S02.E01: Persons of Interest

[jenrising]

Quote

Charles, Oliver and Mabel are implicated in the murder of Bunny Folger and must decide whether to lay low or risk their lives to catch the killer.

Available 6/28

[AnimeMania]

I really liked this episode, there was hardly any fluff. Weakest part was Amy Schumer, then the bad cop. They kicked in the grate, I hope they were smart enough to put it back. It seems like they got all the feedback of what was wrong with Season 1, not enough suspects and the loose ends, like who poisoned Oliver's Dog. They said the painting was of Charles' Father, I wonder if the woman is Bunny. There were lots of nice call backs and the story flows nicely.

I freeze-framed a part that was too fast to see and it made me laugh:

[Kiddvideo]

Loved it! Poor, Oliver, getting cut out of the picture.

I resent Amy Schumer (or at least the character f herself she’s playing) jumping on the bandwagon, though. We already have our stars! Give me more Uma and Howard and the therapist and the doorman. Ok, off to watch the second episode. 

[sjankis630]

I liked it pretty good although I thought the closet part was a little far fetched. It is good to have the show back again.

[AnimeMania]

34 minutes ago, sjankis630 said:

I liked it pretty good although I thought the closet part was a little far fetched. It is good to have the show back again.

I didn't think it was too weird that the person who designed the building decided to live there and put in their own private elevator. What surprised me was that the elevator stopped on every floor. The architect was a bit of a pervert that like to peep of the other tenants. An elevator would be great for sneaking people into the building undetected, be stairs would be quieter if you want to spy of people.

[shapeshifter]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I too thought Amy Schumer was more annoying than villainous. But she was not awful enough for me to give the episode 4 instead of 5 stars

This is how you introduce the second season of a continuing story! 
A bit of overt flashback and others callbacks worked into ordinary conversation, with a self referential "call back" from Oliver to boot!
   Not like some other show returning for a 3rd season now-on-Hulu that is not worthy to be mentioned here.

So many good lines!
Especially if the viewer is either old or has watched a lot of old TV and movies.
Like the typical type of bumbling comic discovery and declaration most familiar to me from the original Get Smart, but probably of Vaudevillian origins:

• [CHARLES IN INTERROGATION] The old decorative mirror trick!

And, of course, the wonderfully, skillfully subdued comedic dialog exchanges between Steve Martin and Martin Short, which Selena Gomez's naturally subdued speech blends in with:

• [MABEL] Guys, maybe we could have brunch once in a while or go watch people play chess in the park. Whatever it is guys your age are into besides murder. Later. ( doors shut )
• [CHARLES] Well, the chess thing, yeah.
• [OLIVER] Brunch. I'd rather have brunch.
   

4 hours ago, sjankis630 said:

I thought the closet part was a little far fetched.

But the elevator was an awesome twist to the ol' Quick! Hide In The Closet! trick. 

I'm assuming for now that's a Chekhovian secret elevator to the outside, and that elevator is either how the murderer escaped or how our intrepid crime solvers will escape from the murderer.
 

About the Mystery of Bunny's last words to Mabel:

• "Savage" was obviously (to me) a reference to Charles' father in the painting. 
• I assume "14" is an apartment number, but I suppose it could be a lock box somewhere too.

[hiisa]

Ok, I absolutely and utterly despise Amy Schumer. I think she's disgusting and don't want any part of anything she's involved in. But I loved season 1 of this. I was really disappointed to hear that Amy had joined the cast. So how much is she in the first episode? Can she be fast forwarded through? Does it seem like she's going to be playing a big role in this season?!

[shapeshifter]

35 minutes ago, hiisa said:

So how much is [Amy Schumer] in the first episode? Can she be fast forwarded through?

You can easily FF through her bit in the first episode.

35 minutes ago, hiisa said:

Does it seem like she's going to be playing a big role in this season?!

Nothing definitive AFAIK, but probably not "big" in the sense of a lot of screen time.
So I suggest not FFing through her short bit in this episode in case it turns out to be a clue later, but you could always go back later if necessary too. It's near the beginning of the episode.

🤷‍♀️

Edited June 28, 2022 by shapeshifter

[sjankis630]

Amy Schumer seems to be taking over the Sting "celebrity" role from last season. I expect she will be mentioned and have a couple of bit parts in episodes whenever they need some sort of reference to NYC fame. 

Are we to believe that Mabel will be hooking up with the art dealer? I mean she obviously will be their art "expert" this season.

I hope we get at least one more episode with Nathan Lane and his son in it.

Also I enjoyed the music as well. Was it more subtle than last year?

Edited June 28, 2022 by sjankis630

[tennisgurl]

So the killer this season could be Amy Schumer? I guess she's our Sting this season, although I would rather Sting be our Sting to be honest. Still, I am thrilled to have this show back, we're off to a great start, even with the meta commentary about how the second season of a murder podcast is never as good as the first. 

I forgot how much I love the music on this show, its so charmingly mysterious. My first thought was that fourteen meant apartment fourteen, but that seems too easy. The secret elevator in the closet was a nice twist on the typical hiding in the closet bit, the Arcadia sure does have a lot of secret places built into it. 

Looks like Charles is being framed, with an actual picture frame. Yeah show, I see what you did there. 

"You are not using any of those words right." 

"It got away from me, yes." 

[CraftyHazel]

3 hours ago, hiisa said:

Ok, I absolutely and utterly despise Amy Schumer. I think she's disgusting and don't want any part of anything she's involved in. But I loved season 1 of this. I was really disappointed to hear that Amy had joined the cast. So how much is she in the first episode? Can she be fast forwarded through? Does it seem like she's going to be playing a big role in this season?!

Thank goodness I’m not the only one!  I hated when I heard she was joining the cast.

[thuganomics85]

Only Murders in the Building is back, baby!

Definitely enjoyed how Charles, Oliver, and Mabel's arrest went down and the reaction to it.  In particular, the "Bloody Mabel" craze on the internet would totally be a thing if that happened in real life, because if there is one thing I've learned about the net is that some commentators really, really like killers (or suspected ones) who are hot.  And the whole ordeal also possibly benefiting Charles and Oliver's careers too: especially Charles getting an offer to play "Uncle Bozzo" in the Bozzo reboot coming up (naturally airing on CBS, because that would be a thing.)

Curious to see how the attempt to solve Bunny's murder will play out.  Like most, I thought her final words (14) might be referring to one of the apartments, but that seems a little too easy, so I wonder how that will factor in.  And now there is this million dollar painting that the neighbors really wanted but is now currently hanging up on Charles wall: and he has no idea how!  And one of the figures on there might be his father?!

Is Alice/the art dealer being set-up as simply an ally or an actual love interest for Mabel?  Cara Delevingne isn't my favorite actress out there but she seems to be a good fit so far.

Looks like Sting is leaving (sniff!) and Amy Schumer is the new famous person living in the penthouse.  Kind of a downgrade, honestly.

Cinda's podcast is already coming in strong!  Tina Fey was having a blast in all of those scenes.

Pretty good return.  Looking forward to more mystery and mayhem, laugh out out loud lines, and Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez' pitch perfect chemistry and interactions!

[Snazzy Daisy]

“OliMabel… Charles is silent!”

Hahaha, Oliver is still bitter about getting cropped. 😂

Cara Delevingne is a terrible actress. She’s stoney. So am a bit sceptical on how is she going to bring more depth to this Alice character and make it interesting.

Amy Schumer is another terrible addition to this show. She isn’t funny at all, just f-king annoying. A total downgrade from Sting.

Why the blood stain in Mabel’s apartment is not cleaned by the crime scene cleaners? 

Edited June 28, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[emma675]

It's back!

I loved the interrogation scenes with the three and the faces the female detective was making (I can never remember her name). So Bunny was stabbed with a knife first, then a knitting needle, and somehow ended up in Mabel's apartment? I wonder if the trio will take the secret elevator to every floor and see where it stops? Bunny had her secrets for sure.

If Amy Schumer is replacing Sting, we've definitely downgraded our celebrities on this show.

[Lugal]

Our favorite podcasters are back!  I loved all the callbacks (the real ones as well as Oliver's attempts)

I agree with everyone else, Amy Schumer is the weak point.  I almost skipped her scene, but didn't in case there was an important clue.

[Cranberry]

18 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I freeze-framed a part that was too fast to see and it made me laugh:

There were a few funny comments in there! I liked this one from an opportunistic business:

[phalange]

Leave it to Oliver to be mad about being cropped out of the tabloid picture. He had the best lines this episode, saying Bunny's elevator goes to hell and "The Charles is silent." 

That elevator definitely came in handy in their escape from the apartment, and could've been the escape route for whoever killed Bunny. Curious what "fourteen" refers to. Agree that my first thought was that it was an apartment number, but yeah, that's probably too simple. Looks like Bunny had a relationship with Charles' father; I assume that's her in the painting. So someone stabbed her with a knife and then stuck the knitting needle in to frame Mabel, I'm guessing.

I don't think she's necessarily involved with Bunny's murder, but for some reason I don't trust the art dealer who befriended Mabel. 

Edited June 29, 2022 by phalange

[Irlandesa]

I get a kick out of Oliver.  First, being thrilled at all the press outside.  Second, "see, Oliver Putman can get arrested in this town."

[dovegrey]

15 minutes ago, phalange said:

That elevator definitely came in handy in their escape from the apartment, and could've been the escape route for whoever killed Bunny.

I'm absolutely terrible when it comes to floorplans and visualizing things (this is an understatement). But I'm wondering if the secret elevator would even be accessible to Mabel's apartment for the killer to use as an escape route? We know Mabel's and Bunny's apartments are adjacent because of the HVAC crawling shenanigans, so I guess the question would be... is Bunny's closet (where the elevator shaft runs) adjacent to Mabel's apartment or to someone else's apartment - and was the elevator built to open to two apartments per floor (each side of the shaft) or just one?

And that leads into the question as to why or how Bunny was in Mabel's apartment to begin with.

As a general aside, I said this at the end of last season and I'm still bemused that cameras don't appear to exist in common areas/hallways/stairwells/regular elevators, despite modern technology and two murders (now three).

[grandmabegum]

Like many, I didn't enjoy Amy at all. Looking back I think the main reason is that she felt forced into this episode. Rappaport and McClaine made perfect sense. There's a murder so the cops get involved and a mother would most likely return if her daughter was murdered. But who knows where were going from here.

[Quilt Fairy]

9 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

especially Charles getting an offer to play "Uncle Bozzo" in the Bozzo reboot

Please, don't humiliate Charles more.  It's "Uncle Brazzos." 

[meep.meep]

It's Uncle Brazzos, but also it's going to be on CBX.

[Haleth]

18 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I get a kick out of Oliver.  First, being thrilled at all the press outside.  Second, "see, Oliver Putman can get arrested in this town."

(On seeing the paparazzi outside the station)

Charles: Oh, my God!  (Horror)

Mabel: Oh, my God! (Horror)

Oliver: Oh, my God! (Delight!)

That was funny and entertaining. I’ll suffer some Shumer to get more of the fun.

I hope someone is feeding the bird. 

[Ilovepie]

10 minutes ago, Haleth said:

(On seeing the paparazzi outside the station)

Charles: Oh, my God!  (Horror)

Mabel: Oh, my God! (Horror)

Oliver: Oh, my God! (Delight!)

I know that was featured in the trailer, but I still laughed. Each one's reaction perfectly encapsulated their persona. So funny!

On 6/27/2022 at 11:17 PM, sjankis630 said:

I thought the closet part was a little far fetched.

What I found more far fetched was the three of them crawling through the air vents and popping out in Bunny's apartment......

I hope Gut Milk makes a reappearance sometime in this season.......

[shapeshifter]

39 minutes ago, Haleth said:

(On seeing the paparazzi outside the station)
Charles: Oh, my God!  (Horror)
Mabel: Oh, my God! (Horror)
Oliver: Oh, my God! (Delight!)

That was funny and entertaining.

[in my best mock-Maxwell Smart voice] Ah, yes. The ol' classic comedy Rule Of Three routine!

[DoctorAtomic]

I didn't even know the show was back on until yesterday morning. 

I was concerned that they might drag out whether Mabel actually did it or not, but I'm glad to see by the end of the episode it was clear that the trio was in fact being framed. 

I also liked that there's other activities going on; Mabel being invited as an artist in residence, etc. Did anyone see the Brazzos posters? They had the 'this takes the investigation into a whole other direction' tagline. At least whomever wanted to reboot the show did some research. 

I also liked Mabel being self-aware enough to know that all the death and her life really has been dragging her down and she wants to break out of it. 

[grandmabegum]

I know not to analyze somethings too much, but when the heck did AS move in? From what I remember of the timeline Sting didn't leave that long ago. I guess they could have cleaned it out pretty quickly. But they'd have to fix things and advertise (where ever you do that for penthouse] and AS would have to move all her stuff in. It's really nothing, I just think it would have been a funny background thing to have actors/musicians/famous people in general just walking into the elevator with the realtor or whoever,never acknowledge them.

I really should get more sleep.

[Gemma Violet]

Glad to see the show's back.  Count me in as not liking the addition of Amy Schumer.  I never cared for her and she's never made me laugh once.  Never knew what all the hype was about back when she first emerged in the comedy world.

[chaifan]

The biggest mystery for me right now is why Mabel doesn't remember what happened.  Did someone drug her?  Possibly using the same drug as was used on... oh, crap, what was the 1st season dead guy's name?   (How quickly we forget....)  But Charles and Oliver said she was only gone "a few minutes", so that doesn't seem likely. 

Also, how in the world did Mabel get so much of Bunny's blood on her???  Bunny had a knitting needle sticking out the dead center of her chest, so it's not like she could have bear hugged Mabel or fallen on top of her, which is what the stain looks like. 

When Cara D first appeared on screen I thought it was Emma Watson.  I like the addition of the art gallery and Mabel getting her chance as an artist. 

And on to Episode 2... 

[grandmabegum]

18 minutes ago, chaifan said:

The biggest mystery for me right now is why Mabel doesn't remember what happened.  Did someone drug her?  Possibly using the same drug as was used on... oh, crap, what was the 1st season dead guy's name?   (How quickly we forget....)  But Charles and Oliver said she was only gone "a few minutes", so that doesn't seem likely. 

I think it's possible that she had blocked it out and it's slowly coming back to her. Lots of traumatic experiences cause this.

His name was Tim Kono.

[Commando Cody]

Amy Schumer was a big disappointment. Sting moved out. They should have hired someone more on par with Sting. 

I didn't think this show was coming back until the fall, but I was glad to see it. I wasn't sure I could stay awake for it, but somehow, I managed. 

I assume the art lady is going to be a gay thing.  She was giving off that vibe. 

I wonder if Sting's apartment is going to be a running gag with someone new moving in every season. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Charles is Charles (Old) in Mabel’s phone!

😂😂😂😂😂

[grandmabegum]

5 hours ago, Commando Cody said:

Amy Schumer was a big disappointment. Sting moved out. They should have hired someone more on par with Sting. 

I don't know if any of you watched Murderville, but Marshawn Lynch would have killed in this role. Or bring the horticulture podcasters there. They said they were making tons of money.

[secnarf]

7 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Charles is Charles (Old) in Mabel’s phone!

😂😂😂😂😂

I noticed that too! Made me laugh. I wonder if it was a new thing this episode or if it has been that way all along and I just haven't noticed.

[rubaco]

15 hours ago, secnarf said:

I noticed that too! Made me laugh. I wonder if it was a new thing this episode or if it has been that way all along and I just haven't noticed.

I definitely remember that from season 1.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Same handwritings? 🤨

[LuvMyShows]

8 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Same handwritings? 🤨

Just today I watched a true crime show about handwriting analysis, so I am applying what I learned, by noting that there is something very interesting with this handwriting.  In the one on the left, there is a very unusual mix of usage of both the capital T and the small t basically used interchangeably.  The same has occurred in the one on the right.  However, I don't think the actual handwriting itself looks similar, and the A and P are very different between the two notes.  My "professional" opinion?  The same movie crew member may have written both, using slightly different handwriting, but I don't think the same show character has written both of them.  

[Abra]

Finally had the time to catch up on my shows and have finished this episode. I knew Detective Charmonique had a soft spot for the trio! I hope we see a lot more of her. Tina Fey and Amy Schumer are blights upon this show and I hope we see them as little as possible.

So Oscar just disappeared so as not to be involved in Season 2's storyline, or was there mention of him leaving last season that I forgot?

[SunnyBeBe]

I love Amy Schumer, but I’m not sure how she’ll work in this series.  For me, the weak link is Selena Gomez.  I’ll never figure out why she was cast on this show.  I struggle to accept her acting and focus on the rest of the cast which is phenomenal, this and last season. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

20 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

For me, the weak link is Selena Gomez.  I’ll never figure out why she was cast on this show.  I struggle to accept her acting and focus on the rest of the cast which is phenomenal, this and last season. 

Selena was cast for her clout, her strong fandom base.

[Suzn]

21 hours ago, Abra said:

Finally had the time to catch up on my shows and have finished this episode. I knew Detective Charmonique had a soft spot for the trio! I hope we see a lot more of her. Tina Fey and Amy Schumer are blights upon this show and I hope we see them as little as possible.

I really like the detective.  I think she likes the trio, but has to be careful not to jeopardize her job.

ITA about Tina Fey and Amy Schumer - not a fan of either in general and specifically don't find them a fit for this show.

20 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I love Amy Schumer, but I’m not sure how she’ll work in this series.  For me, the weak link is Selena Gomez.  I’ll never figure out why she was cast on this show.  I struggle to accept her acting and focus on the rest of the cast which is phenomenal, this and last season. 

I think Selena Gomez is a perfect balance to the guys.  I like her low key, subdued manner and think it works very well.

[Cranberry]

I like Selena, too. I find the "straight man" character is often underappreciated, especially when they speak in a more deadpan/monotone style. I find Mabel funny, but in a more subdued, sarcastic way.

[Milburn Stone]

Charles' father in the painting looked like Bobby Slayton. I wonder if he'll be showing up.

[Commando Cody]

I don't know anything about Selena Gomez except that I think she used to be a singer and was with Justin Bieber. I think there might have been something with Disney as well.  I have never had anything against her. I've never seen her act or heard her music.  I think she's fine in this role. I don't have a problem with her.

[Guest]

They really do the subtle props here. I rewound to read the side of the box that was being taken off the elevator. 
 

STING’S DRUMSTICK’S 

Is that what it said? (one reason I hate streaming is because when you pause the screen fades and the time bar bunch of other stuff blocks the screen)

[Cranberry]

Even better: It said "Sting's Rainsticks," haha.

[grandmabegum]

Aw, man. I wish it said drumsticks as a call back to the turkey.

[Guest]

Okay I kept thinking drumsticks didn't make sense because he played guitar. I am going to miss Sting being randomly shown and dislike that out of all the cameos to choose from they decided to indulge Amy Schumer this season. 

[Rlb8031]

On 6/28/2022 at 5:44 PM, SnazzyDaisy said:

Why the blood stain in Mabel’s apartment is not cleaned by the crime scene cleaners? 

So, IRL homeowners need to hire crime scene cleaners. Since Mabel is supposed to be living out the trope of "artist living in a place they could otherwise not afford thanks to a dead relative", my guess is that she couldn't actually afford cleaners. They aren't cheap...

[GaT]

3 hours ago, Rlb8031 said:

Since Mabel is supposed to be living out the trope of "artist living in a place they could otherwise not afford thanks to a dead relative",

Is her aunt dead? I thought she was just off someplace else traveling.