A city-wide blackout, a Simon & Garfunkel singalong, and a cat-and-mouse chase through the not-so-secret tunnels of the Arconia made for one of the strongest episodes of Only Murders in the Building Season 2.
Sometimes, it takes darkness to illuminate the truth, and that’s exactly what happened when the trio, exasperated by their lack of intel and evidence, bolted toward the danger to save Lucy.
Mabel, Charles, and Oliver thought they may have hit a dead end when they struggled to make any headway on unmasking the identity of the killer/ Glitter man, but all they needed was a little push in the right direction as the suspect may have been right in front of them this entire time.
When the power grid finally got back up and running, Mabel realized that Lucy was in an uncomfortable conversation with Detective Kreps. Leave it to the only woman in the group to pick up on an awkward situation. And it didn’t seem like Lucy was just willingly recalling the events of the evening either; her body language indicated that there was something deeper happening.
Why, of all people, would the detective try to interrogate Lucy when there was a lobby full of people? And there’s no reality in which Lucy would be forthcoming about running into the killer in the tunnels without first addressing it with Mabel, Charles, and Oliver.
The only logical explanation is that there’s a prior relationship between Lucy and Det. Kreps that we’re not aware of just yet.
Mabel got a bad gut feeling about the whole situation, and for good reason, as she noticed red glitter (you can’t get that stuff off) on Kreps’ neck along with an arm injury consistent with their altercation.
This is her guy! But why?
If I had to make an educated guess, I would say that Kreps is Lucy’s mother’s new husband, which means it’s possible that Kreps is targeting Charles and the group for a reason.
It’s also possible that the killer is forcing Kreps to do his dirty work. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve come across a dirty cop.
However, it’s not entirely clear if Glitter Man is the same person that killed Bunny as the motive for her death still hasn’t been revealed. Could Kreps be somehow related to Bunny and Charles?
At this point, without any clear motive, Marv’s theory that it’s the Sixth Avenue Slasher doesn’t sound like much of a reach. It would be something worth pursuing had the attack and subsequent blame on the core trio didn’t feel personal, but it does. Serial killers rarely have any reason behind their kills, so it makes sense to rule out the random attack theory. Whoever is behind it wants Mabel, Charles, and Oliver to get punished.
The killer, who we suspect is behind the power outage, had to know that Lucy was going to be at Charles’ apartment, which means the power outage was a plan to ensure that he bought himself some time by keeping the trio away. Even as they raced to save her, it took quite some time for them to climb 10+ flights of stairs.
But if someone like Marv, who cleans mold, knows about the tunnels and has access to them, it’s safe to say that other people do as well, especially a killer.
For a brief moment, I thought maybe Marv was the man behind it as he seemed bored and eager to get involved in a new mystery, but I don’t think that’s the case anymore.
Marv could be a useful asset if they keep him off the killer’s radar as he could be the unnoticed eyes and ears. At this point, they are in a position to push away any help.
There was also another clue that bubbled up to the surface as Lucy accidentally revealed that she was at Charles’ apartment the night of Bunny’s murder. When she was hiding in the tunnels, the killer sneezed, which didn’t seem like a big deal when we first saw it unfold on our screen a few episodes back, nor did it really mean anything to the trio, but after we saw Howard’s new crush, Jonathan, a Broadway singer who is subletting on his floor, reveal his cat allergy, it did raise some red flags.
Allergy = sneezing. It’s not irrefutable proof that Jonathan is shady, but it’s not something we can ignore, even if he was accounted for while the killer was pursuing Lucy in the tunnels.
The series has spent time digging into some of the other Arconia residents before, but the focus on Howard’s love life must serve some kind of purpose other than simply showing us a cute love story blooming between tenants. It’s also not lost on me that Jonathan and Howard have way too much in common. What are the odds that they both sing and have a passion for careers as librarians?
Elsewhere, Nina Lin bonded with Lester, and it turns out, the new mom does have a soul. As she begins to understand the importance of the human connection when Lester shows her kindness, she realizes that automation isn’t everything. In fact, it does seem like she’s starting to see what Bunny always saw in the Arconia. But could changing her modernization plans lead to more catastrophe? At the very least, they need to put up some cameras in the building and get those tunnels officially on the books!
I don’t think the series would give insight into Nina’s life unless it fit into the overall mystery, but it definitely doesn’t seem like she’s the brains behind changing up the Arconia. It also looks like she’s been left to take care of the baby all on her own, which begs the question — where is Jared? Is he too busy murdering people?
We haven’t circled back yet about Charles’ painting, his connection to Bunny, and Amy Schumer, but I’m hoping that’s on the horizon as the mystery unravels and we get closer to unmaking this season’s killer.
A good murder mystery takes you in several different directions, which just means that Only Murders in the Building is doing a fine job even if it does feel a bit more slow-paced than the first season.
If I’m to narrow down possible suspects right now it’s Kreps, Jonathan, Jared, and Howard!
Who do you think the killer is? What is Kreps’ connection to the killer? Why hasn’t he arrested Mabel for her viral video on the train? While it was self-defense, she definitely stabbed a guy!
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Only Murders in the Building Season 2 – Who is the Killer? We’re Logging Every Clue on the Murder Board
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Lizzy Buczak is the founder of CraveYouTV. What started off as a silly blog in her sophomore year at Columbia College Chicago turned her passion for watching TV into an opportunity! She has been in charge of CraveYou since 2011, writing reviews and news content for a wide variety of shows. Lizzy is a Music Business and Journalism major who has written for RADIO.COM, TV Fanatic, Time Out Chicago, Innerview, Pop’stache and Family Time.
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Only Murders in the Building season 2 carries the torch of the first season, putting a unique spin on the murder mystery genre.
The killer, who is most likely also the person framing Mabel, Charles, and Oliver (who are all persons of interest) likely won’t be revealed until the final episode, but we’re creating an online murder board to keep track of all suspects and possible clues hinting at this person’s identity.
Join us — and the characters who attempt to solve the whodunnit on their podcast via new weekly episodes that air every Tuesday on Hulu– as we theorize who is responsible for the latest murder at the Arconia!
Her Last Words : 14 and Savage
Cause of Death : 8 stabs wounds
Murder Weapon: A knife that was found in Charles’ apartment and a knitting needle
Place of Death : Mabel’s apartment
Played by Cara Delevigne, Alice slides into Mabel’s DM’s shortly after she lands the front page of the tabloids as “Bloody Mabel.” The art artist collective owner invites Mabel to a gallery opening in an attempt to cozy up to her and get her to open up. Maybe she just sees past Mabel’s flaws, but considering the whole mystery hinges on a missing painting by the artist Rose Cooper (who also died a mysterious death), we simply cannot rule it out. Maybe she wants the painting… maybe she wants Mabel. Honestly, maybe Rose was Alice’s mom who was murdered by Charles’ dad, her lover, and Alice is trying to get revenge on him by getting close to Mabel.
Alice admits that she’s been lying about her rich upbringing, so it begs the question — what else is she lying about? And when Mabel sees her reenacting Bunny’s murder in the name of “art,” it definitely comes off as obsessive, even if she isn’t the killer.
Amy Schumer is playing an exaggerated version of herself who just moved into Sting’s former penthouse. She’s a fan of the podcast — almost to an obsessive point — who wants the rights to it so she can turn it into a streaming service series and channel her inner Jan. You need a murder mystery in order to have a successful podcast… and then a show, I’m just saying. Plus, I have to believe that there’s a reason the series included her character!
I’m sorry to do this to you Uma, but there’s no one that knew Bunny better than her best friend. She not only knew about the painting, but she knew its worth. Maybe jealousy got the best of her?
We don’t know much about Nina other than the fact that she’s the New Board President. Howard says she has wanted the gig for a long time, which gives her motive. And he also warned the trio not to be fooled by her “maternal glow,” comparing her vibe to Rosemary’s Baby instead.
We learn a bit more about Nina in the third episode as she gets into a heated altercation with Bunny. Nina and Bunny seemed to be on good terms with the former training the latter and passing on her Board President wisdom and duties. Nina seemed like a star pupil worthy of taking on the title, but when Bunny suddenly had a change of heart during her “retirement party,” things got pretty ugly between the women. Nina told Bunny the only reason she was Board President was because of her mother. She called her a “selfish, self-important, stuck in the past relic,” which is, well, harsh. When Bunny told the “power-hungry baby bumpy bitch” that she wouldn’t let her “get away with this,” Nina seemingly threatened back with “I won’t let you stop me.” The altercation happened mere hours before Bunny was accosted in her home.
On the fourth episode, we find out that Nina was hoping to modernize the Arconia with some kind of space pod, a plan Bunny would never agree to. However, when she goes into labor later in the episode, she mourns Bunny’s death hoping that she was around to meet her future child. She then tells Charles to find the murderer and give her a few minutes alone with them! There’s always the possibility that she’s acting, but a woman in labor strikes me as someone who will tell the truth.
Nina’s baby daddy is kind of at the top of our list of suspects. He has a stake in modernizing the Arconia, he gains from removing Bunny and making Nina the Board President, and he would have all the blueprints to the Arconia, which means there’s a possibility he knew about the tunnels.
He also seems to come from wealth, so there’s a chance he could’ve been an art fanatic and wanted the artwork from Bunny. Who knows, maybe he was even Bunny’s secret child who came back to get what was his and when she refused, he decided to kill her.
Killing your own daughter is certainly cruel, but crazier things have happened. Leonora wasn’t really phased by her daughter’s passing, but she was very interested in finding her painting. She even came with the original bill of sale in order to retrieve her prized possession. Yes, she’s technically blind and can’t cut a piece of cheese to save her life, but it could’ve all been an act. And there’s also the whole affair with Charles’ father that she casually mentioned after informing Charles that she knew exactly who he was this whole time. She clearly knows way more than she’s leading on.
If she’s devious enough to blatantly steal a podcast, she’s not above murder. A murder suspect has to benefit from the crime, and Cinda sure does! By giving the Arconia another murder victim, she deepens the mystery and secures herself a compelling season.
I don’t ever want to think badly of Ursula, but she was really suspicious when angrily throwing out a random box of documents and looking around to make sure there weren’t any witnesses. What’s she trying to hide? This couldn’t have been a routine dump.
Yes, she supposedly went missing in the ’50s and is believed to be dead, but no one ever found a body. There could be so many unknown twists and turns about her identity that we have yet to discover. What’s her true connection to all of this? Or is Rose Cooper actually Leonora?
Mabel’s sort-of ex. What happened to him? Why are they moments away from the friend zone? Are we to just believe the streamer couldn’t get him back this season, or is there another reason he’s staying away… I don’t know, maybe like framing your girlfriend and her friends for murder?
While I don’t actually think that Oliver has what it takes to kill Bunny, the truth is that he had a deep hate for her, at one point even calling her a witch. Furthermore, he did mention that Bunny would “die at the Arconia,” so he’s slightly suspicious. It could also be why he’s gunning for the team to revitalize the podcast and clear their names. Of course, he was also on the rooftop celebrating his podcast success with Mabel and Charles, so the odds of him being the killer are slim.
Bunny was a lot to handle, so it’s safe to say that as Board President, she harped on Lester quite a lot. We saw a brief scene where she called him “useless” as she belittled his work ethic and even said she would have him fired.
Howard is a longtime Arconia resident who could definitely know about the secret passages. He strikes me as an allergy sufferer, and Lucy, who laid eyes on the hooded killer recalled them sneezing as they made their getaway through the tunnels. Howard also tried to divert attention to Nina by saying she has a violent streak and explaining that she will “cut a b**ch.” It’s possible that he’s the brains behind the whole operation because he wanted to get rid of Bunny.
We know one thing for sure — he’s definitely Glitter Man. Okay, maybe we’re not certain of it, but the glitter on his neck seems to indicate as much, though, it’s possible he also just came into contact with the Glitter Man. Either way, GM seems to be working with the killer, so this puts a huge question mark above Kreps, a man we’re supposed to be able to trust. Shady law enforcement, who would have thought? Who is Kreps working for? Why? And why did he want Bunny killed/Mabel, Charles, and Oliver framed?
The new sub-letter on Howard’s floor arrives at a questionable time. We also find out that he’s allergic to Howard’s cat as he experiences a sneezing fit. Is it possible that he’s the murderer even if he wasn’t the one chasing Lucy through the secret tunnel during the blackout. We can’t rule him out just yet.
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Only Murders in the Building Season 2 Episode 7 dove into Mabel’s backstory while she tried to desperately piece together what happened the night Bunny died and on the train when she stabbed the glitter suspect.
Mabel’s past heavily influenced her present, even if she wasn’t entirely aware of it at first.
The episode picked up the morning after the attack on the subway, but it was exactly clear who’s pristine apartment she was snoozing in.
Mabel was equally as confused as fans, though it was soon revealed that Theo was on the same train as Mabel and saw the attack go down.
While she was understandably cautious of his hospitality–he killed her friend and lied about it!—she did need him for answers when she found out the killer stole her purse.
Theo proved himself useful by showing her a keycard that the suspected killer dropped after ambushing her on the train, which led them to Coney Island.
Through their joint investigative skills, Mabel realized that Theo wasn’t a terrible person, he was just a kid who was wrapped up in something much larger than he was, kind of like she is right now. They’ve both gone through their fair share of terrible experiences, which are still affecting them in their adult lives.
For Mabel, it was the loss of her father when she was 7. She admitted that since then, whenever anything was too painful or deep, she would ignore it by “flipping the pieces of the puzzle” and forgetting the core memory, which is what happened with both Bunny and the train.
Mabel was too scared that by tapping into those memories, she would actually realize she’s a bad person who has the potential of harming others.
However, Theo showed her just how important it is to be honest with yourself. With so much on the line, including her reputation, Mabel can’t afford to keep repressing core memories that could potentially make or break a case.
When she had a near confrontation with the glitter killer—and didn’t see his face, yet again—she forced herself to face the pain. It was a beautifully filmed scene, and Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) as Mabel’s dad was the icing on the cake!
And through it, she realized that she did not murder Bunny as she was already stabbed with the sewing needle when Mabel got back to her apartment.
Mabel’s conscience may be cleared, but it means that the real murderer is still out there, and they’ve gotten so close to him now without even making a break in the case.
I will say that it has to be someone that was aware that Mabel, Charles, and Oliver possessed a matchbook with a bloody fingerprint, and now many people knew about it aside from the waiter that worked at the diner. Could he be working with the killer?
Theo was a surprising addition to Mabel’s storyline, and while I didn’t completely trust him throughout it all, it was nice to see him redeem himself. And hopefully, he’s not involved with the whole murder in any way.
It’s always possible that Theo led Mabel to Coney Island because he’s working with the murderer, but we don’t have any evidence pointing to anything other than Theo being a kind soul who wanted to help out an acquaintance.
Elsewhere, Oliver and Charles were interrogated by Detective Williams, who returned from maternity leave simply to get the truth out of them.
As always, hilarity ensued as both Oliver and Charles don’t seem to realize how paper-thin their walls truly are.
They turned over the murder weapon—the knife they found in their apartment—and it’s a good thing Williams played it so cool with them instead of questioning what they had it in their possession in the first place.
If they worked together more frequently, I truly believe they could solve this murder in a minute because right now, they aren’t making any headway. At the very least, it would allow for some more sweet moments with Oliver and Williams’ newborn. Also, how long does a DNA test take? Can we just please find out if Will is Oliver’s son already? The anticipation is killing me.
When Mabel finally reunited with Oliver and Charles, who were, quite frankly, worried sick about her, she delivered a pretty jarring piece of information—the killer had a photo of Charles’ “stepdaughter” Lucy in his possession.
Of course, the moment Charles contacted Lucy, who informed him she was in his apartment, there was a citywide blackout.
Honestly, this season’s killer has some wicked abilities; it’s almost A-like (PLL reference!).
Lucy didn’t seem to be aware of the imminent danger she was in, so my guess is that she has no idea she was the next target. And why is she the next target? Can they get to her before something bad happens again?
Does the killer know she was in the secret tunnels that day? And does this mean we’ll finally meet her mom/Charles’ ex that got away?
A blackout is never a good sign because, as we all know, things go bump in the night… and that’s especially concerning with a vengeful killer on the loose.
Who do you think it could be? Do you have any new theories? Why is Theo involved? Was it simply to redeem himself or does he feel guilty for something else? With Jan, the killer stayed close to his suspects, but Theo’s involvement seemed like a coincidence… for now.
And whatever happened to Alice after she was discovered to be obsessed with Mabel?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Bloody Mabel is in bloody trouble.
Things didn’t go very well for our beloved Mabel on Only Murders in the Building Season 2 Episode 6 as she only got herself into more hot water.
And unfortunately, it was both her fault and it wasn’t. Mabel was framed for Bunny’s murder, that much we know, which is what earned her the viral nickname in the first place, but stabbing someone on a public subway station is not how you make it all go away or prove your innocence in the court of public opinion. It’s honestly the exact opposite of what you want to do.
Even if it is the alleged murderer that’s framing you. And even if it’s self-defense. These days, perception is everything.
Mabel has gone through a lot of trauma in her life. Her past is pretty dark, and her recent situation with Bunny wasn’t ideal. Throw in the fact that she just found out that Charles was still communicating with Jan, the person who killed her friend, and that Alice was using her pain for some kind of art installation, and well, you have a bomb just waiting to explode. Not a pretty glitter bomb either.
With all that pain weighing on her, when Mabel saw the killer walking toward her on the train, it seemed as though she went into fight mode instead of flight mode.
But my guess is that this is that the killer isn’t exactly stupid either. They never unmasked the killer at the site of the glitter explosion because they were all too busy and distracted, and by the time Mabel saw him/her on the train, a significant amount of time had passed. Enough time for the killer to swap clothing with someone else and even pay the person to trail Mabel or simply to get off at a stop that they knew would spook her.
Mabel might be falling victim to the killer once more, though this time, on a much more public platform and completely red-handed.
It’s not looking good for her, especially paired with Cinda Canning’s podcast that just came out that basically paints her as an angry person capable of harming others.
And let’s talk about that podcast for a minute, shall we?
Poppy’s storyline is introduced in this episode as she accepts being treated like garbage in exchange for paying her dues and working her way up to a promotion. A promotion that, as Cinda explains, is never going to come. She was waiting for a break that Cinda was never going to give her.
Mabel helped Poppy eventually see the light right before she attacked the suspected killer on the train. The incident also happened right after Poppy called Mabel to inform her that Cinda is a liar who will “do anything to tell a good story,” perhaps a “tantalizing” one with beauty as the suspect. She thinks Mabel is a threat to her kingdom, and Poppy promised to know the scope of the plans considering she’s the brains behind the whole operation.
It’s possible that Cinda is going to great lengths to ensure that she frames Mabel in order to help boost her own success.
She was there the night of Bunny’s murder, so she could have very well texted them. She’s capitalizing on the murder with her podcast. She published an episode painting Mabel as violent with Jimmy Russo, a former co-worker. (The last name Russo is also not lost on me here. Wizards of Waverly Place fans, anyone?)
And it’s possible that Cinda was within earshot of Detective Kreps (not the brightest, remember?) telling them that Detective Williams is on maternity leave and can’t meet them in person hence the follow-up response.
It also feels like Cinda has the potential to be one step ahead of them but also be ignorant enough to underestimate them about their Brazzos-style stakeout with planted evidence.
Think about it — if it isn’t Cinda, why would Poppy get involved? And since Cinda doesn’t do anything for herself, it’s even likelier that the hooded person they Mariah’ed is her assistant, Luis.
Solving murders has never been this trio’s strong suit as they just can’t help but self-sabotage and pursue red herrings, but they really aren’t even trying this season. They took Kreps’s word about Williams at face value. Why couldn’t they just walk the evidence over to Williams instead of testing a number that they just assumed belonged to her? How careless. Do they even want to solve this murder? Do they want to clear their names? Can they focus for like half a minute!?
Alice, however, should likely be crossed off the suspect’s list. Everything that transpired with her is simply a diversion and a red herring to mislead the audience. Alice definitely looks guilty of something, but it’s not what we think. She’s either obsessed with Mabel or trying to help her work through the grief and solve the mystery. Or both. Or, a third option is that she’s just like Cinda in that she’s using Mabel’s viral popularity to elevate her artistic brand because she only cares about her own success. Once a liar, always a liar. But I don’t think she’s a killer.
She’s also the catalyst to get Mabel to a moment where it’s believable that she would crack and stab somebody, even if in her mind, it was self-defense. It looks bad to the public, but we have to remember that Mabel has a target on her back so she’s always on edge.
Elsewhere in the episode…
After a pretty stern talking to from his friends, Charles broke up with Jan via Sazz. I can’t say that I missed Sazz in the slightest, but I’m glad Charles finally saw the light. I know he needed to get closure even after Jan was arrested for trying to kill him, but honestly, I wish they never brought her back. Jan is in the past, and she needs to stay there. Maybe he’ll be able to move on from the makeup artist on Brazzos! He deserves happiness!
Oliver also never got his answer about Will’s paternity. He seems convinced that it will somehow turn out that he’s Greek and not Irish, which ensures that Will is his son, but I think that’s just Oliver’s optimism/denial talking. Of course, blood doesn’t make someone family, and regardless of the outcome, Will will always be his child. No DNA test will ever change that even if it does shake Oliver’s self-image and self-worth slightly.
What did you think of the episode? Based on all the facts presented, who do you think the killer is?
What’s Alice’s deal? Is Cinda hiding something? And how do you think Mabel will restore her reputation now that the whole world believes she’s a killer or, at the very least, capable of hurting someone?
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