Dhruv Trivedi
‘One of Us Is Lying’ is a mystery drama set in Bayview High School. When the socially awkward Simon dies during detention, the four students in the room with him get pulled into a convoluted investigation as murder suspects. Based on Karen M. McManus’ 2017 suspense novel of the same name, the show slowly reveals its layers as it is discovered that multiple people at school had a motive to kill Simon.
The fact that he made it his duty to reveal his classmates’ innermost secrets only increases the number of suspects who would have liked to harm Simon. The opening chapter begins to lay out all the moving pieces of the narrative and also gives us some hints as to what some of the students might be hiding. Let’s take a closer look at ‘One of Us Is Lying’ episode 1 to see if we can pick up some more details. SPOILERS AHEAD.
One of Us Is Lying Episode 1 Recap
Episode 1 opens with Simon talking about how the summer is over and school is about to begin. He promises viewers that he has a treasure trove of guilty secrets that constitute what his classmates did over the summer and that he will start to release them on Friday. However, he also sends out a teaser on all his classmates’ phones through an app called About That, saying that he has dirt on a highly respected class student.
The first day of school comes about, and Bronwyn finds herself in trouble during class because a mysterious phone that doesn’t belong to her begins to ring in her bag. As a result, she finds herself in detention, as do four other students, including Simon. During detention, Simon mentions how he is the only one who calls out and brings attention to all the missteps that the school’s overprivileged students commit. However, he then drinks out of a paper cup from a nearby water dispenser and collapses.
One of Us Is Lying Episode 1 Ending: How Did Simon Die? Who are the Suspects?
Despite being rushed to the hospital, it is soon discovered that Simon is dead. Detectives subsequently arrive at the school and begin to question students. Foremost on their list are the four students that were with Simon at detention. However, the students all get through their interrogations without much trouble.
The school then dedicates the opening of an upcoming football match to the recently passed away student, which turns into an embarrassment when Simon’s friend Janae sings a song essentially blaming the school for his death. We are then given glimpses of secrets that some of the students might be hiding, including Bronwyn hiding her school bag in her car, only to find it missing. Addy is also seen having an illicit affair. The episode finally closes with an announcement on the About That app with an unknown person taking credit for Simon’s murder.
So the episode closes with the chilling confirmation that Simon has, in fact, been murdered. The shocking announcement on the About That app is from an unknown person who takes credit for killing Simon, saying that he deserved to die for revealing so many secrets. Apparently, there were so many people that would have liked to get rid of Simon that the killer claims to have done the other students a favor. Simon died of anaphylactic shock from his peanut allergy after drinking from a glass that mysteriously had peanut oil in it. Therefore, until the announcement by the alleged killer, there was a chance that Simon’s death was not a murder.
However, now that Simon’s death is almost certainly murder, the suspects will likely be interrogated again. The four central characters — the students with Simon at detention — will once again be in the spotlight. Out of them, the police suspect Nate because of his prior run-ins with the law. Nate has also confirmed that he used to sell drugs. Cooper’s record is also seen to have a few red flags.
Addy is concerned about her illicit affair, which she wants to keep secret, and could have prompted her to try and silence Simon. However, what is possibly more incriminating is that all the EpiPens (which could have saved Simon’s life) were missing from the school infirmary after Addy seemingly visited it. Bronwyn also seems to be hiding something in her bag. Out of the four, it seems like the police suspect Nate the most so far. Other characters, like the new girl who apparently stabbed a teacher in her previous school and Simon’s friend Janae, also seem to be under suspicion.
What is the About That App?
The About That app seems central to the plot and is the forum on which Simon’s apparent killer announces his crime. However, the app itself was seemingly made by Simon and used by him (and possibly others) to publicize the student body’s most scandalous secrets. Simon is seen making an announcement on the app on the morning of the first day of school, in which he mentions that a model student will be making her debut on the app (meaning Simon would soon be publishing an embarrassing secret of one of his classmates).
Considering the number of alerts heard across the school whenever an announcement is made on About That, the app is very popular, and most students have it. In fact, we see a brief scene in which a student gets updates from the gossip app on his watch while he’s working out. Therefore, the About That app will likely continue sending out announcements and is currently the biggest clue to finding Simon’s killer.
Read More: Where is One of Us Is Lying Filmed?
