Hulu has whet Only Murders in the Building fans' appetites for season 2 (premiering June 28) with a hilarious clip of Charles, Oliver, and Mabel at Bunny's memorial. Season 1 ended with Tim Kono's murder solved and the suspect arrested... only for Bunny to be found dead and the trio getting arrested.
That's a big setup for season 2, as the amateur true crime podcasters will not only want to solve the case — they'll also want to avoid a prison sentence. And here fans thought season 1 was full of big adventures...
Jan Was The Murderer
The build-up of the entire show is a whodunnit: three very different strangers come together to solve a murder in their building, the Arconia. After going through various suspects, theories, and twists and turns, they finally discover who the true guilty party was: Jan, the quiet, talented bassoon player.
They put two and two together when they discovered Tim might have had a girlfriend and the smoking gun was finding a bassoon cleaner among his sex toys. Jan killed Tim before he broke up with her, then started a romance with Charles to keep an eye on their investigations.
Jan Tried To Burn Down The Building
The big reveal is a common trope in murder mystery TV shows, and this one was no exception. Jan didn't just kill Tim, but she also tried to kill Charles. When she realized the trio had discovered what she did and who she was, she tried to use the new open fireplaces to gas the Arconia.
Luckily, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel figured out her plan and rushed to the basement in hopes of stopping the fire and saving the building, and thankfully, they succeeded.
Jan Was Arrested
Jan was the one Arconia resident that the trio didn't suspect to be the killer. Yet it turned out, she was. In the end, after Mabel managed to knock Jan out with Zoe's emerald ring during a scuffle in the basement, Jan was arrested.
With Mabel, Oliver, and Charles also arrested that same night, fans wonder if Jan might return for season 2 and if the four may end up meeting in jail. It's possible the trials could intertwine if Jan tried to argue that Mabel, Charles, and/or Oliver were the real bad guys and she was innocent.
Bunny Is Dead
The final episode delivered a shocking cliffhanger: while the trio was enjoying champagne after their successful investigation, which led to a thrilling new business venture with their podcast, Mabel went inside to get another bottle. At the same time, the two men received a strange text warning them to leave the building, and it still remains to be seen who sent the text. Were they trying to help or purposely influencing the pair to run at just the right time to frame them?
As they ran out of the Arconia, the same scene from the beginning of the series is replayed, with Mabel standing over Bunny's dead body, covered in blood herself.
Oliver, Charles, And Mabel Were Arrested
Not surprisingly, with Mabel covered in blood standing over Bunny's body and Oliver and Charles seen running out of the building as though they were trying to escape, all three look guilty and are all arrested. It was one of the biggest set-ups for OMITB season 2.
Not only are the trio arrested but it happens in front of all the residents of the building, as well as Detective Williams, with whom they had become friendly. Also looking on was Oscar, who had developed feelings for Mabel. Cinda was also there, likely full of opportunistic ideas about how to spin the story into her next podcast episode.
Building Residents Voted To Evict The Trio
In the penultimate episode, fans may have forgotten that the Arconia residents met and voted to evict Charles, Oliver, and Mabel because of the podcast they started and the attention they drew to the building and the people who live there. They also caused a ruckus with their guests, interviews, and snooping around, disrupting the lives of other residents.
With Bunny the board president now dead, chances are the trio will be able to keep their apartments. However, given that they were all arrested, they have bigger things to worry about.
There Was An Entire Episode With No Audible Dialogue
Episode 7 was a stand-out one given that it contained no audible dialogue. Instead, it was told from the perspective of the character Theo, who is deaf. Fans learn about the story from his point of view, with ASL used between several characters to communicate and captioning provided for viewers.
This is the pivotal episode where the mystery of Zoe's death is finally solved. It is revealed that she and Theo had a secret flirtation, but during a fight, Theo accidentally pushed her off the roof. Tim was the only one to see what happened, but a threat from Theo’s father Teddy kept him silent. It wrapped up that storyline and confirmed Zoe and Tim’s deaths were completely unrelated.
They Were All Very Lonely
All three main characters were lonely individuals in the beginning. Charles, a former TV star, wasn't getting much work and his star was fading. He pushed others away due to childhood trauma and after losing his last girlfriend who abandoned him on what would have been their anniversary, marking one of the saddest things about Charles in OMITB.
Meanwhile, Mabel spent much of her time on her own, listening to music and doing her best not to connect with people. And Oliver was a struggling director who was lying to himself and others about his success. He had an arm’s length relationship with his son and was starved for company as well.
Oscar And Mabel Relationship?
Towards the end of the season, it was clear that there was a romantic spark between Oscar and Mabel. But they never really got to pursue things further because of her arrest. Fans fully expect Oscar to stand behind Mabel given that he went through the same thing she did, having been arrested for a crime he did not commit.
Oscar could prove invaluable to Mabel in helping her fight for her good name. It's important to remember his story and that he was not only accused of killing Zoe but spent time in jail for the murder when he truly had nothing to do with it.
All The Suspects
The suspects and the main three from OMITB all have Clue counterparts, which adds to the murder mystery flavor. Indeed, the most important thing to remember about the first season is all the suspects whom the trio pinpointed. With Bunny now dead, and Oliver, Charles, and Mabel most likely innocent of her death, it could be one of these people who committed the crime.
The first was Howard, a single man living with his cat, followed by Teddy, who, while doing criminal things, wasn't the murderer. Musician Sting was also a suspect for a short time, as was Oscar, Mabel's old friend, who was wrongfully sent to prison for Zoe's murder years prior. Theo, Teddy's son, was the one who was actually responsible for Zoe's accidental death. Other potential suspects who could or could not return for season 2 include Charles' former stunt double Sazz, Detective Williams, and podcast host Cinda Canning.