Bunny Folger

Bunny Folger
Character information
Status	Deceased
Aliases	Cranky Old Bitch (by Mabel) Bun-Bun (by Oliver and Howard)
Died	March 12, 2021; New York City, New York
Cause of Death	Stabbed in the chest by Poppy White
Relatives	Mr. Folger † (father) Leonora Folger (mother) Archibald Carter † (grandfather) Mrs. Gambolini (pet)
Occupation	Arconia Board President (former)
Appearances
FirstAppearance	True Crime
LastAppearance	CoBro
EpisodeCount	13
Season(s)	1, 2, & 3
Portrayed by	Jayne Houdyshell

Bunny Folger was a recurring character in Season 1, Season 2 and Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building. She was the head of the board of the Arconia before being murdered as the primary victim of Season 2. She lived in Apartment 12A, next door to Mabel.

She was portrayed by Jayne Houdyshell.

History

Early Life

Bunny as a little girl at the Arconia.

Bunny Folger was the daughter of Mr. Folger and Leonora Folger. She was raised in the Arconia, an apartment building designed in 1908 by Archibald Carter, Leonora's father and Bunny's grandfather.

At some point, Bunny adopted a parrot which she named Mrs. Gambolini. In 1992, Bunny inherited the position of board president of the Arconia from Leonora.

In November 2020, during a board meeting, Bunny decided to retire and nominated fellow board member Nina Lin as the new board president since she is the "person best equipped to carry on my legacy".

Memorial for Tim

When Tim Kono was found dead in his apartment from an apparent suicide, Bunny held a memorial service for him in the lobby of the Arconia. She asked if anyone had anything to say about Tim. After a prolonged silence, Amy Huang raised her hand and asked if that meant that could start using their fireplaces again, as Tim's asthma had meant they couldn't. Bunny said they'd discuss it at the next board meeting. Ndidi Idoko then said the apartment was hers. Bunny said she was on the waiting list, but Ndidi was insistent. As the memorial service broke up, Bunny went to Oliver and told him he was eight months behind on his building fees. If he didn't pay, the board would be forced to take drastic actions. Shortly after this, she sent Oliver a note saying he had 24 hours to pay or his water and power would be shut off.

Suspect Line-Up

Oliver did a line-up of the suspects to try to eliminate some possibilities. During the line-up, Bunny did a song and dance about Oliver needing to pay his bills. Oliver sent her to the back line.

Podcast Finale

When the trio released what they intended to be the finale of their podcast pointing to Teddy and Theo Dimas as the killers, Uma and Bunny met up and listened to the podcast together while eating popcorn.

Proposed Evictions

Due to the podcast, several residents of the building complained about Mabel, Charles, and Oliver violating their privacy. Because Oliver had not paid his building fees in months, Bunny changed his locks and only allowed him back in to gather some of this things. Then she held a meeting where they discussed evicting all three of them. During this meeting, people aired their grievances and then Bunny called for a vote. When several people raised their hands, she said she'd start the process immediately. She also said of one of them was the murderer to stop murdering.

Argument at the Diner

The day before she died, Bunny met someone at The Pickle Diner. This meeting ended with Bunny storming off in anger, followed by the person, who grabbed a matchbook on their way out and later likely killed Bunny.

Finding Charles

Bunny and Uma got on the elevator one day and found Charles on the floor. They thought they'd just gone on a bender and ignored him. When they got off, Bunny told Lester there was a mess on the elevator. Later, when they learned that Jan was the actual murderer of Tim Kono, Bunny told Oliver that because they'd solved the case, he, Mabel, and Charles wouldn't be evicted, but she promised to keep trying.

Last Day

On what was her last day as board president, and ended up being the last day of her life, Bunny woke up and went about her routine as usual, getting coffee and eating at The Pickle Diner. When she saw a crowd gathering outside the Arconia, surrounding the trio, who were talking about the confrontation with Jan, she cited multiple rules they were breaking. Then she met with Nina, who was succeeding her as board president. Nina showed Bunny that she was prepared to take over as board president. She also told Uma she was considering moving to Florida, though she later told Charles and Mabel that she hated the heat.

Bunny attended her final board meeting that evening, but was shocked to find they'd changed it to a retirement party for her. She tried to carry on with business as usual, but Nina insisted she'd address any issues at the next meeting and she should just enjoy the party. Bunny then declared she didn't want to retire after all and intend to stay president. Nina objected and eventually told Bunny she was just a relic and they needed to get the Arconia updated. Bunny wanted to preserve the Arconia instead and said she wouldn't let Nina to this. Nina said she wouldn't let Bunny stop her. After everyone left, Bunny cleaned up her apartment. When she heard the trio celebrating her through her vent, she went to Mabel's apartment with a bottle of real champagne, which she gave to them. In exchange, they gave her a podcast hoodie. When they didn't invite her in to join, she cried and went back home.

Later, there was a knock on Bunny's door. She said it was too late and she didn't want to hang out, but the person continued knocking. She answered the door and asked what the person was doing there. The person then pushed her back and attacked her.

Death

Bunny Folger was murdered on the night of March 12, 2021 by eight stab wounds from a knife and a knitting needle.

Although she was in her apartment at the time the killer entered, Bunny's nearly lifeless body appeared at Mabel Mora's apartment, who found her bleeding to death. Bunny's actual killer apparently called the police, who went straight to Mabel's apartment and found the trio next to Bunny's dead body. They were arrested for the murder, but due to lack of evidence, they were released the next day as persons of interest, meaning they couldn't be charged until new evidence appeared.

Personality

Bunny openly dislikes Charles, Mabel and Oliver, and has a very grumpy manner with most people apart from her friend Uma Heller. She particularly dislikes Oliver as he doesn't pay his building fees. She is determined to do things properly and follow the correct protocols, as seen when she holds the memorial service for Tim despite believing it is for "some bullshit insurance purpose". However, in the second season it is revealed that she has a caring and kind side; she is good friends with Lester, is very generous towards Ivan and mentors Nina Lin. She cares deeply about the Arconia and its residents, and although she may not always show it in a conventional way, the building means a lot to her. She has a very good memory for when people have misbehaved, and a dry sense of humour that she rarely shows.

Relationships

Uma Heller

Bunny and Uma are often seen together, usually with their respective shopping trollies. They are good friends; although they often talk rudely to each other, they do care about each other.

Ivan

Bunny was a regular at The Pickle Diner, where Ivan served her for seven years. She always tipped him extra; at first, only a bit extra, but over the years she gave him more and more money. The day she died, she gave him an envelope full of cash, and when he protested, she replied that there was "no one else who needs it", and told him to get himself the DJ equipment he wanted. Her generosity towards Ivan shows that she truly cared for him, and wished to support him in the way that she would have supported her own children, if she had had any. Ivan believes that she saw him as a grandson, or possibly as a romantic interest.

Career

Bunny was board president at the Arconia for twenty-nine years, succeeding her mother Leonora in the role. In her goodbye speech, she reveals that it has been one of the great honours of her life to serve the residents in this way. She is very strict on the rules and knows them off by heart, even the small and obscure rules. She knows how the building works and what needs to be done to keep it that way. In November 2020, during a board meeting, Bunny decided to retire. She nominated fellow board member Nina Lin as the new board president, and planned for her to take over in March 2021. However, on the day she was supposed to retire, she changed her mind, realising how much the Arconia meant to her. Nina claimed that she wanted to keep a stranglehold on the building, and couldn't imagine anybody else replacing her.

Notes and Trivia

• Bunny knows how to fix an elevator.
• She dislikes hot weather, although she briefly planned to move to Boca, Florida after her retirement.
• She was at Woodstock Festival in 1969.
• She lived in the same apartment in the Arconia for her entire life.
• Before her death, she and Uma went to The Pickle Diner every week and split a sandwich.

Gallery

Episode Stills

Photography by Craig Blankenhorn

"Who Is Tim Kono?" (S01E02)

"The Last Day of Bunny Folger" (S02E03)

Appearances

Season One
#01	"True Crime"	#05	"Twist"	#09	"Double Time"
#02	"Who Is Tim Kono?"	#06	"To Protect and Serve"	#10	"Open and Shut"
#03	"How Well Do You Know Your Neighbors?"	#07	"The Boy from 6B"
#04	"The Sting"	#08	"Fan Fiction"

Season Two
#01	"Persons of Interest"	#05	"The Tell"	#09	"Sparring Partners"
#02	"Framed"	#06	"Performance Review"	#10	"I Know Who Did It"
#03	"The Last Day of Bunny Folger"	#07	"Flipping the Pieces"
#04	"Here's Looking at You"	#08	"Hello, Darkness"

Season Three
#01	"The Show Must..."	#05	"Ah, Love!"	#09	"Thirty"
#02	"The Beat Goes On"	#06	"Ghost Light"	#10	"Opening Night"
#03	"Grab Your Hankies"	#07	"CoBro"
#04	"The White Room"	#08	"Sitzprobe"