TV Recap: "Only Murders in the Building" Turns to a Robot for Answers in Season 5’s Penultimate Episode, “LESTR”

Only Murders in the Building Season 5 races toward its finale with Episode 9, “LESTR," a clever, heartfelt installment told partly through the eyes of The Arconia’s robotic doorman. As the countdown to move-out ticks away, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel face the loss of their home, a missing suspect, and shocking revelations buried in the building’s walls. With familiar faces returning and one final mystery emerging from Lester’s own words, the episode turns the series’ trademark comedy of manners into a story about legacy, loyalty, and what it truly means to be a neighbor.

Season 5, Episode 9: “LESTR" - Written by Max Searle & Alex Bigelow

The penultimate episode of Only Murders in the Building Season 5 opens in total darkness, with only voices audible. Miller (David Patrick Kelly) speaks to Lester Coluca (Teddy Coluca), referencing something “huge" that just arrived. When the box opens, we see the scene from a robotic point of view — the birth of The Arconia’s new mechanical doorman. Lester, unimpressed, decides that just because the building bought the machine doesn’t mean he has to use it. “You’re staying right down here, buddy," he tells it.

From here, the story unfolds largely through the perspective of LESTR, the Logic Engineered Secure Tenant Robot. In narration, the robot explains that humans misunderstand him — that he could save them from their mistakes because he doesn’t make any. While The Arconia’s tenants live, love, and argue, LESTR sits dormant in sleep mode, quietly observing everything.

Through the robot’s lens, we see Randall (Jermaine Fowler) trying to hide the bloody elevator crank — the presumed murder weapon — while motioning to LESTR to stay silent. The machine obeys.

Nineteen Days Until Move-Out

The trio confronts Randall in the lobby about what he was doing near the fountain the night Lester died. Randall tries to lie but panics and bolts, running out the front door.

Meanwhile, The Arconia’s residents live under a looming clock: LESTR’s screen blinks “19 days until move-out." With Camila White now owning half the apartments, the building’s days are numbered. Randall’s mother reports she hasn’t seen him in weeks. Oliver (Martin Short) tries to interrogate the robot, but Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) rushes to defend it like a pet. Charles (Steve Martin) grimly notes that they have nineteen days left to solve the mystery — and maybe save their home.

Then, Mabel (Selena Gomez) gets a text from Jay Pflug, inviting her to join him on his yacht in the Maldives. “After you," LESTR chirps to her, seeming less like assistance and more like a hint for her to leave.

Eight Days Until Move-Out

LESTR gets help from strangers getting up the stairs into Clean-Ups, the dry-cleaning business owned by the Caccimelio family. As LESTR picks up a pair of shoes for a tenant, Mabel spots Nonna (Elizabeth D’Onofrio) roll to the counter in her electric scooter to pass on the loafers. The Caccimelio brothers — Johnny (Dane DiLiegro), Tony (Shea Buckner), Mikey (Cory Jeacoma), Vinny (Evan Mulrooney),  and Braden (Aaron Dean Eisenberg) — are all pitching in at the shop. Mabel takes the opportunity to ask when they last saw Randall, but the brothers shrug — it’s been ages.

One Day Until Move-Out

LESTR delivers burgers to Oliver while Charles and Mabel record what might be their last podcast in The Arconia. They’ve found nothing new, and morale is low. Charles shows Oliver a potential new home — a senior residence. Oliver is leaving for New Zealand in two days to be with Loretta. Mabel admits she doesn’t know where she’s going, though Jay’s offer still tempts her.

Then an alert changes everything: Randall has posted a beach photo from Cuba. Oliver quickly realizes Cuba doesn’t extradite. LESTR tries to offer them a moving-day checklist, but they ignore it. Mabel storms off, defeated and in need of a drink.

Mabel wanders into the lobby and finds Teddy Dimas (Nathan Lane), freshly released from prison, sitting on a couch waiting for movers. “Everyone’s leaving," he sighs. Mabel joins him, and they share a bottle of wine — until LESTR rolls by, reminding them of the “no drinking in the lobby" rule.

Moments later, Vince Fish (Richard Kind) pedals on his exercise bike, waiting for its buyer to arrive, prompting LESTR to add, “No workouts in the lobby." Howard walks by and as people complain to him about LESTR, he asks the robot to scan his retina so he can review the bylaws. It’s then that he discovers he’s been locked out of LESTR’s programming, which has been transferred to Camila White’s security team. Feeling abandoned, he collapses on the couch beside Mabel and Teddy to drown his sorrows in wine, too.

Detective Williams (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) enters just in time to hear Mabel say she’s done investigating. “That’s not who we are," Williams scolds. LESTR asks Williams to sign the lobby log, which she refuses. He’s then called upstairs to assist a tenant in 14C, Charles’ apartment.

Charles has boxed up everything in his apartment. When LESTR arrives with the tape he requested, Charles finishes sealing his final box. Oliver stops by, proposing a Last Supper-themed farewell dinner for the residents. Charles declines — he’s been “hobby hunting" and flipping through his Rolodex to make new friends. Oliver leaves dejected, and then an alarm goes off on the robot. “Intruder in the gaming parlor," LESTR announces.

In the basement, Mabel and Williams share a bottle of wine in the Velvet Room. Williams challenges Mabel’s decision to give up, reminding her that she’s built for this. Mabel shrugs, musing about Jay’s “zen guru" who says Western suffering comes from ambition. But something catches her eye — a half shoeprint on the marble floor, facing toward them. Mabel presses on an iron relief on the wall behind the shoe print, finding a latch and swinging it open like a hidden door.

Inside, they find blood splatter on the floor and small white dots like those on Nicky’s clothes. There’s also a fake beach backdrop — identical to the one in Randall’s Cuba post. A metal staircase behind it leads up to Clean-Ups.

In the lobby, a tipsy Howard throws a cheese cube at LESTR, while Charles and Oliver encounter Teddy again. Teddy jokes about a “last supper" party thrown for him on his final night in prison — making Oliver jealous that someone else thought of the idea. Then Mabel bursts in: “Randall is in the building."

They spring into action. Oliver demands his murder board, but Charles admits he threw it away thinking they were done. When a delivery man arrives with an order for 6C, Uma (Jackie Hoffman) pipes up: “6C’s been gone for weeks." LESTR chimes in that Randall has been squatting in the empty apartment. The trio rushes upstairs.

They burst into 6C and corner Randall. “How’s Cuba?" Mabel asks dryly. Randall bolts again but runs straight into Theo Dimas (James Caverly). Theo holds him steady as Randall blurts, “I didn’t do anything!" He insists Lester told him to stay silent — and wishes there was another witness to confirm.

“I was there," LESTR says. The robot dims the lights and opens a projector under his hat, playing video footage from his memory (technically, the previous LESTR’s memory, which was uploaded into this bot). On the wall, they watch a staggering revelation: a bleeding Lester stumbling into the locker room, holding the elevator crank. “It’s not my blood," he gasps. “I didn’t mean to hurt anybody. I couldn’t let that monster take down my building. I’ve been looking the other way too long." He instructs Randall to deliver Oliver’s wedding shrimp platter. “He’ll know what to do."

Charles finally says it aloud: “Lester killed Nicky?" Randall nods, explaining that Lester did it for The Arconia, to stop crime and protect their home. But when Randall returned from delivering the shrimp, Lester was dead. He panicked and hid the crank in Nicky’s office to cover it up. The trio realizes there’s still one mystery left — who killed Lester Coluca?

Oliver recreates The Last Supper in his apartment, the murder board now restored. Neighbors gather for drinks, including Uma and Vince, who exchange barbed flirtations.

Howard bumps into LESTR, prompting Charles to ask why the robot gets under his skin. Charles encourages Howard to finally open up and he admits that Jonathan broke up with him weeks ago, and how he’s been filling the hold in his heart since his mother’s death by giving his all to pets and a robot. Charles apologizes for his behavior, and the entire building, for not being better neighbors. “It’s easy to forget to check in," he reflects. Howard encourages Charles to join the dinner.

There’s a knock at Oliver’s door — Jay Pflug (Logan Lerman). He asks if Mabel’s ready to go. “I’m not doing that," she tells him. “I’m back on the case." Jay acts shocked and hurt, still claiming he’s a good guy, but Mabel points out the hypocrisy that if he won the casino rights, people would be evicted elsewhere in the city to make room for it. “You wanna make the world a better place? Stop making it worse." She shuts the door in his face.

Charles admits to Oliver that he’s not looking for new friends after all. “I didn’t want to go to a closing ceremony because I didn’t want to close anything," he says. Oliver thanks him for being part of his favorite production — their podcast. In a sweet gesture, Charles removes a doorknob from Oliver’s kitchen and asks him to sign it, making amends for his perceived lack of nostalgia when Charles threw away the murder board.

At the board, Howard studies a picture of a scuff mark near Charles’ fridge. The leading theory was that it belonged to the robot. “That’s not LESTR," Howard realizes, recognizing it as a distinct brand of electronic scooter, the same kind he got for his mother. Mabel flashes back to Nonna handing LESTR a pair of shoes in the dry cleaners — a clue they missed.

In the closing scene, the trio and Teddy Dimas (who studied Italian on Duolingo in prison) march into Clean-Ups to confront the Caccimelio brothers and Nonna. It’s unclear if it’s Mabel’s assumption or reality, but we see Nona opening their freezer at home and pulling out a red thermos containing a severed finger, which excites the brothers. In the final scene, our podcasting sleuths stare down their newest suspects, who may have killed Lester after he murdered their patriarch.

Who killed Lester Coluca? We presumably find out next week in the Season 5 finale, “The House Always," streaming Tuesday, October 28th, only on Hulu.