Season two of Only Murders in the Building is fianlly availible on Disney plus. Last night I sat down with a drink and some popcorn and I eagerly watched the first two episodes.
I really enjoyed the first season. I’ve written about it. I thought the show was really fun. It was quirky, it was a bit satirical. I thought the premise was interesting and I have said many times that I am a fan of Steve Martin. I think that he and Martin Short are a dream team and the addition of Selena Gomez made for a really fun dynamic.
Warning! There will be spoilers ahead so if you still have not watched the first season, you should. Season one ended on a cliffhanger. Mabel finds Bunny in her apartment. Bunny has been stabbed with Mabel’s knitting needle. The series ends with our three favourite podcast hosts, Mabel, Charles, and Oliver being taken away in handcuffs by the police. Mabel is covered in Bunny’s blood. It is safe to say that I was extremely excited that the show was going to have a second season and I can’t wait to see what happens so I have very high hopes for season two.
Season two picks up right where we left off. The gang are in the police station being questioned and they are firmly told; no more podcasts. The trio however can’t help themselves and they are determined to figure out what happened so they can clear their names and not let anyone else tell their stories.
We are introduced to some new faces in season two. Amy Schumer has moved into the building and she is playing herself. Schumer wants to buy the rights to the podcast so that she can make a show and Schumer has decided that she wants to play Jan, our season one villain. So far Schumer has mostly just had scenes with Martin Short and this works because Oliver is the character who is the most obsessed with the recognition the trio receive from doing the podcast. He is the one who stops to speak to the press when the three leave the police station etc. so it makes sense that he is the character who would be excited to see Schumer and discuss projects. It is an interesting dynamic and I am intrigued to see how the show incorporates Schumer as the season goes on. It is clear to see that because this show did so well, they have been able to get more big names in their second season, and I have no doubt that Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez have many connections, however personally I am not Schmer’s biggest fan. Her brand of humour doesn’t really land with me. There are times that she can be funny, but mostly I find her type of humour to be a bit too “try hard” and even in the few scenes she was in, there were moments where I just found the over exaggerated version of herself irritating. That’s not to say she’s not talented. Schumer is talented, and her timing and line delivery has been very good and her quirky humour does fit the show quite well and the clash with the stardom obsessed Oliver is funny, but overall she wouldn’t be my favourite and I was surprised when I saw her on the screen for the first time. I’m very interested to see how it plays out, I could end up loving her. We’ll see.
The other new addition to the show is Cara Delevinge as Alice and it seems like she will be playing an important role. I was so impressed by Delevinge as Alice. Alice is an artist. She is effortlessly cool. She seems to be somebody that Mabel can relate to and open up to. They both share an appreciation for art, they’re both creative. They both find the other easy to talk to. Spoiler warning – I sensed from the second that Alice and Mabel spoke so easily in the art gallery that we would see a kiss before the episode ended. I was right. The two share a kiss after Alice encourages Mabel to destroy a sculpture as a way to let out all of her frustration and anger.
It seems like Alice and Mabel may go on to date in this season, but we’ve just met Alice, and it will be very important that Mabel knows who she can trust at this difficult time. All eyes are on her. She is trending online and she has been given the nickname Bloody Mabel and something about the way she was recorded destroying that sculpture with an axe doesn’t sit right with me. I feel like that footage could be used against her somehow. I love Alice as a character. She’s got such a cool energy about her and I hope that she becomes someone Mabel can trust and rely on and she may even help solve the case. We shall see.
In season two, we are learning about Bunny’s mother who is played by the fabulous Shirley MacLaine and we are learning about Charles’ father. We are also learning more about the apartment building itself and I love that the Arconia is almost a character itself. The trio have already discovered a secret lift in Bunny’s closet so I’m sure that there might be some more hidden places to come. I love a building with secrets.
Let’s talk about season two’s plot. It is clear that the angle the show is going for is that someone is trying to frame the trio for Bunny’s murder. It also seems like the motive behind Bunny’s murder could be fuelled by money. It seems that Bunny owned a very expensive painting.
Spoiler warning – When the gang break into Bunny’s apartment to look around, they discover that the painting has been stolen. They come to the conclusion that the killer must have the painting but that idea is quickly squashed when Charles arrives home to find the painting hanging on his wall. The gang then become determined to discover who is trying to set them up, while Mabel keeps having flashbacks to the night she found Bunny. It is all a blur but as the episode plays out, Mabel starts to remember that Bunny spoke before she died.
She said “fourteen” and “savage”. Now, Savage is Charles’ last name and it seems that his father is the man in the painting, but we don’t know what fourteen refers to yet.
It seems like it will be another scavenger hunt style mystery, similar to the format of season one. Mabel’s disorientated memories are really all the gang can work with so I would guess that the next episode may incorporate them trying to figure out what Bunny meant by fourteen. I also wouldn’t be shocked if Mabel remembers something else being said. The painting is also going to be important because (spoiler) Bunny’s mother reveals that the painting that was hung in Charles’ apartment is not the original. It is a copy so now we have to figure out where the real painting went.
I’m excited to see what the next episode does. It’s a good setup and I’m interested to see where the mystery goes as we have to do something different from season one. Speaking of season one, I really hope Oscar makes a comeback because even if he is not going to be Mabel’s love interest, I think he still should be her friend and season one ended with him watching her get taken away in handcuffs after the two characters had reconnected. I’d be disappointed if we don’t see him again after all the two have been through and I think it would make sense if his character helped figure out who was trying to blame Mabel because they have been friends all their lives. A huge plot point in season one – again spoiler – was that Oscar had been in jail for a crime he did not commit and Mabel worked so hard to clear his name. There had been so much character development between the two that I think it would be so odd if he didn’t return. His character looked so concerned when Mabel was taken away in handcuffs. Oscar knows Mabel is not capable of murder. He knows the pain of being accused of something you did not do. Aaron Dominguez gave a really great performance in season one and his character was so important to the investigation. Oscar’s father is the superintendent of the Arconia, it just doesn’t make sense to me if he is not in season two at all so I hope he shows up. Oscar doesn’t have to be Mabel’s love interest. The show can still have Mabel explore what she wants and her feelings for Alice can still continue to grow, but I will be disappointed if Oscar has just disappeared because lifelong friendships don’t just abruptly stop, not when the two characters have clearly been through so much together. It is early days though, it is only episode two so we shall see.
I’ve mentioned already that I am going to write in a more spontaneous way and write about what I gravitate towards rather than feeling like I have to write about certain things at certain times. My schedule has changed dramatically lately so I’m trying different things and figuring out what works best for me as I never want to publish a piece that I am not 100% happy with.
I think I might try something new and write episodic reviews of Only Murders in the Building.
So if you haven’t started season two, you should because otherwise my reviews will be spoilers galore.
I am so excited for episode three. If you love the show like I do and you have guesses or theories that you want to share, leave them below. I’d love to read them.
Kate xo.
Katelovesliterature.com 