What is wrong with the Detective in Fool Me Once? Kierce's illness explained

Detective Sergeant Sami Kierce was seen suffering through all the episodes of Fool Me Once with some drastic symptoms.

While some of the symptoms were severe, like blackouts and crashing his car, some were less fatal like shaky hands and blurred vision. He was seen struggling with his medical issues since the first episode, which was later revealed to be the side effect of the faulty pills from Burkett’s pharma company.

The condition of Detective Kierce, an important ally of protagonist Maya in Fool Me Once, is another pointer towards the crime of the Burkett family. For the uninitiated, Fool Me Once is a British miniseries based on Harlan Coben’s novel by the same name.

The show premiered on Netflix on January 1, 2024, and has Michelle Keegan in the lead role of Maya Stern.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series and advises reader’s discretion.

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What was Detective Kierce suffering from in Fool Me Once?

Untested pills have damaged the detective's brain. (Image via Netflix)

From the start of Fool Me Once, Detective Sergeant Sami Kierce is shown struggling with some serious medical issues.

He was seen crashing inexplicably into the fence while returning from interviewing Maya in episode 1. Episode 2 found him blacking out and collapsing while making his breakfast cereal.

Throughout the series, Kierce was seen living with various other symptoms like shaky hands, blurred vision, hallucinations and suicidal thoughts. The former alcoholic received advice and encouragement from his AA sponsor Nicole to get tested. Kierce registered with a private clinic and got his blood tests, MRI and EEG done.

Fool Me Once episode 5 exposed that Sami Kierce, played by Adeel Akhtar, was suffering from a degenerative brain disease. His doctor explained how his MRI and EEG reports showed brain damage.

While the detective blamed his previous alcoholism for the brain damage, it was soon revealed that his issues stemmed from the side effects of the drugs he had been popping for a long time.

He had been taking pills from Lambur Pharma, a wing of Burkett Global. The pills were unsafe for consumption, as they had been released in the market after the company had falsified the trial records.

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Did Detective Kierce survive his drug-induced illness?

The detective survived the symptoms of his illness. (Image via Netflix)

With the fifth episode of Fool Me Once showing the doctor confirming the detective’s brain damage, Kierce likely stopped taking the drug after learning about its unsafe release in the market. That might have stalled any further damage to his body.

The last episode’s ending showed a time-forward sequence of “18 Years Later” where Kierce was seen visiting Lily in the hospital. He survived 18 years since Maya’s death and looked well enough to visit Lily and her newborn daughter.

However, the story did not clarify whether his symptoms were gone. It was also not made clear whether stopping the intake of pills revived the parts of the brain that were damaged or the condition remained as it was.

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What is the premise of the Netflix series Fool Me Once?

The story revolves around Maya who is helped by Detective Kierce (Image via Netflix and X@Jabu_Macdonald)

Netflix’s Fool Me Once revolves around Maya Stern who spots her murdered husband Joe Burkett on the secret nanny cam installed in her house for her baby daughter, Lily. Baffled and unsure whether Joe Burkett, played by Richard Armitage, is really dead, she embarks on a journey to unravel the mystery behind the footage.

At the same time, her niece and nephew are also trying to solve the mystery of the death of their mother, Claire, Maya's sister. With Detective Sami Kierce suspecting Maya initially and her mother-in-law, Judith Burkett causing more confusion, reaching the truth looks like an uphill task for the protagonist.

Maya, played by Michelle Keegan, collaborates with her sister’s whistleblower, Corey and learns the unpleasant truth about the family she married into. Moreover, Corey exposes the criminal side of Joe and how the Burkett family is hand-in-glove in all the crimes.

While Judith, played by Joanna Lumley, went to great lengths to both shake Maya’s peace as well as keep Joe’s dirty secret intact, Maya took a potentially dangerous step to expose the family’s crime.

Additionally, she sacrificed her life leaving Lily to be brought up by Claire’s husband, Eddie. The open ending assumes the criminals were brought to justice.

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Watch Fool Me Once available to stream on Netflix.