In our last recap, we broke down the most suspenseful episode yet, Only Murders in the Building season 5 episode 7. In this episode, we finally got answers to how the billionaire suspects, Camila, Bash, and Jay, were tied to the Arconia and the two victims, Nicky Caccimelio and Lester the doorman. We found out that the billionaires placed bets, on the night of the murders, to turn the Arconia into New York’s first casino. Camila won the bet, creating the perfect opportunity to buy out all of the apartments at the Arconia.
CAUTION: This post contains SPOILERS for Only Murders in the Building season 5 episode 8 and 9.
The shady new business arrangement also crafted a new motive for Camila to be the prime suspect for both murders, as Nicky and Lester would not go down without a fight once they found out about the bets. One character’s arc, Jay Pfhlug, begins to change direction as he appears to switch sides in favor of helping Mabel close the case. He might also have romantic motivation for helping her escape with a major piece of evidence—the severed finger that has been in question since Only Murders in the Building season 5 episode 1.
Camila hosts a ladies night in Only Murders In The Building season 5 episode 8
As Charles, Mabel, and Oliver inch closer to finding out what happened the night of the murder, Camila becomes their number one suspect, seeing as though she had a very expensive motive to target Nicky and Lester, who would have tried to stop her shark-like business endeavor. While Nicky would have opposed the casino development for fear of competition for his own underground casino, Lester would have opposed the deal because it would mean the end of the Arconia as a treasured place of residence in the heart of the city.
During the ladies night, Oliver’s wife, Loretta, goes undercover as a poker player so that she can question Camila about the night of the murders. Camila hasn’t yet met Loretta, so it’s the perfect cover. Loretta finds out that Nicky joined in the business deal with Camila after finding out about his wife’s affair. Camila also confesses that Lester got in the way of the deal, though we don’t find out until the next episode how he did so.
Oliver and Charles try to save the Arconia
Oliver and Charles start a mission to convince all of the residents at the Arconia to refuse to sell their apartments to Camila—but they’re a little too late. Sadly, they must come to terms with the fact that the Arconia they knew had been sold, and that they will have to find somewhere else to live. Even more disappointing is the fact that the podcast trio will be split up since they won’t be neighbors anymore.
Of course, Charles, Mabel, and Oliver could still go on to investigate murders, but their dynamic would likely change. Also, we can’t forget that Camila’s company now owns their podcast—at least for the next couple of years. Is this episode hinting at the end of the series? Five seasons is pretty typical for the life of a series, but Only Murders in the Building is always full of surprises, so only time will tell.
Only Murders In The Building season 5 episode 9 exposes Randall’s secret
Camera footage revealed that Randall was at the crime scene on the night of the murders. Now that the cat’s out of the bag about Randall’s presence at the crime scene—with the murder weapon, I might add—he makes a run for it. While Mabel tries to track down Randall, tenants begin to leave the Arconia for the final time, bringing a sense of somberness to the series.
Things really climax from this point on. It doesn’t take long for Mabel to find Randall, hiding out in an empty apartment at the Arconia. She confronts him in true Mabel fashion and accuses him of murdering Lester for personal gain. Randall finally reveals that Lester made him keep a life-changing secret. More importantly, LESTR the robot has more footage of the whole encounter.
On the night of the murder, Lester runs to Randall with a bloody elevator crank, saying that he didn’t mean to hurt anyone, but he couldn’t let a mobster take over the building. In a point of irony, he states, “I saved the old Arconia with a piece of the old Arconia.” Randall pieces together that Lester must have killed Nicky, and Lester asks him to keep quiet about it for his own safety. He also makes an odd request: he wants Randall to take a shrimp cocktail to Oliver’s room, which contained the severed finger (unbeknownst to Randall).
It seems that Lester was trying to provide clues to the podcasters, even ahead of his own tragic death. With this new information, the podcasters are more committed than ever to saving the Arconia, seeing as Lester died for the cause. They just need to find out who killed Lester. Before the episode ends, we have an idea of who that might be.
Howard makes a genius connection to the second murder suspect
Howard’s character in the show has been one that neither loves nor hates the podcasters. He honestly just wants to be a part of the murder-solving, but was always a few steps behind in previous seasons. This season, he connects with LESTR the robot as a way to feel important, and also because no one else in the building seems to pay him much mind.
This all changes when Howard comes across a piece of evidence that the podcasters haven’t been able to decipher. On their murder board, they have a picture of the floor of Charles’ apartment, showing scuff marks that indicate someone had been in his apartment.
Howard saves the case by revealing that those scuff marks had to have come from someone in a particular scooter model, because his mom uses one that leaves those exact marks. This new revelation narrows down the suspect list to Nicky’s mother. There is a teaser that the podcasters will confront his mother in the season finale.
Only Murders in the Building season 5 episode 9 ends with the words, “1 day before move out,” so let’s see if the podcasters will save the Arconia, or if the tenants will exit for the final time, ending the Arconia’s old legacy, and ushering in a new era.
The season finale of Only Murders in the Building season 5 airs Tuesday, Oct. 28.
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