Only Murders in the Building (2×03) The Last Day of Bunny Folger Review

For our spoiler-free review of the two-episode Season 2 premiere of Only Murders in the Building, click here.

If Charles, Oliver, and Mabel were to solve the mystery of Bunny’s murder, they would need to go back to the beginning to figure out what may have led to her death. As the episode title suggests, it was time to go back and retrace her steps on her last day alive and if it offered clues to the identity of her killer. Bunny’s parrot Mrs. Gambolini may be annoying but it could also be a witness to what may have happened so now it was time to tap into that for some insight but getting the bird on their side would be easier said than done.

Of course Charles, Oliver, and Mabel featured prominently in Bunny’s last day. As opposed to how she may have seemed to the others, this episode helped to humanize her for viewers. Maybe she wasn’t as terrible as she was made out to be. Her last day alive just happened to be her last as building board president as she was set to retire but it quickly became clear that she was having second thoughts, much to the chagrin of her presumed replacement, Nina Lin (Christine Ko), who had been preparing/plotting to take over the job and take the Arconia into the future. Though she had a clear motive, Lin is too obvious of a suspect. Before that, our infamous three were riding the high of solving the Tim Kono case. Bunny was not fond of the attention Charles, Oliver, and Mabel were bringing to the building, perhaps taking away from what was her last day. Meanwhile, someone was interested in her infamous painting enough to hound her about it.

In a moment of loneliness, Bunny tried to join Charles, Oliver, and Mabel in an attempt to mend their differences but they gave her the shaft which she did not take well. While the three moved their celebration to the roof, Bunny’s killer struck in her appartment and left her in Mabel’s appartment as we already know. The episode ends with that very moment.

Though the chemistry of Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez once again propelled an episode that saw their characters take an introspective look, Jayne Houdyshell’s performance as Bunny should not be overlooked either. Giving her some humanity and emotional depth behind the gruff demeanor we have come to know and loathe, her arc over the course of this episode was heartbreaking. Hopefully this isn’t the last we will see of her.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.