The first episode in the new season of Only Murders in the Building is very aptly named ‘Persons of Interest’.
As Disney+ debuts its sophomore season of the smash-hit murder mystery, the number of people the audience should be very interested in and watching closely on screen is higher than ever.
Not only is there a host of exciting new characters being added to the mix, starring alongside the stellar lead trio of Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez (who return as our podcasting sleuths Charles, Oliver and Mabel) but there’s also a new case to crack!
Season two picks up exactly where we left off in last season’s finale – with the shocking twist that saw Bunny Folger found dead, viciously stabbed with a knitting needle, while Mabel (played by Gomez) stood over the body covered in blood.
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As Mabel was handcuffed and taken away in the back of a police car, with Charles and Oliver being arrested just behind her, the characters seemed as genuinely shell shocked by the culminating events of season one as we, the audience, were.
Based on their reactions and the timeframe of the killing, it’s unlikely that any of the three main characters are the real murderer – but who might be?
Matters aren’t made any easier by the fact that our victim Bunny was the Board President and essentially the boss of the entire apartment building where the bulk of the show takes place. As a general thorn in the side of everybody living in the Arconia complex, the list of people who may have wanted Bunny dead is endless.
With so many suspects, season two is sure to be a bumpy ride for Mabel, Charles and Oliver as they try to reveal the true killer and clear their own names.
Here are the most sketchy characters that their investigation is likely to hone in on during the latest episodes;
The mystery texter: Just before Charles and Oliver stumbled upon a murdered Bunny and bloodied Mabel during the last few minutes of season one, they received a strange text alerting them to the danger unfolding. The message “Get out of the building now!!!” was likely sent to protect them, or at least let them avoid becoming so heavily implicated in Bunny’s death.
While the well-intentioned texter may have wanted our trio out of harm’s (and blame’s) way, they also were privy to knowledge that the murder had JUST taken place, raising the alarm seemingly moments after Bunny’s last breath. How could somebody have that kind of information unless they were somehow directly involved in the crime? Could it be that finding out who the texter is will be key to unmasking the killer too?
Cinda Canning: If you have a comedy legend like Tina Fey on your show, surely you’d give her a role to remember… like, say, that of a murderer?
Fey’s character Cinda is also a podcaster, one who seemed more than a little irked by the success of Charles, Mabel and Oliver with their Only Murders in the Building (OMITB) podcast last season. We already know her to be ruthless in her pursuit of whatever next big story will help her hook listeners in, and we’ve seen her take on podcasting rivals, her assistant, and just about anyone else she can if it’ll get her ahead. Would she go as far as to murder Bunny herself to create more content, though? Well, she did arrive on the scene of the murder awfully fast, gleefully recording as Mabel was led away by police. She also has significant motive to frame Mabel and co for the killing, as her main podcasting competition will be wiped out if they end up behind bars.
The podcast superfans: Despite having never been a fan of the OMITB podcast, Bunny is wearing the series’ official merchandise when she dies. This is extremely out of character for her – she went as far as to call a vote with all her tenants last season as to whether Mabel, Charles and Oliver should be evicted from the Arconia just for discussing their neighbours’ private business in their podcast. Could the killer have dressed her in her tie dye hoodie, complete with the podcast’s logo? Interestingly enough, the only other people we see in those hoodies the night of the murder are the podcast’s super fan club, who love the series so much that they even protested day and night outside the Arconia last season to get new episodes. Do they want new episodes enough to create a new murder case for Charles, Mabel and Oliver to work on? Killing Bunny themselves sure would be a dramatic, but effective, way of feeding their true crime obsession...
Howard Morris (the cat guy): While the murder of Tim Kono was the focal point of season one, there was another life taken in the Arconia that was connected to the case. Howard’s cat Evelyn was killed after accidentally ingesting the poison that Jan had used in Tim’s drink. Howard spends much of season one distraught over his pet’s death, but the other Arconia residents seem almost relieved. We know the cat used to sneak into neighbouring apartments often, and even in death Howard finds a way for Evelyn to cause tenant complaints, by storing the dead cat in his freezer. Bunny expressed in season one that she was annoyed by the complaints about the smell once Evelyn died, and she disliked the cat and Howard’s OTT grieving process in general.
In one of the happier parts of the season finale, we learned that Howard had gotten a new cat. However, when he introduces it to Bunny in the elevator, she’s less than impressed. It’s actually the last time we see Bunny interact with him before her death. We know elevator scenes are important at the Arconia – it’s how Mabel, Charles and Oliver first met and the idea for their podcast was born. If Bunny were to object to Howard keeping a new pet in the building, who knows how he would react. It might just be enough to make him snap and kill her…
Oliver Putnam: It’s highly unlikely that lovable goofball Oliver is capable of killing anybody in cold blood. However, when rounding up the suspects who’d have good reason to want Bunny dead, he certainly sticks out. Oliver’s financial struggles were well documented throughout season one, and Bunny was not the most understanding about his late rent or unpaid building fees. Other characters have pointed out more than once that Oliver could have a better, more financially stable life if he stopped crippling himself with the price of his Arconia apartment in the heart of New York. Yet his love for the building outweighs all else. If Bunny tried to evict him over his late payments, could that love for the Arconia drive him to do anything to stop her – even to commit a murder.
To find out who the real killer is, be sure to watch season 2 of Only Murders in the Building. The first two episodes are streaming now exclusively on Disney+.