Only Murders In The Building is embracing the darkness
A citywide blackout leads to a musical moment, a new romance, and a major reveal
TV Reviews Omitb
After last week’s relatively mediocre outing, Only Murders In The Building returns to form in episode eight with an exciting half-hour that culminates with Glitter Person’s identity unveiling. “Hello Darkness” literally embraces, well, the darkness and features quite a rendition of The Sound Of Silence while adding and eliminating suspects along the way. A citywide blackout leads to the surprise singalong (Arconia’s acoustics are phenomenal), many abandoned dips (sorry, Oliver), and passageway shenanigans in the dark. Let’s get to the crucial reveal first because it deals with smug son-of-a-bitch Detective Kreps.
To no one’s surprise, Michael Rapaport’s OMITB alter ego is a total creep. Not only does he call interrogating young girls his “favorite part of the job,” ugh, but by the end of the episode, Mabel realizes—dun dun dun—Kreps is Glitter Person. Side note: Does he not shower? Is there no concern for the dead giveaway red glitter still stuck to the back of his neck? Clearly, he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. It means Bunny’s killer is manipulating him to do their dirty work. So now the question is: Is he just a dumb corrupt cop looking for extra money, or does Kreps have a personal stake in the matter?
His side hustle as a Coney Island security guard implies financial problems, so Kreps could be on someone’s payroll besides the NYPD. If the killer’s loaded with cash, it could be Leonora Folger, the missing Rose Cooper, Cinda Canning, or anyone wealthy living at the Arconia. Folks, what if it is Amy Schumer? Just kidding; luckily, no one’s even brought her up since the two-part premiere. With only a couple more outings to go, let’s see how Kreps’ perspective leads to some ultimate answers.
We also now know the criminal mastermind isn’t Nina or Howard—the latter was personally a top suspect. Sigh. OMITB made sure we keep tabs on both of them during “Hello Darkness.” Howard was busy with his new crush, Broadway singer Jonathan, while Nina rudely forced the sweet doorman, Lester (Teddy Coluca), to climb up 14 floors to deliver a package during the blackout. The extra focus on these supporting characters—including Ursula, who was in the lobby with disgruntled building residents—indicates they obviously weren’t simultaneously running around chasing Mabel, Lucy, Charles, and Oliver in the Arcatacombs. Although Jonathan sneezing due to his cat allergy is an interesting detail to add. Remember that Lucy heard the killer sneeze in the secret passageway while hiding from them in episode four.
Speaking of Lucy, the young girl finds herself in a precarious position once more. Kreps breaks into Charles’ apartment, forcing her to flee into the Arcatacombs. But the show never explains what the Detective’s plan was. Did he know Lucy was at Charles’? Was he going to threaten, kidnap, or kill her? I’m interested in hearing his endgame. At least our trio gets there in time to help after climbing several floors in the dark and leaving Oliver’s beloved bag of dips behind. The four of them eventually escape whoever is chasing them. Mabel uses the same bag o’ dips to hit that person; it’s podcast superfan Marv!
Marv, a.k.a. the narrator of “Hello Darkness,” is fascinating if not unhinged. He rose to the top of the suspect lift as soon as he revealed his on-and-off job as Arconia’s mold inspector. If he knows about the Arcatcombs, what other information has he gathered over time? His investment in the podcast is intense, too. His fellow superfans plan on leaving the show behind because they’ve lost faith in their favorite amateur sleuths, but not Marv. He’s committed, alright. (Who’ll tell them you can love two or more podcasts at once? I’m equally dedicated to My Favorite Murder and RedHanded!).
More importantly, Marv claims he overheard Charles worry about Lucy and decided to take her safety into his own hands. His interference ultimately drove Kreps away from Lucy and the passageway. All he hopes for in return is a shoutout or appearance in OMITB so his daughter can like him again. Yikes. The shifting narrator device wisely tackles secondary perspectives yet again, unpacking how Charles, Oliver, and Mabel’s adventures have unplanned effects on their dedicated listeners.
That’s the power of any art form, no matter how you consume it, right? The podcast isn’t only entertainment or a way to pass the time for Marv. He feels a deeper connection and seeks solace in it and the trio. Doesn’t everyone feel that connection to something intangible: A movie, TV show, book, painting, or whatever else it may be? It’s hard to fault his reasoning for being immersed—escapism is what it’s all about—but Marv’s involvement is as far-reaching as his theory about Bunny being the victim of a serial killer. His passionate involvement notwithstanding, Marv doesn’t seem to be the season two murderer. Like us, he’s simply “OMITB for life.”
Stray observations:
- Here are the headlines Marv points out while talking about crime in New York City: “Heiress Found Murdered In Own Doll Collection” and“Man Mauled By Ex-Wife’s Pet Leopard In Bronx Apartment.”
- Umm, is Marv the 6th Avenue Slasher, if there is one at all? I’ll be gutted if so because by the end of this episode, all I want for him is to find a therapist and some peace with his kid.
- “There’s a thin line between civilization and chaos, and that line is electricity.” Charles isn’t wrong.
- The lights slowly fading into darkness in this week’s opening credits was a fun nod to the episode’s theme.
- “I’m a dip lover cuckolded by the King of dips” is an instant classic Oliver dialogue. And come on, OMITB, making us wait for one more week to officially find out if Oliver is Will’s father is unnecessary; the Greek DNA speaks for itself. Let’s not drag this!
- It was really sweet to hear Lester’s perspective on Bunny’s death. He was close to her for several years, and the poor man feels guilty about letting her killer inside the building. Unless they were already there?
- It was barely two lines, but Selena Gomez got to sing (along with Martin Short and many others) in “Hello Darkness.” We’ll take the win.
- Daniel Oreskes crushed it as Marv (like every other guest star who’s gotten the spotlight this season). He demanded sympathy and cringe in equal amounts.
70 Comments
I kinda doubt Kreps is the killer. They glitter-bombed Glitter Guy because they got messages from the detective on maternity leave, and as a cop investigating the case, he has a legitimate interest in getting evidence from them. If he even is Glitter Guy, not sure why he was being such an aggressive, secretive jerk about it instead of identifying himself at some point or another, but it just doesn’t make sense.If he’s the knifeman, what exactly was his plan with the matchbook? To trick the podcasters into thinking that they handed it over to the police with a fake drop box, picking it up, and destroying it? Wouldn’t it be easier to just take it from them legitimately and switch it with another one during the drive to the precinct? And all the effort he put into framing them, like the knife and the painting, without bothering to finish the job by “discovering” it? He did all that and just let it go, or maybe kill Lucy when it didn’t work itself out?He probably got the matchbook, got a print match, and was at the building for something involving that person. I’d think it was Lucy, being that they were talking, except that that doesn’t make much sense. Seemed like there was a lot of emphasis on showing that the person who broke in dropped and left their crowbar, though that was probably just so that the trio would immediately know that there was a break-in.
Okay, seriously, what did I miss about the mysterious messages that makes some people certain they were coming from the detective? To my understanding they get messages from an unknown number, jumped to the conclusion that it was the detective even as she denied it, then realized it was more likely the killer. At no point that I can remember did we get any indication that those texts were actually coming from a number associated with the detective they thought it was.
You have it right.
Doesnt it seem like a logical conclusion to make? They think they’re texting the killer, they set up a trap and glitter bomb the person they’ve been texting, and the detective is now covered in glitter. So it stands to reason that the detective is the the one they were texting.
I see that I might have misread the post I replied to as there was a lot of discourse leading up to this episode that was just taking on faith that their original theory that the texts were coming from the detective on maternity leave who they were friends with was the one who texted them, or at least somebody using her phoneSo what, in his position as a detective, was the point of texting them to leave the building
You are correct. They just jumped to the conclusion it was the detective, then jumped to the conclusion it was the killer. Neither conclusion was supported by anything.
But their conclusion that the texter was the killer (or a bad person tied to the killer) WAS supported by something: the “detective” agreed to meet with them in NYC, yet our heroes knew she was in Colorado. So they concluded that they must not be texting with the detective but rather someone posing as her. It was logical to conclude that someone posing as a detective to get them to turn over their evidence was probably the killer or someone acting on the killer’s behalf, right? Seems pretty straightforward.
Without going back and checking: Rappaport is really tall, and I don’t think GG was. (Assuming there’s only one GG, of course.)
I was thinking exactly the same thing. However, I was assuming Rappaport to be huge – like 6″4 or something – but it turns out he’s just 6″2. Still tall, but GG coulda been 6″2… (or the double playing the role in the GG getup coulda been smaller)
See the late Scream run. Ghost face is ALWAYS taller / bigger / more menacing than their victims, but is usually revealed to be someone tiny. Thanks to that I’ve stopped trying to guess killers by height.
What is Kreps relationship to Lucy? Is he her new stepfather? They were talking in the lobby and Lucy seemed to be holding something back? What is the connection? Maybe nothing.
https://www.ivesgo.com/
Im still confused. Mabel has amnesia? Like there are multiple occasions she just doesn’t remember? And none of the characters seem to think this is concerning or are even talking about it.
What do you think they should say? “You should see somebody about your psychological issues?” Who’s to say she doesn’t already? She’s a Manhattanite and at least someone in her family (like her unseen aunt who owns her apartment) are massively rich. Aren’t wealthy Manhattanites stereotypically all seeing a shrink anyway?
How do they schedule time with the shrink? Isn’t Woody Allen seeing all of them?
A shrink? No. How about the emergency room. Spontaneous and selective amnesia seems pretty alarming and suggests a stroke or brain damage.
Was a bit of an odd plotpoint for sure, but I think it was addressed nicely enough in the episode before this one. Give that a rewatch if you can’t remember why she can’t remember.
That whole thing was idiotic. “Oh, I can’t remember if I stabbed an innocent person on the subway or not. Maybe I’m a murderer. I hope not. I better make myself remember. Oh, good, now I remember what happened in a way that is objectively real and in no way reflects what I want or believed to be true because that’s how memory works.”
Yeah, I too was baffled with how this plot point was handled. It seemed like she just had amnesia for the sake of the plot and the show wasn’t interested in why or how she couldn’t remember.
It’s not amnesia. It’s disassociation, a break in how her brain handles information. It’s a symptom of PTSD.
Yeah. “My memory’s fine except when I’m violently assaulting somebody.” EVERYBODY – even Charles and Oliver – would 100% just assume she had killed Bunny after the subway stabbing.
Nina threatening the elderly doorman with being fired if he doesn’t do unsafe work in a blackout is the biggest dick move, and I think they tried to play it off as “Haha motherhood is so hard” but seriously she’s a bad person and you can’t redeem that kind of shitty behaviour.
I think it’s already been established that Nina is awful, if nothing else for wanting to ruin the building with the “capsule”.
Yeah, they did a good job writing her as a complete piece of work this episode, and then kinda tried to dial it back with the job offer thing at the end but NOPE, you’re still a nightmare, lady.
I fully expected the doorman to have a heart attack when he got to her apartment.
making us wait for one more week to officially find out if Oliver is
Will’s father is unnecessary; the Greek DNA speaks for itself. Let’s not
drag this!Oh, I’m like 75% sure they’ll do something like “Oliver was actually of Greek descent even if he didn’t know it! That’s why he likes Greek dips!” or something like that.
100% certain that’s what they’ll do – a step too far towards tragedy for this show to go the other way. I’m also 100% certain that after the reveal Oliver will own it by saying it explains his profound connection to theatre.
True, but they could also spin it as “being a dad who raised your children is more important than being the source of the sperm” which doesn’t have to be tragic but upbeat (at least to people who have, or are, adopted children or stepchildren).
Yeah, they could take that approach but it would be a weird lesson to give in a show that also contains a lead character (Charles) who was the source of the sperm but has been somewhat absentee with his own child. I think the safest route for a show as cosy as OMITB is for Oliver to be Greek.
Wait what? What am I forgetting? Who is Charles an absentee father to? Lucy isn’t his kid, she is a previous girlfriend’s daughter who Charles served as a father figure to.
Aaaaaand…I was wrong.
This adopted person responded above before reading your post. I heartily endorse this message.
Yep, Oliver will find out he was adopted by parents of Irish descent and had no idea he was Greek. But before that is revealed they will do a “I don’t care! YOU are my DAD!” thing. I’m not denigrating that, as an adopted person there is nothing I hate more than “Do you know your real mom and dad?” bullshit.
Even after all these years, just the thought of Charlie Murphy’s stories make me laugh. RIP.
I’m still convinced they’re trying to steer everyone in the wrong direction. The killer/glitter guy is Saz Pataki, the other side of the puzzle piece to Charles Hayden Savage. And Saz killed Bunny because Saz wanted to get the priceless painting, which has the family tree of everyone in the Arconia Building on the back of the slightly-torn painting. My guess is the family tree on the back of the painting shows that Saz is somehow related to the Folger family and stands to inherit Bunny’s fortune. Also, Bunny isn’t even a Folger, I suspect. Oh and I think Saz runs a sex cult in the tunnels of the Arconia or some sort of “Rosemary’s Baby” satanic cult. At least that’s my theory and I’m sticking too it.
So here’s my family tree predictions revealed on the back of the “porny” painting.- Oliver is Lucy’s dad. (Saz is the mom.)- Teddy Dimas is Will Putnam’s dad.- Charles is Theo’s dad. (Andrea Martin’s character is the mom.)Everyone’s confused because they all had sex in the dark during blackouts in the Arconia. And it’s also fitting that Mabel has memory lapses/blackouts in a way when it comes to her memory.
Tbh, I would really struggle to focus on the sex with all those cobwebs.
If Bunny isn’t a Folger could she be a Maxwell from the other side of the Hudson?I don’t think there was any Sanka family in the NY metro area.
Maybe a Bustelo and she was adopted from Brooklyn Heights?
I’m not sure which casting addition this season has been most disastrous: Cara Delevigne, Amy Schumer or Michael Rappaport. They all blow in their own, unique ways.
Cara Delvigne is a blight on OMITB. Amy Schumer was (likely) just a silly one-off gag. Michael Rappaport probably works for cheap.
I’d agree. Schumer gets a bad rap but she was having fun and wasn’t a terrible fit as another Sting-esque cameo. Even Rappaport kinda makes sense as he’s kinda NYC scenery at this point. But Delevingne – yeah, she was properly bad.
I like Rappaport but we are in agreement on the other two.
I kinda lumped Rappaport in with the others, though he’s certainly a better actor than the other two who are dreadful, but the way he likes to shoot his mouth off on various topics via social media, makes him hard for me to stomach.
Hey, at least my Schumer hasn’t reappeared so far, but choosing between the other two is a toss-up for me. Michael Rapaport’s character is definitely way more frustrating though, and his casting doesn’t help.
And Michael Rapaport himself – also frustrating.
It’s a hoary reference joke, but I still laughed at the unexpected Last of The Mohicans’ speech Oliver gave to his dip.They are dragging Will’s parentage out a tad too long, especially since we heard Teddy many eps back say he’d find a way to get back at Oliver; this is the way, but it could be too obvious and not true.Everybody in the building singing Simon and Garfunkel was the beautiful thing of the episode.The podcast fans in the diner talking about how the season had stalled was a nicely meta moment reflecting the complaints here in past reviews, which I never agreed with.
They are dragging Will’s parentage out a tad too long, especially since
we heard Teddy many eps back say he’d find a way to get back at Oliver;
this is the way, but it could be too obvious and not true.How would that work? Teddy has a time machine and cuckolded Oliver after getting busted by him for his grave robbing last season? I mean, before that I didn’t think Teddy disliked Oliver (okay, he found him exasperating, but even Charles and Mabel do too at times), and anyway, if Teddy is Will’s dad, he’s the one who you’d think would fear retaliation.
I assume it would work by Teddy somehow faking the DNA results, but I have no idea how he would do such a thing.
Or maybe he somehow influenced Will’s decision to do the DNA test, knowing that he was Will’s father and that it would destroy Oliver. Because there is now way an elementary school family history project would require a DNA test. I call Teddy shenanigans.
Recaps keep missing opening animation clues: near the end of the credits, there are columns of red windows on the left and right. Individual windows flash blue rapidly. I was thinking it could actually be binary code! Also, if you go to the extras for the show on Hulu, I think they recently added these strange “visit [Mabel, Charles, Oliver]’s apartment” mostly static scenes that last for an hour. If you fast forward through, you see clues appear and disappear throughout the scenes. I’m pretty sure this was added only recently.
The blue and red lights at the end of the opening are the lights of the cops and first responders. But now I need to go check again. And this season I keep re-watching them to catch the Easter Eggs, but if you’re talking about the part where the silhouettes of our three heros, those are emergency vehicle lights.
No. I’m talking about the vertical lit windows on the left and right side of the show title. This is different from prior episodes where there are a whole bunch of other windows lit up in different colors more bunched up around the title. However, I just noticed going back to the prior episode, the columns of red windows with random blue flashes does appear but it’s not as obvious as in the latest episode. Hulu won’t let me screen cap unfortunately.
Did they show glitter on the person who broke into the apartment? I didn’t see it, but I will admit I was also reading Ali Barthwell’s “Bachelorette” recap on Vulture while watching. I don’t know why it would be assumed that it was Kreps, given he was in regular detective gear in the lobby.
Also, there’s been no evidence provided that the mysterious texts telling them to get out of the building came from someone with their best interests in mind.
Huh. I found this episode far less enthralling than last week’s. Always great to see Lucy again, but the episode lacked tension and meaningful interaction between the leads. Maybe too much time was spent on Howard’s romantic evening, however sweetly it was done. I don’t need that much focus on a tertiary character this late in the game – unless the Broadway Chorus Boy turns out to be the killer, of course (but why would he be???).
Because he is Chekhow’s Gun coming late into the show.
I mean, it was a nice pale herring that he was a hyena in Lion King I guess. I also swear they used all of the different actors that could be the suspect to portray the “killer” in different hooded scenes – and he was definitely one of them.
I got peeved at the Idiot Plot elements of the episode. Why drop the crowbar? (So idiots could find it.) Why didn’t Lucy close the passageway door behind her? (Because we couldn’t have a chase sequence if she didn’t.) Why didn’t her pursuer close the passageway door after Lucy’s Idiot Move of not closing it behind her? (So our heroes could discover it too.) No episode unless people behaved like idiots.
I loved the episode, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t roll my eyes at everything you just mentioned.
I don’t think the passageway actually closes, as much as it hides its presence. And everyone involved already knew it was there, so stopping to put the cover back in place would just be a waste of time.
In your “Stray observations,” how dare you omit:“I’ve always wanted to be a children’s librarian.”“I’m a librarian.”“Shut up!”“That’s our slogan!”
I’ll admit “Shut up!” “That’s our slogan” made me chuckle, so yes, bad omission on my part.
I literally clapped my hands when this happened.
That was so goddamn corny and adorable.
I’m not sure “We also now know the criminal mastermind isn’t Nina or Howard” is exactly right. Sure Kreps is likely the guy who followed Lucy. But that doesn’t mean he’s behind everything. What’s his motive? You even point out he might have a rich employer.I definitely think those scenes with Howard and Nina weren’t just filling out their character arcs. The choice to focus on them must have something to do with the murder.
I think Saloni was pointing out that Nina and Howard were otherwise engaged during the blackout and definitely were not the people breaking into Charles’s apartment and not chasing anyone around the Arcatacombs. I think Krebs is Glitter Guy but I don’t think he committed the murder, I think there are at least two people involved.Personally I’m hoping it’s Cinda and she’s trying to frame her competition.
She said the killer sneezed, and the gay Black guy sneezed literally the scene before because of the cat. He’s the killer.
“The 6th Avenue Slasher’s m.o. was simple: he targeted older women. A few younger women. And men of all ages. “
OK, so we have a few options:
Kreps is somehow involved with Nina. Not sure exactly how, but he might stand to benefit financially from Nina’s scheme. Bunny stood in the way of the scheme. Etc etc. The only issue here is Bunny tried not to step down on the same night she was murdered, and it would be a bit much for Nina to decide she needs to be taken out and have the situation arranged in what was less than a few hours from that incident.Kreps, Nina, and Alice are all incahoots. There’s some sort of conspiracy around the painting and its importance. Nina’s desires to ruin the Arconia are a red herring.Uma worked with Kreps and a still unknown killer to get the painting. The other plot points are superfluous.Charles has killed everyone past, present, and future.Also, folks, Will is not the killer. That’s just bonkers. And yes, they are dragging out the paternity thing way too long. You get three episodes, tops, for that sort of thing, and it’s going to take half the season.