The eighth episode of Only Murders in the Building season 2 provided an important piece of the jigsaw.
John Hoffman and Steve Martin, the creators of Only Murders in the Building, have expanded the realm of Arconia for season two, which led to more self-referential humour, guest appearances, and yes, more mysteries. This second season has spent as much of its time going back in the same direction as it has to bring in fresh ideas.
Examples of this include playing season one hits like "guest star as a suspect" and "love interest as a suspect." It becomes less likely that all of the plot lines will be resolved by the end of the season. If they are, it feels as if it may be a bit messy. However, with each new episode, more questions are being brought up than answered.
There are now so many characters that not even all of them have been given appropriate names. Neither Charles nor Mabel's fathers are ever addressed by name; we only know their last names because we also know Charles and Mabel's last names. Which makes it feel as if there are too many characters for the creators to really care about.
DNA results still needed to be provided, Teddy's threat must be addressed, and there is still a whole murder to solve—one of our trio may be the only ones interested in truly solving the murder. This just illustrates the excessive number of plot threads this season has.
Marv, who learnt about the hidden tunnels via his employment as a mould inspector, is revealed to want to be a part of the investigation, despite his slightly menacing approach. Like Oliver, he is seeking meaning in life, and like Charles, Marv is seeking a way to get back in touch with his daughter. Before they can reach Lucy, he even frightens away the real killer (or one of them). In the end, he's just another red herring and another instance of how the show emphasises the issue of family, notably the struggles that fathers face in providing for their children.
We’ve finally gained a better understanding of at least one of the major characters. We first met Glitter Guy earlier this season. A man who appeared to have been wounded by Mabel on the subway and who apparently had a secret hideout at Coney Island. At the end of the episode, we learned exactly who it was who was targeting Lucy in the Arconia.
Did you anticipate it would be Detective Kreps? Well, the glitter still on his face suggests that Michael Rapaport's character ended up being underneath the mask. Our knowledge of Detective Kreps' involvement in Bunny's murder also helps to explain why, despite Detective Williams' efforts, the inquiry appears to have stopped. He also gives the impression that Mabel is aware of his identity and that he has the authority to detain her for the incident on the train. It’ll be interesting to see what his next move will be.
In this last stretch of season two, things are looking awfully crowded, but there is one consolation: even if we weren't aware of it, we've met the murderer(s). This episode was good in the fact we finally discovered who glitter man was. However, it does feel very crowded now with all the new characters to keep up with.
Performance | 4.4/5 |
Enjoyment | 4.2/5 |
Overall Rating | 4.3/5 |