Only Murders in the Building picked right up from the previous episode. Charles, Oliver, and Mabel are in a tricky situation as they try to avoid detection from three billionaires. Though they manage to slip by their main suspects, this won’t be the only time these two groups would cross paths.
The billionaires are a more tense twist to the trio of oblivious celebrities introduced last season who played our heroes in the Only Murders in the Building Movie. This time, the trio are antagonists, and the series cleverly pairs them off. You have a famous interior decorator in Camilla White (Renee Zellweger) tearing down the style of Oliver, the practical tech mogul in Sebastian “Bash” Steed (Christoph Waltz) whose charm far surpasses the dorky Charles, and Jay Fflug (Logan Lerman) who still wrestles with the problems young adults face similar to Mabel.
“Dirty Birds” does a good job creating the atmosphere of Old New York versus New New York and in the bigger picture, the class war to emphasize the conflict between the two groups. The introduction of the new unpersonable robot doorman pours salt in the wounds from Lester’s loss, especially at how soon it occurs.
But that theme is most evident between the billionaires and the Only Murders in the Building podcasters. Our protagonists seem so overmatched and out of their depth. Their opponents run circles around them as they play this game of mental chess. It shouldn’t be surprising how cold and calculating the billionaires can be. It’s right there in front of your face during each of their introductory and closing monologs. Yet the outmaneuvering still hits hard in the end when Charles, Oliver, and Mabel are duped. It’s an impactful opening salvo in this battle that looks to play out all season.
However, we can’t forget what started the whole mystery and the personal motivation behind our heroes. During the conversations, the billionaires could only vaguely remember the doorman that let them into the gambling hall. To them, this is about the murder of a mobster. On the other end, the side of good is looking for justice for Lester. A noble cause that hopefully fuels the protagonist to reset and throw a heck of a counter punch.
“Dirty Birds” is the first confrontation between the good guys and their opposition that lays out the stakes and builds the conflict and recurring themes of the season.
New episodes of Only Murders in the Building release Tuesdays on Hulu.
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