Who Is Tim Kono?

"Who Is Tim Kono?"
"Who Is Tim Kono?" title-card
Season	1
Episode	2
Director	Jamie Babbit
Writer	Kirker Butler
Editor	JoAnne Yarrow
Production code	1DWB02
Original air date	August 31, 2021
Running time	33 minutes
Episode chronology
← Previous	"True Crime"
Next →	"How Well Do You Know Your Neighbors?"

"Who Is Tim Kono?" is the second episode of the first season of Only Murders in the Building. It originally aired on August 31, 2021, on Hulu and Disney+, alongside the series first and third episodes.

Short Summary

The group begins researching the victim. Meanwhile, Mabel's secretive past starts to be unraveled.

Full Summary

Zeus says Brazzos arrested the wrong guy. Brazzos says to spare him the innocent act. Zeus says he has an alibi. Brazzos isn't fooled.

Mabel watches an episode of Brazzos on her laptop while she sketches Tim. She stops for a moment to switch Tim's ring from one finger to the next, then pulls it off entirely. Someone pushes a flier under Mabel's door. She looks up when she hears Brazzos giving the same speech about his father that Charles gave to her.

Charles records another episode, saying they need to know more about Tim Kono. He lays out what they know about him. He stops when he reaches a part about Tim's nail beds. He tells Oliver it's horrible. Oliver blames Charles's acting, but Charles says it's Oliver's writing. They don't know anything about Tim, so he's just stating the obvious. Charles is starting to get hot and asks if they have to do this in a closet. Oliver says the acoustics are better. They're still arguing when Mabel comes in. Charles asks how she got in and Oliver reveals that he never locks his door. Mabel reminds him that a murderer probably lives in the building. Charles says the murderer definitely lives in the building. Lester checked all the security footage and no one he didn't know came in or out during the hours around the murder. They ask if Mabel learned anything from the online world of Tim Kono. Mabel says he didn't post much. He seemed to have a sad, quiet life. Mabel checked everywhere. Charles says they should keep all the evidence together, so he should probably hang onto the engagement ring. Mabel asks why he gets to hold it. He says it's their biggest clue, so they can't lose it. She says it's at her apartment and she'll get it to him later. Oliver says their podcast will never pop until they can tell people the answer to the question, "Who is Tim Kono?" Mabel corrects that it was, but Oliver has already named the episode. Charles asked when they finished episode one. Oliver says it's a work in progress. Every great episode two always makes you care about the victim. So far, they don't know enough about him to care about him, but someone in the building must have known him. They just need to find that person.

Tim tells Mabel to back off. He's upset with her for disappearing for ten years then coming back and dragging up things that happened when they were children. Mabel tells him Oscar's getting out. She wants Tim to make things right by telling what really happened that night. He says he doesn't want to think about back then. He's a different person now. Mabel says they're all different, and she doesn't need a person like him in her life. He tells her if she sees him around the building, she should pretend she doesn't know him.

Mabel asks what if he was a dick. Oliver tries to picture it. Charles says they just need to find someone who knew him. Mabel shows them the flier and says they're throwing a memorial for Tim in the lobby, which might be where they find that person.

In the lobby, Charles is surprised by the large turnout, but admits he doesn't know anywhere there. Oliver is excited to see there's food. He informs them that Teddy Dimas, who owns Dimas Delis, lives on 6. He's a great guy who makes great dips. He also has a deaf son. Oliver says this is all he eats, dips for dinner. He hasn't had a regular entrée in years. Admittedly, he's lost some weight and some hair, but it's worth it. Mabel goes to find a seat. Bunny comes in and asks why everyone is standing. That's what the chairs are for. Everyone sits down. Once they're seated, Grover Stanley stands up and introduces himself. He offers his counseling services to anyone who wants to talk about Tim's death. Oliver quietly tells Mabel and Charles that a therapist always makes a good suspect. Bunny says they have to do this for insurance purposes. Tim's family is in Japan, so the body is being flown there. She asks if anyone has anything they'd like to share about Tim. Oliver starts recording, but no one has anything. Amy Huang finally raises her hand and asks if this means they're allowed to use their fireplaces again. Uma remembers that Tim was the guy with the bad asthma. Since he's dead, they should be able to use them again. Bunny says they can talk about the at the next board meeting. Charles didn't know that Tim was the reason. He hated that guy. He also once yelled at Uma for smoking outside. Bunny says no one liked him, but they can be grateful that he's gone. She wants them to say something nice and move on. Ndidi Idoko stands up and says the apartment is hers. She lived next to him for eight years and she needs the extra rooms. Bunny says she's on the waiting list. Ndidi repeats that it's hers. Charles quietly says she wouldn't be the first New Yorker to kill for good real estate. They see Howard Morris crying nearby and ask if he was close with Tim. While Oliver records it, Howard says his cat Evelyn died last night. Oliver asks Howard to say that again, but enunciate better. Howard repeats what he said. Uma overhears this and is sad to hear that. Word spreads and others are upset as well. Grover again offers his services. Charles says maybe they should make a podcast about Evelyn.

As the crowd disperses, Oliver pockets some of the dips to have for dinner. Oliver thinks they should talk to Ursula, the building manager. If anyone has information on Tim, it's her. Bunny walks up and asks to speak to Oliver. She tells him his building fees are eight months past due. This is his final notice before the board will have to take drastic actions. He tries to appeal to their friendship, but it doesn't work.

Charles sees Grover comforting a sobbing Howard and says he didn't cry that much when his mother died. Mabel asks if that's true or if he's lying. He's confused, but Mabel doesn't clarify. She says she has a migraine and tells them to meet Ursula without her. Oliver has Mabel help him grab more of the food.

Mabel is resting on her couch. She remembers seeing Tim's body and sits up. She looks at the drawing she made of him, then grabs her laptop and starts recording. She's not sure why she's doing this, but she wants something on record just in case. She shows the picture of Tim, along with others she's drawn, showing him back when he was a child. Mabel says she met Tim at the Arconia when they were ten.

Young Tim walks along the edge of the fountain. Young Mabel is sitting in his way. He says he knows everyone in the building, but he doesn't know her. Mabel says she doesn't live in the building. Her aunt does: Salma Ramirez. Tim knows who that is and says he likes her. She gives out whole candy bars on Halloween. Mabel lives on Long Island, where they give out loose cigarettes and lighters. Tim can see she looks poor. Tim sits down and asks what she's drawing. She shows him that it's the beach near her house. He says it's not very good. He sees the book she has and asks if she's reading it. She says she's too poor to read. It's a Hardy Boys book. She tells him she likes the series, even though they're old.

Mabel says she and Tim would spend a few weeks together during the summer and winter breaks when her aunt would let her stay with her, and she could pretend she lived in the Arconia.

Young Tim and Mabel walk around with flashlights, looking to solve a mystery. They look for clues. It was just the two of them for years until they met Oscar and Zoe. Oscar was the super's kid and Zoe got Oscar to copy his father's keys so they could get into any apartment they wanted. Zoe's family owned the entire 11th floor, but that wasn't enough for her. Zoe is excited to find pills in the medicine cabinet of the apartment they're in. She also takes some jewelry and gives some to Mabel.

Mabel closes her laptop.

Oliver and Charles get on the elevator. Oliver warns Charles that Ursula always has a side hustle, so they need to make sure they don't sign up for anything she offers them. Charles thought her name was Aurora. Oliver is shocked by Charles not knowing anyone. He asks if Charles puts Aurora on the envelope when he tips at Christmas. Charles says he doesn't tip. He thinks it's elitist, so he sends out autographed photos instead. Oliver stops Charles from getting off the elevator when it stops, saying he's starting to suspect people like Charles less than Tim Kono. Charles gets off anyway.

Oliver goes to Ursula and tells her he just wanted to check in because he didn't see her at the memorial. Ursula doesn't see his death as a tragedy. She got many complaints about him. She pulls down the file. Oliver would like to see them. Charles joins them and Oliver denies them being there together. Charles sees the photograph of him on the wall with devil horns drawn on. Charles tries to explain why he doesn't tip, but Oliver just wants to see the file. She shows them a case of gut milk. If they buy two cases, she'll throw in the file. If they buy three, she'll give them the stuff that was too juicy to write down. It's up to them, but after tomorrow, everything she has on Tim will be gone. They ask what's happening tomorrow.

Charles and Oliver go to Mabel's and tell her they're cleaning own Tim's apartment tomorrow. They're going to look for clues before everything is gone. She agrees to join them. Charles asks about the ring. She says it's in her apartment and closes the door behind her.

Charles enters the apartment and says it's their one chance to get to know Tim Kono. Oliver freaks out when he steps in some blood. Charles gives some booties to wear as Mabel looks at Tim's large collection of Hardy Boys books. Charles says to look for a laptop or a phone, but Mabel's sure the cops took those. Oliver finds a pile of past due bills and remembers the cops saying Tim was having money issues. Charles says people who don't pay their building fees are the worst. Now he really doesn't like Tim. Oliver leaves to check the bedroom. Mabel says there are no pictures of any girlfriends or anything, which Charles finds odd. Oliver comes back with a box of sex toys. He pulls one out and swings it around. As he and Charles look at the box, Mabel goes down the hall and looks at herself in the mirror.

Zoe tells Mabel she looks hot. Mabel says she hates New Year's Eve because it means winter break is over. Zoe knows that means she has to go back to Long Island. Mabel sees a green ring on Zoe's finger and asks where she got it. Zoe says she found it. Oscar comes in and compliments Mabel's outfit, upsetting Zoe. Oscar says he already told Zoe, but she looks good, too. Zoe goes over and kisses him. Tim says if it's dark on the roof, no one will see how good they look. They all take a picture together.

Zoe and Oscar fight on the roof as the party goes on around them. Mabel is drinking something when she hears Zoe scream. Tim runs up to Mabel and says he saw someone fighting with Zoe, someone other than Oscar.

Charles and Oliver have found bloody cat prints in Tim's apartment. They suspect it was Evelyn, who died the same night as Tim.

They return to Charles's apartment, where he has several cases of Gut Milk stacked by the door. Oliver thinks they have enough to paint a clear picture of Tim. They list off the things they knew, including that he was unlikable. Mabel stops them because being unlikeable doesn't mean he deserved to die. Oliver says from a podcast point of view, they're looking for a reason to care. Mabel says him being alone should be enough of a reason. Of all people, Charles should know how sad that is. They agree to be more respectful. He was a person, a neighbor, maybe in love. Mabel asks Charles what episode that's from. She knows the speech he gave about his dad was from Brazzos. Charles says he wrote that speech. It was the one thing they let him write for the show and every word of it is true. Mabel can't tell if he's acting or not. Oliver says the hardest part of a new show is getting everyone to trust each other and that's what they're doing. Charles wants them all to promise not to lie and to trust each other. They all agree. Oliver wants to try a trust exercise, but Mabel refuses and leaves. Once she's gone, Oliver says he doesn't trust Mabel at all.

Mabel goes back to Tim's place and spots his camera.

Mabel tells Tim they're sending Oscar to jail. She knows he saw someone with Zoe, and he needs to tell the police. Tim says he doesn't know what she's talking about.

Tim asks Mabel if she isn't a little too old to be playing Hardy Boys. Mabel asks why this happened to him. Tim asks why she's hanging out with Charles and Oliver. She says they're trying to help her find someone who cared about him. Tim says that won't be easy. Mabel asks him who the ring was for. She just wants to know who he was if he was good or not. Mabel asks why he didn't tell the cops what he saw that night and does that have anything to do with him being killed. Tim always liked watching Mabel figure things out. Mabel goes back over Tim's books. She pulls one out and opens it, sending several objects clattering to the floor. She opens several other books to find more jewelry hidden there. Finally, one has some folded paper inside. She opens one to find the drawing she drew of the beach by her house on the day she met Tim.

Mabel, surrounded by Tim's books and the jewelry, says Tim was the kind of guy who always made the sensible choice, which is why none of this made sense. They're back at the beginning. Who is Tim Kono? He liked running around the fountain. He was observant and robotic, but kind. He never lied, except once.

Zoe's body lies on the ground in front of the Arconia.

Mabel saves the video under the name "IN CASE I'M NEXT" and vows to find who Tim was.

Cast

Starring

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

Guest Starring

• Vanessa Aspillaga as Ursula
• James Caverly as Theo Dimas
• Julian Cihi as Tim Kono
• Michael Cyril Creighton as Howard Morris
• Jackie Hoffman as Uma Heller
• Jayne Houdyshell as Bunny Folger
• Zainab Jah as Ndidi Idoko
• Russell G. Jones as Grover Stanley

Co-Starring

• Maximillian Lee Piazza as Young Tim Kono
• Olivia Reis as Zoe Cassidy
• John Sousa as Zeus
• Madeleine Valencia as Young Mabel Mora
• Jeena Yi as Amy Huang

Notes and Trivia

General

• Oliver says he would care "if Steve Carell in The Office got murdered". Amy Ryan, who plays Jan Bellows, played Steve Carell's love interest, Holly Flax, in The Office.
• This episode focuses on Mabel; we see her memories and things that she doesn't tell the others.
• The Easter Egg in the credits is the flashlight beams that sweep across the building, a reference to Mabel and Tim's childhood mystery solving hobby.
• Tim says that Mabel's aunt lives in 12A. However, Mabel actually lives in 12E, which she says is her aunt's apartment. It is unclear whether Tim or the writers of the show made this mistake, as Bunny lives in 12A.
• In the background of the memorial scene, it is possible to see Theo speaking to Bunny in ASL. He is talking about setting out the dips, says there are no more left, and asks that somebody clean it up afterward. Bunny responds with a thumbs up.
• One notable character is absent from Tim's memorial service: Jan. When asked about this, Amy Ryan said that she hadn't been cast at the point the episode was shot. However, her absence may also be because she wished to distance herself from Tim after his death.

Media

Episode Stills

Photography by Craig Blankenhorn for Hulu.

Videos

Time For The Killer To Make Himself Known - Only Murders in the Building - Hulu

Time For The Killer To Make Himself Known

See also

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