Whodunnit
Only Murders in the Building’s sophomore season finale finally answers Season 2’s most pressing question: Who killed Bunny (Jayne Houdyshell)?
We learn that Bunny’s killer was none other than Poppy White after the finale’s numerous red herrings, a killer reveal party, and Charles (Steve Martin) faking his own death (Adina Verson). Cinda Canning’s (Tina Fey) overworked and underappreciated assistant turns out to have a murderous streak.
She’s also not who she claims to be. Poppy is actually Becky Butler, the subject of Cinda’s hit true crime podcast, All Is Not OK in Oklahoma, as revealed at the end of episode 9. Becky, a fan of Cinda’s previous works, faked her death to escape her unhappy home life and sexual harassment at the hands of her boss, Chickasha, OK’s mayor. She changed her name to Poppy White and gave Cinda the idea for All Is Not OK in Oklahoma in exchange for a job.
Why did Poppy murder Bunny?
Cinda Canning is at the centre of it all. She’s desperate for another high-profile, gory murder to discuss on the podcast, and she has no interest in Poppy’s suggestion that they look into Rose Cooper’s disappearance (Shirley MacLaine). As a result, Poppy takes matters into her own hands and concocts the ideal murder for them to cover. She murders Bunny, texts the Only Murders trio to escape the building, escapes through the Arconia’s secret tunnels, and hides the bloody knife in Charles’s apartment to frame him. She also conspires with her boyfriend, Officer Kreps (Michael Rapaport), who acts as Glitter Guy for her.
Poppy met Bunny at the Pickle Diner to discuss the Rose Cooper painting, which explains the footage of Bunny storming out of the diner in the finale. The diner also refers to Bunny’s final words. Mabel (Selena Gomez) misheard Bunny say “14, Savage.” Bunny instead said, “14, sandwich,” referring to Poppy’s Pickle Diner order: item 14, a liverwurst and marmalade sandwich. It’s… an acquired taste.
Two more pieces of evidence point to Poppy as the murderer. Her allergy to birds, such as Bunny’s parrot Mrs. Gambolini, caused her to sneeze in the Arconia tunnels, which Lucy (Zoe Colletti) overheard. Detective Williams (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) eventually discovered Becky Butler’s DNA on the murder weapon. Following that, Charles, Mabel, and Oliver (Martin Short) reveal everything to Cinda, including Poppy’s true identity, and stage a killer reveal party to force her to confess. With all of the puzzle pieces in place, Poppy and Kreps are arrested, and the Only Murders team is cleared. For the time being…
Paul Rudd joins Only Murders… and promptly dies.
Bunny’s killer may have been apprehended, but Only Murders in the Building Season 2 has one more big twist in store. After a one-year time jump, we witness the murder that will kick off the third season of the show.
This new victim isn’t anyone from the Arconia. Instead, it’s actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd), one of the leads in Oliver’s new Broadway show. Charles is the other main character. However, it is clear that these two do not get along well at work. Ben mentions wanting to kill Charles for something he did to Oliver on opening night. Charles confronts Ben not long after, telling him, “Be astute. Stay away from her,” and “I know what you did.”
What did Ben do to enrage Charles? How did their feud begin? Who is the “her” to whom Charles refers? Mabel, Lucy, or make-up artist Joy (Andrea Martin), whom Charles begins dating in the finale, are my bets. The mystery woman could also be someone we’ve never met before.
Ben collapses and dies on stage before we can get any answers to these questions. Charles appears to be the prime suspect based on what we’ve seen thus far, but if Only Murders in the Building likes anything, it’s a twist (and some solid knitwear). Could someone else be plotting something against Ben behind the scenes? Is this yet another attempt to frame Charles? Will there be more Paul Rudd flashbacks?
We’ll have to wait until the third season to find out.
