Only Murders in the Building Episode 6, ‘Performance’ takes us into the world of entertainment, not only behind the scenes of Brazzos, but also in the studio with Cinda Canning and her assistant. Not to mention with a surprising, theatrical ending that’ll have you questioning what everyone’s motives truly are.
First, of course, we have to start with our true-crime trio as they visit Steve Martin’s Charles on set (where his long-time makeup artist is even flirting with him). Get it, Brazzos! Of course, Martin Short’s Oliver and Selena Gomez’s Mabel convince him he should go for it, but he’s sort of, kind of, still in a secret relationship with his ex who’s a murderer (Amy Ryan, The Office).
He’s not the only one with a lot on his plate. Oliver’s waiting on DNA results to see if his son is really his, and Mabel’s past is being aired out by her old co-worker Jimmy Russo (Johnny Hopkins, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) on Cinda Canning’s (Tina Fey, 30 Rock) podcast. Jimmy claims that Mabel chopped his finger off, but really she was shutting down his unwanted advances after many times. She tries to tell Cinda’s assistant, Poppy White (Adina Verson, The Strain), to stop these lies from getting out, but Poppy still believes in Cinda’s worth, even though Cinda doesn’t care about the truth of the murder, only the shock-value of “Bloody Mabel.”
It’s safe to say things get out of hand on all fronts. First, the crew thinks their friend on the force texted them to get out of the building (and has been texting with them since). But in reality, they realize it’s the killer, especially when the anonymous texter asks them to leave the matchbook – the only piece of evidence NOT tied to them – in a trash can for the texter to come pick up. Sound suspicious?
In the side plot, Cinda also rejects Poppy when she asks for a promotion, and she basically tells Poppy to stay in her lane. Maybe Poppy will eventually start helping the trio, if she stands up to Cinda sometime soon, and we’ll get to see more of her.
Meanwhile, the group set up a trap for the assumed killer (a glitter explosion, thanks to Oliver) so that when they look in the trash can, instead of the matchbook they get a face full of pink sparkles. However, the truth about Charles and Jan comes out while the crew are staking out the trash can, and therefore they get so caught up in their conversation that they miss most of the glitter explosion. Mabel runs out of the car to try to catch the killer, but no such luck.
She also gets upset with Charles because he won’t break it off with Jan, since she killed Mabel’s friend Tim Kono (remember him?). Charles admits he doesn’t know how to break the news to her and instead, he gets his stunt-double Sazz (Jane Lynch, Glee) to do it for him. Still, Mabel is upset and heads home, only to find her new partner Alice (Cara Delevingne, Suicide Squad) dressing people up in the true-crime trio’s clothes, trying to recreate the night of the murder in Mabel’s apartment, claiming that it’s art.
This whole moment is extremely bizarre and wildly disrespectful, as Alice literally dresses up as Mabel the night of Bunny’s murder and begins shooting photos of “Charles,” “Oliver,” and “Bunny” actors. This writer didn’t trust Alice’s motives after the last episode, and now it’s clear that she does have some sort of ulterior reason for getting so close, even if it is just making “art.” Mabel is understandably caught off guard and rushes out of her apartment, only to get on the subway and see a person covered in glitter…the killer? As they approach her, Mabel appears to stab them in a video gone viral, one that makes Charles and Oliver spiral with nervousness for the future.
Wow! Only Murders in the Building Episode 6 was truly a whirlwind. The ending leaves us shocked, not only with Alice’s horrifying art in Mabel’s apartment but with the possibility of the killer being discovered (and then stabbed?) by Mabel. If that even is the killer, of course, and not just someone else involved in this web of lies. We’ll have to wait until next week to be sure, but if Mabel really did stab whoever it was, the crew might actually have some blood on their hands this time.
