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During the fall season of 2021, Hulu’s comedy show Only Murders in the Building (2021-) aired and instantly became a hit, garnering fans from all age groups. The 30-minute episodic show had captivated audiences during the era of Marvel projects, reboots, and live actions due to the show’s cast, aesthetically pleasing sets and costumes, and storytelling. This past June, Only Murders in the Building returned with their second season and once again got their fans hooked for the past nine weeks.
What Happened In Season One?
In the first season, the show focused on an unlikely trio of Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) coming together after their neighbor, Tim Kono (Julian Cihi), was murdered in their building, the Arconia. The true crime fanatics decided to follow the footsteps of their favorite true crime podcaster, Cinda Canning (Tina Fey), and created their own podcast that followed them solving Tim’s murder. Their podcast, which shares a name with the show, Only Murders in the Building, gained a small following of fans, that dubbed themselves as The Arconiacs.
As the trio ran around their apartment building and New York, trying to get content and info for their podcast, the audience learned that the guarded and secretive Mabel actually had a connection with the murder victim; they were one-half of their friend group when they were younger, The Hardy Boys. Once Charles and Oliver learned of Mabel’s connection, the duo followed her and other Hardy Boy member, Oscar (Aaron Dominguez) (who was recently released from prison after he was wrongfully convicted for the death of the last member of The Hardy Boys, Zoe Cassidy (Olivia Reis)). The four met at the tattoo shop where Mabel’s cousin worked and learned that Tim believed he was going to get be killed.
By the end of the first season of Only Murders in the Building, it came as no surprise that the killer turned out to be Charles’s bassoonist girlfriend, Jan (Amy Ryan) since she was romantically involved with Tim and killed him a day after he broke up with her. However, what was shocking was the cliff-hanging finale. In the opening scene of the first episode, Charles and Oliver stumbled upon a bloody stained Mabel in front of a dead body. In the finale, the show propelled back to that moment, and it is revealed that the dead body is Arconia’s own board president, Bunny Folger (Jayne Houdyshell). This reveal was shocking because it raised the stakes for the trio especially since the season ended with them getting arrested.
Only Murders in the Building Delivers More Character Background
While season two of Only Murders in the Building put the trio at the forefront of Bunny’s murder, the most interesting aspect of this season for me wasn’t the murder. It was actually how the show gave more information and background about Charles, Oliver, and Mabel. In this season, one of the prevalent themes was centered around the relationships of father-child, or better known as “daddy issues.” Daddy issues, which dates back to Sigmund Freud, is a concept that relates to how people who had less than ideal father figures in their childhood have challenges in future relationships.
In fact, Only Murders in the Building focused so much on daddy issues that they discussed it in their after-show One Killer Question. In the seven-minute episode, host Ali Stroker (who plays an Arconiac in the show), Ryan Broussard (who plays Will), and Elliott Gould discussed the relationships that the characters had with their fathers. One particular quote that stood out from the episode is when Ryan stated, “… we don’t realize it on a subconscious level how much [having a less than ideal father figure] affects us on a daily basis. But we see it in [Charles, Oliver, Mabel, Will, and Lucy]” (( “What’s With All The Daddy Issues?” One Killer Question, episode 4, Hulu, 12 Jul 2022, Hulu. )). This quote stands out because it shows how the characters’ parental issues affected them and the steps they take in their lives.
Diving Into The Daddy Issues
With the show diving more into the parental issues of Charles, Oliver, and Mabel, the audience is able to see why the leading trio are the way that they are. Specifically, these issues are why these characters have trouble building and maintaining relationships, whether they be romantic, platonic, or familial. During the first season of Only Murders in the Building, the few relationships that Charles, Oliver, and Mabel had were fragile and rocky. For example, in season one Charles had remained alone since his ex, Emma, and Emma’s daughter, Lucy (Zoe Colletti), left the Arconia. Since the end of that relationship, Charles did not try to date or even meet anyone until he joined forces with Oliver and Mabel.
Charles And His Father
In season one of Only Murders in the Building, not much is mentioned about Charles’s parents, other than the fact that they are dead. In season two, Charles is connected to Bunny’s murder because Bunny owned an expensive erotic Rose Cooper painting that featured his father. Throughout season two, the audience begins to learn more about the relationship, or rather a mostly absent relationship, that Charles and his father had.
This mostly absent relationship that Charles had with his father played a vital role in how he is today. In season two, episode nine, Charles admits that not knowing much about his father has “haunted [him his] whole life” (( “Sparring Partners.” Only Murders in the Building, season 2, episode 9, Hulu, 16 Aug 2022, Hulu. )). However, as Charles talked to Rose Cooper — who gave him a painting of him and his father — Rose explained that the man his dad most wanted to be was a father to Charles. After seeing the painting, Rose continued to tell Charles the truth about their affair, and Charles realized that his father died heartbrokenly. This talk Charles had with Rose helped him understand his father on a deeper level and realized that his father tried his best to be a dad to him.
Charles And Lucy
During season one of Only Murders in the Building, the relationship that Charles missed the most was the one he had with his pseudo-daughter, Lucy. At the end of the first season, Charles decided to finally reach out to her after eight years of no contact. In season two, Lucy returned to the Arconia to reconnect and rebuild the relationship they had when Lucy was younger. In the entirety of season two, it is clear that Charles cares deeply for Lucy and vice versa. At the end of season 2, episode eight; during the blackout, Charles demonstrates this by racing back to the Arconia to save Lucy from the killer. Another example would be how Lucy does not hesitate to help Charles (and Oliver and Mabel too), in trying to catch Bunny’s killer.
Based on these two examples alone, it shows how their relationship is much different compared to the relationship Charles had with his father because both Charles and Lucy are eager to be close once again to make up for lost time. Also, the two communicate more than Charles and his father did, which is shown through their text messages and Lucy appearing to visit Charles often in his apartment and on set of the reboot of Brazzos.
Oliver And Will
Out of the Only Murders in the Building trio, the rocky relationship between Oliver and his son, Will (Ryan Broussard), is the one that audiences are the most familiar with. In season one, Oliver admitted to wasting Will’s college fund on his failed theatrical production Splash! and had a habit of borrowing money from him, which were the causes for them having a fragile relationship. However, in the first season of the show, fans saw that the father-son were trying to rebuild their relationship and were trying to be there for one another.
In season two, audiences see their relationship develop even more. One particular moment of their relationship development was when Will began to follow Oliver’s lead and was in charge of his son’s school theater production of The Wizard of Oz. Will following in Oliver’s theatre footsteps allowed for the two of them to bond even more, and they started to have a stronger relationship than before. Though, that strength gets tested later in season two of Only Murders in the Building when the possibility of Oliver not being Will’s biological father arises. Unfortunately, Oliver discovered the truth, he is not Will’s biological father — rather Teddy (Nathan Lane) is.
Teddy, who returned to the Arconia awaiting trial, and Oliver have a talk later in season two. The grave robber admits to Oliver that he and Oliver’s wife, Roberta, had an affair unbeknownst to Oliver’s knowledge. After that admission, their conversation shifted and the two ponder why the father-son relationship is difficult.
During this conversation, Oliver confessed that his own father was a door-to-door salesman and never saw him often. In the moments that Oliver’s father was home, Oliver did whatever he could to get his attention. That confession could explain why Oliver’s relationship with Will was stunted after Splash! It is possible that Oliver feared that Will would only talk to him if Oliver had an exciting project; since in Will’s childhood, he viewed Oliver as a successful Broadway director that threw lavish parties at their apartment.
Mabel And Her Father
During the first season of Only Murders of the Building, not much is known of Mabel’s father, other than the fact that he is noticeably absent. It isn’t until the new season that Mabel revealed more about her father (Mark Consuelos). At first, she shared that her father got her a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle of Frida Kahlo when she was four, and that they used to cook together. It wasn’t until episode seven of season two that Mabel divulged the truth about her father.
In episode seven, the audience learned through flashback scenes that Mabel’s father moved out and that Mabel and her dad would spend every Sunday together. Throughout these flashback scenes, viewers discovered that the reason that Mabel’s father moved out when she was seven was because he was dying of stomach cancer and within six months he was dead. His death heavily affected Mabel because her father’s passing is the first traumatic memory that she blocked out as a way to cope. Mabel’s coping mechanism was something she still did considering she blocked out parts of when she discovered a dying Bunny in her apartment, and when she stabbed Glitter Guy on the train.
Are The Parental Issues Resolved?
After unpacking the parental issues that the true crime trio have, it seemed that the characters were brought closer together. For Charles, he actively tried his best to reconnect with Lucy and spend time with her. For Oliver and Will, despite Oliver not being Will’s biological father, Will still viewed Oliver as his dad. In addition, Will knew that Oliver was trying as hard as he could to make their relationship stable as it once was. For Mabel, it seemed that Charles and Oliver are becoming the father-figures that she lacked in childhood, which is noticeable with the protective nature that the men have toward her.
Trauma & Healing
Despite the daddy issue galore that season two of Only Murders in the Building presented audiences with, we also received moments of healing from trauma. The most notable characters that are slowly healing from their past are Mabel and Theo (James Caverly), who is also back and awaiting trial.
These two become an unexpected duo in season two, episode seven when they team up to try figure out Glitter Guy’s identity at Coney Island. During their mission together, they confined to each other about their trauma. Though, it is worth mentioning that it probably helped that the two had a communication barrier with Mabel not knowing ASL and Theo being deaf.
As the two confined to one another, Mabel and Theo are able to slowly heal and move on as the audience saw with Mabel unblocking the memory of Bunny’s death and with Theo finally talking to his dad.
Does The Daddy Issues Distract From The Murder?
Now, whether or not the emphasis on fathers in this season of Only Murders in the Building distracts from Bunny’s murder really depends on the type of viewer. To viewers who simply want a routined cut-and-dried murder mystery, the focus on daddy issues are a complete distraction. Judging season two from this viewpoint, the plot arc of our leading trio trying to find Bunny’s killer is not as tightly woven as it was in the first season.
Despite Charles, Oliver, and Mabel being the prime suspects (in the New York Police Department’s eyes at least) of Bunny’s murder, it seemed as if they weren’t as worried about being convicted for homicide as they probably should have been. In fact, season two made our favorite residents of the Arconia more concerned about their own personal traumas from their past than clearing their names. So, for viewers that enjoy more plot-focused content than character-focused content, season two of the Hulu show probably did not hit the mark as much as the first season did.
Character Study Fanatics Rejoice!
For viewers that enjoy more character arc over plot arc, the emphasis on daddy issues in season two worked well because it aided in character development. Personally, I am someone that thoroughly enjoys doing and reading character studies. So, the newest season of Only Murders in the Building provided more character depth that added to Charles, Oliver, and Mabel’s storylines and to their relationships.
For example, fans of the show knew that the trio did not have the best or most stable relationships, whether they are romantic, platonic, or familial, in season one. Though, not much was said about why that was. However, season two of Only Murders provided that context through the trio’s lack of an ideal father figure. Due to this lack, viewers now understand why Charles, Oliver, and Mabel have difficulty in creating secure attachments in relationships.
What Will Season 3 Bring?
No matter the type of viewer, there is no doubt that the ending of season two of Only Murders in the Building provided a way to keep fans theorizing until the next season. At the end of the finale episode for season two, the show introduced the latest murder victim, Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd), at Oliver’s newest theatre production. Just moments before the curtain rose and Ben fell dead, Charles confronted the actor and icily warned Ben to “stay away from her” (( “I Know Who Did It.” Only Murders in the Building, season 2, episode 10, Hulu, 23 Aug 2022, Hulu. )). This left viewers wondering who the mysterious ‘Her’ is and had watchers already trying to figure who the mysterious person could be (( Schwartz, Ryan. “‘Only Murders’ Season 3: Who’s the Mysterious ‘Her’ That Charles Warned Ben to Avoid? Here Are 7 Possibilities.” TV Line, 31 Aug 2022. )).
With Paul Rudd joining the cast for season three, the only thing that viewers know for sure that the junior season will have is another star-studded cast. Considering the first season’s murder was tied to Mabel, and the second season was tied to Charles, it’s highly probable that the third season will be tied to Oliver. With the character building in season two, I hope that season three touches upon building and maintaining stable relationships between our central trio and other characters. While not much is known for season three just yet, I wish that it’s just another season of a fun mystery and character development.