Only Murders in the Building Season-Finale Recap: Pointing the Finger

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Now that we’ve confirmed Nonna stole the finger from Charles’s apartment, the big question is her motive. Through flashbacks showing Nicky and Sofia’s romance and eventual breakup due to infidelity, Nonna reveals that when they first brought the finger to Staten Island, Sofia immediately recognized it as belonging to her former lover. This leads them to wonder why Lester thought sending it to Oliver hidden inside a shrimp was the best approach – why couldn’t he have just texted them the killer’s name? Oliver points out that doing so would have ended the story too quickly. It’s clever how they use the podcast itself to acknowledge they’re in a TV show.

The Arconia is scheduled for demolition following today’s announcement, but before it comes down, our detectives are trying to solve the mystery of Sofia’s secret lover. They believe this person may be hiding a missing finger – or perhaps using a fake one, so they’re even looking at people who appear to have all their fingers. To investigate, they gather all the billionaire suspects back at the gaming parlor, and for added intimidation, they enlist the help of Nicky’s sons. They jokingly introduce the “new mob” to the “old mob” and Mabel even brandishes a meat cleaver to get answers. The first twist comes when Jay reveals his “missing finger” was a hoax – he was just trying to find the real one. Camila and Bash both have all their fingers, but then a new suspect emerges: Mayor Tillman.

Just as he walks in, Mabel realizes who killed Lester. “I know who did it,” she exclaims, and dramatically slams a cleaver down on the mayor’s hand – thankfully, it’s a fake finger. The clue came from a text she received from Howard, letting her know the mayor was coming. Howard had accidentally autocorrected “Beau Tillman” to “Beautiful,” and Mabel suddenly understood. Lester’s last text, “It’s beautiful,” wasn’t a comment about the fountain; he was actually revealing the killer’s name.

The scene shifts to a flashback, revealing the night the season’s central mystery unfolded. It began as a normal evening in the parlor, but Nicky had just discovered Sofia was having an affair with the mayor. In a fit of rage, instead of giving Tillman the whiskey he requested, Nicky attacked him with a meat cleaver. Lester intervened, using the elevator crank to stop the assault – finally confronting his long-time abusive boss. During the struggle, Nicky accidentally fell onto the cleaver, resulting in his death.

Lester steals the mayor’s prosthetic finger and runs, refusing to return it even when Tillman offers a reward – he’s tired of being bribed. He mistakenly believes the building’s security cameras will protect him, but Tillman reveals he can erase the footage, making Lester realize how much danger he’s in. Lester then grabs a bird whistle, intending to call for help, resulting in a darkly comedic and memorable confrontation. Tillman coldly reminds Lester he doesn’t have friends, only people who rent from him, a moment that makes the viewer want to see him face consequences. During a struggle by the fountain as Lester tries to activate the cameras with the whistle, Tillman overpowers him and Lester is killed.

Just when the three friends solved the mystery, Mayor Tillman had his corrupt police officers raid the gaming parlor and arrest them. The officers took and destroyed their phones – including the recording of Tillman’s confession – and chained the trio in a stairwell, leaving them to die when the building was demolished. As he left, the mayor chillingly called them “the final murders in the building.”

How will they escape this time? Charles, predictably, tries to climb the pole he’s chained to, hoping to reach a laundry hanger and pick the locks. Surprisingly, he succeeds, then slides down the pole in a way that reminds one of the famous fire station scene in Bridget Jones’s Diary – perhaps because Renée Zellweger is also here.

While all the commotion is happening, the building’s caretaker discovers the group’s broken phones and gives them to Howard and Thē, who quickly come up with a plan. Thē publicly announces she’ll perform her popular song in the casino’s gaming area, drawing the entire crowd there. This will give the trio the perfect opportunity to reveal Tillman’s guilt. Even though their phones were ruined, they cleverly hid a recording device inside the roulette wheel to capture his confession.

Despite catching the killer, the building couldn’t be saved from damage. But since this is a TV show about that building, it’s safe to say The Arconia will be fine. Jay confirms to Mabel that he wants to be a better person than his wealthy friends, and to prove it, he’s reporting them – and himself – to the authorities for their involvement in the crimes. This means Camila will be arrested and her casino shut down, ensuring The Arconia will be around for another season.

The season finale reminds us that with every mystery solved, a new one begins. It’s already known the show will move to London next season, so it wasn’t a shock when the trio started listening to Cinda Canning’s latest podcast about a crime in the U.K. This means Tina Fey returns – and that’s great news! – to tell the story of a young woman with curly hair who’s suspected of murdering a royal. Cinda believes the woman is innocent and sends her to America for protection. We then see the woman running towards the Arconia, collapsing just as she reaches the building. The trio argues about whether someone needs to be inside the building for them to investigate, but the woman’s hand crosses the threshold with her last breath, qualifying her for an investigation. Initially, I thought the red curly hair meant a cameo from Natasha Lyonne, but I was stunned when the victim turned over – it was Cinda Canning herself in disguise! So, Tina Fey is back… as a murder victim. Only Murders in the Building giveth, and Only Murders in the Building taketh away.

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2025-10-28 22:55