How about that "Only Murders in the Building" Season 2 finale?! If you thought it couldn't get any crazier, the writers take it up a notch. It was an undeniable roller coaster ride with some standout moments from everyone in the main cast. When we last saw our beloved Mabel (Selena Gomez), Oliver (Martin Short), and Charles (Steven Martin), they were in handcuffs being escorted from the lavish Arconia apartment building when it was discovered Bunny Folger (Jayne Houdyshell), president of the board, had been brutally murdered and discovered in Mabel's apartment.
That set up quite the predicament for our little trio of crime podcasters. With a new murder to solve, the stakes couldn't be higher, and it becomes a race against time, Detective Williams and her team, and Cinda Canning's (Tina Fey) rival investigation. New and exciting characters were introduced, including Alice Banks (Cara Delevingne), a self-proclaimed rich girl and art gallery owner, and the plot grows increasingly thicker by the episode. A third season has already (unsurprisingly) been greenlit and will center around the murder of a famed Broadway actor named Ben Glenroy, played by Paul Rudd.
While we wait for the next edge-of-your-seat mystery, we have assessed "Only Murders in the Building" Season 2 and determined its 10 main characters. Continue reading to see how each character ranks from worst to best.
Detective Kreps (Michael Rapaport) is a stand-in for every slimy cop in real life. Partners with Detective Williams (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) on the Bunny Folger (Jayne Houdyshell) murder case, Kreps oozes machismo. When we first meet him, he makes it clear he suspects Mabel as the killer. Circumstantial evidence, namely the knitting needle lodged in Bunny's chest, doesn't look good for her.
But Kreps has a bone to pick. He pins the murder on her, and even when the cops don't actually have the real murder weapon (a butcher knife), he refuses to let it go. On the night of Bunny's death, a strange number texted Mabel about getting out of the building, and the group decides to respond. Assuming the person on the other end to be Detective Williams, the trio agrees to drop off a new piece of evidence — a matchbook seemingly with a bloody fingerprint — inside a trash can outside a nearby park. Oliver cooks up a glitter bomb, set to go off once it's retrieved.
Turns out, "Glitter Guy" is none other than Kreps. Mabel tracks him down to his gym, and he spews vitriol about her podcast and her generation. He lets it slip that Cinda Canning's "All Is Not OK in Oklahoma" podcast may be linked. In the Season 2 finale, all is revealed: Poppy (Adina Verson) is actually the missing Oklahoman woman, Becky Butler, and her lover is Kreps. Talk about twists upon twists. It all tracks; Kreps is just the worst.
Cinda Canning only serves one purpose in Season 2: to be a decoy from the real killer. Canning's presence is largely ornamental yet demonstrates she's a worthy adversary to the "Only Murders" gang. A parody of real-life journalist, producer, and radio personality Sarah Koenig, Cinda hopes to prove Mabel to be Bunny's killer through sensational storytelling and evidence planting. The facts don't matter in her eyes if the story is too boring.
She has an ego and an even bigger blind spot when it comes to her assistant-producer Poppy. She doesn't see the forest for the trees, as in, Poppy plots to position Cinda as the killer, dropping clues and whispering backstory in Mabel's ear. The good-natured person she is, Mabel decides to let Cinda in on the plot, also revealing that it was Poppy who committed the murder and has been using Kreps ever since to cover up her tracks.
In the season finale, Cinda plays along with their Killer Party Reveal scheme. She pretends she has no idea what is going on, using her abrasive personality to throw everyone off the scent, including Poppy. Perhaps next season, Cinda will be given way more to do.
In a wonderful turn of events, "Only Murders in the Building" introduces a lesbian romance in its second season. Alice is a ritzy artist type. She's recently opened an upscale art gallery called Third Arm Gallery, and by all accounts, she is who she says she is.
Her entrance into Mabel's life is suspicious, though. Alice first reaches out to her via Instagram DM on the heels of Bunny's death. What makes matters worse is she's lied about everything in her background. She did not come from a wealthy family and did not finish her university studies. When confronted about her past, she spills her guts and offers an emotional apology to Mabel, later giving her a puzzle as a gift. Mabel still struggles with trust issues, largely due to her fractured relationship with her late father. While she still cares deeply for Alice, she cannot continue on with their relationship.
During the finale, Alice conspires with the group to reel in the real killer in an epic, melodramatic confrontation during the Killer Reveal Party. Despite there being such little, if any, chemistry between her and Mabel, she does show up when it truly matters most.
Expected to take Bunny's place as Arconia board president, a very pregnant Nina possesses the same spirit and energy as her predecessor. She knows exactly what she wants and how to "modernize and monetize" the apartment building, bringing it "into the 21st Century," as she describes. Like Bunny, she commands the room and doesn't have time for those who break the rules. She is also a woman who is simply misunderstood.
With ambitions to expand the Arconia with a large sci-fi-like pod attached to the roof, Nina brings a vibrant new ferocity to the building. During Bunny's farewell toast, Bunny reveals she no longer has plans to retire and move to Florida. The bombshell visibly shakes Nina, who first tries to coerce her elder with the fact Bunny herself said it was time to move on. Bunny doesn't back down, naturally, and the two go toe-to-toe. Nina turns up the venom to say Bunny is an old "relic" that needs to know when it's time to make way for a younger generation.
Following Bunny's death, Nina has a heart-to-heart with the doorman Lester (Teddy Coluca). Perhaps instead of going full-steam ahead with state-of-the-art automation in the building, existing jobs can shift to other roles. She then offers Lester a job as a director of residential support, much to his satisfaction. Nina doesn't get much backstory, but here's hoping Season 2 is her time to thrive.
Down on her luck, Lucy (Zoe Colletti) walks back into her father Charles' life while he's filming his "Brazzos" reboot. Having skipped out on her mother's marriage to a new man, she finds herself without a place to stay. Her last resort intentions may be suspect in the beginning, but she proves a valuable asset to Season 2's twisty mystery. She's intuitive, smart, and funny, and offers a younger and fresher perspective. It also helps that she knows the catacombs of hidden doorways and passages like the back of her hand.
Lucy and Charles' reunion gives the second season even more emotional weight, as well. In making amends, the pair are able to finally heal and move on from the pain of divorce. Known for playing the lead in "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark," Colletti delivers such a soft, powerful performance here. It's never about being loud but rather detailed and nuanced.
She not only assists in the investigation around Bunny's murder, but Lucy brushes up against the killer themselves when the city experiences an unexpected blackout. Lucy holds her own, though, taking refuge inside one of the dusty tunnels. Season 3 should see Lucy take an even bigger role; maybe she's linked to the killer somehow? Let's see what the creative team has in store next.
Poppy White is the most diabolical of killers. Her introverted demeanor and desperation to be famous distorts her moral character. She doesn't even realize that what she's done 一 killing Bunny Folger for subscribers and the spotlight 一 is wrong. There's enough killers who are overtly, almost comically evil. Poppy's form of destruction is far more insidious and volatile, which is fascinating to watch.
In a past life, Poppy lived a pretty quiet and dull existence as Becky Butler in nowhere Oklahoma. When she becomes obsessed with Cinda Canning, she stages her own disappearance, undergoes a makeover, and approaches the high-profile podcaster about mounting an investigation into Becky's whereabouts in the form of a new podcast called "All Is Not OK in Oklahoma." Cinda is at first skeptical but gives the newcomer a shot at fame.
Poppy plots from the sidelines. Following a highly successful "All Is Not Ok in Oklahoma," Cinda is unsure about where to go next. Poppy steps up to the plate with the unhinged idea to take matters into her own hands, targeting Bunny as the Arconia board president. That's sure to make headlines and put Poppy and Cinda back into the limelight. Adina Verson's performance is aloof but stealthy, mousy but piercing. Poppy soon succumbs to her own hunger for fame and falls for a trap set by the group, including Cinda, in the season finale. She takes their bait — hook, line, and sinker.
Bunny may exude a no-nonsense persona, but she's simply misunderstood and underappreciated. As board president of the Arconia, as well as a long-standing resident, she rules with an iron fist. But she does what she has to. In Episode 3, titled "The Last Day of Bunny Folger," we follow Bunny on her last day alive and peer through her life with a fresh lens.
Having grown up in the Arconia, she cares deeply about its rich, vast history and preserving the establishment for decades to come. Bunny initially plans to retire and perhaps move to Florida. With Nina expected to be her successor, it's all a done deal — until it isn't. During a goodbye party with several other residents, Bunny rescinds her plans and declares that she's not leaving. Later that night, she gifts a bottle of champagne to Mabel, Charles, and Oliver, who in turn give her a hoodie sweatshirt with their podcast logo emblazoned on the front. Bunny's face lights up. Awkwardly, she remains outside, and the trio closes the door on her. She then breaks down in a puddle of tears. It's heartbreaking, really.
Bunny was never a board president tyrant. She loved the Arconia and only wanted to see it reach new heights. She was also desperate to be loved and accepted by those around her, especially Charles, Oliver, and Mabel, who, unfortunately, never gave her the time of day.
Charles began the season terrified to be alone and ended the season reconnecting with his daughter Lucy, along with severing his romance with Jan (Amy Ryan). In the throes of investigating Bunny's murder, a TV studio approaches him about rebooting the classic show "Brazzos." He leaps at the opportunity, of course, but this time, he returns as Uncle Brazzos. The central protagonists will be played by an up-and-coming star instead.
While he may or may not go down for the bloody crime, the studio writes his character with dementia, and he's confined to a wheelchair. On the off chance he does land in jail (again), they will simply write out his character for good. Charles is unsure what to make of this script rewrite, but he ultimately believes it to be worth it just to get to play the role again.
Charles is the father we all wanted growing up. He's sweet, and he cares deeply about his friends. His ex-wife threatened him to stay away from Lucy, a heartbreaking revelation that gives his character far more emotional grounding. Together, Lucy and Charles make an adorable, endearing father-daughter detective duo. A possible spin-off in the future, perhaps?
The goofball of the bunch, Oliver certainly keeps his comrades on their toes, that's for sure. While he does bring levity to the otherwise dire situation (being framed for murder), his story expands quite a bit during the second season. We began to see those layers peel away in the inaugural season, but the writers go even further by diving into his family history and relationship with his son Will (Ryan Broussard).
During a homework session, Will helps his own son with a family tree project and calls up Oliver to confirm their very Irish roots. But things are not as they appear — or as they have always been. Will gets a DNA test, and it seems he has no links to Irish heritage, much to Oliver's dismay. While carrying some Greek food, it dawns on him that he is not Will's biological father. That distinction may lie with his arch nemesis Teddy (Nathan Lane). Oliver makes the tough decision to run his DNA, and his worst fears are confirmed; he is not Will's father. He tries to keep it a secret, but Will is smarter than that. He consoles Oliver, saying that he's the only father he's ever known.
Oliver might put on a big show, but he's a big softy underneath. He's a peculiar man and has a bleeding heart. His bubbly personality counterbalances Charles' more reserved charisma. Along with Mabel, he rounds out one of the best trios in TV comedy.
"I need a life away from death," laments Mabel in the Season 2 premiere. Her life becomes an open book in the second season, and viewers gain clarity about who she really is. She's broken, forever tormented by her father's death from stomach cancer, and lives with only a book of regrets. She might have intense insecurities and trust issues, but she's a really good person.
It was her father's death that marked her for life, the first memory she blocked out of her mind. In the face of tragedy, one of Mabel's coping mechanisms is to shut off her brain, specifically the memory of it. Throughout the season, she struggles with memory loss and blackouts. It takes some emotional prodding for her to recall Bunny's last words and other details from that night. When the "Glitter Guy" approaches her on the subway, she stabs him but forgets the incident.
Mabel also finds herself in Cinda Canning's crosshairs as the prime suspect. Poppy unearths former coworker Jimmy Russo (Johnny Hopkins), who claims Mabel once cut off his two middle fingers. In reality, it was just a freak accident. Through it all, Mabel learns that she must confront the past (or turn over the puzzle pieces in her mind) to see "the full picture" if she ever hopes to recover. And she does. Here's to giving Mabel true happiness in the next season 一 with more murder tossed in for fun.