8 Biggest Twists From ‘Only Murders in the Building’ So Far
Only Murders in The Building is on its second season, and Hulu has already announced that it will be coming back for a third — good news, because like many others, we’re hooked!
But what is it about the unconventional trio (played by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez) that keeps us intrigued every week? Is it because of their weirdly enticing chemistry, filled with banter that oversteps the generational gap? Yes. Is it all the mystery, with two murders at the Arconia? Definitely. But the new information that pops up left and right, in basically every episode, is what keeps us longing for more, always thinking that our theories might be undermined by a twist of events.
As the second season nears the August 23 finale (which is sure to take some turns), scroll down for a look at some of the biggest twists so far.
Only Murders in the Building, Tuesdays, Hulu
Mabel's past with Tim Kono
One of the biggest plot twists of the first season was revealed once the backstory of Mabel (Gomez) and Tim Kono (Julian Cihi) started to unravel. Not only were they once friends, but they also shared a significant loss: Their mutual friend Zoe (Olivia Reis) died on New Year’s Eve when they were teenagers. After, they parted ways, and their other friend, Oscar (Aaron Dominguez), went to prison for a crime he did not commit. When they met again in the months before Tim’s death, they acted as if they never knew each other.
Obviously, Mabel seemed a little suspicious at the time, but things were quickly resolved when it became clear that she only hid it because of the trauma it caused her. For one episode, however, we couldn’t help but wonder if Mabel was the murderer.
Theo was the reason Zoe is dead
Oscar might have been the one in prison for years, but he wasn’t the one who caused Zoe to die. That was Theo (James Caverly): He pushed Zoe, and she fell to her death. But due to his dad Teddy Dimas’ (Nathan Lane) money and power, he was able to keep it under the wraps for years. Still, someone could’ve exposed this way sooner — because Theo and Zoe weren’t the only ones, who were there when it happened. Tim Kono was, too. At first, this kickstarted the theory as to why the Dimas men had to murder Tim to keep him quiet, but it seems like they aren’t to blame for any of the murders … so far?
The Dimas family's grave robbing business
Theo Dimas might have accidentally killed Zoe, but that’s not even the weirdest thing about his family. He and Teddy had a grave robbing business, stealing expensive jewelry from dead people. The worst part? The father-son duo seem to be getting off pretty easily. For now, it looks like they just need to wear their ankle bracelets instead of staying in prison.
Jan killed Tim Kono — and why!
Jan (Amy Ryan) at first seemed like just a nice, cute lady with great chemistry with fellow Arconia resident Charles (Martin). But it turned out she was deceiving everyone — and not just about being the first chair bassoon player. She murdered Tim Kono because he called off their affair. To cover it up, Jan wrote a fake suicide note — and also stabbed herself, poisoned Charles, and even almost killed him.
Mabel, Charles & Oliver were framed for Bunny's murder
While Mabel, Charles, and Oliver (Short) were investigating what happened to Tim Kono, sure, there were theories (including that Mabel was a suspect!), but to kick off Season 2’s mystery, they were actually framed for the murder of Bunny (Jayne Houdyshell). From the get-go, the killer has been doing everything in their power to make it look like the trio committed the crime, all starting with the dead Bunny in Mabel’s apartment. Charles and Oliver haven’t been forgotten; things connected to the murder have ended up in their possession. This all suggests the killer is someone they know.
The truth about Charles' dad
In an unexpected turn of events, Charles found out that Bunny had a risqué painting of his dad that is apparently worth millions. To make matters worse, the painting ended up in Charles’ apartment (as a way of framing him for Bunny’s murder). Luckily, it was later revealed to be just a copy of the painting (worth nowhere near as much). That copy ended up with Amy Schumer, because of her weird crush on Charles.
Through Bunny’s mom Lenora (Shirley MacLaine), Charles learned his dad had an affair with both her and the painting’s artist Rose Cooper. He also realized that his dad was arrested because they were investigating Rose’s murder. After those events, his dad became an alcoholic and never recovered.
The Arconia has creepy, hidden passageways
How has Bunny’s killer been able to get in and out of Mabel, Charles, and Oliver’s apartments to get props, use them, and bring them back to frame them? Through the secret passageways that connect every unit at the Arconia. Sure, it’s more than a little creepy that even prior to the murder, those secret hallways were being used. Think about it: What do you do when you think no one else is looking?
But most importantly, who besides Bunny knew about this voyeuristic secret? And why are they targeting the beloved Only Murders trio? Once that is revealed, we should be able to tell who’s behind this season’s mystery. (We also can’t help wondering: Why were these passageways never closed off in the past few decades, and how many of them exist?)
What’s up with the “spaceship” on the roof of the Arconia?
Maybe not the most relevant plot twist in the show, but it’s a head-scratcher. The Arconia (or as known in real life, the Belnord) is up for a modern remodel, if new board president Nina (Christine Ko) makes the decision. But the building, which has been called a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission ever since 1966, doesn’t need to adhere to those preservations in the fictional world; the only one blocking any kind of revamp situation was Bunny.
Who knows — in the next season the building blocks of the futuristic all-glass “spaceship,” as Charles twistingly named it, could be on top of the iconic building. Although, in the show, this is seen as a reason why Nina had a motive to kill Bunny, the true shocker is that anyone would ever want to change a beautiful Italian Renaissance building like that.
