Open and Shut

"Open and Shut"
"Open and Shut" title-card
Season	1
Episode	10
Director	Jamie Babbit
Writer	John Hoffman Rachel Burger
Editor	Julie Monroe
Production code	1DWB10
Original air date	October 19, 2021
Running time	35 minutes
Episode chronology
← Previous	"Double Time"
Next →	"Persons of Interest"

"Open and Shut" is the tenth and final episode of the first season of Only Murders in the Building. It originally aired on October 19, 2021, on Hulu and Disney+.

Short Summary

In the season finale, the trio races toward a resolution while their own lives are put in danger.

Full Summary

Mabel, Charles, and Oliver are on the elevator when Tim gets on, talking on the phone. Tim breaks the fourth wall for a minute, explaining that in twelve minutes, he'll be murdered.

Young Tim sits by the fountain and writes.

Tim scrolls through jewelry listings.

Tim meets Jan in an elevator. They start making out.

Mabel and Oliver race to tell Charles that they think Jan is the killer. Oliver is excited at how terrific it'll be as a finale. Mabel reminds him that Charles could be in danger. When they get to Charles's apartment, they frantically knock on his door, but get no answer. Oliver wants to break down the door, but Mabel doesn't think they can. Oliver tries it anyway and hurts himself. Charles gets off the elevator then, dabbing his nosebleed. Oliver tells him he's sleeping with a murderer.

Charles tells Mabel and Oliver they look crazy. Mabel says Jan lives on the sixth floor. Tim was carrying someone else's trash bag full of glasses and suicide notes from the sixth floor. They also found out that Tim was seeing Jan. Charles rejects their theory because he searched Tim's phone and Jan wasn't anywhere on it. Mabel says he could have deleted her, or she could have deleted herself. Charles reminds them someone stabbed her. Oliver says it was a minor wound. Charles tells them both to leave. It's the first romantic relationship he's had in years, and he doesn't want them ruining it for him. Mabel says they aren't. She asks where Jan is. Charles says she's at the symphony, still playing. He left early. Oliver asks why he did that. Charles doesn't answer and asks why they're still there. Mabel tells Charles to look at what's in front of him and be careful.

Mabel and Oliver leave Charles's place. They realize Jan's apartment will be empty and decide to go search it.

Charles throws his cloth away and notices that his trash bag has blue ties. He looks at the note Jan left him asking him out and remembers their early courtship. He's interrupted by a knock at the door. It's Jan, who raced there at intermission. They won't notice she's gone, which is devastating to admit. She's mortified. She doesn't know why she lied to Charles about being first chair. It probably has something to do with being beaten by a child. She apologizes for not just telling Charles. If she had, she could have invited him like she wanted to in the first place. She notices that Charles is bleeding, but he brushes it off. She says they could have a drink or twelve. He invites her inside.

As Mabel picks Jan's lock, Oliver is upset that Mabel let him try to break into Charles's place by force. She tells him Charles taught her. She taught him how to use Postmates in exchange. When she finishes, she opens the door.

Jan says she was terrified to see him in the audience. She cleans up his nose and tells him she thought he would always see the worst of her after seeing that. He assures her that won't happen. She proposes a toast to that. Jan sees the bassoon cleaner on the coffee table and asks if she left that there. Charles says it was in Tim's sex toy box. She wonders why Tim would have a bassoon cleaner. She concludes that Tim must have played bassoon and worries that someone is targeting bassoonists. Jan then wonders if Charles is thinking that she did it. He says he isn't, but Oliver and Mabel are. She admits that she would, too. She starts to ask him a question about Tim, but he doesn't want to talk about Tim. She asks him what he does want to talk about. He tells her he thinks he's falling in love with her. She finds that interesting because she thinks she's falling in love with him, too. They're both relieved.

Oliver says Jan's apartment doesn't exactly scream killer and questions where they should start. Mabel references another podcast and asks if Oliver remembers where that killer had hidden her evidence. He does, but he needs to use it first.

Charles says he thinks he would love Jan even if she did kill Tim, which is crazy because he's broken up with people for whispering loudly in movies or chewing weird. Jan says that's real love. She notes that Charles isn't drinking much. He says he's not drinking at all, just taking stage sips because the drink is poisoned. That's what she did with Tim Kono. A breakup drink before shooting him with his own gun. Charles still isn't sure why she poisoned the cat, though. Jan says she didn't do that. All she can think is that Evelyn came through the window afterward and drank some of Tim's blood. It grosses both of them out. Jan finds them being so open with each other hot.

Mabel calls Oliver over and shows him that Jan is a poisoner. She has a pill case labelled "Jan's Lil Toxins." Oliver starts recording on his phone, saying Jan would be perfect for Charles if she weren't a murderous maniac. Mabel notices that Jan's grate is rattling.

Charles asks if Jan was seeing Tim Kono. She says she was. Tim also came to see her the day he died, which was also two days after he broke up with her. She told him she had to give him some things he'd left at her place.

Tim tells Jan he doesn't remember leaving anything at her place. She invites him in to have a drink for old time's sake

Jan says that half an hour later, she dumped the glasses into his bag and he took them away.

Tim puts the bag in the garbage chute.

Then she went back to practicing her bassoon. Charles knows that's not true because he heard the bassoon that night, and it sounded different. It was a recording. Jan is pleased that Charles has figured it out. She thinks they're great together. She asks what else he figured out about her. She asks when he started to figure out it was her. He says it was the notes. He starts to stumble as he hangs one of her notes on the wall and says the Js are similar. Jan watches as Charles starts to slur. He realizes it was the handkerchief, not the glasses. Jan is pleased he's figured it out. She's proud of herself for not doing it the same as last time. She doesn't have to carve a niche for herself, though she did carve one in herself.

Mabel opens the grate and finds a knife.

Charles asks if she stabbed herself. Then he collapses to the floor. Jan puts his head on a pillow.

Jan pulls the fire alarm and walks to Tim's apartment while people evacuate.

Jan says Charles and Tim are a lot alike.

Jan finds Tim on the floor.

Jan says Tim messed up by seeing someone else. Or that's what she thought he was doing. The day before they broke up, she found an emerald ring at his place.

Jan tries on the emerald ring.

Jan wears the emerald ring over her gloves as she grabs Tim's gun.

Jan says being second is a big trigger for her. She sits on Charles's chest.

Jan climbs onto Tim's chest and laughs as he struggles to breathe.

Jan says someone begging her for their life is a tonic to her.

Once Tim stops moving, Jan wraps his hand around the gun and shoots him.

Jan says Charles needs her now more than ever. That feels so good to her. Jan finds it crazy that the ring she found was actually from the murder Charles solved. It's a big tragic.

Mabel finds the emerald ring in Jan's drawer. Mabel knows for sure Jan did it. Oliver agrees. They realize Charles is in danger.

Jan says it's not just Charles there are others she has to deal with now because of the podcast. She has to think big. She starts a fire in the fireplace and comments on how nice it is. She likes that the fireplaces connect all of them. It should make for a fun finale. Too bad she'll miss it. Jan says this is definitely one of her rougher break-ups. She really did fall in love with him. She kisses him and leaves. Once she's gone, Charles uses all of his strength to get up. He pulls a pillow off the couch to reveal his phone. He ends the recording and then tells Siri he doesn't feel good. She misunderstands and starts playing music.

Oliver and Mabel race to Charles's place. As they get on the elevator, Jan gets off the other one and enters her apartment.

Charles has rolled himself into the hallway, where a woman sees him, but walks away.

Jan leaves down a back staircase.

Charles uses his foot to call the elevator, then rolls inside. As he gets on, Oliver and Mabel get off the other elevator. They see that Charles's door is open and race inside. He's not in there.

Bunny and Uma get on the elevator with Charles. They think he's just gone on a bender. On the next floor, Howard gets on with his new kitten, Evelyn Seven, or Sevelyn. They fawn over her. On another floor, Grover gets on. He looks down at Charles and asks if he needs help. Charles can only mumble back. Grover says he can schedule an outpatient with his girl and drops his card. He takes cryptocurrency now. When the doors open again, everyone but Charles gets off. Bunny tells Lester there's a mess in the elevator. Lester gets on the elevator and tells Charles this happened to Sting with The Police broke up, and he never said a word. Lester sends him back up to his own floor, advising him to get into bed and sleep it off. As the doors close, Mabel and Oliver get off the other elevator. They ask Lester if he's seen Charles and learn that Lester just sent him upstairs. They get back on the elevator to go upstairs.

The elevator doors try to close repeatedly on Charles. Mabel and Oliver get off the other elevator and pull him to safety. Mabel says they need to get him to the hospital, but Oliver just wants to give him milk. He pulls a bottle of Gut Milk off Winnie's stroller and pours it down Charles's throat. Charles pulls his phone out, but Mabel can't unlock it. Oliver manipulates Charles's face to get it to unlock. They listen to part of the recording. Arnav comes out of his apartment and asks if anyone else is feeling dizzy. He was about to start a fire, but it's like there are fumes coming up from the basement. He runs back inside to check on his daughter. Mabel and Oliver realize they have to get to the basement because Jan is trying to poison everyone with gas. They wonder how they'll get Charles anywhere.

Mabel pushes Charles in the dog stroller while Oliver records for the podcast. They enter the boiler room and split up to search, leaving Charles alone. Oliver sees something that looks wrong, but doesn't know what it means. He pulls off a tube and tells Mabel to do the same. They also both flip some switches. As they celebrate, Jan reveals herself, pointing a gun at Oliver. She is surprised to see Charles still alive. As she debates who to kill first, Charles gets up out of the stroller and says she won't shoot his friends. She can shoot him if she must, but she won't shoot them because he doesn't want to live in a world without them anymore. There were parts of himself that had died and Mabel and Oliver brought them back to life. He was just a hollow shell walking around before the podcast. Then Mabel and Charles made him alive. After a moment, it's clear that Charles is still in the stroller, slurring his words and unable to be understood. As Jan approaches, Oliver pushes the stroller into her. She fires the gun and hits a pipe. Mabel steps on the gun before Jan can retrieve it and then punches Jan. Mabel tells Charles they need to go get his stomach pumped.

Jan is arrested and taken away in a police car.

Mabel asks if Charles is going to be okay as he's loaded into an ambulance. Oliver says he'll be fine. Bunny finds them and tells Oliver that due to the events of the night, there's been a change of plans. She says she'll get him gone sooner or later. Mabel congratulates Bunny on being the most hated person in the building now.

Will comes in with Winnie. Oliver happily greets them both. Will knows Oliver has been on a bit of ride. He stopped by to drop off a check for Oliver, for his next big thing. Oliver says he can't accept it. Oliver says he can tell Will what happened unless he needs to get going. Will says he has time. Oliver starts to tell the story.

Mabel finishes the final portrait, one of herself. Oscar says it's incredible. It took her a long time, but some things are worth the wait. Oscar's happy to have his good name back. He asks Mabel if she's okay. She says she is. It's been a long time since she said that and meant it. She and Oscar hug and look at the portraits together.

Charles texts Lucy to see how she's doing. He sees her start to type, but then stop. He smiles when he gets a reply.

Charles records the final episode of the podcast, talking about how it brought them together. They've answered the question of who Tim Kono was with, realizing they're all Tim Kono. Mabel says that was amazing. Oliver says it's the best performance he's given.

On the roof, Charles toasts to Mabel. Oliver sees the ring on Mabel's finger and is surprised it still looks that good after she used it to knock out a murderer. Mabel says Charles is handling it pretty well. Charles is thinking of putting himself out there again. He slept with a murderer, which he thinks is a great story to tell on a first date. Mabel feels like there are still a few loose ends. All Oliver knows is that they've run out of champagne. Mabel says she'll get more from her apartment. Oliver tells Charles he wants to do something more salacious for the next case. Charles questions Oliver believing he wanted to work with him again, but agrees they make a good team. They can talk about it tomorrow if he's free. They hear sirens getting louder and they both get a text warning them to get out of the building. They don't recognize the number. Charles says they have to get Mabel.

Charles and Oliver race down the stairs to find Mabel. They enter Mabel's apartment and find her hovering over a body, covered in blood. She says it's not what they think. She rolls the body to reveal it's Bunny, who has a knitting needle stuck in her chest. Mabel says she opened the door and Bunny stumbled into her. The knitting needle is Mabel's. Just then, cops break down the door and enter the apartment. Mabel, Charles, and Oliver all put their hands up.

Mabel, Charles, and Oliver are led out in handcuffs. Williams warns them not to say a word. They walk past Lester, Ursula, Arnav, Grover, Amy, Uma, Ndidi, Oscar, José, Sam, Marv, Grant, and Paulette. As they pass Cinda Canning and Poppy White, Poppy holds out a microphone. Cinda says this could be interesting. Poppy says coming this fall, "Only Murderers in the Building." Cinda likes that and immediately claims it as her own. Mabel, Charles, and Oliver are put in the back of a cop car and driven away. Cinda threatens Poppy not to try to claim the name as her own, or she'll be stocking the fridge at NPR until she's 50.

Cast

Starring

• Steve Martin as Charles-Haden Savage
• Martin Short as Oliver Putnam
• Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora
• Amy Ryan as Jan Bellows
• Aaron Dominguez as Oscar Torres

Guest Starring

• Vanessa Aspillaga as Ursula
• Ryan Broussard as Will Putnam
• Julian Cihi as Tim Kono
• Michael Cyril Creighton as Howard Morris
• Tina Fey as Cinda Canning
• Jackie Hoffman as Uma Heller
• Jayne Houdyshell as Bunny Folger
• Zainab Jah as Ndidi Idoko
• Russell G. Jones as Dr. Grover Stanley
• Daniel Oreskes as Marv
• Maulik Pancholy as Arnav Kapoor
• Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Detective Donna Williams
• Ali Stroker as Paulette
• Adina Verson as Poppy White
• Jaboukie Young-White as Sam

Co-Starring

• Jeena Yi as Amy Huang
• Anthony Ruiz as José Torres
• Teddy Coluca as Lester
• Orson Hong as Superfan Grant
• Maximilian Piazza as Young Tim Kono
• Seth Andrew Bridges as ESU Cop #1

Notes and Trivia

General

• The Easter egg in the title sequence is the appearance of a Bunny patterned curtain in one of the neighbors' windows.
• On the day that they filmed the scene where Jan is led away in handcuffs, there were paparazzi around. To prevent spoilers getting out, the crew shot multiple scenes of different characters being arrested, one of which was Jan.

Media

Episode Stills

Photography by Craig Blankenhorn for Hulu.

Videos

Jan Poisons Charles - Only Murders In The Building - Hulu

Jan Poisons Charles

Bloody Mabel - Only Murders In The Building - Hulu

Bloody Mabel

See also

A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here.