Fool Me Once, a Netflix thriller, features complicated and intriguing characters. While some of them are compassionate human beings, others are inhuman and vile. One of the major antagonists of the show is the head of the Burkett family, Judith Burkett, who is the mother of Joe Burkett and mother-in-law of Maya Stern. This series is all about Maya Stern’s fight against Judith Burkett, who believed that she would win the battle with the power of wealth, but her recklessness and ego eventually led to her downfall. Let’s discuss Judith Burkett’s character in detail to learn more about her personality and the crimes she has committed.
Spoilers Ahead
What Did Judith Burkett Do?
Judith Burkett was the head of the Burkett family as well as the Burkett Global Enterprise, the entire business empire of the Burketts. She was a greedy, selfish, and megalomaniac woman who loved her reputation and public image more than anything. To salvage their social status, she had covered up every filthy crime committed by her elder son Joe, and not only that, she also turned out to be a fraudster in her professional life. Similar to the largest opioid scandal in America by Purdue Pharma, the Burketts were involved in a drug scandal in the fictional tale of Fool Me Once. The antibiotic drugs produced by the pharmaceutical company owned by Burkett Global Enterprise were causing severe damage to the patients’ health as well as killing them. Many children all around the world suffered severe health problems due to the effects of the medicines, but still, the Burketts never wanted to seize the distribution of the drugs. Not only that, the Burketts even falsified the mortality rate of the medicines and continued promoting the medicines on the market. In the meantime, whoever had tried to investigate the wrongdoings of the Burketts, Joe Burkett had silenced them all. Judith Burkett always pretended to be an innocent person who seemed to have no idea about her son’s nefarious acts, but it was just a facade. She had always supported her son in each of his murderous endeavors and covered up for him to save him from any legal punishment.
Who Was Caroline?
Judith had a daughter named Caroline, who was not as evil as the other Burketts were. Caroline was timid and easily manipulated by her mother, who forced her to tell a bunch of lies to Maya about Joe’s death and the connection between Investigator Sami and the Burkett family. This was purposefully done to baffle Maya and make her suspect Sami, but eventually, one day, when Maya came to meet Caroline and Judith told her another lie about Caroline being in a psychiatric facility, Maya doubted if Judith was telling the truth. After a few days, Maya spotted Caroline inside their mansion, which made her realize that Caroline was nothing different from the other Burketts. Maybe she was under her mother’s influence, but she could have made a different choice, which she chose not to do. Therefore, Caroline’s action eventually made her just like the other Burketts in her family.
What Happened To Judith Burkett?
Neil was another power-hungry member of the Burkett family and one of the sons of Judith Burkett. Neil might not have been desperate like Joe was, but he also had some murderous instincts within him. When Maya appeared in their mansion, holding them at gunpoint, Neil grabbed the opportunity to take up the gun and shoot Maya to death.
Judith’s relationship with any outsider in her family was toxic. She couldn’t stand Maya and always suspected her to be a mole in their household. The animosity between Judith and Claire began when Claire started to look into the fraud business Judith was involved with. When Claire began to gather evidence against the Burketts, Judith believed it was high time to get rid of her, so Joe Burkett took care of her. However, Maya, who already suspected the Burketts of being responsible for Claire’s death, took revenge on Joe and, before going to prison, decided to expose the Burketts in front of the public. Maya entered the mansion and placed a nanny cam inside their living room. As she started accusing Judith of covering up the murders committed by her son, Neil intervened and killed Maya, but little did they know that the nanny cam had recorded it all and telecast it on a live-streaming network. Finally, the Burketts were exposed in front of the whole world, which crushed Judith’s public image, which was the most precious thing in her life. Judith never thought about the consequences before covering up so many crimes committed by her son. She raised her son with everything he ever wanted and never made him feel the lack of anything, which not only increased Joe’s demands but also made him entitled and stubborn.
Behind Joe Burkett’s criminal mentality and toxic masculinity, it was Judith Burkett’s failure to give her son the right upbringing. Instead of teaching her children modesty and humanity, she taught them how to lie, just like she did with Caroline. Even when Neil took up the gun to kill Maya, Judith didn’t stop him. For Judith, human life was a mere toy that she believed she could play with. But before dying, Maya made sure that the Burketts would go to prison forever and never get a chance to get out. The Burketts probably didn’t get the chance to get away with the murder because it happened right before everyone’s eyes. Therefore, it marked their ultimate downfall, which would also bring huge damage to their global enterprise. Judith Burkett, along with her two children, Caroline and Neil, were all arrested by the authorities, and it seemed like they never got a chance to get away with the murder. 18 years later, while Maya’s absence was felt, no one remembered the Burketts and felt the relief that those evil beings were still behind bars.
