Critic’s Rating: 4 / 5.0
4
Is everyone okay after that super depressing moveout scenario?
Mysteries often have detectives hit their lowest point right before they crack the case, so I guess I can forgive Only Murders In The Building Season 5 Episode 9 for being the most depressing story in the series’ five-season history.
Still, this is supposed to be a comedy, and instead I felt like I was being dragged down along with Mabel for most of the hour.
Everything Felt So Messed Up That I Thought The Series Had Been Canceled.
If you did too, don’t worry — we still have one more episode this season and, while Hulu hasn’t made a renewal decision yet, the cast wants to do more.
Still, this whole move-out situation feels way too final.
Everyone is being forced to leave the Arconia, so unless there’s a miracle in the final episode, there’sno more murder building for the trio to live in.
Of course, solving the mystery might mean the deal is off… or Camila could turn up dead in the final minutes, kicking off a new mystery.
Still, throughout Only Murders In The Building Season 5 Episode 9, it seemed like the bad guys had won… everything.
The building had been sold. The podcast was under the control of billionaires. The case was stalled indefinitely.
Mabel Was Ready To Drink Her Problems Away And I Was Right There With Her
I don’t usually like it when characters turn to alcohol as the solution to every problem, but in this case, I couldn’t blame Mabel.
Her whole life was falling apart, and sitting in that lobby surrounded by soon-to-be-homeless people and their possessions wasn’t helping anything.
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Alcohol seemed good to her anf so did running away with Jay.
Hell, even talking to Teddy, who was a murderer who tried to kidnap her in the past, seemed like a good idea to her.
I’m Not Surprised The Robot Held One Of The Keys To The Mystery
That thing had to be useful sooner or later, or else it would just be a joke that kept going way past the point of being funny.
(Which is the problem with Howard treating the device like a boyfriend, by the way. That joke was not funny to begin with and is beyond irritating now.)
At first, I was confused as to how Lester had interacted with this robot when it had first shown up after he died, and anyway, this one was a second model.
I guess the explanation that the robot had the memory banks of its predecessor makes sense. I won’t quibble with that.
The bigger plot hole is that the robot no longer was under Howard’s control because Camila had taken it over, yet it was willing to randomly offer undoctored security footage.
Those two things seem to contradict each other, though it was Sebastian who had edited the footage the first time.
There are a hell of a lot of loose ends to tie up in the final episode, and that’s one of them.
The footage Sebastian doctored seemed to implicate Randall, but later the robot’s footage showed that the doorman himself had killed Nicky to try to stop the takeover of the Arconia and then sent the finger to Oliver so that the trio could get to work proving it.
Did this episode leave you feeling more confused, or do you think you know exactly what happened?
I want to know what you think! Hit the comments with your thoughts.
I feel vindicated because I predicted after Only Murders In The Building Season 2 Episode 8 that there were two killers, but we still have some major loose ends to tie up here, and one of them is Sebastian’s involvement.
Of course, we didn’t see Lester kill Nicky, so there could be a further twist — like someone else killing Nicky even though it looks like Lester did it.
If so, I doubt it’s Sebastian, though, since that wouldn’t fit in with Nonna being involved.
If That Reveal Felt Rushed, It Was Because We Barely Saw The Woman.
It’s been so long since she’s been on-screen that I was wracking my brains trying to remember who had a wheelchair before the final reveal.
The clue and reveal were good, but at the same time, it felt a little like pulling an answer out of thin air because the wheelchair reference was so obscure.
It would have worked beter if this woman had been in themajority of episodes. That way, even if I didn’t recall her wheelchair use right away, it would still feel like a fair clue.
Howard was as confused as I was by Charles saying he solved the case.
It does make sense in a way, though, especially if we take everything at face value.
If Lester killed Nicky, then an old-school mob boss mother would have to kill him to get revenge.
Its simplicity makes me even more convinced there’s another twist coming, because we have one episode left and a very obvious solution to the crime here.
What are your thoughts?
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If you enjoy Only Murders in the Building, check out our coverage of Elsbeth, which has a very similar vibe. You might also enjoy our thoughts about Watson or Matlock.
Only Murders In The Building streams on Hulu. The fifth season finale will drop on October 28, 2025 at 12/11c.
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Only Murders In The Building Season 5 Episode 9 forgot it was a comedy as everyone prepared to leave the Arconia for good. Our review!
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A new clue brought us one step closer to finding the killer on Only Murders In The Building Season 5 Episode 8, but is it too late? Our review!
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It took the long way round, but Only Murders In The Building Season 5 Episode 6 finally gave us a viable suspect. Our review!
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