Only Murders In The Building: Every Unanswered Question Season 1

Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead for Only Murders in the Building

The finale of Only Murders in the Building season 1 leaves some significant questions unanswered. The Hulu Original series has had a positive reception over the past few weeks, culminating in a finale episode that sees murder podcast trio Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) finally cracking the case. However, despite the gripping finale, there are still a number of serious issues that are yet to be resolved.

Over the course of the season, the gang digs up evidence that leads them down various rabbit holes before eventually arriving at the truth. In a shocking twist, the murderer is proved to be Charles’s bassoon-playing sweetheart, Jan (Amy Ryan), who poisoned her previous flame Tim Kono. The trio also learn more about Tim Kono, another death that occurred in the building ten years before, and a number of juicy secrets being kept by the other characters residing in the Arconia. Much of this turns out to be a series of red herrings shrouding the real killer, but there are also many interconnected details.

Related: Why Steve Martin Stopped Acting (And Why He’s Back)

The final episode concludes with Mabel, Oliver, and Charles having a celebratory drink on the Arconia’s roof before one more murder hurls them into handcuffs. With the ominous sound of a police siren in the distance, Mabel asks, “Does anyone else feel like there’s still a couple of loose ends?” Though the biggest loose end of season 1 occurs right after this scene when Mabel and her fellow podcasters are arrested as suspects in the murder of housing board director Bunny, there are some other lingering questions as well. Here’s every loose end Mabel may have been talking about.

Who Else Might Jan Have Killed During Her Time at the Arconia?

One of the season’s biggest reveals is that Jan and Tim Kono were seeing each other and that Jan is a serial poisoner who murdered him and attempts to do the same to Charles. When Mabel and Oliver break into Jan’s apartment, they find a significant stash of poisons ranging from a suspicious bottle to a pillbox labeled “Jan’s Lil T♥xins.” And when she and Charles confront each other in his apartment and Jan admits to being Tim Kono’s murderer, she assures him, “I’m not one of those who always does it the same.” Clearly, Jan has a long history of poisoning people, and she knows how to make it look like a suicide or an accident. Knowing this raises questions of who else Jan has killed, and whether they were other Arconia residents.

Why Did Jan and Tim Break Up?

Related to the question of who else Jan has killed is the question of why she and Tim broke up. It’s revealed that Tim was working tirelessly to expose the Dimases for their jewel-thieving due to his guilt over keeping quiet the night Zoe Cassidy died. It could be that he and Jan broke up simply because he didn’t have time for her, or because their age difference wasn’t working out, but what if it was more? Before Tim Kono’s murder, did he know what Jan was up to? If so, he might also have been aware of her other poisoning plots, if she had any.

Who Was Watching Jan?

Episode 8 of Only Murders in the Building ends with Charles coming back to Jan’s apartment to find that she’s been stabbed. Jan later reveals that she did this to herself, but that doesn’t explain the note left on her door that says “I’M WATCHING YOU” earlier in the episode. It’s unlikely Jan was also behind the note since the handwriting on it is distinctly different from her own. Maybe she used different handwriting intentionally, but she didn’t bother to do the same when leaving notes for Charles. This suggests that someone else in the building suspected Jan. This, in turn, raises the question of who it actually was and what it is they might actually know.

Where Are the Dimases Now?

Mabel, Charles, and Oliver think they have the case cracked in episode 8 when they discover that the Dimases are stealing jewelry from dead bodies and selling it illegally. This revelation leads to Theo and Teddy’s arrest, but Detective Williams soon learns that they had an alibi the night Tim Kono was murdered. This exonerates the Dimases from that crime but doesn’t change the fact that they are thieves, that Theo was responsible for the death of Zoe Cassidy, and that Teddy covered it up. None of these misdeeds are as severe as premeditated murder, but the Dimases aren’t likely to get off easy even if it does involve re-opening a police investigation from ten years ago. They don’t appear again in the show after episode 8, and the main cast is too busy finding the real killer to give them any more thought. However, as it is, the Dimases fate remains unresolved, meaning that they could return seeking some revenge in season 2.

Who Are Zoe’s Parents?

Zoe Cassidy was one of Mabel’s friends growing up in the Arconia, along with Oscar and Tim. According to Mabel, Zoe’s family owned the entire eleventh floor, but that wasn’t enough for Zoe. In every flashback to ten years ago, it’s clear that Zoe was the most troublemaking member of the Hardy Boys gang, stealing things and encouraging them to keep breaking into other apartments. The nearly silent episode 7 reveals that Teddy Dimas used his influence to cover up Zoe’s death, but what about her parents? As wealthy residents of the Arconia, they must have had the resources to bring her killer to justice, begging the question of what they will do now that new information has come to light. Season 2 will likely move on from the events surrounding Mabel, Oscar, and Tim’s past in favor of the fresher murder, but there is potential for Zoe’s parents to be power players if they were to return.

Who Is Mabel’s Aunt?

Mabel is only at the Arconia during the events of Only Murders in the Building because she is renovating her aunt’s apartment while her aunt is out of town. Mabel seems to have a good relationship with her aunt, but she is never introduced officially in season 1. With Mabel now a suspect in a new murder investigation thanks to Bunny’s mysterious death, it’s likely Mabel’s aunt will enter the scene to take back her apartment, and possibly to help Mabel, Charles, and Oliver as well. What kind of person is Mabel’s aunt? Does she have any dark Arconia secrets like some of the building’s other residents?

Only Murders in the Building has been renewed for a second season, which should deal primarily with the aftermath of Bunny’s murder. But it’s also likely that many of the characters from the first season will return, and they could bring some of these loose ends with them. Hopefully, season 2 of Only Murders in the Building will help answer some of season 1’s unanswered questions.

Next: Only Murders In The Building Just Addressed Its Biggest Problem

About The Author