It’s ladies night at the Arconia, and they are playing to win! Only Murders in the Building’s fifth season is winding down, as we get closer to the reveal of the killer in “Cuckoo Chicks” – and yes, that’s another bird reference.
We start off Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Episode 8 inside Camila White’s (Renée Zellweger, Chicago) head, which is a very scary place to be. Judging by her casino plans, you might guess that her inner thoughts look elegant and a bit boring, but there is some gossip in the mix! Two years ago, she apparently met none other than Nicky Caccimelio (Bobby Cannavale, Ant-Man), working downstairs in the Arconia’s Velvet Room. She thought of many ideas for the poker room, including ladies night.
Fast forward to the future, where our prickly Mabel receives an exclusive invite from THÉ (Beanie Feldstein, Booksmart) to ladies night in the Velvet Room. It’s the perfect opportunity to snoop – and wear a stunning ensemble. Both of which she’s able to accomplish, but certainly not alone.
Loretta (Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada) and Detective Williams (Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers) both have cancelled flights, and what better way to spend a day than trapped in the Arconia, hunting for clues? They accompany Mabel to ladies night, along with a devastated Rainey (Dianne Wiest, Bullets Over Broadway), who is still deeply mourning Lester. Their mission is to stop Camila White, after the trio finds out she’s buying all of the apartments in the Arconia, and she’s about to own 51% of the building. After the trio’s podcast is basically owned by the billionaires, they are even more desperate to save their home from Camila’s claws.
Detective Williams decides to step in and take the place of the real dealer in the Velvet Room to rig the game…but she isn’t the only one. Loretta takes on the role of Celerie Whisp, a psychic medium, complete with her own special wardrobe and accent. At first, it seems like it might not pan out, but when Celerie throws the others under the bus to gain Camila’s trust, she slowly begins unraveling. Celerie also picks up on subtle hints Camila throws out and uses that to bolster her case about being a psychic; for example, Camila thinks she’s the reincarnation of her great grandmother and keeps throwing glances at the bar.
The latter is because of Nicky, of course, who used to make her martinis behind that very counter. We see a few flashbacks of Camila and Nicky’s interactions, which end up being very revealing. Camila was in love with him, but Nicky chose his wife at first. Later, Nicky says he saw his wife having an affair, but with who? We never find out…only that Nicky was finally ready to go all in with Camila’s casino plans, but he was eventually killed before it could happen. Camila doesn’t say much, other than “that fucking doorman!”
Would it be far flung to believe that Sofia Caccimelio was having an affair with the mayor? That could add even more fuel to the fire for Mayor Tillman’s motives. As per last week’s episode, yours truly believes he does play some role in this murder and he could even be the guilty party.
Meanwhile it’s therapy time with the bros upstairs! Charles and Oliver are joined by resident and therapist Grover (Russell G. Jones, Long Bright River), whose place is about to go into escrow with Camila White. They try to convince him not to sell, but Charles and Oliver truly unlock parts of themselves during this discussion. Detective Williams even joins them, and ends up being the best therapist Charles ever had (and sorely needed). Grover opens up, too, and realizes he doesn’t want to sell, but it’s past midnight – and that means time is up.
It’s also ladies night, so it wouldn’t be fair to go the whole episode without a little juicy drama. Mabel and Rainey have a heart to heart in Mabel’s apartment, which is really quite sweet. Mabel is scared to text Jay, but Rainey convinces her that it’s worth it, especially because Mabel doesn’t think Jay killed Lester. It seems like we will get more of this romance in the coming episodes. Though we don’t have much to go on for this pairing just yet, this writer wouldn’t be opposed!
As the clock strikes midnight and the team realize they’ve failed to save the Arconia from Camila’s clutches, they also find out that not all hope is lost. Celerie Whisp was on the case all night, and Loretta brings back more than just the info about Nicky and Camila – she brings back Lester’s beloved elevator crank, covered in blood. It was discovered in Nicky’s private office, and it has murder weapon written all over it. You know that when Meryl Streep is here, we’re always going to get right down to business.
As far as clues go, remember the bird whistle? Rainey blew the whistle from Mabel’s apartment, and it actually activated the birding camera that Lester and Vince set up in the courtyard. Vince reveals the footage, and it shows the night Lester died. When Camila said “that fucking doorman,” she didn’t mean Lester (or even LESTR, the robot who joined in Lester’s wake), but Randall (Jermaine Fowler, Sorry to Bother You), the doorman Lester trained to take over. He was found clutching the elevator crank and fleeing the crime scene on the birding cameras.
This writer has a feeling he isn’t the one behind the murders, but he definitely knows something, and he could have been threatened to keep quiet. There are only two more episodes left and many questions, as always – but if we’re onto something regarding the mayor, maybe we know some of the answers.
