How will all the pieces of the puzzle fit together?
There are some intriguing new developments on Only Murders In the Building Season 2 Episode 5, but will they lead to Bunny’s murderer?
This episode brings in sequences of genius whimsy but also plies on some unnecessary plot contrivances.
How are we already halfway through the season? It still feels like everything is set up, which is fine at this point, but it does still feel a bit disjointed.
Each episode seems to deal with a different plot and a new selection of characters. Will Lucy return? Is Jan back for good? What about Amy Schumer?
Though fatherhood has always been a running theme on the show (see my review of Only Murders In The Building Season 1 Episode 9), adding a paternity plotline seems like overkill (pun intended).
Showmanship and desperation must be the twin helixes of our DNA.
Oliver Putnam
It’s a plot device often used in soap operas, and I’m just not sure what it’s meant to add here. Another reason to dislike Teddy and pit him against Oliver? It gives Oliver the moral high ground over Teddy, which could come in handy in some way.
That said, Ryan Broussard is a calming, level-headed presence on this episode’s narrator, Will Putnam. Will and Oliver’s relationship has seen its share of strain, particularly since Will is successful in his field (veterinary medicine) and has bailed his father out more than once.
Their relationship has always felt natural and warm. Though there are very different people, their dynamic is pure father-son love. It’s sweet to see them bonding over theatre directing, even if it is a children’s production of The Wizard Of Oz.
Okay, kids, rush hour is approaching, and the tunnel will be as packed as Orson Welles’s colon.
Oliver Putnam
The DNA test was built up the whole episode, though, so the reveal at the end didn’t feel like a blindside. The fallout of this and how it affects Oliver and Will’s relationship will be intriguing to watch.
Charles and Lucy have proved that one does not need matching DNA to have a father-child connection, merely a basis of love and care.
The Arconiacs are getting quite meta.
Only Murders In The Building has always gracefully skirted the “meta” tightrope, but they’re starting to wobble here. The schtick is beginning to feel tired, almost like they’re using it as a defense mechanism.
They critique themselves before the critics can, but being acutely self-aware is not the same as being genuinely funny.
They should be proud of the show itself, not self-deprecating. It’s one of the best comedies on television. That, and calling attention to how progressive it is that Mabel is dating a woman by literally having Marv say it’s progressive, is cute but unnecessary.
It would be better not to say anything, to just have a queer relationship exist in a show and not make a big deal out of it — treat it like any other relationship.
I’m glad that you told me the truth. I have trust issues.
Mabel Mora
(They still did Oscar dirty, though! He better be back at some point!)
Marv had what could have been a throwaway line — that he knew about the secret passageways because he does mold removal in the Arconia. It feels like that will be relevant somehow later.
Maybe (some, or all of) the Arconiacs are behind Bunny’s murder, somehow? It’s a long shot, but what if they just loved the podcast so much they fabricated a murder so they would get a second season?
The ’70s throwback scenes with young Oliver were fun, but the most ingenious scene was when the ’70s returned and fused with the present day at Alice’s party. The composition of this scene and the way it was shot were seamlessly done and deliriously cool.
This kind of imagination-stretching quirkiness sets Only Murders In The Building apart from other murder mystery comedies.
It feels like we do still need to be suspicious of Alice. This seemed like too obvious a setup.
I love Cara Delevingne’s Alice — a great complex character with considerable emotional depth. She’s mysterious enough for us to wonder what she is doing there.
Her connection with the art world leads me to believe she had something to do with the “Savage” painting and Rose Cooper, but it’s still hard to say.
However, in the final game of Son Of Sam, Mabel would have had to know Alice was the culprit, as they were the only two left.
Maybe Mabel didn’t care at that moment because of how Oliver acted towards Alice, but it was weird that no one wanted a resolution to the game. They probably assumed it was Mabel, but Mabel knew the truth and kept it to herself.
But it turns out you CAN hide a secret from my dad. All you have to do is not know what you’re hiding.
Will Putnam
There is another “artist/storyteller” who has been trying to get close to the trio. Could the culprit be Amy Schumer?
Schumer technically fits the criteria, but she’s been absent for the past few episodes, and still no sign of her here.
However, it was mentioned in Only Murders In The Building Season 2 Episode 3 that she’s been renovating without permits, so that could be a way to get into the secret passageways. Thus, we know she moved in before Bunny died.
Could she be trying so hard to get into murderer Jan’s mindset that she committed murder herself?
The Jan as Hannibal Lecter plotline is an interesting choice.
I only get ten minutes of internet a day here and I mostly use it to watch pornography and TikToks.
Jan
She’s completely psychotic but knows how to get under Charles’s skin and into his heart. The phone call was shot in such a way that her absence was really felt when their conversation ended, highlighting Charles’s loneliness.
It was no surprise he eventually brought her those blueberry bagels. Is he just using her because she understands the mind of a killer, or because he still feels a connection with her? It’s likely both.
Now it’s nearly certain that the person who took the Pickle Diner matchbook is Bunny’s killer, so perhaps they could question Ivan’s co-workers once they have a suspect?
The way it’s shot, focusing on the shiny black shoes and pants, made Teddy and Ivan both stick out as suspects at first. Like Nina, Ivan’s guilt was built up only to be shot down.
It’s doubtful that Ivan is the killer, given his conversation with Bunny on her last day alive.
The killer must be someone we know at the point. It would be sloppy storytelling to introduce a new suspect at this point, but it’s still anyone’s guess.
What do you think, Arconiacs? How are you feeling at this point in the season? Are there any clues you think we’ve missed?
Share your theories in the comments!
Mary Littlejohn is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.