“I Know Who Did It.” That’s not just Mrs. Gambolini’s favorite catchphrase, it’s also the title of the Season 2 finale of Only Murders in the Building. Did you figure out who killed Bunny Folger before our favorite podcast hosts did? Here’s a recap of the 10th and final episode of the seas.
(Patrick Harbron/Hulu)
This episode’s narration comes from Becky Butler, known to us previously by her alias Poppy White (Adina Verson). Becky has been masking her thick Oklahoma accent, and we get a peek into her life before she went missing. She took care of her alcoholic father while working for the Chickasha mayor, who was sexually harassing her. While listening to a true-crime podcast by Cinda Canning (Tina Fey) about a missing girl named Elizabeth Davies, Becky got an idea. We see her searching the internet for a way to disappear, cutting her red hair in the mirror, and the next thing we know, a timid woman with long dark hair is in New York City introducing herself as Poppy White to Cinda Canning, telling her about a missing woman named Becky Butler. “She was being harassed by the mayor of a small town, and his slogan was ‘All is OK in Oklahoma.’” Having pitched the case that would become the podcast “All is Not OK in Oklahoma,” Poppy asks Cinda for a job. Fast forward to Cinda and Poppy listening to the end of the first season of “Only Murders in the Building.” Cinda is desperate for another juicy murder story to cover, and Poppy pitches her an artist named Rose Cooper who mysteriously vanished. “I need a murder, a good one,” Cinda snaps back. “I’m tired of waiting for people to fall into my lap.”
Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin) stares at the suspect board in his apartment with Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez). They’ve placed Cinda Canning in the prime suspect spot, so now they’re debating how Bunny’s last words (“14″ and “Savage”) relate to the podcast host. Mabel texts Detective Williams to ask for an update on the DNA search of the knife. While they wait for a response, they discuss a plan to make Cinda slip up and reveal herself. Mabel suggests they use Poppy because she’s seen firsthand how crazy Poppy makes Cinda.
The trio meets Poppy at The Pickle Diner and ask her for information that could help get Cinda to crack. “She does not like the inside of tomatoes,” Poppy reveals. She also adds that Cinda has a crippling fear of slow motion, recalling seeing her shiver at a Super Bowl party anytime the effect was used. When Ivan (Ariel Shafir) stops by to take their order, Poppy gets a phone call from Cinda, who is stressed because the final episode of “Only Murderers in the Building” is dropping tomorrow. Poppy quickly asks Ivan for a liverwurst and marmalade sandwich to go before stepping away to talk to Cinda. Charles verbalizes his disgust over Poppy’s order, and Ivan reveals that it’s the owner’s sister’s favorite sandwich. He adds that Bunny hated it and referred to it as “freak food.” Mabel’s phone rings with a call from Detective Williams, and she steps away to answer it. Charles and Oliver discuss the accelerated need to stop Cinda before her podcast episode is released, which will surely pin the murder on Mabel. Her call ended, Mabel rushes back to the booth. “I think I know what 14 Savage means,” she shares.
(Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu)
Later, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel invite all of the residents of The Arconia to Bunny’s apartment, with the email invitation saying they should attend if they love theater and want to be a part of history. Naturally, everyone appears, including Uma Heller (Jackie Hoffman), Howard Morris (Michael Cyril Creighton) and his new boyfriend Johnathan (Jason Veasey), Lester (Teddy Coluca), Ursula (Vanessa Aspillaga), Nina Lin (Christine Ko), and Dr. Grover Stanley (Russell G. Jones). Marv (Daniel Oreskes) is there too, wearing a tie-dye “Only Murders in the Building” hoodie. Even Mrs. Gambolini is there, who repeats the phrase “I know who did it.” Oliver asks if any of the attendees have any theater experience, revealing that they will help trick Bunny’s murderer to reveal themselves and that this gathering will be live streamed.
(Patrick Harbron/Hulu)
It doesn’t take long for Cinda and Poppy to arrive, with Cinda under the assumption that Mabel is going to confess. Cinda is confused by a banner that reads “We Cracked It” and Charles informs her that this is a “Killer Reveal Party” (Cinda asks for clarification on the semantics). Alice (Cara Delevingne) arrives just as Charales declares that the killer is in the room. He recalls the facts of Bunny’s final day and begins to point accusations at Cinda, saying she had the help of a crooked cop. “How did you know about Kreps?”, she asks in confusion. As more accusations are hurled Cinda’s way, she claims to have never met Bunny. Lester argues that she visited The Arconia many times during the Tim Kono case and did in fact meet Bunny. Cinda remains calm, so the tactics are changed. Charles behind to move in slow motion and everyone joins in, freaking Cinda out and making her beg them to stop. Charles then pulls out a tomato and a knife, cutting into it as he accuses Cinda of signing a lucrative podcast deal without a worthy case to cover. As Mabel watches Cinda writhe, she has a realization and announces that Cinda didn’t kill Bunny.
(Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu)
“She did it,” Mabel exclaims, pointing at Alice. “This is the work of an artist who just came into the picture recently,” she quotes Jan. Mabel pulls out the Son of Sam card and says that Bunny’s last words were referring to $14 million for Savage, a price to purchase the Rose Cooper painting. Mabel says that Alice was the person Bunny met at the diner and when Bunny wouldn’t lower her price, Alice got mad and decided to murder her to steal the painting, but the one she found was fake and worthless. Alice is outraged, and she grabs the knife meant to cut a celebratory cake, lunging at Mabel. Charles throws himself in front of Mabel to protect her, taking the knife in the stomach. Uma grabs the phone to call the police while Howard passes out. Oliver comes to his friend's aid, but Charles is losing blood fast. Charles goes still. “Please tell me you got all that,” Cinda says to Poppy, who is holding a microphone recording everything for their podcast.
A short while later, Alice has been duck taped to a chair and a blanket covers Charles’ body. Cinda apologizes to Mabel and calls her an incredible investigator. “I could use someone like you on my staff,” Cinda tells Mabel, offering her a podcast through her studio. Poppy starts to crack, saying that Mabel merely got lucky. “Why does Mabel get a podcast?”, Poppy asks. “Because she’s pretty?” Poppy launches into a rant about how she does everything for Cinda and even gave her the Rose Cooper lead a few weeks ago, which she did nothing with. Mabel calmly asks Poppy why she was interested in Rose Cooper so long ago. Poppy lets out a sneeze and Oliver asks if she’s allergic to Mrs. Gambolini. Mabel points out that the killer sneezed when fleeing the crime scene. “You’re going to believe some young girl whose hiding in the walls?”, Poppy snaps. “Her name was Lucy,” Mabel says. “And yours is Becky,” Cinda adds. Poppy looks stunned and asks who told Cinda that. “We did,” Charles’ voice says. The body under the blanket sits up and Charles reveals himself to be alive. “I wasn’t stabbed. It’s all theater.” This entire gathering was a set up to get Poppy to confess. Everyone was in on it, including Cinda and Alice. “I just wanted to make a good podcast,” Poppy justifies. “I just wanted Cinda to notice me.” Poppy, or should I say Becky, drops the accent she’s been using. She reveals that she’s the one who texted Charles, Oliver, and Mabel to get out of the building, but she never expected Mabel to return to her apartment.
(Patrick Harbron/Hulu)
We flashback to Mabel getting a call from Detective Williams (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) at the diner while Poppy was on the phone with Cinda. Detective Williams infoms Mabel that there was someone else’s DNA on the knife, but it confusingly belongs to a dead girl from another state. “Let me guess, Oklahoma,” Mabel says. She returns to the booth where Charles and Oliver sit and says she knows what “14″ and “Savage” means. She points to the menu at an item called “The #14 Sandwich – Liverwurst & Marmalade – A favorite in our family, but an acquired taste for sure!” They turn around and watch Ivan hand Poppy her order to go.
Cinda shakes everyone’s hand in congratulations. Mabel wraps up the fake blood kit Alice let them borrow and hands it back to her. Detective Williams leads Becky Butler out of the apartment in handcuffs, walking past Detective Kreps (Michael Rapaport), who is also being arrested. We see a flashback and find that Detective Kreps wasn’t in love with Cinda as we’d been led to believe in the previous episode, but was actually in love with Becky. In fact, they were living together and in cahoots on the plot to frame Mabel to launch Poppy’s podcast career.
(Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu)
Charles, Oliver, and Mabel record the last line of Season 2 of their podcast. “Wow, two murders back-to-back,” Charles says. “Now we can start talking to each other like people and not just about murders.” The three stare at each other, finding they have nothing to say.
Epilogue
Charles walks wth Lucy (Zoe Margaret Colletti) on the set of Brazzos. He asks the director (Ade Otukoya) for his wheelchair and the director tells him the network wants him out of it. Brazzos’ dementia is in remission. Joy (Andrea Martin) comes up to give Charles a touch-up and he tries to ask her out, but all that comes out is a stammer. Thankfully, she understands what he’s trying to do and they make plans for a date that night.
Mabel has resumed renovations in her aunt’s apartment at The Arconia. Alice is with her and she asks Mabel if her mural will remain part of the design. Mabel says no and begins to paint over it, handing Alice a roller and asking for her help.
(Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu)
Will Putnam (Ryan Broussard) visits Oliver to check on Mrs. Gambolini (Will is a veterinarian). While there, Oliver tells Will he has something to tell him. Will stops him and says if Oliver isn’t his father, then he doesn’t know what a father is. “How did you know?”, Oliver asks. Will says he knows his father’s tells. They’re interrupted by a phone call for Oliver from Donna, a theater producer. A director backed out of a production that opens in a year and she wondered if he would be interested in taking the job. He immediately accepts and then asks who the star is. We don’t hear the other speaker, but Oliver seems surprised. “Really?”
One Year Later
It’s opening night of Shows & Stage at the Ransoff Theater and actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) is pacing nervously. Oliver asks if he’s good and Ben snaps back that he should be worried about his costar. Oliver encourages Ben to use the tension in his performance. “So then I can kill him?,” he asks, “Because I just might.” Fake smoke begins to fill the stage before the curtain parts. The other actor joins ben on stage. “Good luck tonight,” says Charles-Haden Savage. “Thanks,” Ben bitterly replies. “Good luck is a curse in a theater,” Charles snaps back. They begin to fight and Oliver breaks it up, telling both actors that they just have to get through two-and-a-half hours. Ben says he’s a professional and he can do it. “Be smart,” Charles warns Ben. “Stay away from her.” Ben asks what he’s going to do about it. “Ben, I know what you did,” Charles warns before walking off stage.
Out in the audience, Mabel takes her seat next to Lucy and Joy. Oliver comes to join them. The lights go out and the curtains part. Ben stands on a smoky set that features a streetlight and a backdrop. “What turned me into a creature of the night?”, he asks the audience. “Let me tell you.” Something seems wrong, Ben doesn’t continue his lines. He stumbles and falls down. He picks himself up and stands breathing heavily. He falls down again. Oliver stands up and turns to the audience asking for someone to help. Charles rushes onstage from the wings and bends down to check Ben, announcing that he’s not moving. We can see that blood is leaking from the corner of Ben’s mouth. “You’ve gotta be [freaking] kidding me,” Mabel exclaims.
(Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu)
The end (until next season!).