What does it take to build back a home you once had? In Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Episode 6, “Flatbush,” we explore that question, along with what might be lurking in the shadowy corners of their own home, the Arconia.
The episode starts by bringing back familiar face Loretta (Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada). It’s so wonderful to see Streep reprise her role once again, but sadly Loretta’s on screen for a sad reason this time around: her beloved apartment has burnt down. At first, it seems too random; this must be connected to the culprit. But the writers do not elaborate on the reason behind the fire, beyond the fact that it was a short in Loretta’s electric tea kettle.
On a mission to rebuild the walls that have crumpled in her home and heart, Loretta decides to embody a role she played on SVU, Emily Lawler. She stays in this character for most of the episode, and it’s honestly a treat to have Streep return.
She takes a trip to Brooklyn with Oliver, who shows her his own home in an effort to cheer her up, all while following the murderous wives club – Sofia Caccimelio (Téa Leoni, Madam Secretary) and Rainey (Dianne Wiest, Bullets Over Broadway). Rainey has already put the home she had with Lester on the market, which is cause for even more suspicion amongst the crew. But while he checks out the open house, Loretta snoops around the place, running into Rainey herself and hearing the tale right from her mouth.
MERYL STREEP, MARTIN SHORT
Loretta can’t help but feel for Rainey as she describes the pain she feels now that Lester is gone – and the audience is right there with her. It’s hard not to take Loretta off the suspect list, even when they spot Sofia meeting up with Rainey later that evening. They quickly lose them, though, and instead the couple duck inside of Oliver’s childhood theater, which is just a stone’s throw from the open house.
The episode also explores Oliver’s childhood in Flatbush, with flashbacks to how he was taken in as a child; he was different from other kids, but felt at home at the theater. Still, he never felt like he could truly be himself. He’s come a long way since then, as we all know. He’s no longer that quiet kid who feels like he’ll never find his place in the world. Especially now, when his place might just be at Loretta’s side, in a new home away from the Arconia.
Surprisingly, the pair have an audience as they reminisce together, as Rainey and Sofia are watching them from the theater wings. They’ve been played! Oliver and Loretta point fingers, claiming that they saw Sofia bring Rainey a bag of cash – but the question is, is it blood money?
The truth is, Rainey and Sofia are not connected through their love of murder, but rather their side gig of teaching musical theater. Yup, it sounds bizarre but it is totally true, as they teach at Oliver’s local theater and were busy at rehearsals the night Lester died. They even used the money Lester got from Nicky’s poker business to help support the theater. Rainey believes Lester’s death was an accident and claims Lester said he wouldn’t work for Nicky the night of Oliver’s wedding…there’s nothing like cracking open a whole new can of worms!
Speaking of worms, it’s also difficult for Mabel and Charles to worm their way out of the messes they’ve been making. For one, the finger in the water bottle has gone mysteriously missing. Mabel is still not over her friendship break up with THÉ (Beanie Feldstein, Booksmart), and Charles is still using Last Gasp. Which is the scariest part of all.
THÉ claims that she saw a light in Charles’ window the night prior when doing shrooms with Seth Rogen. You heard that right. Mabel is convinced she’s lying, but when the crew go to Howard and LESTR, the robot doorman proves there was someone on the footage who went into Charles’ apartment – they must have stolen the finger.
Mabel must swallow her pride and apologize to THÉ. She begrudgingly makes her way to THÉ’s penthouse suite and the two hash it out, realizing their past might have been a misunderstanding. Mabel thought THÉ ditched her, but in reality, Mabel also stopped talking to THÉ when she built a life for herself in NYC and around the time Tim Kono passed. THÉ reveals her smash hit “Wish That You Were Me” is actually how THÉ felt about Mabel. It’s a sweet confession, and the song is a bop, so now we all know that Mabel is a great muse.
Clearly, both women have been dealing with a lot, and they’re able to share a smile at the end of the day and begin to rebuild what they once had. Still, it’s clear we’re not done with THÉ – maybe we’ll even see her hang with Mabel in future episodes, or play a role in the case.
The part to focus on is how the footage LESTR has was tampered with, much like the other footage they saw on the Arconia cams from the night Lester died. He obviously wasn’t alone, but the person who pushes him in the fountain is nothing more than a black and white blur on the security cameras. Everything begins to align when Charles brings up Last Gasp again.
MICHAEL CYRIL CREIGHTON, SELENA GOMEZ, BEANIE FELDSTEIN, STEVE MARTIN, DA’VINE JOY RANDOLPH
He’s chatting with a catfish named Priscilla, who he was flirty with but who is clearly playing him like a fiddle. Charles is even telling her details about the case! Oh, Charles – at such a crucial time in the case, please think with your head and not your dick. They realize the Last Gasp company logo is the same as the security footage company. It seems this all goes a lot deeper, connected to one person with the power to own such big companies and control everything from behind the scenes: CEO Bash Steed.
The funniest part is Charles was really messaging Bash this whole time, and he’s not above threatening them. As we know, from Jay’s control over the group with Wondify, the billionaires can pull whatever strings they desire and keep their names off the suspect list with ease. Did one of them steal the finger, or push Lester to his death?
The billionaires will certainly come back into play. Though Bash might not be the killer, this writer thinks it’s not off base to assume one of the others did it. Either that, or one of the others we’ve already met this season. Is it a member of the Arconia staff, is it THÉ, or is it a mega-rich tycoon?
The other clue to keep your eye on is the bird whistle Rainey gives Oliver – it’s something Lester had on him when he died. Could the bird that the whistle resembles be the bird that Lester attributed to the person who killed him? We know Lester loved his birds, but at the moment everything – and everyone – just sounds fishy.
