S02.E10: I Know Who Did It

[Enigma X]

I was entertained and was not expecting a proper "whodunit," because in TV and movies it seems that genre (when done properly and not pulling a killer or whatever out one's ass) has been dead for decades.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, cardigirl said:

I have rewatched the season, and I'm not finding much in the way of "Oh, I should have known!" moments in it. But I am laughing a lot! 😁

While I did watch each episode twice before the next one aired, I have not as of yet rewatched the entire season after the finale. 

So, @cardigirl and anyone else who may have paid better attention than I did:

Do you recall seeing or hearing the bolded parts of this plot summary from TVLine?

These words are not directly attributed to anyone, and so must represent the understanding of TVLine editior/writer Ryan Schwartz, but I doubt he's just speculating, and he wrote them to go with his interview of " series co-creator John Hoffman and Becky Butler herself, Adina Verson":  

• "On the heels of All Is Not OK‘s success, Becky learned of the elusive Rose Cooper and her missing painting. She pitched Cooper as a potential podcast subject to Cinda, and in her downtime attempted to convince Bunny to sell her the painting, but neither party was interested. That’s when Becky decided to create an even bigger New York story: She’d kill Bunny, steal the painting and frame Charles, Oliver and Mabel. If all went according to plan, Cinda would move forward with Only Murderers in the Building, Becky and Kreps would sell the painting and move out of Becky’s “s–tbox” apartment, and Kreps would “solve” the case and earn himself a big promotion. But alas…."
  tvline.com/lists/only-murders-in-the-building-bunny-killer-becky-butler-poppy-explained/adina-verson-interview-1

The next line following this summary is:

• "Below, series co-creator John Hoffman and Becky Butler herself, Adina Verson, weigh in on Season 2’s killer reveal."

[cardigirl]

@shapeshifter I believe all of those plot points were revealed after  Poppy/Becky tripped up and proved that she had been in the Arcatacombs with Lucy the night of the murder. As you pointed out, a lot of that information was sort of softly given and almost drowned out, but none of it, other than Kreps bucking for a big promotion, was revealed to the viewers before the final episode. 

We knew someone with brown hair and glasses had spoken to Rose (Shirley MacLaine) and we knew that someone had talked to Bunny at the diner on the day of her murder. But how to tie all of that together? 

And I don't even think there was anything in the final episode that indicated Kreps and Becky/Poppy were planning on selling the painting. For one thing, how could they? It would be evidence that they were involved with Bunny's death somehow. 

Edited August 26, 2022 by cardigirl

[GaT]

54 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Do you recall seeing or hearing the bolded parts of this plot summary from TVLine?

These words are not directly attributed to anyone, and so must represent the understanding of TVLine editior/writer Ryan Schwartz, but I doubt he's just speculating, and he wrote them to go with his interview of " series co-creator John Hoffman and Becky Butler herself, Adina Verson":  

• "On the heels of All Is Not OK‘s success, Becky learned of the elusive Rose Cooper and her missing painting. She pitched Cooper as a potential podcast subject to Cinda, and in her downtime attempted to convince Bunny to sell her the painting, but neither party was interested. That’s when Becky decided to create an even bigger New York story: She’d kill Bunny, steal the painting and frame Charles, Oliver and Mabel. If all went according to plan, Cinda would move forward with Only Murderers in the Building, Becky and Kreps would sell the painting and move out of Becky’s “s–tbox” apartment, and Kreps would “solve” the case and earn himself a big promotion. But alas…."
  tvline.com/lists/only-murders-in-the-building-bunny-killer-becky-butler-poppy-explained/adina-verson-interview-1

The next line following this summary is:

• "Below, series co-creator John Hoffman and Becky Butler herself, Adina Verson, weigh in on Season 2’s killer reveal."

At no time did I get this explanation from anybody, I just surmised things from what was going on. I never got that she was trying to buy the painting (with what money?), & if she was trying to frame the 3, why did she text them to get out of the building? How would this help her become a podcaster if Cinda got the story? & if Bunny knew her enough to have multiple discussions with her & knew what she liked to eat, why did she say "14 sandwich (savage)" instead of just saying "Poppy"?

Trying too hard to recreate the same things as season 1 without giving it the same cohesiveness as season 1.

[Lugal]

2 hours ago, GaT said:

I never got that she was trying to buy the painting (with what money?)

I never got that she was trying to buy the painting either, and I have no idea how she could have afforded to buy it, even if Bunny would have sold it.

2 hours ago, GaT said:

if she was trying to frame the 3, why did she text them to get out of the building?

She was working with Krebs, so he would have been there with the cops to arrest them for the murder right after it happened.

2 hours ago, GaT said:

How would this help her become a podcaster if Cinda got the story?

She thought Cinda would give her a promotion until she asked and Cinda pretended to consider it before telling her it would never happen.

2 hours ago, GaT said:

if Bunny knew her enough to have multiple discussions with her & knew what she liked to eat, why did she say "14 sandwich (savage)" instead of just saying "Poppy"?

Don't know, but she may not have given her real name (or her real fake name).  She may not have officially introduced herself until she had Cinda's OK to go with the Rose Cooper story.  Or Bunny may not have cared enough to actually learn her name.

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, GaT said:

if Bunny knew her enough to have multiple discussions with her & knew what she liked to eat, why did she say "14 sandwich (savage)" instead of just saying "Poppy"?

I'm betting Bunny and Poppy didn't speak more than once before Poppy killed her——just enough for Poppy to try to get information about Rose from Bunny and for Bunny to tell her to get lost——but I could be wrong.
I think Bunny just saw Poppy come in regularly to get a #14 sandwich for Cinda. 
Wasn't it a man who talked to Bunny in the diner the day before she was killed? Was his name Mr. Red Herring?
Or at least a man who was on the video tape getting the match book from the diner?
IDK.
I really need to rewatch.

[KerleyQ]

I feel like I grabbed onto Poppy as a main suspect around the same time this season that I did with Jan last season. And, really, she was on my potential suspect list from the start of the season, just because she felt like one of those "hiding in plain sight" mousy characters we were supposed to ignore in favor of a flashier one - Cinda.  Any time we had someone refer to a woman with dark hair and glasses, and we were all supposed to assume it was Cinda, it made me wonder if it was an example of how ignored Poppy was, which reinforced that "hiding in plain sight" thing. But, at the same time, I still partially fell for it, too, when Kreps's flashbacks kept showing Cinda. I had to keep reminding myself "but, if the camera were to pan over just a bit, Poppy is probably right there." 

And Kreps being involved felt like a possibility to me right from the start. He was clearly the shady cop, while Williams was the good cop. When it seemed like Williams was intentionally keeping Kreps in the dark as to her whereabouts, it confirmed for me that he was involved on some level. Once we realized he was Glitter Guy, and then we got his story about the brunette woman with glasses, it was pretty clear that he was working with either Cinda or Poppy.  Then once we found out Poppy was Becky, it felt to me like our three options were 

1) Cinda was the killer with Kreps as her lackey.

2) Cinda staged Bunny's death, with help from Kreps, to create a podcast storyline (this was based on the assumption that Cinda had known all along Poppy was Becky, which was obviously revealed to not be the case in the finale). 

3) Poppy was the killer, with Kreps as her lackey.

In the finale, after the diner scenes, I was pretty sold on Poppy being the killer because: 

1) She was in the diner all the time, so her having the matchbook was likely, and her running into Bunny there regularly was likely

2) The way she acted reluctant to give them the info on Cinda's fears. It just kind of had this air of the insincere "oh, no, don't go after her and get her out of my way..." thing going on. 

3) When Mabel got the call from Williams and then came back to the table saying she knew who it was. If that call had reinforced Cinda as the suspect, she wouldn't have seemed like this was a whole new direction. So, that left it at Poppy. 

Of course, all of that was based on my certainty that Kreps was involved at the behest of whoever the woman he was in love with was. 

[shapeshifter]

Excellent reasoning, @KerleyQ! And all of it just from what we saw on screen!

I didn't realize until reading this part just now:

36 minutes ago, KerleyQ said:

. . . In the finale, after the diner scenes, I was pretty sold on Poppy being the killer because: 

1) She was in the diner all the time, so her having the matchbook was likely, and her running into Bunny there regularly was likely . . .

that the man on the video from the diner who had met with Bunny and picked up a matchbook, of course was not the only person to ever pick up a matchbook there!

[phalange]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I'm betting Bunny and Poppy didn't speak more than once before Poppy killed her——just enough for Poppy to try to get information about Rose from Bunny and for Bunny to tell her to get lost——but I could be wrong.
I think Bunny just saw Poppy come in regularly to get a #14 sandwich for Cinda. 
Wasn't it a man who talked to Bunny in the diner the day before she was killed? Was his name Mr. Red Herring?
Or at least a man who was on the video tape getting the match book from the diner?
IDK.
I really need to rewatch.

Poppy and Bunny talked at least twice before Bunny's death. The day before in the diner, and the day of Bunny's murder on the phone. When Bunny answers the phone she's annoyed and says she doesn't want to talk about the painting.

Adina Verson who plays Poppy was on the Only Murders in the Pod podcast after the finale and she said that she filmed the scene of Poppy sneezing in the Arcatacombs, but other times they used body doubles, including to film the diner scene. Fans and paparazzi were watching the filming and they were worried that people would see Poppy and Bunny together and spoil everything before the show started.

[FGomez]

16 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Do the more expert mystery watchers among you think this was fair play for a mystery or not:

Quote

(...)

VERSON | It was me inside the Arcatacombs. Originally I was supposed to do all of those [scenes], but [that changed] after we did Episode 4.

I am not an expert watcher. I think that they knew that fair play implies that the real actor should be under the guise. Then they thought fans could guess the solution early in the season, they freaked out and plainly cheated.

[Milburn Stone]

4 hours ago, FGomez said:

I am not an expert watcher. I think that they knew that fair play implies that the real actor should be under the guise. Then they thought fans could guess the solution early in the season, they freaked out and plainly cheated.

I agree.

Really, the show should just give up. They can't do mystery right, and the mystery is getting in the way so it's not even good comedy. What I would watch instead--in a heartbeat--is a show in which Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, as themselves, sat around talking for 10 episodes.

Edited August 27, 2022 by Milburn Stone

[MollyB]

22 hours ago, GaT said:

& if Bunny knew her enough to have multiple discussions with her & knew what she liked to eat, why did she say "14 sandwich (savage)" instead of just saying "Poppy"?

The whole thing about Becky is that no one really knows her except to walk all over her.  When she takes on the Poppy persona that keeps happening.  (Cinda appreciates her for being able to pick cilantro out of her salad, not for her podcast abilities.  Poppy is her drone.)  I think that when Bunny meets with her the same thing happens.  Bunny makes the comment to Ivan that the person she lunched with the day before was "not a friend."  Bunny doesn't pay attention to Poppy's name but the sandwich stands out.  (I've never heard of marmalade on liverwurst in all my 74 years.)  Becky is doomed to invisibility no matter what new persona she takes on.  So Bunny can't remember the name but she did the unusual sandwich.

My son thought it unbelievable that Poppy went back to OK to work closely with the search for Becky.  She was taking a risk at being recognized by people there who knew her.  I think people see what they expect to see, and no one was expecting to see Becky alive and with a make-over.  She was with a well-known New York (big city) podcaster.  It wouldn't jibe with their assumption of who she was.  They were looking for a dead body.

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, MollyB said:

The whole thing about Becky is that no one really knows her except to walk all over her.  When she takes on the Poppy persona that keeps happening.  (Cinda appreciates her for being able to pick cilantro out of her salad, not for her podcast abilities.  Poppy is her drone.)  I think that when Bunny meets with her the same thing happens.  Bunny makes the comment to Ivan that the person she lunched with the day before was "not a friend."  Bunny doesn't pay attention to Poppy's name but the sandwich stands out.  (I've never heard of marmalade on liverwurst in all my 74 years.)  Becky is doomed to invisibility no matter what new persona she takes on.  So Bunny can't remember the name but she did the unusual sandwich.

My son thought it unbelievable that Poppy went back to OK to work closely with the search for Becky.  She was taking a risk at being recognized by people there who knew her.  I think people see what they expect to see, and no one was expecting to see Becky alive and with a make-over.  She was with a well-known New York (big city) podcaster.  It wouldn't jibe with their assumption of who she was.  They were looking for a dead body.

Well stated as always, @MollyB! 👏

“14 Savage” was the big clue the entire season. 
“14 Savage” is revealed to be “#14 sandwich.”

That #14 sandwich of liverwurst and marmalade is not even Poppy’s sandwich, it is Cinda’s sandwich order, which Poppy repeatedly comes in to pick up.

“#14 sandwich” epitomizes that Poppy is not known for herself. Her own identity is subsumed by what she does for others.

“14 Savage” is revealed to be “#14 sandwich” just as Poppy White is revealed to be Becky Butler.

The last name of Butler is symbolic. 
There is symbolism in her alias of Poppy White too, but I'll stop here.

Edited August 27, 2022 by shapeshifter

[buckboard]

If someone answered how it was that Becky/Poppy knew about the hidden walkways in the building, I missed it.  I know why Lucy was aware because she had lived there, but how did Becky know?

[kaygeeret]

I appreciate all the comments, but I am firmly in the corner of "I love this show".

The talent is riveting, basically because I have always love Stever Martin Short (see what I did there?)

And then to see Andrea Martin...a cherry on top of the whipped cream.  I watched SCTV back in the day and loved everyone.  If you are not familiar Google the show and you will be astonished at the talent.

But, I digress, I actually prefer shows that do crime semi-seriously.  Life is often not all that linear (yeah, age is, but life?).  Many things that we see or think or have happen to us are not really completely resolved.

The 'serious' crime shows wrap everything up in a bow and life is not like that.

And the comedy allows for inconsistencies because it either doesn't matter or it is referring to future plot.

[shapeshifter]

15 hours ago, kaygeeret said:

The 'serious' crime shows wrap everything up in a bow and life is not like that.

Exactly. IRL innocent people go to jail because a lot of stuff is not wrapped up in a bow, and OMITB even acknowledged that in the first season. 

16 hours ago, buckboard said:

If someone answered how it was that Becky/Poppy knew about the hidden walkways in the building, I missed it

IRL, when Poppy/Becky confessed, it would not be necessary to know how she knew about the secret passages in the building, other than, maybe, if Kreps discovered them and told Poppy/Becky about them, I suppose it might make Kreps guiltier of aiding and abetting a murder? 

But since the Trio discovered the passages without help, ←Whoops! Forgot Lucy showed them the passages
 and Lucy too, I think those "secret passages" were pretty common knowledge. 
It's surprising that Mabel didn't know about the passageways from when she was hanging out at the Arconia as a teen.

Edited August 29, 2022 by shapeshifter

[Irlandesa]

Ultimately, I find more joy in they journey that the resolution of a mystery.  It has been a long time since I've felt satisfied by one. 

[sjankis630]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

when Poppy/Becky confessed, it would not be necessary to know how she knew about the secret passages in the building, other than, maybe, if Kreps discovered them and told Poppy/Becky about them, I suppose it might make Kreps guiltier of aiding and abetting a murder? 

But we know Kreps found out from Poppy from the scene in bed together in his apartment when she told him.

I just want to know how Poppy got Bunny over into Mabel's apartment to murder her. We know she didn't stab her in Bunny's own apartment because there was no blood/evidence.

[FGomez]

I think that, given the criminal pair Poppy-Kreps, the killer should have been Kreps, and Poppy just the mastermind, as Kreps called her.

I mean, Kreps is a police officer and a security guard at Coney Island. The plan is to force Bunny into another apartment and stab her to death... and Kreps send to do the job to his girlfriend who is a submissive secretary????

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, sjankis630 said:

But we know Kreps found out from Poppy from the scene in bed together in his apartment when she told him.

I just want to know how Poppy got Bunny over into Mabel's apartment to murder her. We know she didn't stab her in Bunny's own apartment because there was no blood/evidence.

True.  
So, maybe Poppy/Becky lies and claims it was all Kreps’ idea? 
Maybe it really was Kreps’ idea and he just made Poppy think it was her idea?  

About Poppy getting Bunny to Mabel’s:   
Poppy is a foot taller, and Bunny is a senior citizen, so maybe Poppy had a grip on poor Bunny with a knife poking her back?

Or maybe it’s just not realistic at all and that’s a way for us to not be too upset about it? 
 
 

51 minutes ago, FGomez said:

I think that, given the criminal pair Poppy-Kreps, the killer should have been Kreps, and Poppy just the mastermind, as Kreps called her.

I mean, Kreps is a police officer and a security guard at Coney Island. The plan is to force Bunny into another apartment and stab her to death... and Kreps send to do the job to his girlfriend who is a submissive secretary????

Kreps was probably hedging his bets against getting caught —— that there’d be no evidence of him being involved in a murder plot, and he could claim he was just guilty of poor judgment in choice of girlfriend.
Maybe Kreps will still claim that. 

[FGomez]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Kreps was probably hedging his bets against getting caught

That is inconsistent with him being in love with "the most intelligent woman in the world", whom he is surprised to have landed, according to his own words. And it is inconsistent with him being GG and confessing to Mabel, for no reason, that he is involved.

Or maybe he lied all the time and he is mastermind, which in this case is inconsistent with him being portraited in the series as a dumb cop.

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

About Poppy getting Bunny to Mabel’s:   
Poppy is a foot taller, and Bunny is a senior citizen, so maybe Poppy had a grip on poor Bunny with a knife poking her back?

Physicality is not the issue. It is her character. She run away from Oklahoma because she couldn't confront her father or her boss. And she tried to confront Cinda and failed. But she was pushy to Rose Cooper and she forced and stabbed Bunny??? Totally incoherent.

[cardigirl]

11 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

But since the Trio discovered the passages without help, and Lucy too, I think those "secret passages" were pretty common knowledge. 
It's surprising that Mabel didn't know about the passageways from when she was hanging out at the Arconia as a teen.

They didn't, Lucy showed them the passageways. I'll agree that it is surprising the Hardy Boys didn't find them, especially since Oscar is the superintendent's son, and his father is more than probably aware of the existence of all the passageways as well as Bunny's elevator. 

[cardigirl]

This article from Vulture says a lot of what I felt during the finale. It is behind a paywall; however, there is limited access to a few articles, so you may be able to access it. 

A few quotes from it though:

 Poppy is the person who forced her way into Bunny’s apartment, where she then grappled with and seemingly forced her victim into Mabel’s place to frame the Arconia Three (not sure why, since she’d already used Oliver’s knife and Mabel’s knitting needle). But the timeline of that night remains fuzzy. Unlike the season-one finale, “Open and Shut,” there’s no flashback to the murder, just fragments that show Poppy texting the Arconia Three to get them out of the building so she could finish her dastardly deeds, of which there are many.

And this one: 

Season one of Only Murders set out to examine true-crime stories (specifically, in podcasting, though it could also apply to other mediums), and the way that people lose their humanity in the shuffle of an investigation — either because they’re reduced to a plot point or puzzle, or because they stop seeing the victims as people. But the show was an undeniable romp, its keen observations delivered with loads of style and humor. Sure, there were loose ends — who left the notes for Oliver and Jan? Who really poisoned Winnie if it wasn’t Sting? — but it seemed like we could expect them to be resolved in season two. Unlike Marv, I don’t have quite as much faith that season three will tie up season two’s many loose ends, including who poisoned Winnie and who left notes for Jan, Oliver, and Bunny. You might say it was Poppy in the case of the latter, but why would she do that if she was just going to frame Mabel? She and Cinda implied it was Mabel’s violent past that drove her to kill Bunny, so how would the “Savage ’56” painting factor into that? No, I’m not going down that road at this point. Breathe, just breathe.

It's worth a read. 

[tkc]

On 8/24/2022 at 7:28 AM, Suzn said:

Me too!  Art should never be destroyed!

If that were really true, that'd bring into question the whole reason for forums like this one to exist.  😜

[Suzn]

39 minutes ago, tkc said:

If that were really true, that'd bring into question the whole reason for forums like this one to exist.  😜

?

[cardigirl]

1 hour ago, tkc said:

If that were really true, that'd bring into question the whole reason for forums like this one to exist.  😜

30 minutes ago, Suzn said:

?

@Suzn I believe @tkc was making a joke. That these forums (and others)  are full of snark about "art" pieces on TV (we "destroy" the shows with our critiques).

[Suzn]

1 hour ago, cardigirl said:

@Suzn I believe @tkc was making a joke. That these forums (and others)  are full of snark about "art" pieces on TV (we "destroy" the shows with our critiques).

I believe I am exceedingly dim today...

[shapeshifter]

22 hours ago, cardigirl said:

This article from Vulture says a lot of what I felt during the finale. It is behind a paywall; however, there is limited access to a few articles, so you may be able to access it. 

A few quotes from it though:

 Poppy is the person who forced her way into Bunny’s apartment, where she then grappled with and seemingly forced her victim into Mabel’s place to frame the Arconia Three (not sure why, since she’d already used Oliver’s knife and Mabel’s knitting needle). But the timeline of that night remains fuzzy. Unlike the season-one finale, “Open and Shut,” there’s no flashback to the murder, just fragments that show Poppy texting the Arconia Three to get them out of the building so she could finish her dastardly deeds, of which there are many.

And this one: 

Season one of Only Murders set out to examine true-crime stories (specifically, in podcasting, though it could also apply to other mediums), and the way that people lose their humanity in the shuffle of an investigation — either because they’re reduced to a plot point or puzzle, or because they stop seeing the victims as people. But the show was an undeniable romp, its keen observations delivered with loads of style and humor. Sure, there were loose ends — who left the notes for Oliver and Jan? Who really poisoned Winnie if it wasn’t Sting? — but it seemed like we could expect them to be resolved in season two. Unlike Marv, I don’t have quite as much faith that season three will tie up season two’s many loose ends, including who poisoned Winnie and who left notes for Jan, Oliver, and Bunny. You might say it was Poppy in the case of the latter, but why would she do that if she was just going to frame Mabel? She and Cinda implied it was Mabel’s violent past that drove her to kill Bunny, so how would the “Savage ’56” painting factor into that? No, I’m not going down that road at this point. Breathe, just breathe.

It's worth a read. 

The Vulture article did not trigger a paywall on my phone, like it did in my laptop browsers. 🌟

About half of the comments for the article were complaining about the author, and, to be fair, I think this may be wrong:

Quote

…there’s no flashback to the murder, just fragments that show Poppy texting the Arconia Three to get them out of the building so she could finish her dastardly deeds…

I thought it was clear (from dialog) that Kreps texted them to get out of the building. No? Was it Poppy who texted them? That actually would have been a better plan WRT coordinating the murder and the frame-up, but, in the end, Poppy and Kreps were not criminal masterminds after all. 

But I do think Vulture author Danette Chavez nailed this synopsis of the motive:

• "[T]he timeline is hinky, and it’s hard to tell just how long Poppy worked for Cinda and when exactly she came up with this plan. But if I had to guess (and I will), she ditched her old life as Becky in 2020 (basing this on All Is Not OK picking up awards in 2021) and remade herself as Poppy. While listening to the OMITB podcast and trying to come up with a follow-up to All Is Not OK, Poppy researched Rose Cooper and learned about the Arcatacombs. And then I guess everything else just fell into place — she’d already railroaded someone (her former boss, the mayor of Chickasha), so it was a short leap to premeditated murder and a cover-up.

  "I’ve watched enough true crime and nightly news shows to know that it can be as simple as that — a switch flips and someone commits murder out of passion or for convenience."

____________________________________________

🌟I just happened to notice that if you do a View Source (Ctrl + U in Windows) for the paywalled Vulture article, you can read the full text.
It begins at:
     Season two of <em>Only Murders in the Building </em>concludes with an episode full of loose ends and fake-outs 

Most paywalls block that text in the source code, so I'm guessing TPTB at Vulture see the value in having their content buzz on social media may be greater than garnering a few more subscriptions. 

[cardigirl]

Thanks for the tips @shapeshifter. Often you can view it in an incognito window also.

I read the comments on the Vulture article too, but for me, someone who doesn't heap praise on a popular show, but digs a little deeper, is more interesting. 😁 

And everyone complaining about the recapper/reviewer LOVED the slapstick of the slow motion, which I DID NOT. I know many many people love the Father of the Bride movies with Steve Martin and Martin Short, and I like parts of those movies, but much of the slapstick fell short of making me laugh. So to have someone else remark on it was interesting to me. I know that other people enjoy "zany" and I do to, if done well. I just didn't think the slow motion bit was well done. Except for Cinda's response to all of it. LOL.

Edited August 30, 2022 by cardigirl

[Zanzibar]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I thought it was clear (from dialog) that Kreps texted them to get out of the building. No? Was it Poppy who texted them? That actually would have been a better plan WRT coordinating the murder and the frame-up, but, in the end, Poppy and Kreps were not criminal masterminds after all. 
 

Poppy did text them.  She tells them, "I just wanted to make a good podcast.  I just wanted Cinda to notice me. But things went wrong right from the start. Right from that night that I texted you to get out of the building and you came back to your apartment."

[LadyintheLoop]

Quote

We still don't know who poisoned Winnie, or left notes on Jan's and Oliver's doors.

. . . or who spiked the Tim Kono investigation, or why.

Poppy left her saliva on the knife, not her fingerprints. She must have sneezed on it. 

When Poppy was taken away Kreps, clearly under arrest, was calling out to her. He was as much in love as a guy like that can be.

[shapeshifter]

18 hours ago, LadyintheLoop said:

When Poppy was taken away Kreps, clearly under arrest, was calling out to her. He was as much in love as a guy like that can be

Yeah, Kreps was sure performative in his expressions of “love” for Poppy as he was being led off in cuffs, no doubt going for a bogus temporary insanity plea due to being under Poppy’s spell.
Detective Williams would speak for the audience and say it was BS. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 8/23/2022 at 1:29 AM, sjankis630 said:

Also this is probably dumb but who was the black guy sitting on the couch next to the doorman?

I also was stumped, but he's the Brazzos director. Would have made more sense to have Dr. Stanley, since he lived in the building and knew Bunny. 

[shapeshifter]

17 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I also was stumped, but he's the Brazzos director. Would have made more sense to have Dr. Stanley, since he lived in the building and knew Bunny. 

I missed that, but if it was the Brazzos director sitting in on an Arconia meeting, my guess is that they signed Ade Otukoya for 4 episodes, and then some scene of his was cut, so they included him innocuously in the background in order to honor his contract.  
IDK.  
Is that something done on TV?

Otherwise, maybe the Brazzos director will be living in the Arconia next season. 
His character had a great vibe.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I missed that, but if it was the Brazzos director sitting in on an Arconia meeting, my guess is that they signed Ade Otukoya for 4 episodes, and then some scene of his was cut, so they included him innocuously in the background in order to honor his contract.  
IDK.  
Is that something done on TV?

Otherwise, maybe the Brazzos director will be living in the Arconia next season. 
His character had a great vibe.

As long as they pay him for the contracted episodes, they could leave all his scenes on the cutting room floor, if they want. 

[aradia22]

OK, it's even funnier now that Becky/Poppy didn't tell Cinda it was Chicka-shay and allowed her to keep saying Chicka-shaw

Liverwurst and marmalade... that would make me break

"I'm gonna strangle that bird" 😄

Well, that's a lot of backstory for Lester.

I CACKLED when Charles started moving towards Cinda in slow motion. It's so fun seeing Steve Martin do physical comedy.

I liked that it was Poppy. First, I was very into it being Cinda. Then I was disappointed it was the too obvious Alice. Then Charles got stabbed and that got me engaged again. And then when Cinda was talking up Poppy, I started to see a third twist! Also, Poppy's body type is a much better fit than Alice's slim frame so I don't feel tricked by the disguised figure that was always skulking around (though I'm still guessing there was a stunt double). I do feel like the show was tricky in showing us Kreps turning around to see Cinda. 

Having all these characters from the building participate in the reveal of the murder made it much more fun. Their reactions were perfect.

I do think it was a compelling reveal. Poppy being Becky makes it all come together. She wasn't an ordinary unappreciated assistant. She was a superfan of Cinda's who had tried to escape her old life for podcast fame. She used Not OK to frame the boss who was sexually harassing her. She was ambitious enough and desperate enough for Cinda's approval to murder Bunny. She framed our trio because it made for a good story, not because she hated them in particular. Also, two collaborators and one killer makes sense with all the running around.

Becky's saliva was on the knife??? Did she lick it?

I assume Bunny had to be delirious from the blood loss to give such a useless clue in her dying words.

Brazzos' miracle cure and making a date with Joy was pretty adorable.

I never hated Cara, but I think Mabel forgave Alice too easily even if she did help solve the murder. Even being friends after Alice's crazy art project... it'd take some time. A lot of time. Mabel renovating the apartment is a good move for her though. I wonder if that means her aunt will FINALLY show up in season 3. 

Will knowing the whole time and that acceptance of their relationship regardless of DNA... it wasn't necessary, but it was very sweet. Now, Oliver getting a chance to direct a Broadway show again... that was progress. 

Ahhh!!! Paul Rudd is the season 3 victim. And he was killed while in a play with Charles that was directed by Oliver. Charles seems like a good suspect right now but it doesn't feel nearly as incriminating as the way season 1 ended. 

I don't know if I'd call that barbershop yodeling as much as a capella with some yodeling noises thrown in there. 

[aradia22]

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But, here's what I don't get. Poppy knew that Alice wasn't the killer, so why would Alice try to stab Mabel when 1.) she was innocent and 2.) probably not prone to homicidal tendencies? It seems like Poppy would have known something was up. 

Poppy/Becky didn't know that Alice wasn't violent. And like with the slo-mo and the tomatoes, I think the point was just to disorient her. Charles' stabbing diverted focus and then Cinda praising Mabel gave Poppy/Becky a push over the edge so she was primed when they started to really question her.

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I think the only thing that surprised me is that they roped Cinda into their theater.  I would have thought she'd try to usurp that herself for her podcast. 

I think she was okay with them both getting a great ending to their respective podcasts. And also, how would she have gotten the confession on her own? We know Poppy/Becky was doing all the work.

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I do love that it took place at a play.  I suspect it'll give us the chance to see a lot of theater people either as characters or playing themselves. 

TOTALLY. Also, I wonder if this means Jonathan (Howard's new bf) will be involved. Not in the murder, just in the play or the general storyline.

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I think that was the surreal moment that clued me in, that Cinda would be gushing over Mabel, while Charles is LYING THERE DEAD.

Also, that Cinda would be gushing over anyone. She seems too narcissistic. 

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Was she assuming Cinda was going to go down for the murder itself or for being a fraud? 

I think the original plan was to frame the OMITB trio and hope Cinda would give her a show. Mabel gave her a push that showed her Cinda would never give her that approval. And then I think she was prepared to let Cinda take the fall for the murder. idk... maybe she thought they could coerce a false confession out of Cinda.

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One complaint: I don’t understand how the Rose Cooper stuff fits in or what Becky/Poppy’s plan was after Bunny’s murder and how she’d planned to use it to get famous. 

What's strange is that Becky/Poppy kept leaving these items around to frame them. But the police weren't really investigating. And as far as we know, Cinda wasn't revealing those things on her podcast. Those would be dramatic revelations on a podcast. Without being able to reveal the evidence in their apartments on Cinda's podcast (because it would implicate her), it was just messing with the OMITB crew without the listeners of either podcast or the police being the wiser. 

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What about the painting? I don't really understand the point of that whole plot, it didn't really have to do with anything, did it?

I assume Poppy was trying to solve the mystery of Rose's disappearance. She didn't want to buy the painting. She just had a lot of questions. I assume Bunny was getting sick of her. And so it was easy to start thinking about framing the OMITB gang, especially with her bf telling her the mean old woman deserved to be killed and Poppy/Becky deserved fame. 

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The only thing I'm not clear on is how Poppy got Bunny into Mabel's apartment. Mabel had her keys when she came in, so the door must've been locked.

If Poppy was moving through the walls, she could have unlocked Mabel's apartment from the inside before going to Bunny. 

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I am glad the killer didn't turn out to be some random person like Nina's fiance/husband who we only see in one scene.

I am glad because his body type and Alice's body type never made sense for the killer they kept showing us. 

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Charles didn't even use the scary type of tomato, he had to squeeze it to get any juice out. Everybody knows the scary ones have the reddish-green seed blobs that ooze out as soon as you cut it!

Truly nowhere near goopy enough

[aradia22]

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which puts her in the category of crazy psychopaths. Same category of Jan. And exactly the worst category of murderer to choose for a whodunit. A complete no-no. You can read the complete collection of Agatha Christie's books and won't ever find this nonsense. 

I'd have to scan through the titles but I'd classify some of her murderers as crazy and some as sociopaths. I don't think it's as bad as the 6th Ave Slasher (or whatever Marv called him). The killers in each season had motive and didn't behave in a completely off the wall way. They just went to extremes. I don't think it's that much crazier than killing a lover out of jealousy or killing a spouse for the insurance money. Poppy is quite rational and motivated more by ambition than psychopathy.

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Apparently even body doubles were used to specifically make sure Poppy wasn't recognized in any of the earlier episodes.

Thank you. It seemed obvious it was a stunt person, but I kept second-guessing with the figures being so closely analyzed here.

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What's less clear to me is why she didn't take that opportunity, then, to break free from Cinda and do her own podcast. Why orchestrate this story for a podcast and let Cinda profit from it, including even giving her the title?  She and Kreps were talking about how much money she was going to make, but it would seem that they skipped the part of their plan that enables them to make that money. 

I think she was still looking for Cinda's approval as the person whose podcasts inspired her to leave her miserable life. Also, spin off podcasts under a network can do quite well and it would be easier to use Cinda's infrastructure and built-in audience rather than starting on her own like the OMITB group did. 

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Doesn't matter how insignificant you were before.  Once you are 'news' your face is everywhere. 

idk... there's clearly an influence from Serial. And I listened to season 1 and don't remember what any of those people look like. Besides, attractive white women are the ones who tend to get media attention when they're missing/killed and one of Poppy's accusations when she's complaining about why Mabel would get a podcast over her is that Mabel is prettier

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However, it does bother me that (1) Poppy didn't clean her fingerprints off the knife she planted in Oliver's kitchen to frame him

Worse... saliva. What was she doing with the knife???

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I do wish they had left a few little crumbs earlier in the season that would have led back to Poppy.

There weren't hints directly to Poppy. But it was suspicious since last season that Poppy and Cinda were already there when they were being led away (even with the implausibility of Poppy being able to run downstairs that quickly). And Jan did tell Charles that they were looking for storyteller. We had a rough sense of her build (enough to rule out some other characters). We knew it was someone who wanted to frame the OMITB crew, though the assumption was some personal grievance. I guess anyone could have used a different phone but in this case, the texts came from an unfamiliar phone number. We knew the person was interested in the painting/Rose. 

I think the real issue with a lack of hints is that you usually expect a killer to have a grievance towards the victim (especially with a violent/aggressive murder) or the people being framed. You can only understand Poppy's motives when you know it's Poppy/Becky. They don't apply to anyone else. 

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Also, someone upthread questioned why Bunny's last words to name her killer would be "14 sandwich" rather than "Poppy White."
Poppy/Becky was just as invisible to Bunny as she was to almost everyone in her life. To Bunny, Poppy/Becky was nameless; she was just the "#14 sandwich."

Oof. Now, I'm feeling a little bad for Poppy/Becky. 😅 Imagine not even being memorable to the person you killed. 

[aradia22]

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I think that, given the criminal pair Poppy-Kreps, the killer should have been Kreps, and Poppy just the mastermind, as Kreps called her.

I mean, Kreps is a police officer and a security guard at Coney Island. The plan is to force Bunny into another apartment and stab her to death... and Kreps send to do the job to his girlfriend who is a submissive secretary????

Yeah, it would have been easier for him to believably overpower Bunny and it would have given Poppy the opportunity to be downstairs with Cinda without straining credulity. Though, I guess he needed to be at work. 

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Also this is probably dumb but who was the black guy sitting on the couch next to the doorman?

I also was stumped, but he's the Brazzos director. Would have made more sense to have Dr. Stanley, since he lived in the building and knew Bunny. 

No, I think it's just the guy who is on the board of the building (or whatever it's called). He's there in the other meeting when Bunny is supposed to retire but doesn't. imdb tells me the actor's name is Damani Varnado and his character is Liam Grimsby

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Worse... saliva. What was she doing with the knife???

Poppy/Becky sneezed on the knife because she was allergic to Bunny’s bird.🦜

Edited October 26, 2022 by shapeshifter

[Yeah No]

On 8/24/2022 at 11:14 AM, Dixie Sugarbaker said:

I am guessing that Rudd’s character is subletting Amy Schumer’s Sting penthouse while she is in LA shooting her tv version of Only Murders in the Building after she and Oliver completed negotiations over the rights. And since Rudd was coughing up blood when he died, he was poisoned in the Arconia - so technically there will be a murder in the building.

Great minds think alike, this is exactly my own theory and the fact that you wrote it on my birthday only makes it better!  😉

I'm only sorry I didn't discover this show sooner.  I figured out who the murderer was in Season 1 but this season was obviously more about the comedy than anything else so it pretty much made everyone look guilty.  I was suspicious of Becky/Poppy precisely because she wasn't as obvious as Cinda or anyone else really.  Her motive was about as flimsy as my suspension of belief will allow but I can forgive that because the show is so brilliant in other ways.

I'm loving the show for how well it captures the eccentricities and specific quirkiness of my hometown, New York.  I've known real life Bunnies!!  And the building the Arconia is patterned on is part of my history too.  The Belnord and its "sister" building, the bigger Apthorp were always my absolute favorites, and I've even been in both of them several times years ago.  I had a doctor in each of them.  Charles' and Olivers' apartments look like they're patterned on the corner apartments in both buildings.  You can find the original floor plans to both buildings online.  The secret passageways are really a thing in old buildings in NYC.  Even in the Bronx where I grew up as a kid I knew all the secret hallways, stairways, doorways, basements and sub-basements in similar buildings in my old neighborhood.  So this show is providing me with a lot of nostalgia.

Otherwise, I hear everyone frustrated about all the loose ends this season and I'm wondering if they won't be tied up in the next one.  I feel like it would be just like this show to tie in the next season's murder with things that happened this season.

[snarktini]

On 8/23/2022 at 6:36 PM, shapeshifter said:

In the opening credits to this episode, cartoon Bunny was walking a different, yellow bird in the first "scene," and then later, I'm pretty sure it switched to the parrot. Should I know what the yellow bird signified?

I'm glad Oliver (and Winnie) are developing an attachment to Mrs. G. 🦜

I didn't see this get answered -- It was a chicken/rooster, calling back to the Chicken Chug logo Mabel couldn't quite remember but remembers when she re-listens to the podcast.

[Starry-Eyed]

On 8/23/2022 at 2:03 PM, FGomez said:

which puts her in the category of crazy psychopaths. Same category of Jan. And exactly the worst category of murderer to choose for a whodunit. A complete no-no. You can read the complete collection of Agatha Christie's books and won't ever find this nonsense. In addition of course, there was no way whatsoever to think of this before last second in episode 9, when she herself, we don't know why, incriminates herself saying "I am Becky". Zero hints before that.

Seriously. This series is top comedy, but worst ever in mystery.

Agatha Christie DEFINITELY has crazy psychopath murderers in her catalog. It's just that those books aren't considered her great works and don't make it to the shortlist of titles that most people are familiar with, because, as you said, it's a weak writing choice.

[SoWindsor]

Just binge watched seasons 1 & 2. I love how I am engaged enough with the show that it's a distraction. That's a huge win in and of itself for me. It's really hard for me to focus or enjoy much of anything these days.

But I will agree with all the naysayers who are frustrated with the implausibility of the murder plot. I see people trying to find reasons why it could work, but I think it boils down to a willing suspension of disbelief.

Some of my questions/thoughts (which there are no reasonable answers for) are:

• Why was Kreps or Poppy trying to kill Lucy during the blackout?
• It seemed like Poppy never saw Lucy in the passageways but I guess she did 
• Poppy going back to solve her own murder/disappearance and no one recognizing her is an absurd plothole
• Cinda not recognizing that Poppy is Becky is even more absurd
• Why would Lucy plan the murder weapon in Charles' apartment and then not find a way for Kreps to use it as evidence against Mabel?
• Why did Kreps attack Mabel in the subway?
• Why did no police get involved after Mabel stabbed someone on the subway that was filmed?

All ridiculous plot holes. But I think the more you think about them, the less enjoyable the show becomes. So, it's best to not think about them.

And to the poster upthread, I did get a bit of a Twin Peaks vibe from the slow mo.

What I love most about this show is that it is comforting. There's a sense of belonging and community. The building kind of reminds me of how in Schitt's Creek they all hang out at the motel. 

Edited August 17, 2023 by SoWindsor

[Valerie]

This show is so good at pointing the lens on multiple suspects right up until the end.

 

NO NOT PAUL RUDD!

[Chit Chat]

On 8/16/2023 at 6:57 PM, SoWindsor said:

What I love most about this show is that it is comforting. There's a sense of belonging and community.

That's an excellent point!  As always, I'm super late to the party.  I just recently signed up with Hulu, so finding this gem of a show was a pleasant surprise!  I just finished Season 2 and really love the chemistry between all of the characters.

Looking forward to seeing where Season 3 takes us!