Only Murders In The Building
By Emma Taylor & Matt Shadbolt
Emma: Everyone loves a whodunit — or at least that’s what the steady growth of murder mysteries à la Knives Out and the true-crime rage I’ve written about for nearly 3 years tells me. The newest hit of the sort, stacked with stars from both screen and stage, finds favor across generations and genres. Only Murders in the Building, created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, follows three unlikely friends as they create a podcast investigating, well, a murder in their building.
I’d seen some promo for the Hulu original here and there before its release, not giving it much thought until fellow Moviegoer Matt told me it seemed right up my alley. I’m not one to doubt his judgment — besides, the episodes are short and I have a secret fondness for lead actress and main pop girl Selena Gomez — so I gave it a try. Three consecutive episodes later, I was hooked. At once endearing and thrilling, Murders provides a welcome Tuesday evening hideaway in The Arconia.
Matt: So Emma, we’re almost at the conclusion of the series, and still none the wiser for getting closer to who may have committed the only murder in the building, right? But I suspect that each episode has been heavily peppered with clues all along the way, and upon a second viewing they’ll have been there in plain sight all along. This’ll make a second binge instead of the weekly serialized viewing either that much more enjoyable, intensely frustrating that we just didn’t see what was right in front of us, or (as I hope) continue to leave many questions still unanswered, leaving the door open to another season. I agree with you that Selena Gomez is surprisingly good here, but it’s Martin Short who gets all the best lines, expertly playing the entitled Manhattanite Broadway director who simply can’t understand why he doesn’t run the world. Steve Martin’s great here too as the has-been actor, long-past his gumshoe drama sell-by date. But I don’t trust any of them at all, which I suspect is the whole point. Who’s your money on so far?
Emma: Let’s see… episode 7 gave us some answers but still left me guessing. I think the Dimas storyline is interesting, but likely a red herring since we still have three episodes to go. We’re able to cross off a lot of characters — it’s not Howard, Sting, or anyone we’ve investigated so far. It couldn’t possibly be anyone in our beloved main trio, could it? I don’t think Oscar is telling the whole truth, even though he admitted he was on his way to confront Tim the night of the murder, and he seemed very suspicious when trying to stop Mabel from investigating further. His father could even be in on it as well; they both have a motive since we learned Tim knew the truth and let Oscar go to prison anyway. As the superintendent, he would have access to any apartment. I think Jan is important, too, but we simply don’t know enough to consider her a suspect yet. How about you, any ideas? Oh, and speaking of episode 7, we’ve gotta talk about that masterpiece. It demonstrates many of the things that make this show so captivating: the acting, the characterization, and a knack for perfect timing. Any thoughts?
Matt: Episode 7 was indeed a masterpiece. Once you realize that they’re going to do the entire episode without (barely) any dialogue at all, it’s a wonderful ride, and I’m inclined to agree with Theo that "people talk way too fucking much in this city", especially our main protagonists of course. It’s the perfect articulation of what it’s like to live in Manhattan and of the characters we meet there. The show’s starting to accelerate towards a finale at this point, and the plot is twisting and turning at a furious pace. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, you most definitely have not, and the 30-ish minute episodes feel like they’re over earlier and earlier as the series builds. I agree that the Dimas ‘our sponsor is our suspect’ storyline is a MacGuffin, but no one is completely free of suspicion at the moment. I’m enjoying the show so much that at this point my only hope is that the show runs and runs into multiple seasons. What that means for the body count at The Arconia we can only imagine. I’m intrigued by the Jan character too, although I always find it hard to see Amy Ryan as anyone other than Holly from The Office. What do you think her role is in all this?
Emma: While I’m not sure exactly what the writers have in store for Jan, it’s clearer with each episode she has something to do with our mystery, and not just as a love interest. Episode nine reveals some connection to Tim Kono, as well as a fundamental dishonesty: she’s not first chair in the City Symphony. Why is Jan lying? And if she’s the killer, or working with them, who stabbed her? We will surely be receiving some answers in our bittersweet finale next week. Each episode has been a perfectly packaged treat; accompanying the delightful and quirky presentation the show has come to be known for is a host of surprise guests. I find myself wondering who will pop up to help the gang this time, and have never been let down. From Tina Fey to Jaboukie Young-White to this week’s standout Jane Lynch, the stars are abundant and I’m not yet ready to bid them (or our beloved sleuths) adieu. The creators are teasing us, giving us gourmet morsels of a masterfully crafted dessert, knowing the whole thing might make us sick. 30 minutes is just enough to whet the appetite, ending each installment with a tasteful cliffhanger. It gets people talking, for sure. How do you see this wrapping up?
Matt: I hope it never wraps up. Hello darkness my old friend, it’s finale week, and it’s time for some predictions. While episode nine diverted suspicion away from dip-mogul and grave-robbing Team Dimas and towards non-first-chair bassoonist and stabbing recoverer Jan (who I still see as Holly Flax), I’m going to go out on a limb and say the murderer is all of them. We know that Tim Kono was poisoned before he was shot, which I think is the big clue. Similarly, this week’s episode has Pataki telling us that if you find who was in love with Tim, you find the killer. There’s evidence of these kinds of connections all over the series, so I think we could end up in a Murder on the Orient Express scenario where, perhaps independently and unknowingly, they all did it.
Mabel, Oliver and Charles have all been seen to be deceptive, secretive and have cause. Team Dimas definitely has cause. Tie-Dye-Guy AND his father the janitor have cause. Jan was in love with Tim, although her motivations aren’t clear just yet, and we still don’t know who stabbed her (although I suspect it may have been Charles based on her getting too close to the podcasters’ investigation). The only person I think is beyond suspicion is the cat guy. If I knew my Hardy Boys better, I’ll bet the answer is in there somewhere too. One thing I am looking forward to post-finale is watching the entire series again, with the hindsight of knowing who the killer is. I suspect there have been clues in abundance all over the place. But I’m the amateur here. Hey there criminology major, who dunnit?
Emma: Matt, I think you might be onto something. All of these characters have been introduced for a reason; no one is innocent. Mabel, Oliver, and Charles have cleverly pushed our attention onto, well, everyone else, which would make it all the more surprising that they could be involved. It might just be me, but Holly possibly being in love with Tim sort of came out of left field. I trust the writers, though, and I know they’ve cooked up something good. I’m so into the idea that the clues have been there for us the whole time and I can’t wait to give it another watch. It was renewed for season two back in September, which means your wish of a never-ending murderfest in the Arconia is set to come true. Before I talk about my season 2 predictions, though, I’m off to watch the finale. It’s time for the big reveal!
What a satisfying episode to watch — and that’s not to say it was predictable. The music swells at just the right moment, each shot is just how it needs to be, and each character plays up their archetypes to the nines while still demonstrating heartwarming growth. It all comes together for a beautiful happy ending — that is, until Mabel’s knitting needle finds its way into Bunny’s chest. This final installment was a rollercoaster, producing some of the biggest laughs of the season while at times bringing tears to my eyes. I haven’t yelled at my TV like this in a long time! I’ve grown to love our cast of characters, rooting for them to save the day every Tuesday, losing myself in the atmosphere of the Arconia.
This episode was art; it epitomizes how the series is so gloriously self-aware, from remarking on how the events of the episode will make for a great finale, to pointing out there are still some loose ends (AKA that flash-forward scene in the first episode that I had forgotten all about). I loved Jan’s confession scene (called it?) and Charles’ fearlessness to call her out, recording her and persevering through perhaps the most comical poisoning of all time. Honestly, I have no complaints, and I can’t wait to watch it all again.
Matt: So, the season’s over and it turns out the killer was Holly from HR all along. A fantastic weaving together of all the disparate character plot threads in the finale, but with enough ambiguity to leave everything still very much wide open for the second season, which we assume is now going to be called ‘Only Murderers In The Building’. Steve Martin in particular puts on a comedic masterclass in trying to survive Jan’s attempts to poison him as our protagonists rush to stop her killing the Arconia’s remaining residents. The show’s packed with red herrings, misdirections and plot twists that ultimately reach dead ends, but the connective tissue of Selena Gomez, Martin Short and Steve Martin serve as a fabulous binding agent that effortlessly weaves it all together. As they uncover the truth, we’re very much along for the ride with them, and the show’s knowing and self referential enough to wink at us when we (incorrectly) feel we’re getting close.
The finale’s cliffhanger ending sets the show up well for season two, with Mabel now the key suspect for yet another murder in the building. I truly hope the show runs and runs, as it’s been a genuinely joy to solve (or try to solve) the mystery with our new friends Mabel, Charles and Oliver. I can’t wait to see who’s next.
