Only Murders in the Building: True Crime / Who is Tim Kono / How Well Do You Know Your Neighbors? (Season 1 Episode 1-3)
Only Murders in the Building Season 1 Episodes 1-3 introduces us to Mabel, Oliver, and Charles and their investigation into the murder of Tim Kono. All three are obsessed with true crime podcasts, so naturally, they decide to give Tim’s murder the podcast treatment.
The podcast aspect not only bleeds into the characters’ actions and discussion of the murder, but Only Murders in the Building also uses it when presenting the story to us — voiceovers similar to the narration in podcasts, episode title cards appearing as they would if it were an actual podcast.
The end result is delightful, adding a touch of whimsy to this murder mystery.
The investigation itself is also enjoyable, especially once Mabel branches out and does her own videos. It is easy to get sucked into the investigation, acting much like Charles, Mabel, and Oliver do when they’re discussing All is Not Okay in Oklahoma.
As for the trio themselves, they are an unlikely group. It’s obvious that none of them would be friends in real life, which is part of the reason why their interactions are so wonderful. Most of the comedy in the series comes from the three of them attempting to work together and get along.
In addition to the predictable age difference jokes — Charles trying to figure out how to reach out to Mabel on Only Murders in the Building Season 1 Episode 3, “How Well Do You Know Your Neighbors?” — there’s also humor in them all being totally different people.
Their personalities are so different, and so watching them all try to accomplish the same task with vastly different tactics or ideas on how to do it is a constant source of comedy.
So far, the only time Only Murders in the Building struggles is when it insists on spending time with characters, mainly Oliver, outside of the mystery.
Oliver’s money troubles and flashbacks to Splash aren’t engaging enough to hold our attention, especially considering how long those scenes go on. We’d rather be back in the investigation, trying to discover a new clue or watching Oliver, Mabel, and Charles interact.
Sure, eventually, those scenes lead to Oliver getting the podcast out on Only Murders in the Building Season 1 Episode 3, but we could’ve had that happen without being forced to follow Oliver around as much.
So far, we haven’t spent much time with Charles, other than watching him make and throw out omelets and have a brief conversation with a neighbor. The brevity is what makes those scenes work. They aren’t too long to where they start to drag the story down. They are short and sweet and give us insight into Charles’ character.
As for Mabel, all of her flashbacks and time spent alone from the others ties back into the investigation. She gives us insight into Tim and a potential motive that Charles and Oliver aren’t aware of. In the process, we also learn more about her.
Overall, this is a solid start to the series. The mystery is engaging, and with us knowing more than Oliver and Charles, there’s suspense building, hoping they eventually stumble onto Mabel’s past, somehow.
Stray Thoughts
- I’ll never be over Charles encountering Evelyn in the freezer.
- The auditions for the role of the murderer are unexpectedly hilarious.
- Sting being in this is so random, but I love it.
What did you think of the first three episodes of Only Murders in the Building? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New episodes of Only Murders in the Building premiere Tuesdays on Hulu.
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Allison Nichols
Allison is in a love affair with television that doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Slightly damaged fictional characters are her weakness. She loves to spend her free time curled up with a cat and a show to binge-watch. Allison is a Tomatometer-approved critic (Rotten Tomatoes).