To the unversed, Only Murders in the Building (OMITB) on Disney Plus Hotstar is a popular English language OTT series that is lead by pop-star Selena Gomez and Hollywood's ace comedy actors Steve Martin and Martin Short. The mystery-comedy follows an unusual trio of New York podcasters and how they get lured into murder back to back. Season 1 was all about solving the death of one of their building residents, while the recently concluded Season 2 focussed on how the mystery solvers themselves become accused in a murder case.

Each Season comes with 10 episodes and an average runtime of 30 minutes, and here is a recap of what went down in Season 2 and the set-up given for Season 3 [Season 1 recap with ALL THE SPOILERS here] 

Premise/Plot

Season 1 ended with Charles [Steve Martin] and Oliver [Martin Short] finding Mabel [Selena Gomez] at her apartment with a dead body of one of their neighbours Bunny Folger, and Mabel's knitting needle on the body's chest.  The trio are taken into custody for murder and Mabel's distorted recollection of events adds further injury to their case.  They come under the police, public and their competition Cinda Canning [played by Tina Fey]'s radar and on bail, Mabel Mora, Charles-Haden Savage and Oliver Putnam decide to prove their innocence by once again investigating and podcasting.

Season 1 cliff-hangers like how Bunny ended up in the podcasters' OMITB tie dye hoodie, who texted Charles and Oliver to get out of the building, reason Bunny was murdered, if Season 1 villains were involved and how did Cinda Canning reach Arconia for a right on-time podcast coverage then unfolds along with additional information in the episodes. 

Season 2 - Short Review

Compared to Season 1, Season 2 comes across as a bit disoriented in the first few episodes. While the drama and suspense flow naturally in Season 1, it seems forced in the latter. Also despite bigger names like Amy Schumer, Cara Delevingne, Paul Rudd and Michael Rapoport appearing in guest to recurring roles, they are under utilized failing to make an impact one expects with such names. 

But Selena Gomez, Martin Short and Steve Martin shine as usual, the former more than the latter two. Season 2 is dominated by Mabel Mora's self-discoveries like her sexuality, reasoning behind selective amnesia, ability to forgive and trust and an incredible amount of street-smarts.

Short's Putnam character also gets a good arc and we see him dealing with his sensitive side more.  And actors like Ryan Broussard (as Will Putnam), Jayne Houdyshell (as Bunny Folger), Daniel Oreskers (as Marv), Adina Verson (as Poppy) and Teddy Coluca (as Lester) get their due this time around. 

Season 2 new additions like Christine Ko as murdered victim Bunny's protégé Nina Lin, and veteran Shirley Maclaine as Bunny's mother with a secret, put up a memorable show. Actor Ariel Shafir as Ivan, the whole pickle diner angle and elements like Mrs. Gambolini - the bird, the secret passageway, the missing artist and the mysterious glitter guy do a good job of keeping the suspense intact. 

Finale & Season 3 Set Up [Spoilers Ahead]

Not only are aspects of Charles, Oliver and Mabel's personal life revealed in Season 2, it is also shown how each of them are doing a year later post dealing with their respective pasts and demons. Hints of Charles being hit with early stage dementia is shown, while also maintaining that he is thriving as an actor a year later.  His connection to Rudd's character Ben Glennroy and who is the mystery woman they were both talking about before Glennroy's final moments is something to look forward to in OMITB Season 3. 

While it is revealed that Oliver is back directing Broadways, and Charles has stayed in touch with his former step-daughter Lucy [played by Zoe Colletti], his new love interest Joy [played by Andrea Martin], what Mabel has done with her life post getting herself acquitted remains unknown. She shows up alone to the show in the climax of the finale, indicating that she did not rekindle her romance with Delevingne's character Alice Banks. 

And as with Season 1 culprit Jan (played by actress Amy Ryan), it remains to be seen if the Season 2 mastermind will make a return for Season 3.