Only Murders in the Building – The Tell

By: Sammi Turano

The episode opens with Will (Ryan Broussard) talking to his wife about a project he is doing with his son Henry (Oliver Fequiere). He sees a picture of a young Oliver and recalls the stories he would tell about life in the seventies.

There is a flashback to a group of people playing Son of Sam through the years. Whomever has the Son of Sam card is the killer and everyone else survives.

A younger Will (Carter Harris) watches, but is caught by Oliver (Martin Short). He tells him the knows he snuck out of bed because he had a “tell.”  In this case it was him wearing socks and leaving his door open. Back at the party, Oliver reveals that Teddy (Nathan Lane) is the killer.

In present day Will says that although Oliver is good at picking up tells it is possible to keep a secret from him.

Later on Charles (Steve Martin) talks to Jan (Amy Ryan) about Bunny’s murder. She says she wants to know about the case because she is behind on the podcast. Charles fills her in on the clues and suspects, but she doesn’t think it is Nina. She also talks about stabbing others and even saving one by removing their appendix.

Charles goes to hang up, but Jan tries to lure him back in with memories of their past. She also tells him to look for a storyteller or an artist…and that someone like that always makes sure the job is completed. This leads to her asking if someone has a new friend and that is the killer.

Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Alice (Cara Delevingne) talk on the phone. Alice talks about her life being paid to party and how she needs a place to host her party due to a sewage leak. Mabel, who is in the secret passage, distractedly agrees…as she finds a matchbook that could be prevalent to the case.

Oliver is helping Will direct the school play when Will says he needs his help with an ancestry test. Oliver agrees and the two men bond, with Oliver promising to be there for him more often. However, he then gets a call and has to leave.

Back at the Arconia, Mabel and Charles are waiting for Oliver with the matchbook. They discuss how it can be connected with the case. Mabel says a lot of what happened that night is a blur, causing Oliver to question why. He ends up going on a political tangent and debating with Charles. Mabel paces around and finally tells them to shut up. They get back to business and wonder if the matchbook belongs to the killer.

The matchbox in question leads them to the diner Bunny frequented. Ivan (Ariel Shafir) gives them a list of regulars, but half of it is in Russian. They continue to discuss possibilities and the secret passage when their fan club (who is sitting next to them and listening in) chimes in by asking questions. Marv (Daniel Oreskes) even admits to knowing about the secret passages since he does mold removal in the building.

At that moment, Mabel gets a text from Alice and admits the two of them are dating. Charles, Oliver and Marv put in their two cents on her relationship while Mabel tells them about the party. Charles and Oliver weasel an invite out of Mabel as they get ready to leave. The fan club stays behind, discussing the podcast and Mabel’s love life.

At the party Alice meets Charles and Oliver. She fan girls over Charles, while Oliver questions her about seeing Charles’s work and how she met Mabel.

Mabel tells them to go to the bar. As they walk away, Oliver tells Charles he is suspicious of Mabel. He wants to smoke her out, so he has them play the Son of Sam game. He gives them pills and cards and the game begins.

There is another seventies flashback, which switches back and forth between the present day game. Oliver then says Alice is the Son of Sam and points out her tell, which is playing with her hair. He also accuses her of lying about her life and how she seems suspect. Alice admits to lying because she was embarrassed about her past. As she leaves in tears, she gives him her card, which proves she is not the killer. Mabel follows her and makes her tell the truth. She also admits to lying and having trust issues. They agree to be honest and kiss.

Later on, Oliver catches Bunny trying to return the cash. He picks up the envelope and is left confused. He goes to talk to Ivan about it. He says Bunny tipped him a lot extra and he never knew why. Oliver wants to know if there was something different about Bunny in her final days. Ivan points to the camera.

He shows him the tape, which Oliver records with his own phone. He thinks he caught the killer, especially when he sees him pick up a matchbook.

Charles is talking to Jan again. They discuss their time together and just as things get spicy, she is gone.

The episode ends with Mabel and Alice (with a Son of Sam card in her bag) sleeping, Charles meeting with Jan and Oliver texting the video to Charles and Mabel. As he is sending it Will comes in to discuss the ancestry results, which said that Will is half Greek….leading to Oliver remembering a moment between Teddy and his wife.