The penultimate episode of Only Murders in the Building season 5 was a very strong, bittersweet episode with sweet character moments and exciting plot twists. Following the reveal that Randall was in the courtyard when Lester died, the trio tries and fails to chase him down. From there, the episode jumps to the final day before everyone must move out of the Arconia, where Charles looks for new friends, Oliver tries to have a last supper, and Mabel continues investigating. She and Detective Williams find a secret room connecting the casino and the dry cleaners. The trio reunites when they find out that Randall has been secretly hiding in the Arconia. They interrogate him and discover the truth about why he was in the courtyard. As revealed by him and a video from the robot doorman L.E.S.T.R., Lester killed Nicky to preserve the integrity of the Arconia. The trio, with the help of various people in the building–including season one’s Teddy and Theo Dimas–makes a breakthrough in the case. Thanks to Howard, the trio discovers that Nicky’s five sons and their motorized scooter-bound grandmother stole the finger from Charles’s apartment.
After the time jump, this episode maintains an extremely nostalgic quality, both in terms of atmosphere and references to characters from previous seasons. In many ways, the episode plays like the series finale of a sitcom, where all the main characters, side characters, and old characters reunite to say goodbye to the primary setting of the series. Only Murders in the Building manages to maintain this tender quality while balancing the excitement surrounding the unfolding mystery. While this episode had exciting revelations, its character moments stood out. In particular, Charles’ loneliness and fear were sweet to see, especially considering that he had been reduced to a testosterone-filled flirt the whole season. Additionally, Mabel’s rejection of Jay was extremely satisfying, as she threw the injustice of the Arconia being gambled on in his face. Finally, since the season was heavily dependent on guest stars and broad plotlines, it was quite refreshing to see the regulars of Arconia play a more significant role in the episode’s plot. While Howard, Uma, and Vince were great to see interact with each other, Teddy and Theo were a shockingly welcome inclusion.
As is the case with some of the previous episodes, some of the weaker comedic bits of the season revolve around the robot L.E.S.T.R. Howard’s strange relationship with it results in some decent comedic moments, but the robot is frequently utilized to make predictable jokes about how technology is annoying. L.E.S.T.R. playing the part it did in the reveal of Lester’s secret was interesting, but it felt like a very simple and easy way to convey information. Despite the robot’s weakness in terms of jokes and plot points, the episode was still incredibly strong. “LESTR” delivered, for better or worse, on the consistent comedy and tone of the rest of the series, while providing great character moments and a truly unique, bittersweet tone.
Rating: 8/10