Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Finale Spoilers Ahead
The mysteries in Only Murders in the Building are always fun and riveting, but really, it’s the friendships that shine in the show, and no season has made that more clear than the fifth. By honoring Teddy Coluca’s Lester and ensuring that his legacy remains at the Arconia, Season 5 stands as the strongest spectacle to the people who matter—the ones who stand beside you through thick and thin.
And in the Only Murders in the Building Season 5 finale, friendships continue to prevail in what’s believed to be the “last moments” for our podcast trio. Dramatic? Sure. But it’s everything. We, as the audience, know that no harm can actually come to them on the show; they don’t, and it results in yet another heart-to-heart that makes it abundantly clear how life-changing this friendship is for all of them. Only this time, it’s Howard’s role in the matter, too—it’s about every person who lives in and loves the Arconia. It’s Lester’s legacy. It’s Randall. It’s Detective Williams.
In “Tongue Tied,” Mabel allowed herself a beat to be vulnerable by revealing that she’s upset about Oliver’s move because he and Charles are the first real friends she’s had. It then resulted in a chain reaction, with Oliver and Charles both admitting that they thought they’d live in the building forever. We also had another flash of a heartfelt conversation like this in “Escape From Planet Klongo” with Charles admitting that he doesn’t want to lose Oliver’s friendship. The concept would feel repetitive on any other show, but it continues to work so wonderfully in Only Murders because we have a clear sense of how it’s serious for these characters. Up until their meeting, their loneliness was the only friend they knew.
So, it makes complete sense that together, they’d find a safe place to land, even when everything around them is falling apart. In addition to all this, it’s so admirable that in the Only Murders in the Building Season 5 finale, Mabel doesn’t say much, but she says everything while they’re chained up. Selena Gomez packs so much heart in the way she says, “Just you two. I’m going to miss this when I’m dead,” that it’s more than enough to show us just how much.
And then Charles’ denial!? Because he can’t even fathom it all? The thing is, I can consistently watch this show for ten seasons because of how heartwarming this friendship is and how it continues to be so shocking to all of them how important it is. Plus, Howard realizing they’re gone? It all adds up in this adorable way that the series nails so well that even when everything is unserious, it sticks the landing in a surprisingly emotional way. Like, why am I crying over Charles shimmying up a pole while also losing my mind laughing?
In the show’s conscious efforts to lean into the silliest means of solving crimes, it keeps touching on why it’s so important to be surrounded by people you love. Mabel, Oliver, and Charles are exactly who they are because the people beside them choose to welcome all their quirks. Do they mockingly insist that some things change? Absolutely, but that’s also a large part of what it means to be a friend. Amy Poehler says it best in her podcast, Good Hang With Amy Poehler: politeness is for strangers. We have to be willing to laugh at ourselves and our friends, and it’s why the friendships within are so consistently believable, even while these characters are being threatened by mobs and mayors.
And in every way where it matters, the Arconia is the place that built this all—every wall, every elevator ding, every floor, every corridor, every apartment. There’s so much warmth in this gorgeously stunning building and all the lives that have changed within it that it’s incredible no one can touch it now. And while it was obvious it wouldn’t be torn down, there was a slight fear that it could still change too drastically, and thank the showrunners, that’s not the case either.
What are your thoughts on the Only Murders in the Building Season 5 finale? Did you also cry, or are you normal? Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll see you all in London for Season 6.
First Featured Image Credit: ©(Disney/Patrick Harbron)