Only Murders in the Building has found a way to weave all types of potential suspects into the cases every season. From quirky building residents to politicians, podcasters, and even celebrities playing exaggerated versions of themselves, no one is safe from scrutiny. That is, until the story progresses and suspects are cleared, one by one.
But in Season 5, Episode 9 “L.E.S.T.R.,” the stakes are raised to a new level with a suspect unlike anyone, or rather anything, the show has ever presented.
Everyone Forgets About L.E.S.T.R.
First, who, or rather what, is L.E.S.T.R.? The robot, which many don’t realize is voiced by former cast member Paul Rudd, first appears in Episode 4, “Dirty Birds,” when Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) introduces it as the Arconia’s new doorman assistant. Its name is L.E.S.T.R., which stands for Logic Engineered Secure Tenant Robot. And yes, it’s a robot. Much to Randall’s (Jermaine Fowler) chagrin, this robot is there to assist with basic tasks like reminders and deliveries. Much to Howard’s delight, however, he’s the one who gets to train it on everything to know about the Arconia and its residents, policies, and procedures.
Fast-forward to Episode 5, “Tongue Tied,” and the residents of the Arconia have spoken loud and clear. They don’t want L.E.S.T.R. around. They are adamant that it’s time to fight back against this high-tech, unwelcome, poor excuse for a doorman who can’t offer any type of human interaction. During a meeting in the lobby area, L.E.S.T.R. is destroyed by the angry man who works in the garbage area down below. He has had enough, and he’s going to do the deed for everyone. Many are glad to see L.E.S.T.R. gone, though Howard is distraught over losing his new “friend.”
But L.E.S.T.R. is never really dead. It just reappears in another electronic body, all the same memories and data still intact. This begs the question: How long has L.E.S.T.R. been around? Did it see anything that happened, and did it have anything to do with it? If fears of the robot revolt are realized, this could be the first time Only Murders in the Building dives into uncharted territory, with the killer being a robot rather than a human.
L.E.S.T.R. Knows a Lot More Than Anyone Realized
What becomes evident from the penultimate Episode 9, “L.E.S.T.R.,” which is, as the name implies, centered around the character L.E.S.T.R., is that it has been carrying important information all along that no one thought to tap into. As is customary with the show, the story dives into the tale from L.E.S.T.R.’s perspective, the robot narrating.
It’s revealed that L.E.S.T.R. is around when the real Lester (Teddy Coluca) is still alive. Sent by the head office as another way to modernize the seemingly archaic building, L.E.S.T.R. was like this new generation’s version of the electronic elevator. Though that didn’t eliminate the need for Lester decades ago when the building switched over, L.E.S.T.R. could be a real threat. Lester opens the massive box and learns that L.E.S.T.R. is being sent to help optimize efficiency. “The board bought you, but it doesn’t mean I have to use you,” Lester declares. There’s instant friction between the two. From that point on, right through to Lester’s death, L.E.S.T.R. remains in the basement to collect dust.
Even while confined to the basement, L.E.S.T.R. continues to listen and observe. It hears everything that goes on, including Lester’s angry outbursts and Randall entering the room to hide the elevator crank. While we learn by the end of the episode why this happened and who killed Nicky, thanks to the video footage captured by the robot, we still don’t know who killed Lester. L.E.S.T.R. is initially a suspect because of the marks in front of Charles’ (Steve Martin) refrigerator, where the mysterious finger was stolen. But the robot is cleared once the real culprit is discovered and confronted. (The suspect is the last person you probably considered.)
L.E.S.T.R. Might Help Solve the Case
It’s looking more and more like L.E.S.T.R. isn’t a suspect, but that the robot might be able to help solve the case, if actually given a chance. The robot might seem annoying as it moves about performing small chores like picking up dry cleaning. With the Arconia’s future as a residential building in trouble, it’s also now constantly reminding everyone how many more days they have left until move-out. But the fact that it’s constantly in the background as the trio talk about what’s going on in their lives and their frustration with the investigation can’t be ignored. L.E.S.T.R. is observing, analyzing, recording, and processing all the time.
Since L.E.S.T.R. was able to show footage that corroborated Randall’s story, what else has it captured? Interestingly, before Lester’s death, he tells Randall — one of the new characters in Season 5 — to take the shrimp to Oliver (Martin Short) and says he’ll know what to do. It’s unclear if Lester already knew the finger was in the shrimp, trying to send a message to Oliver. Randall confirmed he took the shrimp to Oliver, and Oliver indeed believes Lester left it as a hint, confident the trio would be able to solve the case from this clue.
The question is, why didn’t Lester go himself, or did he believe he could talk to them about it the next day? Was he planning to leave town, and was he murdered before he could go? What’s most important is that the trio realizes they need to solve the case and save the building that Lester died trying to protect.
By the end of the episode, L.E.S.T.R. scoots around observing everyone and its face (er, screen) suggests it’s sad, learning how much everyone loves the building. Perhaps it’s even a bit upset to be leaving. So, maybe the robot will end up taking out the enemies and saving the building. Or maybe instead of a suspect, L.E.S.T.R. will be a virtual podcast assistant that helps the team find out what happened to their beloved doorman.
“Go ahead and make me the bad guy,” L.E.S.T.R. says. “But there’s one thing I can’t do: act out of malice. There are some things that humans will always be better at than machines. One of those things is evil.” Stream Only Murders in the Building on Hulu.
- Release Date
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August 31, 2021
- Network
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Hulu
- Showrunner
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John Hoffman
