Only Murders in the Building Review: Double Time (Season 1 Episode 9)
Charles has had enough of the investigation on Only Murders in the Building Season 1 Episode 9, “Double Time.” He’s ready to call it quits and let the cops take over, which isn’t a surprising move for him. As Mabel put it, Charles had a boring life prior to the podcast starting up.
I think anyone would want to step back after having someone you care about wind up in the hospital with a stab wound. So it’s not a shock that Charles doesn’t want to continue the investigation; it actually would’ve been weird if he didn’t step back.
It results in some tension between him, Oliver, and Mabel, but that’s not a bad thing. It adds some drama to the series, right when the mystery is getting good. I’m thinking Charles will rush out of the concert to go find Oliver and Mabel, and then the three of them all blurt out the Jan theory at once.
Charles stepping back from things allows Mabel and Oliver to become closer by working together, just the two of them.
They both have a stronger relationship with Charles, and we’ve been overdue for some solo Mabel and Oliver time that doesn’t result in a kidnapping. The two of them needed to work on their friendship a bit, and it gifts us the hilarious moment of Mabel reacting to Oliver claiming they had a moment when he first complimented her Beats.
Only Murders in the Building does a nice bit of misdirecting here with Jan’s voiceover. The way the voiceovers have worked in the previous episodes is that they indicated we would be spending a bit more time with that person, or there would be more of a focus on them.
Considering Jan was stabbed at the end of Only Murders in the Building Season 1 Episode 8, “Fan Fiction,” it makes sense that she would be more of a focus on her during “Double Time.” You don’t think twice about it, and then the ending hits, and you’re questioning everything.
Jan potentially being the killer is a great twist. The concert shows that she’s been lying about something she had no reason to ever lie about. It’s not like Charles is a big symphony person to where he would be less impressed with Jan if she was the second chair bassoonist.
So if she lied about that, there’s definitely more that she could be lying about. The thought of her and Tim being intimate, and then her moving on to Charles is a bit gross, but we’re not here to shame anyone for their dating activities. Do we think that Jan is really the killer, and if so, who stabbed her?
Quote Appreciation
- “I’d like to point out that when I offered to help, everyone sent me home to get stabbed.”
- “I may hurt him or at least speak to him firmly.”
- “If you’re a murderer, stop murdering!”
What did you think of this episode of Only Murders in the Building? Any theories to share as we wait for the season finale? 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).