In season 2 episode 8 of comedy murder-mystery series Only Murders in the Building, the three protagonists attempt to find Lucy amid a blackout across the city. It is now streaming on Hulu.
Recap
At the end of episode 7, Mabel, Charles and Oliver realised that the killer had a picture of Lucy and Charles. When he tried to contact Lucy, who is in his apartment, the city faced a blackout.
Superfan Marc is also at the Pickle Diner, trying to push his theory of the sixth-avenue slasher being the killer.
The three rush to the Arconia to save Lucy as the blackout has affected network coverage, leaving them unable to call her. Ivan requests them to take all the dips they have as they would go bad otherwise, an offer Oliver is just unable to refuse.
At the Arconia, most residents are in the lobby due to the blackout. Nina Lin asks the doorman Lester to bring the package up to her using the stairs, despite his reluctance at the daunting task.
Howard finds a man attractive but struggles to muster up the courage to ask him out. Oliver dreads taking the stairs to find Lucy as well. With a heavy heart, he has to leave the bag of dips at the stairs as his knees are unable to handle the weight.
The man actually approaches Howard at his apartment with the excuse of finding batteries. Lester asks to sit down at Nina’s apartment after being exhausted getting there. Lucy witnesses the killer breaking into Charles’ apartment.
When the three arrive at Charles’ apartment, they realise Lucy is running from the killer using the secret passageways. Howard and the man kiss, and Lester has a conversation with Nina about Bunny.
The three get lost in the passageways, but luckily, Lucy manages to find them. She reveals that she saw the killer in the passageways before as well, which is why they must be after her, concerning Charles.
Howard and the man kiss, but he leaves awkwardly when he realises Howard has a cat because he is allergic to it.
Later, he shows up at his doorstep offering to send his cat away along with asking him on the date. The man accepts but asks him not to give away his poor cat.
Nina earlier threatened to replace Lester with machines but ends offering him the position of Director of Residence Support, as well as having second thoughts about renovating Arconia.
The four in the passageway are chased by someone with a flashlight. Mabel manages to subdue him by pummelling his face with the bag of dipsOliver had left earlier.
The mysterious person turns out to be Marv, who followed Lucy to save her from the killer; still believing him to be the sixth-avenue slasher.
It turns out that his flashlight was what saved all of them as he managed to drive the killer away, much to his happiness.
As the electricity returns, Mabel is confronted by Detective Keeps, who taunts Mabel about the slashing incident in the subway. She is shocked to spot glitter on his shoulder, which the killer had on him as well, making him a prime suspect in the murder of Bunny Folger.
Review
- The episode is riveting with the killer hot on Lucy’s trail and the threat looming throughout the episode.
- A number of supporting characters, such as Nina and Howard, get substantial character development over the course of the episode.
- The reveal at the end takes the narrative in a completely different direction but could easily be a red herring.
- Episode 8 wonderfully sets up the last stretch of the season as loose ends are finally tied.
Rating: 4/5
Also Read: Only Murders in the Building season 2 episode 7 recap & review: Flipping the Pieces