Spoiler Warning: Only Murders in the Building Seasons 1-2
Though there is no shortage of true crime podcasts, television series, and documentaries in the contemporary media landscape, there are few modern projects that attempt to satirize the true crime phenomenon. That’s where Only Murders in the Building comes in.
Only Murders in the Building has an impressive cast of A-list actors. This includes, but is not limited to: Steve Martin as Charles-Haden Savage, a washed-up actor who formerly appeared on the fictional ’80s detective television series Brazzos; Martin Short as Oliver Putnam, a middling Broadway director; and Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora, who becomes involved with her older podcast co-hosts while renovating her aunt’s apartment. In season two, these three amigos (if one can pardon the Steve Martin and Martin Short joke) are joined by Cara Delevingne (Suicide Squad, Carnival Row), who plays Alice Banks, an art gallery attendant who represents Gomez’ Mabel Mora’s love interest. Also joining this season is comedian Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer, Trainwreck) as herself.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Here’s how Only Murders in the Building skewers everyone’s obsession with true crime.
The True Crime Obsession
There isn’t anything inherently wrong with true crime content. While there may be something a little strange about choosing to focus the bulk of one’s media attention on the gruesome topic, true crime documentaries can shed light on past crimes, tell the stories of said crimes’ victims, and even bring attention to previously forgotten cold cases. The ultimate issue with the contemporary true crime obsession is that many of the individuals who consume it view the crimes discussed and their victims as simply entertainment fodder, or worse, come to view themselves as some sort of amateur detective based solely upon the conclusion they have drawn through consuming true crime content.
Though Steve Martin’s Charles-Hayden Savage, Martin Short’s Oliver Putnam, and Selena Gomez’ Mabel Mora, the trio who started the titular Only Murders in the Building podcast, ultimately solve season one’s murder, it is only after a wild comedy of errors. At several junctures in their investigation, they accuse innocent people of the heinous crime, including, at one point, singer-songwriter Sting, even going so far as to accuse some innocent individuals on their very public podcast.
A Podcast About the Only Murders in the Building Podcast
In season two of the show, Only Murders in the Building isn’t the only podcast on the block. Cinda Canning, a true crime enthusiast portrayed by Tina Fey (Saturday Night Live, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and the host of a fictional podcast called All is Not OK in Oklahoma, has started a new podcast. Her show focuses on the Only Murders in the Building podcast trio and the investigation over their involvement in the death of their former apartment neighbor Bunny (more on that later).
Though the events in Only Murders in the Building aren’t true-to-life crimes, there is something incredibly relatable about Cinda’s podcast about the podcasters. The only reason true crime is enjoyable is that those who enjoy it are, in all likelihood, not the victims or related to the victims of similar crimes. It’s easy to be on the outside looking into the lives of the victims discussed in true crime content, but the reality of these crimes is obviously too heinous to possibly imagine.
Looking Deeper Into Bunny Folger’s Last Day
Hulu
Season two of Only Murders in the Building begins with the three podcasts host in police custody, as they were discovered with the body of Jayne Houdyshell’s (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Little Women) Bunny. Though they are quickly released following their arrest, their proximity to Bunny’s murder shakes them to the core.
However, in the most recently released episode of Only Murders in the Building, “The Last Day of Bunny Folger,” it is revealed Bunny attempted to join in the celebration that the podcast trio was having following the resolution of season one’s murder, only to be rebuked by the podcasters. Had Bunny been celebrating with the three, she never would have been killed. This serves as a metaphor for the ways in which true crime enthusiasts can oftentimes be oblivious to the genuine suffering that surrounds them.
Only Murders in the Building is a hilarious exploration of the modern obsession with true crime. The three podcasters at the center of the show bumble their way through their amateur investigation of season one’s crimes. In season two, they are completely apoplectic to find themselves at the center of an investigation. It’s unlikely that true crime as a mainstream fixture of popular culture will end anytime soon. However, with the help of hilarious series like Only Murders in the Building, perhaps folks will start to look inward and examine why they choose to constantly imbibe such morbid content.
