Only Murders in the Building – Sparring Partners

By: Sammi Turano

Detective Kreps (Michael Rapaport) is boxing and complaining about his cop salary and how he had to take on other jobs to make ends meet….including stealing evidence. He also talks about how you can meet someone who can turn your world upside down.

Meanwhile, Mabel (Selena Gomez) tells Charles (Steve Martin) that Kreps is Glitter Guy. Charles puts down that he is a criminal mastermind and muses how that would be a good name for a TV show.

Oliver (Martin Short) joins them in his night clothes, thinking that they are in that part of their friendship where they can do such a thing. He also says the DNA results are in and Will is indeed his son and he is Greek—ish. He also has Mrs. Gambolini with him and tries to put him in Charles’s apartment. Charles resists, but as they push the cage, they discover that underneath it is none other than the original painting.

Alice (Cara Delevingne) goes to Mabel’s to give her a puzzle as a peace offering and to use her restroom. The two of them talk a bit and Mabel admits that she likes Alice, but doesn’t trust her.

Charles calls the nursing home to talk to Leonora, but finds out that she is nonverbal and hasn’t left the nursing home in a long time. He checks the site for the home and realizes the person on the phone is right and he has been had.

Oliver talks to Will (Ryan Broussard) about the school play. Will is nervous, but Oliver reminds him that he is a Putnam for real. He says he is so Greek he can be Jennifer Aniston’s stand in. The two of them hug and Will feels more confident.

Charles is fixing his watch and finds an address on the inside. He googles it and makes a phone call….to a mystery woman.

Mabel does some digging of her own and finds a boxing place. She texts the guys, saying they are in for a fight and tells herself that she needs a life.

Later on, Mabel is at the boxing ring, where she confronts Kreps. He picks on her and she gives it right back to him, ready for a fight. They agree to a boxing match. She asks about his arm, the glitter, the matchbook and other evidence against him….and he plays dumb about it all.

In the boxing ring, Mabel continues to question Kreps, who continues to give her a hard time. He says he is too smart to let anything slip.

Charles meets with Rose (Shirley MacLaine), who was posing as Leonora. The two of them talk about Charles’s father and how she is connected.

Oliver is in the elevator with Winnie when Teddy (Nathan Lane) comes in. Immediately, Oliver begins beating Teddy up….as Howard gets into the elevator, wondering what is happening.

Teddy and Oliver continue to fight, while Howard quickly escapes to the next floor. Oliver continues to scream at Teddy, who is confused about everything. He is completely floored to discover that he is Will’s biological father.

Kreps continues to insult Mabel, while still tooting his horn about how he is working on the case that could put her in jail. He insults her podcast, making it known it is not as good as Cinda’s. He then tells her to leave the gym. As he storms off, she sees his towel, which has the same chicken logo she had seen before.

Charles and Rose continue to bond about his father. She shows him that underneath the OG painting was a painting of Charles and his dad. Rose explains that this was the life he wanted and she had to disappear for their own good. Charles is floored by this new revelation.

Mabel is thinking about the fight with Kreps and doing the puzzle from Alice. She turns on Cinda’s podcast as she thinks about Kreps mentioning it earlier. She then realizes the chicken logo was from a bar in Oklahoma and she heard about it in the podcast since Cinda went there often for clues on the Becky Butler case.

Teddy and Oliver are back at Oliver’s house, still fighting. Oliver tells Teddy that Will is all he has, allowing Teddy to calm down and them men to talk things out and bond a bit about fatherhood. They also agree not to tell Will the truth.

Mabel goes to visit Poppy (Adina Verson), who tries to get her to leave. She also tells her she cannot help her anymore. Mabel tells her what she knows about Bunny’s murder and asks how it is connected to the podcast. Poppy tries to get her to leave again, saying that Mabel has no idea what Cinda is capable of. Mabel continues to push her for answers.

As this is happening, Rose gives Charles the painting, saying she wants him to have it and not the pushy woman who was asking for it before. Charles asks her who it was, but all Rose can remember is that the woman had brown hair and glasses. He thinks it is Cinda.

Kreps talks about how he planted some evidence in “Bumblefuck, USA” for extra money and then how he ended up in a bar, where he met up with Cinda (Tina Fey).

Mabel continues to push Poppy, who confesses that she is Becky Butler, the missing woman from the podcast.

The episode ends with the trio adding Cinda’s picture to the board as their prime suspect.