NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Only murders in the building season 2 episode 8, “Hello Darkness”. Read our previous Only Murders in the Building Season 2 Episode 7 recap here.
A citywide blackout provides the perfect cover for the killer to make his next move as Only murders in the building barrels near the end of its second season. While Mabel (Selena Gomez) think she knows who killed Bunny, there are still several loose ends, including the location of the original painting of Bunny’s (Jayne Houdyshell) apartment; DNA results from Oliver (Martin Short); and what Nina (Christine Ko) plans to do at the Arconia.
“Hello Darkness” opens at the Pickle Diner with the podcast’s superfans (known as the Arconiacs) seated at a few tables from Mabel, Oliver and Charles (Steve Martin). Most of them are not so enamored with this recent survey and they have even tried listening to other podcasts. Marv (Daniel Oreskes) proclaims “OMITB for life” before launching into his 6th Avenue Slasher theory via voiceover.
Marv tries to talk to the trio about the previous unsolved murder killer. Unfortunately, they have more pressing matters because they have to find Lucy (Zoe Colletti), alone in Charles’ apartment. Marv notes that a serial killer has a unifying effect within a community, but should we worry about his role as a unifier?
It’s chaos at the Arconia, as most residents panic in the lobby. It also doesn’t help the general ambience that the elevators don’t work. To Oliver’s dismay, Charles’ apartment is on the 14th floor and he’s not shy about complaining at every turn – about his knees (he’s dragging a bay of heavy dips he got at the Pickle Diner ) and his paternity crisis. Mabel snaps Oliver out of his doom, reminding him that Lucy is in danger.
Mabel is handling the situation quite well considering what she’s been through the past few days. Alice’s (Cara Delevingne) name didn’t appear in this episode or the previous episode, so while Mabel is happy to face the past, she’s not ready to respond to the troubling interest of the artist for the Arconia murders. “Hello Darkness” excels at raising the spooky stakes and offering a deeper look at some of the supporting players, but this season has a lot to cover in the final two episodes.
Arriving at Charles’ apartment, alarm bells ring when they see a forced entry, an empty apartment, and the entrance to the tunnels open. Fortunately, Lucy knows the secret passages. The maze-like layout provides an exhilarating game of cat-and-mouse, with a stair chase to top it all off. Oliver’s dips are a handy weapon; “Is there anything dips can’t do?” exclaims Oliver happily.
The person Mabel punches is Marv, who also plays citizen detective. Marv knows all about this layout as he previously removed mold from this building. Some might call it a convenient excuse, but I buy that reasoning and his desire to solve this case is tied to the unsolved 6th Avenue Slasher. Marv is a classic case of someone who’s fallen deep into true crime and wants to become the hero of this story by protecting Lucy. He’s looking for validation, and his presence reads like nothing more than wanting to get closer to the podcast he loves. Lucy supports her story and remarks that Marv scared the killer off.
When the power returns, Mabel encounters Detective Kreps (Michael Rapaport) in the lobby, claiming he was in the neighborhood. He visibly winces when Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) accidentally punches him in the arm and Mabel spots red glitter behind his ear, a huge giveaway that he’s Glitter Guy.
However, although we suggested last week that Kreps could be the killer, it may be more likely that he is trying to solve the case, or Only murders pull a Scream and two people work together. The show is keeping us guessing about this season, as there are a lot of seemingly unrelated pieces of this puzzle right now.
Amid the general mystery, there are some beautiful moments that point to life in the co-op without the specter of death – it’s hard to relax knowing there’s a killer on the loose. Howard’s love life gets a boost thanks to an impromptu date with a new sub, Jonathan, though it’s nearly derailed by his cat allergies (Lucy mentioned she heard the killer to sneeze). But not before Jonathan mentions hearing Howard practice “Sound of Silence” the night before.
What follows is a beautiful group song that reverberates throughout the building, from the foyer to the hidden tunnels. Oliver should be more careful to alert the killer to his presence, but he can’t resist one of “the great breakups in folk rock history.” Even Mabel joins us.
The song also acts as a lullaby for Nina’s crying baby, while the power outage causes her to pause on the building changes she was considering. While chatting with Lester the doorman, Nine recalls how much Bunny loved everything about this building and its traditions. Lester represents Arconia so well that Nina can’t help but promote him to “Director of Resident Support”.
With two episodes remaining, the list of suspects is still long. Yes, Detective Kreps is looking more and more likely, but does he have a sneezing accomplice? In both cases, Only murders powerfully demonstrated why community is vital.
Only murders in the building releases new episodes every Tuesday on Hulu in the United States and Disney+ United Kingdom.