Only Murders In the Building Season 2 Episode 6 Review: Performance Review
Mary Littlejohn
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Not everything is as it seems.
Things take a dark -- and glittery -- turn on Only Murders In the Building Season 2 Episode 6.
Our narrator here was none other than Poppy White, Cinda Canning's assistant.
Adina Verson has had a subtle presence whenever they appeared on screen, with Poppy finally taking the spotlight and acknowledging just how much she does for Cinda.
As Poppy, Verson radiates insecure nervousness with a thin veneer of confidence. (They also have an intense and mellow cadence that makes their voice perfect for podcasting, just saying).
Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be great at something.
Poppy White
Mabel sees through Poppy's flimsy excuses, and Poppy, though she doesn't admit it at first, senses an ally there.
After Cinda's harsh refusal to grant Poppy a well-served promotion, Poppy realizes she wants to help her boss's adversaries.
Poppy and Mabel were both let down by someone they once held in high esteem.
Everyone’s just so obsessed with my past. Maybe that’s why I love being with you. You’re just new. And you make me feel new.
Mabel Mora
We knew Alice was suspicious, but what a bizarre betrayal!
It makes dramatic sense, of course, that once Mabel expressed how renewed she felt in her relationship with Alice, it would all come crumbling down.
Their connection was instant, but now Alice has thrown it all away -- for what appears to be an art project.
I don't think Alice has malicious (or murderous) intent. She's just a self-absorbed artist who can't see that a project like this would further traumatize Mabel instead of helping to heal her.
Mabel and Alice really don't know each other well at all.
This is also the second time Mabel's father has come up. Like Alice, we don't know much about him, except that he likes his eggs slow-cooked, and he died when Mabel was a child.
Mabel has been traumatized repeatedly; somehow, she managed to stay resilient and grounded.
However, the hits kept coming, and she could not take it anymore. With compounding tragedies, witnessing Bunny's death, and the social media onslaught, it's a wonder she has maintained as well as she has.
Selena Gomez does well here, portraying Mabel's frustration, despair, and terror.
After being triggered by Alice, Mabel is stuck with tunnel vision. Her safe space is no longer safe, the people closest to her have betrayed her, and now someone she believes to be a killer is coming at her in the subway.
When I was an intern at the Post, Kay Graham gave me a great piece of advice. She said, “Don’t be too good at a job you don’t want.”
Cinda Canning
What is up with Cinda? We've always known her to be egocentric and cold, but she's also incredibly business-savvy. As Poppy told Mabel, Cinda has many secrets. Could she be behind something?
Theories swirled in Season 1 that Cinda might have been behind Tim Kono's death, but maybe those are more worth exploring this season for Bunny's senseless murder.
Cinda doesn't seem like the type of person that would be above killing for a good story and maintaining her posterity.
And what does Cinda know about Detective Kreps? She shut him down quickly, saying she could help him and warning him that he needed to be careful given his reputation. What's his deal? What's his reputation?
Thanks to you we’re getting more anonymous tips than a Penn Station gloryhole.
Detective Kreps
Cinda is fearless and confident. What lengths will she take? Her use of Jimmy Russo has upped the stakes, proving the lengths she will go to in order to incriminate the trio.
She must know ithey're not guilty -- but how? Wouldn't she be afraid of what they could do to her if she suspected they were actually killers?
Kreps explains that Williams is in Denver, so who has Charles been texting? And why was the texter the person who told them to get out of the building on the night of Bunny's murder? Who would have wanted to warn them?
This appears to be the same person that has been trying to frame them. Or is it just someone trying to protect all of them?
Who is the Glitter Man? Is he Bunny's killer? Will he survive Mabel's stabbing? Why does he want the evidence?
Naomi: It’s not you, Uncle B. It’s the world that’s lost its mind.
Charles Haden Savage: Soup!
Charles having his little entourage on the Brazzos set was cute --- not to mention adding Andrea Martin into the mix! (Fun fact, Andrea Martin is no relation to Steve, but she is technically Martin Short's sister-in-law!)
Andrea Martin is always a joy (pun intended) and a gifted comic actress, so let's hope she becomes a semi-recurring character (age-appropriate love-interest?) for the rest of Season 2 and hopefully into Season 3.
Jane Lynch is back as Sazz Pataki, and she was featured just the right amount here.
Re-introducing her on set made sense, but then bringing her back to break up with Jan was totally inspired, yielding to a great scene between her and Amy Ryan (which left us wanting more but hopefully gave Jan what she needed).
Are you really going to leave me here, all locked up, and not in a sexy way?
Jan
There are still no DNA results for Oliver, but it's definitely weighing on him.
What would it mean if Teddy were Will's father? It may force Teddy and Oliver to form a truce. How would Theo feel about it? Does Teddy know or suspect his involvement in Will's conception?
I'm sure all these answers will come to light, but how they will be relevant to Bunny's case (if at all) remains a mystery.
Finally, it feels like the plot is moving along. The trio is taking charge now that they have a bit more information. They are going full Hardy Boys again, planting traps for suspects. Their shenanigans are always entertaining.
If my years in regional theater and wild orgies have taught me anything, it’s that there is no getting rid of glitter.
Oliver Putnam
Only Murders In The Building is up there in terms of high-quality, quirky character studies, but Season 1's mystery was still more involved and intriguing than #WhoKilledBunny.
Do we care about the identity of Bunny's murderer because they actually killed Bunny or because they are trying to frame Mabel along with Charles and Oliver?
Learning more about Mabel's past, Poppy's dreams, and Cinda's secrets is great. We're getting somewhere.
However, it's been a while since we saw Amy Schumer, Howard, Uma, Ursula, Leonora, Lester, Nina, or Oscar.
Plenty of characters are getting short shrift, and it seems increasingly unlikely that they could be suspects when they're so out of mind.
It still feels like the mystery is pointing wildly in many directions and needs some kind of core to anchor it.
There are so many hints and clues to digest here. Which ones will bear fruit?
What do you think, Arconiacs? Let us know your theories in the comments!
Mary Littlejohn Mary Littlejohn was a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic.
