben points it out to him. It becomes clear that Elaine cheated on him while he was in Kuwait. Furious, Kevin forces Ben outside at gunpoint and orders him to dig his own grave. Ben takes the opportunity to momentarily escape from his captor, grabbing Kevin’s cell phone. When he is finally able to get service, he asks for Cornell but is caught by Kevin before he could get help.
While Ben continues to dig the grave, Kevin insists on forcing Ben to confess to killing Tom. Ben tells him he’d rather be shot than confessing to killing his own son. Before he can pull the trigger, Cornell arrives and orders him to put down the gun. Kevin is taken into custody. After a brief chat, Ben realizes Cornell knew all along that Kevin was Ben’s stalker, but it’s clear she still suspects him as the killer. Upon Ben’s arrival home, the family and Dave welcome him back with open arms – even Natalie is being nice. Shaken, Ben doesn’t find himself hungry, despite his family’s warm welcome. Dave follows his friend outside and offers him words of comfort. Ben confides in Dave about feeling ashamed that Tom was killed and he turned himself into a victim.
Later that night, he opens an email from Fenton, who has been trying to contact him since the incident with the Richardsons. Opening the email, it is an article targeting the Crawford women. Furious, Ben goes to Fenton’s house and greets him with a punch to the face. Fenton explains himself, telling him he just wanted to get his attention. Fenton wants Ben’s help in bringing Cornell down.
Inside Fenton’s house, Ben realizes he lured him there to assist him in bringing down Cornell. Initially, Ben refuses him, but thinks twice after Fenton tells his tale about his experience with Cornell. Upon Ben's return home, Christy expresses her worry over his whereabouts. Ben visits Jennifer Barrett, Cornell’s latest victim, in jail. When he is surprised to see the likes of her in there, she reveals that Cornell is her mother. He tells her why Cornell is after him and she tells him about a similar case: Seth Goring, the prime suspect in the murder of a little girl. She advises him to confess now.
Leaving the prison, Ben sees Cornell, who was informed he went to visit her daughter. When Fenton approaches him outside, Ben is furious. Coming home, Ben walks in on Jess apologizing to Christy. When Jess leaves, Christy inquires about what happened with Kevin as Ben receives a call from Cornell. At the station, Cornell brings Ben into a room filled with evidence from the crime scene. She attempts to scare him into a confession now, as it will only get worse for him and his family. Ben realizes that this meeting is personal for Cornell – it’s payback for him visiting her daughter in jail – and he walks out on her.
Arriving home, Dave is visiting with the family. Ben goes outside for fresh air, with Dave joining him. Ben admits his meeting with Cornell made him anxious to get rid of the flashlight. He also admits to meeting with Cornell’s daughter and his plan to track down Cornell’s other suspect to compare notes. Ben visits the Goring house. Despite a warning from one of her sons, Ben talks to Goring’s wife – he’s seen her before yelling at Cornell. When Ben inquires about Seth, his wife reveals he couldn’t take it anymore and hung himself a week ago.
Ben takes the information to Fenton, who rushes Ben out of his house due to an appointment. He seems suspicious, so Ben waits around and sees a woman go into the house with some files. He introduces himself; her name is Linda and she’s clearly in a rush. Returning home, the family is getting ready to head to Michael’s annual holiday party. Ben carries a pile of gifts to the car, including the wrapped flashlight, and accidentally breaks the gift for Michael.
On their way to the party, Ben insists on them getting another gift for Michael. He drops the girls off and then turns into the parking lot, taking the wrapped flashlight into the woods to get rid of it. When he returns to the car, Christy is there with questions. He covers up the truth, but she’s skeptical. Arriving at Michael’s, the family unloads the gifts from the car. Abby points out a missing gift, with Ben attempting to cover it up. When they’re alone, Christy presses him for the truth. He doesn’t divulge, so she sends him home. Driving back, Cornell’s colleagues terrorize Ben on the road because of his visit with her daughter, which prompts him to meet with Fenton.
Meeting outside of Ben’s house, Fenton shows Ben the article he wrote about Goring based on the information he gave him. Fenton leaves and Ben goes inside, finding Dave in his house. When Dave asks, Ben informs him he got rid of the flashlight, giving him the details. There is a knock at the door: it’s Goring’s son and he’s angry. When Ben defends he was only trying to clear his father’s name, the son informs him that his father was guilty. He discovered photographic evidence and showed them to his father, which prompted him to end his life. Goring’s wife never knew the truth… but now she will.
The next morning, Natalie and Ben have a heart-to-heart. Their conversation is interrupted by Christy, who is looking for Abby. They hear Abby shouting and find her outside with Cornell. Cornell gives Ben the Miranda warning and then takes him to the parking lot behind the mall where he ditched the flashlight. There is a team searching the premises. Ben’s lawyer arrives and informs him that he wasn’t arrested; it was merely an intimidation tactic. He also informs Ben that he received a check for $25,000 – a check Ben didn’t send him. Cornell doesn’t find anything and sets Ben free. When the search team walks by, he recognizes one of them: Linda, from outside Fenton’s home. He greets her, causing Cornell to take notice. Linda is the leak in the crime lab.
Ben goes to Fenton’s and reveals he knows Fenton paid the lab rat for Tom’s DNA results and leaked them to the press. Cornell arrives and arrests Fenton. When Ben returns home, he and Christy argue and she gives him an ultimatum once again. Fed up, he tells her to leave and insists on joint custody. Christy takes the girls with her to Michael’s; Abby is inconsolable. Later, Ben takes their things over to Michael’s and confronts his brother-in-law about calling the cops on him. Cornell visits Ben and when he continues to maintain his innocence, she shows him a surveillance video from the cab the night Tom died. The video shows him going to Jess’ house that fateful night.
Loved the scene where Ben is talking to his son Tom about the tooth fairy & Tom did not find any money underneath his pillow. Ben puts him to sleep & takes his tooth from under Tom's pillow & puts money underneath his pillow...precious/emotional!
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[Show spoiler]04/19/15 Season 1 TV-14 L
Alone on Christmas Eve, Ben is preoccupied by the new surveillance video evidence presented by Cornell and pays a visit to his lawyer John Garner. When Garner tells him he is going to be charged, Ben has a meltdown at the thought of getting arrested. Garner also informs him that if he can’t remember what happened the night Tom was killed, he can’t testify and will need to take a plea. Arriving home, Ben gets a call from Natalie, who expresses how miserable Christmas is at Michael’s. Christy has a phone conversation with Ben that doesn’t end well.
Dave shows up bearing gifts. In particular, he has a special gift for Ben: it’s the flashlight. Ben is ecstatic that his friend saved him from prison. The two decide to get rid of the flashlight – after all, everyone is with their families since it is Christmas. They take the flashlight to the abandoned warehouse Kevin took Ben. When Dave hesitates over the location, Ben assures him that because of what happened to him, no one would expect Ben to return there. They get rid of the flashlight once and for all, burying it deep underground.
After ditching the flashlight, Ben and Dave drive to Michael’s to see Natalie and Abby, unbeknownst to Christy. When they arrive, Christy is furious at Ben and the two get into a heated argument. Christy begins to call the police on Ben; Dave points out Natalie and Abby, who are watching the whole ordeal on the balcony. Christy runs after a tearful Abby while Ben and Dave leave. Back home, Ben expresses his worry over the case, telling Dave everything his lawyer told him and his concern over the fact that he can’t remember anything the night Tom was killed. It was the night Christy found out Ben cheated on her.
With a guilty conscience, Dave finally comes clean: he drugged Ben that night. Ben is outraged that Dave never told him. In tears, Dave reasons that he was going but was too scared. Ben eventually understands why he did it and Dave apologizes, determined to help him remember that fateful night. A flashback shows a usually calm and collected Ben getting uncharacteristically drunk, even bothering a lady at the bar. Ben tells Dave about the surveillance video. When Ben starts to believe he could have killed Tom, Dave is adamant he didn’t and suggests recreating the night to get to the bottom of it.
Dave and Ben go back to the bar. The same lady Ben upset is back and wary of him; he offers to buy her an apology drink and she obliges. He tells her they are trying to remember that night and she tells him about the picture he was waving around. The photo was of Christy’s ultrasound. When Cornell went to the bar and questioned everyone, she thought the photo Ben showed was of Tom, which is why she thought Ben knew Tom was his. It also comes to light that Ben made the call to Jess to warn her that Christy knew about them – not because he was going to kill Tom. With that cleared, they move on.
The two are set to part ways since Ben went home by himself that night. Before they leave, Ben reaches into the pocket and finds a tooth: it was Tom’s tooth. The memories come flooding back to Ben now. Ben and Garner go to Cornell and present her with the tooth. Ben tells Cornell that he can’t remember anything from that night because he was drugged. He shows her the picture of the ultrasound and clarifies it isn’t of Tom. He also explains he and Dave retraced the steps and it wasn’t until he found the tooth that his memory started coming back.
Ben tells Cornell he took the cab home and went to Jess’ house to warn her that Christy knew about them. He went inside as the door was unlocked, only to find Jess sleeping. As he was leaving, he saw Tom standing there and put him back to bed. When Tom mentions the tooth fairy didn’t take his tooth yet, Ben takes Tom’s tooth and puts money under the pillow for him. Ben firmly tells Cornell that he now knows that he didn’t kill Tom. Later, Ben goes to Jess and tells her what happened that night. She expresses her happiness that Tom got to feel what it was like to be Ben’s son.
Ben receives a phone call from Garner, who has had a revelation. His theory is that Christy may be the killer. He also brings up their divorce and the fact that she has money, revealing the $25,000 check that he received came from her. When Ben tells him she doesn’t have that kind of money, Garner reminds him that he is a twice-divorced criminal attorney. He informs him that Christy is hiding cash and there’s a lot more of it. Ben searches the house and finds exactly what he’s looking for in the attic: a moneybox filled with stacks of cold hard cash.
Cornell stares at the murder board and one of her colleagues comes into the room with a transcript of Ben’s statement. The two chat about Ben and she makes it clear she no longer believes he is the killer. Meanwhile, Ben confronts Christy about the money stash and she defends it, calling it much needed help from Michael. He tries to strike a deal with her: he’ll give back the money in return for the girls. She serves Ben with divorce papers and threatens to not only get the girls, but also the money.
Ben goes over to Jess’ house, only to find Nicole on her way out carrying boxes of Tom’s toys. Nicole tells Ben that Jess asked her to clean out Tom’s room. When Ben asks if Jess is okay, Nicole informs him she’d feel better if she took her meds. He thinks she is talking about sedatives, but he is mistaken. Nicole tells Ben he doesn’t really know Jess at all before speeding off. Ben shows Dave the money he found and confides in him that his lawyer wants him to float Christy as an alternate suspect. Dave doesn’t dispute the theory and tells Ben why he thinks Christy could have done it, leaving Ben conflicted.
Natalie and Abby surprise Ben at the house; Michael brought them to get more clothes. Abby tells Ben she thinks Christy’s client Sam is her new boyfriend. She also divulges that Michael told her that Ben loves Jess and that he wants to be with her. Ben confronts Michael, who is surprisingly apologetic. When the girls come outside with their bags, Abby refuses to go with her uncle. Reasoning they didn’t get a Christmas, she wants to go with Ben to see the fireworks. Michael allows both girls to stay with their father for the event, but Natalie passes to allow Abby more time with Ben.
Cornell returns to the scene of the crime to further investigate with a crime scene investigator. With Ben no longer her prime suspect, she seems to have her sights on someone else – she just needs to prove it. Going to the river, she takes a look around and finds evidence in a child’s toy: it was Tom’s. Despite the fact that the crime scene was further away from the river, Cornell tells the investigator that the crime scene wasn’t originally supposed to be where it was – it was supposed to be near the river. She mentions that water killing is a female’s MO. Tom’s killer is female.
When Ben approaches Abby, she hides her phone from him. He notices and she confesses that Christy told her not to let Ben see it, as it was a present from only her. As they get ready to head out, Jess approaches and tells them her car won’t start. Finding out she is also going to the fireworks, Ben invites Jess along, much to Abby’s dismay. At the fireworks, Abby notices Ben and Jess getting cozy and goes out of her way to make Jess feel excluded. Ben thinks he sees Cornell but Jess convinces him he’s mistaken. Abby ends up dropping her new phone and bursts into tears, afraid that Christy will be angry.
Meanwhile, Cornell visits Christy, who is entertaining Sam at Michael’s. Cornell reveals she’s done some investigating on Sam, who thinks he’s not involved in the case. After an interrogation by Cornell, Sam leaves in a huff. At the same time, Ben drops Abby off at Michael’s. When he tells her she has to live with Christy, Abby gets upset and accuses Ben of wanting to be with Jess. Upon seeing Cornell harshly interrogating Christy, Abby comes to her mother’s defense, revealing she heard Christy and Ben fighting. Christy apologizes to Abby and Cornell leaves for the night.
Arriving home, Ben volunteers to walk Jess to her house. She declines him initially, but ends up giving in. Things get heated and Ben and Jess end up having sex… again. The next morning, Jess suggests they make another baby and Ben realizes something is off. While Jess showers, Ben comes upon a photo of Tom and Jess, who is wearing a blue jacket – the same jacket he found in the woods. He looks for answers and is shocked to find numerous bags of pills. At the station, Cornell follows up on a blood spatter report. It’s not ready yet, but the results will aid her investigation and pinpoint the killer once and for all.
After doing some research, Ben goes back to Jess’ and snoops around. He finds an urn wrapped in a pink blanket, revealing Jess had a baby before Tom. Jess catches Ben snooping and freaks out when Ben inquires about the pills and the two dead babies, throwing a vase and a pair of sharp scissors at him. Thanks to information from Dave, Ben goes to Nicole for answers. Later, Abby goes missing and Ben thinks crazy Jess is behind it. In the lab, Cornell finally gets the results of the report and discovers she was right about Tom’s killer.
Abby is missing and Ben is convinced Jess has her. Cornell calls Ben to inform him that police are on their way – but only because Jess called and accused him of rape. He goes to Jess’ house and breaks in, frantically calling out for Abby. The cops arrive and arrest Ben as Jess insists he raped her. Cornell arrives on the scene and is taken aside by an officer, finding the blue jacket in Jess’ house. At the station, Ben is delirious and frantic, admitting he slept with Jess but didn’t rape her. Much to his surprise, Cornell reveals to Ben that she knows he didn’t have the jacket – and that he didn’t kill Tom.
Ben receives a phone call from Abby. Jess never had her; she just wanted to be by herself. Ben and Christy have a civilized conversation, with Ben informing her that the blue jacket was Jess’. Christy is shocked to hear Jess killed Tom. Jess is brought into the police station for questioning. She tells Cornell that Ben raped her, but Cornell doesn’t buy it. She presents Jess with the blue jacket. When Jess insists she didn’t kill her own son. Cornell believes her, telling Jess that someone is framing her for her son’s death.
The Crawford family surprises Ben at the house for a reunion. Natalie and Abby begged Christy to allow them to see Ben and she gave in, as they didn’t get the Christmas they wanted. At the station, Cornell rounds up officers, showing them a photo and asking if they’ve seen “her.” One officer did; the officer dropped “her” off at Chelsea Bay Drive the previous afternoon. Cornell needs to review footage. At the Crawford house, Ben presents Christy with the signed divorce papers. Setting up for dinner, the family discusses the fact that Jess killed Tom. Meanwhile, Cornell tries to get the killer charged for murder, but without evidence and a confession, that can’t happen.
Before dinner, Ben is fixing up outside the house. Noticing an opened vent, he peers inside and finds blood-covered sneakers. The family is digging into their food when Ben enters the room, sneakers in hand. He confronts Abby, asking if it is blood on her sneakers and questioning her role in Tom’s murder. She breaks down into tears and tells him it was an accident – she didn’t mean to hurt him. She explains her plans for them to run away, telling her family what really happened the night Tom was killed. Christy and Ben were fighting and Jess and Scott were too, and Abby thought she had a way to fix it.
Using Natalie’s key, Abby went to Jess’ and pulled Tom out of bed in order to get him to run away with her, luring him out with the promise of Scott coming back. Once they were in the woods, Tom dropped his toy tank and wanted to go home. He started running back and a panicked Abby ran after him, accidentally striking him with the flashlight. She was going to tell Ben, but he had already gone out for a run and found Tom. She was scared so she put her shoes in the vent under the guest house. Hearing this, Ben and Christy are in tears, while Natalie is upset and wants them to come clean.
With Abby following, Ben goes into the woods and burns Abby’s shoes. Later, Ben instructs Abby to pack a bag and gives Christy the $150,000, sending the girls off. Natalie refuses to go along with Christy and Abby, threatening to go to Cornell. Ben and Christy question their parenting; Ben plans to give Cornell what she wants. He sends Christy and Abby off. When Natalie tells him her thoughts, he gives her the option of not being a part of it. Along with Dave, Ben takes Natalie to Michael’s and the two share a heartbreaking goodbye. After dropping Natalie off, Ben goes to Cornell, fires his lawyer and confesses to Tom’s murder.
While Cornell takes his statement, the assistant district attorney summons her, accusing her of tanking his case. Cornell insists Ben is innocent and that Abby is the real killer, but the ADA isn’t budging. When Ben is being led away to his prison cell, Cornell tries one last time to get Ben to retract his false confession, telling him Abby premeditated the murder. Protecting his daughter, Ben continues to hold that he is the killer and retreats to his cell. A defeated Cornell escapes to her car and has a breakdown.
Cornell sits at the bar with a drink when her ex-husband Dr. Ethan Barrett approaches. He has come to keep her company and the two discuss the outcome of the investigation. When Ethan tells her there is nothing she can do about it, she is adamant that she will put Abby away. Meanwhile, Christy and Abby are on the road. Christy assures Abby that everything will be ok. Abby says that she was sure Jess would have moved away, shocking Christy. With no remorse whatsoever, Abby states that none of this would have happened if she got Tom to the river.
Man I never saw that end game coming. That finale blew me away!
Supposedly Secrets and Lies has been renewed for a 2nd season. I'm guessing it will be about a new case being investigated by Cornell.
Yeah it has been renewed.
The press release or announcement or whatever said that as well, that it'd focus on a new case / set of characters (besides her)
I wonder if the cast assumed it would be canceled after everything was filmed, and killing off Ben. If they new earlier, do you think they would have released the online extra, or do you think they would have continued the story in season 2?
Also, is Juliette Lewis going to be doing both this and Wayward Pines? I still am not use to her playing this character. Her facial expressions always look like someone walked by and farted and she's about to choke on it... Lmao
I wonder if the cast assumed it would be canceled after everything was filmed, and killing off Ben. If they new earlier, do you think they would have released the online extra, or do you think they would have continued the story in season 2?
Also, is Juliette Lewis going to be doing both this and Wayward Pines? I still am not use to her playing this character. Her facial expressions always look like someone walked by and farted and she's about to choke on it... Lmao
It was always set to be a self contained show. Each season will be about 1 case that gets wrapped up by the end.
She'll be able to do both shows. Wayward Pines is almost done or has finished filming and season 2 of this hasn't even started filming yet.
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