‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 2 Retrospective
Who Killed Bunny Folger?
Season 2 wastes no time in getting into the mystery. Even when the trio want to leave it alone, they have an itch that needs scratching. Over the course of eight episodes, clues and misdirects are plentiful. It isn’t until we reach episode nine that the solution to the mystery becomes clear. The penultimate episode’s cliffhanger tells us two things: Poppy White (Adina Verson) is Becky Butler and Cinda Canning (Tina Fey) is the mastermind.
Why is Becky Butler important? It just so happens Becky Butler is the case that made Cinda famous. All is Not OK in Oklahoma is the podcast that brings Charles, Oliver and Mabel together in the first episode of Only Murders in the Building. Connecting that to the season 2 mystery was brilliant and shows a long-term plan. This revelation makes it seem as if Cinda knows Poppy is Becky and is hiding her for some reason. Couple this with finding out that Detective Kreps (Michael Rappaport) is helping her and you understand the extent of her reach.
Kreps is the lead investigator on Bunny’s death and is planting evidence to make it look like Mabel is guilty. This is something he’s done in the past to earn extra cash.
It’s all tied up nicely with a bow, right? Cinda Canning, the award-winning podcaster, is a devious mastermind. Come on, it’s Only Murders in the Building, it’s never that simple. By the time we get to the killer reveal party in episode ten, it sends the investigation into a whole new direction. Cinda Canning isn’t the mastermind, nor does she has anything to do with it. It’s Becky Butler, a.k.a Poppy White.
If only she’d ordered a different sandwich… and not put her DNA on the knife.
Poppy, along with Kreps, took the life of poor Bunny and framed Mabel but why? Poppy wanted Cinda to notice her. She wanted her life to mean something. She wanted a podcast of her own and Cinda refused to give her what she believes she deserves. To get what she wants, she creates a story that, if done right, would give her everything she wanted. Someone probably should have told Poppy to be careful what she wished for. She got the notoriety she craved but not in the way she wanted.
One of the complaints from some fans is the series doesn’t outright explain her plan. Personally, I love that. It’s a mystery show and the last thing I want is to be spoon-fed everything. However, I can understand why others want it laid out. There aren’t many things better than the finale of a murder mystery when everything is laid out.
So, come on a journey with me as we look at the crumbs of information and piece together how Poppy nearly pulled off the greatest murder of the Arconia.
