Paramount Plus’ The Serial Killer’s Wife introduced the audience to Tom Fairchild, a man who had the kind of life people dreamed about. This included a high-paying job, respect in the community, a loving wife, and much more. However, as the show spread its wings, it became clear that there was more to the story than Tom was letting on. In reality, he was living a double life, unbeknownst to his wife, daughter, and probably everyone he had crossed paths with.
Spoilers Ahead
How Was Tom’s Relationship With Beth?
On the surface, it looked like Tom had a perfect life and wasn’t short on anything, be it money or love. His wife, Beth, loved him with all her heart. Unfortunately, everything went down the drain hole when, on the night of his birthday, Tom was arrested in connection to the murder of Kathy Asquith and the disappearance of another woman. Kathy’s lifeless body was found near a cliff overlooking a road that Tom used for his daily jogs. The police found his ring on the body, and after that, everything was obvious. Tom was taken to the police station and questioned about his whereabouts for the night, but Tom convinced Beth to lie for him and become his alibi. Beth did as she was told, as she was totally convinced that her husband was innocent. However, in the effort to find proof of Tom’s innocence, Beth ended up finding things that made her see Tom in a new light, but not in a good light if I’m being clear. In the next few days, Tom’s flash drive and secret phone were discovered by Beth, which shattered the bubble of her perfect life. The flash drive and phone contained a dossier of Tom cheating on his wife with multiple women, alongside hundreds of extremely hardcore explicit videos. Tom called his affairs extra-curricular activities.
We also learn that Tom was sleeping with Kathy and recording his sexual adventures with her. Moreover, Tom didn’t even tell her that Kathy had filed a lawsuit against him for wrongful termination. When this was uncovered, Tom stated that Kathy was an addict and was often high on drugs, even at work. Tom gave her every chance to get help and get sober, but everything fell on deaf ears, and he had to terminate her. Actually, Tom fired her because he feared that if his illicit relationship came to light, it would ruin his career. This broke Beth’s heart and trust in her husband, as she was under the impression that Tom had left that life behind. If you didn’t know, Tom used to be a regular at an underground sex club called “The Vault,” which he often visited to satisfy his sexual kinks. This was where he encountered Beth and Phoebe, who used to date at the time. They exchanged details and started going to clubs together to have sex. Beth had said on many occasions that Tom often turned violent during sex with Phoebe and believed it was what she was asking for. However, the reality was far different, as Tom’s violent nature during sex stemmed from his desire to dominate the opposite sex.
Why Was Tom Targeted By Adam?
The simple answer is because of his inability to remain faithful to his relationship. As discussed, Tom was a womanizer who wanted to sleep around as much as he could. Moreover, Tom often recorded his time with the woman he slept with so he could later watch it, pretending that he had conquered something. Tom’s advances extended to Marnie, Adam’s wife, and the duo slept together many times. Marnie got pregnant with Jess, whom Adam had always believed to be his daughter. Since Adam was one of Tom’s closest pals, he’d always had his suspicions. He took a paternity test, and it came back negative, suggesting that Jess wasn’t his daughter. This angered him, but rather than directly confronting Tom, Adam chose to destroy everything he held dear. Adam killed multiple women Tom had slept with to build a strong case against him. When Beth came to him asking him to fix Tom’s broken phone, he uploaded Marnie’s death clip to it. Tom found out that Adam and Beth were going to elope, and thus, he beat him for turning his wife against him. Tom tried to make Beth see the truth, but the latter was so scared that she didn’t pay any heed to his words. This was expected, as who would believe Tom after knowing how disloyal he was, and how much of a liar he was to everyone around him? Tom gave them chase, but his car and he both ended up in the river. Fortunately, he survived the fall. As for Beth, she had had enough of Tom, divorced him, and married Adam.
What Made Beth Not Help Tom?
To be honest, this was long overdue, as throughout the first season, we see him disrespecting and cheating on Beth. He even defended his actions and said it was his right to cheat because he was the provider of his family. Beth eventually got her hands on videos and Polaroids that could set him free on all charges, but she destroyed all of them. She figured that once Tom was released, he would do the same thing all over again. Tom would cheat and sleep with multiple women, while Beth would be staring at the clock and waiting for him to return. Tom’s actions proved that he didn’t love Beth, because if he did, he would never have cheated on her. Beth took all of it into consideration and, in the end, decided to let Tom rot in jail. Tom begged continuously for Beth to rethink her decision, but she was way past it and had already made up her mind. Beth had no intention of allowing Tom into her, Poppy, or Jess’ lives. However, towards the end of The Serial Killer’s Wife, we are treated to a mid-credit scene, which suggests that Tom might not be in jail for long, as Jules comes to see him for reasons unknown. We’re hopeful that season 2 will clear the air on this.
