Diksha Sundriyal
Prime Video’s ‘Killer Heat’ transports the audience to the island of Crete where a private investigator is invited to solve the murder of a rich man. Dealing with his own demons, which have pushed him away from his family, Nick takes the job in the hopes of distracting himself from his own problems. However, the more he delves into the murder investigation, the more he realizes that it is borne of a situation quite similar to his own, forcing him to reflect on his own actions. In the meantime, he must also figure out the identity of the killer, as the case gets even more twisted.
Did Leo Kill Elias? Did Penelope Help Him?
When Nick Bali came to Crete, he was under the impression that he was solving the murder of Leo Vardakis, the twin of Elias Vardakis. Interestingly, it was Elias’s wife, Penelope who called Nick, believing that there was foul play in Leo’s death, which had otherwise been declared an accident. He had, afterall, been free soloing on a cliff, and it made sense that he slipped and fell. But then, almost every person that Nick talked to seemed unconvinced of the nature of his death, and there was a good reason for that.
In the end, it turns out that Leo never died. In fact, it was his twin, Elias, who had been killed. Leo killed his brother to take his place and his life, which is what he’d wanted all along. More importantly, he wanted Penelope, whom he had loved since they first met. The problem was that Leo was always sidelined, be it in the matter of family or friends. He met a similar treatment in his friendship with Penelope, who started dating Elias, despite knowing that Leo had feelings for her. Feeling like his whole life had been stolen from him by his more accomplished twin, who even became their father’s successor and was clearly their mother’s favorite, Leo decided he’d had enough and it was time for him to take everything for himself. However, he couldn’t do it alone, and this is where things get interesting.
Leo wasn’t the only one who wanted Elias gone. In fact, he was approached by Penelope, who came up with the plan of murdering Elias such that none would be the wiser. She’d have what she wanted and, with his brother out of the way, Leo could have everything he had been vying for. Penelope knew when Elias would go to climb the cliff. She knew that it would be early in the morning, when everyone would be asleep, which means no witnesses to complicate things. So, in the morning, Leo and Penelope rented out a fisherman’s boat, so that no one would be suspicious, and went to the beach where Elias was climbing the cliff. Leo went to the top, and when Elias reached there, he stamped on his fingers, making him lose control and fall to his death. Just as easily as he’d arrived on the scene, Leo slipped away, going back to the boat, where he met Penelope, and they both came back home, with no one knowing what they had done.
Is Leo Dead?
Without knowing the identity of the victim, a murder cannot be solved. It was because everyone thought Leo was dead that no one linked the obvious connections staring them in the face. It was also because of the false identity of the victim that no one could figure out exactly what had happened. Nick Bali, too, found himself caught up in this confusion. His instinct pointed towards one thing, but the case in front of him didn’t line up and it made a mess of the whole thing. When he first met Elias (who he didn’t know was Leo), he sensed some jealousy, but he couldn’t understand why Elias, who had everything, would be jealous of his twin brother who was worse off than him in every aspect.
At first, Nick thought that the jealousy he suspected might be because Penelope was having an affair with Leo. After all, didn’t Leo always have feelings for her? Perhaps, Elias found out about it and he killed Leo for it, punishing him for the betrayal. Still, there were a few things that didn’t seem to make sense. It isn’t until Nick visits the shipyard that things start to make sense. Having followed Elias for a while, Nick realised that he didn’t seem as business minded as previously imagined. Nick thought there might have been some trouble in business that Leo found out about and wanted to expose to the world. This brought another motive to Elias’ crime. But then, Nick realised something from the first conversation they’d had.
In the beginning, to have an upper hand on his suspects, Nick didn’t reveal that he was a PI. Instead, when he met Elias, he said he was with the cops and was looking into a trouble with the account that Elias’ company had with the States. Later, Nick does a quick search about the company and realises that they don’t have any account with the States. Now, he had made that up, believing that it was a lie close enough to the truth to get him by. It was a bluff, which the real Elias would have called because he was acutely aware of his company’s accounts. When Nick realises that Elias never corrected him and never called his bluff, it becomes clear that the person he had been talking to wasn’t Elias at all. It was Leo, masquerading as his brother, and in return for Nick’s bluff, he, too, had bluffed. Further, this meant that the man who died having fallen from the cliff was Elias.
Once the victim’s identity became clear, all the pieces fell into place. As soon as the realisation hits him, Nick calls Penelope. He knows the danger he would be inviting by confronting Leo, so he has the cops called beforehand. Moreover, Nick decides that their mother, Audrey, should also be there to hear the truth. Once that has happened, he lays out everything that Leo has done and how he did it. The explanation leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind that the person in front of them is, in fact, Leo and that he killed Elias to take his place. When Audrey discovers the truth, she immediately shoots Leo, killing him. The loss of her favourite son was too much to bear, especially after she discovered that the son that she’d been mourning all this while was the reason for her grief and loss. She could never forgive Leo, and she couldn’t bear to look at him because he looked like Elias, so she found it best to kill him, even if it meant she’d have to rot in prison for it.
What does Penelope Say to Leo? Why does Nick Let Her Go?
When Nick discovers that Leo is the killer, he doesn’t realise that he has only cracked one half of the plan. Because he could see Leo’s jealousy for Elias, he could imagine Leo as the killer. Later, however, he realises that he had misconstrued some parts of the mystery. He particularly realises this when he sees Penelope whisper something in Leo’s ear as he bleeds to his death. Nick thinks it might have something to do with Penelope discovering that Leo had killed her husband and had been parading as Elias all this while. Later, however, when he has some more time to reflect, he realises exactly what he had been missing.
In one of the many things that Penelope told him at the beginning of the case, she mentioned that things had been sour in her marriage. She wanted to leave Elias but he would never let her leave. He would beg and plead and pray, and when all else failed, he would threaten her. He told her that if she left him, he would kill her or himself. This was why despite being completely out of love with Elias, Penelope couldn’t leave. Out of her desperation, she concocted a plan, but she needed Leo’s help for that. She thought he would be eager to help her and she was right, but she misread his intentions.
Penelope thought that Elias’ death would give her her freedom, and Leo would get the business, which is what he always wanted but he would stay Leo. She didn’t realise that more than the business, Leo wanted Penelope. So, when he killed Elias, instead of staying Leo, he decided to become Elias. That way, he could have his brother’s business as well as his wife. However, this wasn’t the deal that Penelope had in mind. Soon enough, things got worse for her than they were with Elias. While Elias’ captivity of her came from the place of love, Leo was more threatening in his approach. She felt scared of him, but she was also in an impossible spot because she couldn’t tell anyone about what he had done without incriminating herself. Moreover, Leo could always spin the narrative in his favor and make things worse for her. The only option was for an outsider to make this discovery, which is why Penelope called Nick.
Eventually, Nick solved the case without incriminating Penelope. She’d thought that Leo would go to prison or be punished in some other way by his mother. She didn’t realise that Audrey would shoot him down. Still, the outcome happened to be entirely in her favor. As Leo lay bleeding, she let him know that she was now truly free and he couldn’t control her anymore. This is what she whispered to him. When Nick left, Penelope thought she’d gotten away with the crime. But then, he made the connection and the truth was out. In any other case, this would have meant the end for Penelope. She would go to prison. However, Nick is more forgiving. He realises what Penelope had been going through because he put his wife through the same thing. If he sends Penelope to prison now, he would be punishing her for fighting for her freedom, which isn’t what Nick wanted for her. So, in the end, he decides to let her go.
Does Nick Bali go Back to New York?
Nick Bali wasn’t in Crete on a vacation. He had run away from his wife and his daughter in New York and was hiding on the Greek island. Running away, however, did not solve his problems, which began with his drinking. It pushed his wife away from her, leading her to cheat on him, and putting him in a mindset that almost made him commit murder. When he discovered who his wife was cheating with, he almost pulled out the gun to kill the man. If his daughter hadn’t come in at the right time, he probably would have gone through with the act. It was the shame of having his daughter see him as the monster he had become that knocked some sense into him. However, instead of talking about it with his wife or getting help, he decided to run away.
After solving Elias’ murder, Nick realises how he had treated his wife similar to how Elias had treated Penelope. Seeing her struggle to be free from an abusive marriage, Nick came face to face with the position he had put his wife in and how unfair it was to do that. Moreover, the case also teaches him that one can run only so far from their problems. No matter how much you ignore them or try to hide them, they will eventually come back to haunt you. Nick also accepts that perhaps he judged himself too harshly, and he was capable of healing and moving forward. Above all, Nick realises that running away would meaning getting completely cut off from his daughter’s life, which isn’t something he could live with. So, in the end, he decides to go back to New York and face whatever is waiting for him there.
Read More: Killer Heat: Where Was the Prime Video Movie Filmed?
