Only Murders in the Building Recap: Secrets & Wives

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Now that the team is tied to a podcast deal preventing them from pursuing their wealthy suspects, they enlist Detective Williams, played by Da’Vine Joy Randolph, for help. She quickly points out the absurdity of them only *now* discovering a hidden casino after four seasons of investigating the building. It leaves you wondering what other surprises the building holds – perhaps a pool, bowling alley, or even a spa? Considering all the murders, a few extra amenities wouldn’t go amiss.

Apparently, the casino has been thoroughly cleaned, with the only remaining clue being some shrimp tails – hinting that someone made off with a bucket of shrimp from Oliver’s wedding. Detective Williams believes this cleanup suggests they should question the staff.

Before we learn more about the overarching mystery, we finally find out what’s been going on with Charles. Oliver and Mabel catch him using a dating app, and it turns out his recent preoccupation with death and secretive medication weren’t signs of illness. He’s simply been taking testosterone, which explains his newfound energy and eagerness to reconnect with Sofia to investigate the playing cards.

While he’s out on his assignment, Mabel and Oliver investigate who cleaned up the casino at the Arconia. They start by questioning Ursula, who says all building services went through a man known as “Tommy the Tongue.” Next, they rush to the trash room hoping to find clues before the garbage is collected. However, the trash man, Miller, seems to know a lot about them – including that Oliver recently turned down a good offer for his apartment. It seems like someone is always considering moving! When they ask about Tommy the Tongue, Miller dismisses them, refusing to share information with residents.

Before leaving the basement, they notice a message carved into a table: “DIE LESTER DIE.” It seems pretty significant considering Lester *did* die. When confronted, Randall confesses to carving it, but claims it wasn’t about the human Lester. He says he meant the robot designed to replace him. Mabel and Oliver seem to believe him, but here’s the catch: the robot’s name is actually LESTR, missing a vowel – like the apps Grindr or Crumbl. Randall knows this because Howard explained the acronym, and it’s suspicious he’d misspell it on the carving. It *could* be a simple mistake, but something feels off.

Through exploring the viewpoints of the building’s staff, we learn they feel the Arconia is falling apart. Residents are leaving, being replaced by automated systems, and the staff believe the main trio is responsible for the building’s reputation as a place where murders happen. They also feel unappreciated by the tenants, who haven’t supported them, all while their jobs are increasingly insecure. Oliver recognizes these frustrations as an opportunity to gain their trust and support, so he organizes a building-wide meeting to address their concerns and rally them together.

Charles and Sofia have a dinner date at a hibachi restaurant, and surprisingly, they keep running into the mayor. The show’s storyline revolves around money and corruption, and it would have been perfect to have Eric Adams play himself – imagining New York City as “the Arconia of America.” During dinner, Charles reveals that a deck of cards holds the key to Nicky’s secret casino, but Sofia pretends not to know anything about it and quickly changes the subject. She then shares that Nicky wasn’t the hardened criminal everyone believed; her family was actually the one with ties to the mob. She explains that Nicky was innocent, only getting involved because of her mother. Before Charles can delve deeper or ask about Tommy the Tongue, Sofia seduces him, which proves quite easy given Charles’s attraction to her.

Oliver and Mabel’s attempt to rally building residents against the new AI and robotic upgrades fails spectacularly. It turns out everyone else actually *likes* the changes, which just frustrates the staff even more. Amidst the chaos, LESTR is unexpectedly kidnapped. Oliver, predictably, tries to calm things down with an impromptu sing-along of “Send in the Clowns,” prompting Richard Kind to hilariously ask which version they’re doing. It’s a brilliantly absurd and entertaining scene.

As for romantic mishaps, Charles returns looking rather embarrassed. Mabel then criticizes him for getting involved with someone connected to the case, but honestly, this kind of thing happens every season. In fact, just this year, Mabel herself was flirting with Jay, which made her vulnerable before he manipulated them into the podcast arrangement.

The best part of the episode for me is when Mabel suddenly realizes they might still be able to get answers from Lester, even though he’s gone. All his records were saved in LESTR, the system, so maybe it holds some clues. But just as she figures this out, we hear a robotic groan and see LESTR fall out of the window! It briefly sounded like something terrible happened to T-Pain, but Howard already ordered a replacement LESTR, so goodbye, old LESTR.

Despite initial concerns, the meeting wasn’t a complete loss. Miller appreciated the support from those in charge (and he even got to destroy a robot!), so he showed his gratitude by gifting them a portrait of Lester – made from the trash collected the night he passed away. He also recovered the rejected offer for Oliver’s apartment, taking it with him.

Just as they were about to examine the portrait for clues, Charles noticed his phone was missing – the one containing crucial evidence. They tracked it to Sofia, which was bad news, considering the phone held photos of her deceased husband – not exactly ideal when you’re starting to date someone. Sofia was already leaving, so they jumped in Oliver’s car to try and catch her in Flatbush. They weren’t sure what she was up to there, but at least they wouldn’t have to pay the toll to cross the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge on their way back to Staten Island.

While driving and still debating Oliver’s potential move, Charles searches through the trash and discovers invoices from that night, all addressed to Tommy. Even more telling, the address on the invoices matches the location Charles’s phone is pinging. As if that weren’t enough, Detective Williams calls with a surprising discovery: “Tommy the Tongue” isn’t a person, but a very wealthy company that emptied its accounts that same morning. The withdrawal didn’t list a name, but the address linked to it is the one they’re currently heading towards in Flatbush.

Just as they arrive, Sofia is seen knocking on the door – it turns out she’s there to meet Lester’s wife, Lorraine. This means two wives are now dealing with the aftermath of their husbands’ sudden and questionable deaths. While this is concerning, I need more evidence before I suspect Dianne Wiest, but things aren’t looking great.

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2025-09-23 19:55