True Crime

"True Crime"
Season	1
Episode	1
Director	Jamie Babbit
Writer	Steve Martin John Hoffman
Editor	Julie Monroe
Production code	1DWB01
Original air date	August 31, 2021
Running time	33 minutes
Episode chronology
← Previous	N/A
Next →	"Who Is Tim Kono?"

"True Crime" is the first episode of the first season of Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short. It originally aired on August 31, 2021, alongside the series second and third episodes.

Short Summary

Upper West Side neighbors Charles, Oliver and Mabel bond over a shared love of true crime. When a fellow resident dies in their building, the trio determine to solve the mystery and record an accompanying podcast.

Full Summary

An emergency services unit enters the Arconia and makes their way upstairs. They exit the elevator and tell the residents to close their doors and stay inside their apartments. They use a battering ram to open a door.

Oliver Putnam and Charles-Haden Savage panic as they run down the stairs, saying they have to get her. They enter Mabel Mora's apartment, where they find her kneeling over a dead body. She says it's not what they think.

Two Months Earlier

Charles walks through the city as his voiceover talks about people who worry about living in a big city because of the crime. Any true crime aficionado can tell you it's the boondocks you should worry about. Nobody every discovered 19 bodies buried in the back of a 14th story apartment building. Eyes are on you all the time. As Charles talks about New Yorkers having a special way of communicating, he tips his hat to Uma Heller, who gives him the finger in response. People are packed in tightly on top of each other, like those who live in the Arconia. A guy on the street, Kev, recognizes Charles. Charles confirms that he's Brazzos. Kev used to watch the show with his dad. He has Charles say his famous line. The conversation turns dark when Kev says his dad is on hospice now. Charles offers a picture and Kev has Charles take a picture of Kev and Ana.

Mabel walks down the street as her voiceover talks about New Yorkers being a lot. There are eyes on you all the time. As she passes a stand, a guy catcalls her. She ignores him as she talks about women being assaulted often. She has a recurring dream in which she wakes up to a man standing over her. She kicks him in the balls and then stabs him with her knitting needle. Thinking about it helps her sleep.

Oliver walks down the street as his voiceover talks about everyone struggling to find their place in New York. He talks about a dance piece he saw recently about a man trying to climb a staircase, never able to make it to the top, but always finding a way to get back up. And just when you think everything's the same, you get hit with something you never saw coming.

Oliver walks inside the Arconia and greets Lester, the doorman. Then he sees Ursula with a cart full of packages and asks if there's anything for him. She's happy to save herself a trip and hands him his boxes. It's research for shows he's developing, he says.

Charles gets on the elevator and presses 14. He tries to close the doors before Oliver can get on, but Oliver forces his way in and pushes 10. Oliver asks if Charles is filming something today because he notices Charles is wearing make-up. The doors start to close again, but Mabel gets on and pushes 12. On the 6th floor, Tim Kono gets on, carrying a trash bag and talking on the phone about some packages. He gets off on the 9th floor. Oliver asks Mabel if she likes her Beats. She ignores him, but he continues. He's still chatting when they get to the 10th floor and Charles pointedly says, "Ding!" Oliver gets off with his packages.

Oliver puts food in a bowl for his dog Winnie.

Charles arrives home, passing a poster of Brazzos he has hanging on his wall.

Mabel sits down on her bed and starts drawing on a sketch pad.

Charles adds a green bell pepper to a perfectly aligned shelf of them in his fridge. He gets a text as he goes to close his window.

Oliver starts a fire in his fireplace and then settles in to listen to "All Is Not OK in Oklahoma."

Mabel also listens to "All Is Not OK in Oklahoma" as she draws.

Charles pulls out a map of Chickasha, Oklahoma as he listens as well.

They all listen as the podcast talks about Cinda going into the woods behind Ray Butler's house in search of evidence in the case of the disappearance of his niece, Becky. Ray's lab, Bo, started digging at something in the dirt. He got something in his mouth and then brought it to Cinda. As she's about to say what it is, an alarm goes off in the Arconia, forcing them all to evacuate.

As he goes down the steps, Charles notices someone in a tie-dyed sweatshirt going upstairs instead of down.

Outside, Charles asks Lester if it's real, and he says they're waiting to find out.

At Librizzi's, Charles has laid out his map and started listening again, but struggles to hear over the noise around him. He's interrupted when Oliver approaches. When Charles ignores him, Oliver assumes it's because Charles previously auditioned for him and got embarrassed. Oliver promises he won't say a word, but he wants to sit down so he can listen to the new episode of his favorite podcast. Oliver notices Charles's map and smiles. Charles looks up and asks what Bo has in his mouth. Oliver doesn't know either.

Oliver and Charles sit side by side, sharing Oliver's headphones and listening to the podcast. Oliver finishes his drink and turns to order another one. He spots Mabel talking to the hostess and waves her over. When she approaches, he introduces himself and so does Charles. She sees that they're listening to the podcast and asks what's in Bo's mouth. They tell her it's Becky's panties.

Charles, Oliver, and Mabel eat and talk about the podcast. Oliver then asks about Mabel. He and Charles got their places 30 years ago when the Arconia was still affordable, but he doesn't know how Mabel would be able to swing it. Charles tells Mabel she doesn't have to answer that, but he's also curious. Mabel looks at Charles and asks how she knows him. Oliver explains that Charles was in an old TV series many years ago. Oliver's a director, but his passion is his grandchildren. He just wishes he had more time to spend with them. Oliver asks if Mabel would like to share anything about herself, and she says no. She goes to grab the bill, but Oliver takes it from her and gives it to Charles, thanking him for the meal. Mabel and Oliver leave as Charles pulls out money to pay.

Mabel, Charles, and Oliver approach the Arconia, where police cars are out front with their lights flashing. They go to Lester, who tells them they found someone dead inside, a suspected suicide on the ninth floor. No one can go inside. After he walks away, Charles says he could get them to the freight elevator so they could take a peek. Mabel says they should take it to eight, as the ninth floor will be swarmed with cops.

On the ninth floor, they watch from a distance as Detective Donna Williams examines the crime scene and declares it a suicide. Once the cops move out of that area, Charles, Mabel, and Oliver come in, where they see Tim, the man from the elevator, dead with a gunshot wound to his head. They all run back. They're shocked. Mabel doesn't believe he killed himself because they saw him right before, and he didn't seem like he would. Detective Williams comes out and asks if they were associated with the deceased. Charles and Oliver say no. They just live in the building. Oliver asks if she's sure it was suicide. Mabel says it doesn't make sense. Williams realizes they're true crime junkies, which she hates. She tells them it's a textbook suicide and tells them to leave and enjoy the fact that they still have lives.

Charles carefully prepares an omelet, then dumps it in the trash. As he goes to take the trash bag out, he pauses.

Charles rides the elevator to Mabel's floor. She greets him right at the elevator. they're both wondering why Tim got on the elevator with a garbage bag when there's a trash chute on every floor. They ride to Oliver's floor, where he was thinking about something different.

Charles, Mabel, and Oliver go through the building trash. Oliver says they should do their own podcast. He's sure every true crime podcaster wishes they were on the cast right from the start. This is their opportunity. He pulls out his phone to start recording. Charles says there's a killer on the loose, one who could be living in their building. Oliver directs Charles through saying that differently so it sounds better for the podcast. Meanwhile, Mabel is still digging through the crash and finds what appears to be drafts of a suicide note. It's Tim's trash, as there is mail for him in it. They agree that it really looks like suicide. So there will be no podcast and it's back to Oklahoma.

Charles makes another omelet. He talks to someone on the phone about how his character has no lines in the script. He learns that they wanted someone who looks like Brazzos and asked him to audition. He throws the omelet away again.

Oliver wraps several presents.

Mabel does her make-up. The tank top she's wearing reveals a whale tattoo on her left shoulder blade. Through the vent, she hears a woman talking.

The woman, Bunny Folger, exits her apartment with her cart, telling someone on the phone to ask for a bigger table as she has her grocery cart.

The elevator opens to reveal Charles. He quickly tells Mabel he's not always in there. She says she was just about to get him. He says he has an audition, but asks if it's about Tim. She says yes. Uma tells him to get in or out because she has places to be. Charles follows Mabel, who tells him she saw Tim at Bunny's apartment a week before his death. Bunny's head of the board. He was asking her about a package of his that she got by mistake. Charles gets misdelivered packages all the time. They remember Tim's phone conversation in the elevator and conclude that Bunny has his package. Mabel says she has a way in. She opens her apartment, which is mostly empty and torn up because she says she's remodeling. He's surprised she's living there in the middle of a renovation. She shows him the vent in her bathroom, a direct route into Bunny's. They just have to take off the grate.

Oliver carries the presents up to the door of a house. The door opens to reveal Will Putnam, his son, who is surprised. He calls out to Will's kids, but Will says his mom has them at the zoo because it's Sunday. Oliver says he'll just leave the gifts for them.

Oliver says the new deck looks fantastic. Will says the kids live out there. Oliver's sorry he missed them, but it's nice to catch up with Will.

Charles says Brazzos was the son of a locksmith, so he got some jimmy keys as a wrap gift in season five. Mabel says she's seen a few episodes. She asks if he did anything else. He says he did a few pilots, but they never went anywhere. He doesn't test well. They get to Bunny's door.

Will asks Oliver how work is going. Oliver says it's good. He hasn't gotten his next project yet. Oliver starts to ask Will for money, which Will already knew he was going to do and is disappointed by. Oliver says he didn't want this to become a regular thing, but he's strapped.

As he picks the lock on Bunny's door, Mabel asks Charles how long he's lived in the Arconia. He says 28 years, and she can't believe he's lived there that long by himself. Charles says he likes alone, and it's not so bad. As he works at the lock, Charles says his father was a Charles, so he's a junior. He often heard how much he was like his father, which he admits he is. People liked his father, and they meant it as a compliment, but his father was awful to his mother. He tried to make her feel small. He would rather be alone than repeat that.

Oliver is mortified to have to come to Will like this. He just can't get any work. It's been years. He just needs some help. Will tells him to sell the apartment. Oliver says he can't because it's all he has. It's who he is. Will is upset to hear that. Oliver apologizes, but says it's just a rough patch. Will tells him he can't do this again. Oliver says it'll all be okay. Will invites him to stay for Sunday dinner, but Oliver says he has to get back. He asks for his coat.

Mabel says it's her aunt's apartment. Her aunt asked her to redo it, but he can see how well that's going. It's the first time she's ever been alone. She tends to make packs wherever she goes. As a child, she had her Hardy Boys pack. There were four of them, and they would solve mysteries around the complex they lived in. Charles realizes solving mysteries isn't new to her. She admits that most of the mysteries were made up. Charles asks where her Hardy Boys are now. Mabel just says maybe going at it alone is better. Mabel asks if he's having any luck with the lock. He says he's been in for a while and opens the door.

Inside the apartment, Charles wants to divide up the rooms to search, but Mabel points out that the package is on the table right in front of him.

On the roof, Mabel says Charles should open the box. She's not sure if she wants it to be something or nothing. Charles opens the box and pulls out a diamond ring.

Oliver leaves Will's place. He gets some texts asking where he is and telling him they found something. Oliver imagines himself falling off the unfinished deck and bouncing back up.

Mabel examines Tim's ring. She imagines it falling and then bouncing back up onto her finger.

Charles cracks an egg into a pan. He imagines dropping the pan and having it bounce back up. He puts the sunny-side-up egg on a plate.

Charles records the podcast as Mabel and Oliver watch. He thinks he's nailed it, but Oliver isn't so sure. He wants Mabel to try it, but Mabel would rather die. They decide that tomorrow, they'll put together a timeline. Charles has maps and blueprints of every floor of the Arconia. Oliver mentions another death that took place nearby and suggests multitasking. Charles says they need to focus on only murders in the building. Oliver likes the way that sounds. It becomes the title of their podcast.

As he exits the elevator on his floor, Charles passes Arnav Kapoor, who asks how he is. Charles says he's fine. Arnav says he can sometimes smell the omelet Charles makes. Charles says he'll turn on the fan next time, but Arnav says he likes it because it reminds him of Lucy. He asks if Charles has heard from her. Charles says here and there. Arnav asks him to say hi for him.

Oliver looks at his bills, which are all long past due.

Mabel showers. Back on her bed, her computer screen saver turns to one that's labeled "My Hardy Boys," one of whom is Tim Kono.

Cast

Starring

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

Guest Starring

• Vanessa Aspillaga as Ursula
• Ryan Broussard as Will Putnam
• Julian Cihi as Tim Kono
• Quincy Dunn-Baker as Kev
• Tina Fey as Cinda Canning
• Jackie Hoffman as Uma Heller
• Jayne Houdyshell as Bunny Folger
• Maulik Pancholy as Arnav Kapoor
• Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Donna Williams

Co-Starring

• Teddy Coluca as Lester
• Adam DeCarlo as Guy On Street
• Drew Leary as ESU Cop #1
• Allie Vazquez as Ana

Notes and Trivia

General

• The title sequence to this episode shows a literal Easter egg design above the doorway to the Arconia.
• This episode is a rewrite of the pilot episode pitched to the networks. There are several differences between the pilot script and the episode as broadcast:
  • Charles and Oliver are referred to as Steve (no surname given) and Marty Pepper. They are presumably named after Steve Martin and Martin Short, who play the characters in the show.
  • Instead of a knitting needle, Mabel uses an Apple Pencil against the attacker in her dream.
  • The Arconia was originally called The Arcadia.
  • Tim Kono was originally called Tim Lee.
  • Charles lives on floor 18, Oliver lives on floor 15 and Mabel on floor 17. Tim gets on at floor 11, and off at floor 14.
  • The podcast is scheduled to release at 7, not 5.
  • Oliver's dog Winnie was originally called Pete.
  • Cinda Canning is jokingly referred to as "Tina Feyning" (a reference to Tina Fey, who plays her in the series) before being named as Cinda Corning.
  • Detective Williams is male, his name is given as Donnie, and he is "straight out of The Wire".
  • There is a short scene in the pilot between Detective Williams and the main trio where he details a previous case in which he lost part of a finger.
  • Mabel's tattoo is of a Bird of Paradise rather than a whale.
  • Bunny is referred to as Jayne (a possible reference to Jayne Houdyshell, who plays Bunny).
  • Mabel says that she solved mysteries with her Hardy Boys in the complex they all lived in "in Singapore", but Charles thinks the last part "sounds like a cover".
  • In a short scene at the end of the episode, Charles looks out across the courtyard and sees a man enter his room and put on a tie-dye hoodie that is lying on the floor. The man looks out of his window, seemingly at Charles, who quickly turns his lamp off, so the man can't see him

Goofs

• The "All Is Not OK in Oklahoma" podcast episode mispronounces "Chickasha" as "Chick-a-shuh." This is later addressed by Cinda in Performance Review.

Cultural References

• The Hardy Boys – Hardy Boys novels mentioned
• Dateline – Mabel says New York City is a place to binge this show, to find out how to not end up on the show.
• Scott Bakula - Oliver confuses Charles with Scott Bakula

Soundtrack

• "Manhattan", performed by Jan & Dean
  Written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart
• "Don't Start Now", performed by Dua Lipa
  Written by Caroline Ailin, Emily Warren, Dua Lipa and Ian Kirkpatrick
• "You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile" from Annie
  Written by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin
• "Clair de Lune"
  Written by Claude Debussy
• "Don't Be Scared", performed by Daniel Johnston
  Written by Daniel Johnston

Media

Episode Stills

Photography by Craig Blankenhorn for Hulu.

Behind the Scenes

December 7, 2020

Videos

The Metaphorical Bounce Back - Only Murders in the Building - Hulu

The Metaphorical Bounce Back

See also

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