If you thought the Arconia was complicated before, buckle up. Only Murders in the Building introduces a new range of possibilities and adds to the list of suspects in Only Murders in the Building Episodes 3 and 4. While episode 3 untangles Bunny Folger’s (Jayne Houdyshell, Little Women) last day alive and who she saw when, Episode 4 takes the mystery up a few notches, showing us some familiar faces and unveiling the secret tunnels built into the Arconia’s walls.
Steve Martin’s Charles, Martin Short’s Oliver, and Selena Gomez’s Mabel take a backseat in “The Last Day of Bunny Folger” and hand things off to Bunny’s bird Mrs. Gambolini for a sneak peek into the woman’s life. This episode is really a fun way of seeing that Bunny really wasn’t such a “cranky old bitch” as Mabel once dubbed her, and instead, like everyone else at the Arconia, maybe she was just a little bit misunderstood.
We discover some suspicious characters among the many people Bunny spoke to on her final day, including the new head of the Arconia Nina Lin (Christine Ko, Dave), and someone on the phone who keeps asking Bunny about the painting of Charles’ father. Since the true crime trio is unaware of the latter fact, they pursue Nina as the prime suspect in episode 4.
Something heartbreaking we find out in Episode 3 is that the true-crime trio could’ve saved Bunny when she knocked on their door to hang out. If they had invited her in, perhaps she wouldn’t have gone back to her own place and met such a cruel fate.
However, the trio still continues forward on their mission to find Bunny’s killer. Let’s return to Nina, who seems like an obvious choice in Episode 3 as she so clearly wants to replace Bunny’s reign as head of the Arconia and modernize the building. But Episode 4 shakes her off as a suspect, especially after she declares how much she wants the crew to find the killer – after her water breaks – because she actually really cared for Bunny.
Instead, Episode 4, “Here’s Looking at You,” centers on the other secrets within the Arconia, namely the hidden passageways between the walls that can be used for sleuthing or spying. The episode also places heavy emphasis on familial bonds, specifically between fathers and their children, as Lucy (Zoe Margaret Colletti, Fear the Walking Dead) returns to see Charles after a long time, which warms his heart (even if he can’t really speak Gen Z).
She actually helps the crew discover the secret passageways that they use to spy on Nina and Teddy Dimas (Nathan Lane, The Lion King) who’s back in town…not to mention vengeful, since the trio kind of ruined his life. But when Oliver finds out through spying that Teddy’s son Theo (James Caverly, Chicago Med) is truly done with him, it inspires Oliver to help his own son out more since his family is sincerely important to him.
Lucy even bonds more with Charles during an emotional conversation about their relationship, and she says that he’s her favorite of the five fathers she’s had in her lifetime. Aww. What a heartwarming, family-centric episode.
Sort of. There is the question of the murder weapon that ended up in Charles’ apartment and of course the cliffhanger at the very end where we see Charles visiting everyone’s favorite murderer – you guessed it! – Jan (Amy Ryan, The Office).
There’s no telling how the mystery will continue to unfold after Only Murders in the Building Episodes 3 and 4 left us with so many questions. Besides, with no primary suspect right now, it seems like the answer to Bunny’s case is still far away…or perhaps closer than they think, hidden between the secret walls of the Arconia.
Only Murders in the Building Episodes 3 and 4 is now streaming on Hulu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMIdScgVZSM