Only Murders in the Building: Top Quotes from ‘Open and Shut’ (Season 1 Episode 10)

Only Murders in the Building Season 1 Episode 10, “Open and Shut,” manages to wrap up Tim Kono’s murder while setting things up for a thrilling Season 2. We’ve gotten teases along the way that hint at what’s in store for Mabel, Charles, and Oliver, and “Open and Shut” provides us with a bit more context

While it doesn’t look great for our trio, we couldn’t be more excited to see where things go next season. Now, let’s mix it up a bit and use some quotes from the episode to guide our discussion of the Season 1 finale.

1. A Fantastic Finale

Oliver: What a terrific goddamn finale this is going to be.

Mabel: Oliver, he could be in danger.

Oliver: Right, right, for sure, but that might not be so bad either.

This is an absolutely fantastic season finale. We get all the things we love about Only Murders in the Building: humor, drama, banter, and some investigative work. Plus, there’s a great showdown with the killer, and some delightful friendship moments.

It all comes together to give us a great sendoff that leaves us dying to see what happens next season — well, not knitting needle to the heart dying, but you get my drift.

Our trio divides and conquers during the episode with Charles interrogating Jan while Mabel and Oliver find evidence in her apartment. Of course, they don’t realize that they are efficiently investigating, but it allows us to get more of the full picture of who the real Jan is.

All the while, we are treated to some moments the show just how close Mabel, Charles, and Oliver have become, reminding us that they are the reason we keep tuning in week after week. They’re the heart of the show, and we’ll miss them while we wait for Season 2 to premiere.

2. Checking Back in with Tim Kono

Tim Kono: 23 seconds, that’s the time I spent when I was actually alive with three people on an elevator, and it has lead to all this, just 23 seconds. My name is Tim Kono. I lived in apartment 9A here at the Arconia. Approximately 12 minutes from now, I will be murdered, but let’s not rush this. Get to know a fella a little before he tells you how he died, right?

While I haven’t been the biggest fan of the shifting voiceovers, this one is pretty cool.

Tim allows us to go back to the very beginning and show us things that there’s no way we would’ve been able to see otherwise. They aren’t huge moments by any means, and we would’ve been fine having never seen them, but they help fill in some of the gaps of Tim’s story.

Plus, we started the series with that elevator ride, and it’s only fitting that we are back in that elevator during the finale.

3. A Podcaster Under Pressure

Charles: Oh, I’m not drinking at all. I’m taking stage sips because there’s poison in it. It’s what you did with Tim Kono right? A breakup drink before you shot him with his own gun. I’m still not sure why you poisoned the cat though.

I’ve never been prouder of Charles than I was in this moment. I may have been yelling at my screen, hoping he was being smart and recording all of this, and Charles does not disappoint.

Of course, Jan proves that she’s a bit smarter than he is by drugging the handkerchief, but still, Charles, I’m proud of you.

Charles’ alone time with Jan, while deeply inadvisable due to her nature to kill people, allows us to get to know the real Jan. We wouldn’t have gotten to see that any other way. It’s doubtful that she would be this unhinged in front of Mabel and Oliver.

Jan loves Charles, and so she relishes in his investigative breakthroughs and is eager to share how and why she did what she did. It’s the perfect way to get a confession, and their chat also adds some life and death danger to the mix as we worry about Charles’ safety.

4. A Familiar Sight

Charles: I’m not leaving her here.

Oliver: Oh, and I would?

Charles: Of course, you would!

Oliver: Of course, I would!

First off, I love the parallel to the first quote in this review, where Mabel and Oliver are worried about Charles. Well, Mabel is worried, and Oliver is thinking about what this means for the podcast. Let it be known that Oliver puts himself and the podcast before friends’ lives, and we love him for it.

There’s a lot to take in with this ending.

We get a couple of new mysteries to get us interested in what’s to come. Aside from who killed Bunny, there’s an unknown texter to identify, and somehow, a lot of people are outside of the Arconia when Charles, Mabel, and Oliver are walked out in cuffs.

The Arconiacs could have still just been sitting around, waiting for a sighting of their favorite podcasters, but why are Cinda Canning and Poppy there? Perhaps they have a police scanner on hand and heard that something happened at the Arconia and figured they should just get down there.

It’ll be interesting to see if the podcast in Season 2 is our trio’s or Cinda Canning’s. Both have potential, and it would be something different if the series had Cinda’s be the opening and closing narration while we follow Charles, Mabel, and Oliver around.

Did anyone else notice how happy the Arconiacs looked? It’s like they were shocked but also excited about what Charles, Mabel, and Oliver being handcuffed means for future podcasts.

Other Notable Quotes

• “Even though I didn’t get to know all that went on after I left, a connection was made among three strangers willing to embrace their own messes and to recognize we are all connected.”
• “Hello, I’m a sucker for lonely guys with noticeable age differences I meet on elevators. I think you know that.”
• “Roses are red, violets are blue. Who should I kill? Maybe it’s you.”
• “Coming this fall, only murderers in the building.”

What did you think of the finale of Only Murders in the Building? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Only Murders in the Building is now streaming on Hulu.

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