Only Murders In The Building: One Quote From Each Character That Sums Up Their Personality

Spoiler Warning: This list contains detailed plot spoilers for Only Murders in the Building season 1.

As viewers await season 2 of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, it’s a good time to revisit season 1’s characters and the quotes that made them so memorable. The show featured fine writing and bold characters that the actors were able to bring to life over its ten episodes and are worth re-watching.

The characters of Only Murders in the Building are what brings the viewer back each week, along with some truly surprising plot twists, and great, quotable dialogue that helps define those characters. Each new episode brings more great lines and twists that will make re-watching to see what the viewer missed a pleasure.

“We’re Born Alone, Spend Most Of Our Time Alone, Then We All Go Out Alone.” – Detective Williams

Detective Williams is talking here about her justification for not helping out Charles, Oliver, and Mable with their investigation into Tim Kono’s death.

Detective Williams may have grown somewhat cynical over the years, but there is still a spark for doing the right thing in her. It’s this that gets her to reverse her position and turn over Tim’s phone and to test Tim’s blood leading to finding the cause of death wasn’t suicide but poisoning. She may act tough and cynical, but she did what was right in the end.

“Tim Kono’s Death Has Now Been Ruled A Homicide And Apparently One Of You J***offs Did It.” – Bunny

Bunny is angry that her building is attracting more negative press, and that Oliver, Charles, and Mable, three people she already hates, are responsible for that attention. They are hurting the reputation of the Arconia and she won’t stand for it.

Bunny is a bitter person whose whole life revolves around controlling the board committee of the Arconia and making miserable the lives of anyone who challenges her. She calls a vote and kicks the three podcasters out of the building thinking that that will somehow make all the problems go away.

“Just Because You Aren’t Locked Up Doesn’t Mean You Aren’t Still In Some Kind Of Prison.” – Oscar

Oscar is talking about having gotten out of prison for the murder of Zoe, a crime it is later revealed he didn’t commit.

Oscar is one of the most relatable characters, as he’s just trying to live his life after getting out of prison from serving time for a crime he didn’t do. He may be out of those concrete walls, but he’s not free of the pain and the memory of being an innocent man blamed for a terrible act that he didn’t do. That’s a prison from which he finds it hard to escape.

“You’ll Make The Right Choice. Because If You Don’t, Well, I Know Where You Live.” – Teddy

Teddy Dimas owns a chain of delis and comes off as a pretty nice guy until he doesn’t. He funds the podcast in an attempt to keep an eye on it and control its progress. He’s offering a big check to Oliver here, who is desperate for money, but there’s a catch.

The catch is that Teddy was involved in an illegal jewelry fencing and smuggling business and Tim Kono was one of his clients. He also becomes a suspect in Tim’s murder. On the surface, he’s the deli king, beneath lurk darker waters. Teddy is used to getting what he wants and if he doesn’t, there are other ways to achieve his goals.

“People Talk Way Too F–king Much In This City.” – Theo

Theo Dimas to the deaf son of Teddy. Here he is commenting on how much Oliver and his friends talk on their podcast and how much they reveal.

Theo tends to keep to himself and mind his own business and he likes it that way. The mindless and hurtful talk about him and his family has him angry, he doesn’t understand why people can’t just shut up and mind their own business.

“I’m A Sucker For Lonely Guys With Notable Age Differences I Meet On Elevators” – Jan

This quote from Jan is literally true; she met the younger Tim Kono in an elevator and has an affair with him and then met Charles in the same elevator and became involved with him as well. She speaks the truth here and does so boldly, but then, she thinks Charles is dying.

The problem is, in one of the biggest plot twists she’s revealed as the killer, the person who murdered Tim and is attempting to kill Charles. She’s a sucker for these people because they make great victims and probably won’t be missed or their deaths investigated. The only reason Tim Kono’s ‘suicide’ was looked into was because of the podcast that Charles, Oliver, and Mable were making. Her plan didn’t work, but the viewer is left to wonder, how many times did she succeed in the past?

“As I Said To Paula Abdul During Our Production Of Hedda Gabler, We’ve Got To Start Thinking Outside The Box Here.” – Oliver

Oliver Putnam is a Broadway director who hasn’t worked in a while. Here he’s dropping another reminder that he knows important people and was somebody at one time.

Oliver is one of the funniest characters but is a constant name-dropper. He’s someone who had a certain amount of fame at one time and has to remind everyone and himself, of that fact. From the names and productions he does let drop, the level of his fame and talent couldn’t have been much, but he clings to it like he does the podcast because it’s all he has left.

“I’ve Broken Up With People For Whispering Loudly In Movies Or Chewing Weird.” – Charles

Charles-Haden Savage is talking to Jan about how much he likes her and how hard it is for him to like anyone. Even though he has figured out she’s a killer, he still has feelings for her and is greatly conflicted.

Charles is a picky, finicky curmudgeon who is perfectly miserable in his walled-off life in his Manhatten apartment and doesn’t understand how miserable he is until Tim Kono is killed. That act and finding Oliver and Mable wakes him back up to life and show him how much he’s been missing out on.

“Women Who Knock Rarely Make History.” – Mabel

Mable Mora is walking into Charles’s apartment, without knocking first, to deliver some food. Charles and Oliver are kind of put-off by it but Mabel has a sharp response ready.

Mable is a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it. With the death of her friend Tim, she understands that life is short and she isn’t there to waste time. Mabel just can’t stand on niceties all the time, so she will go through all doors boldly and make some history.

About The Author

Tom Stewart
(54 Articles Published)

Tom Stewart is an actor, playwright, and writer living in Seattle, WA.

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