It's Mabel Mora vs. the world in Only Murders In The Building

“What are the fictions that ferry us through life?” this week’s Only Murders In The Building narrator poetically asks the audience. I’m talking, of course, of Cinda Canning’s (Tina Fey) efficient but grossly undervalued assistant, Poppy White (Adina Verson), who gets a surprising spotlight in “Performance Review.” This move further establishes a true OMITB talent for subverting the true-crime genre. It glimpses from the outside in by letting secondary (or even tertiary!) characters take the reins. Poppy, Will, Lucy, or Theo walking us through their lives could easily be a silly diversion. Instead, their perspectives often develop the central mystery while proving that Charles, Oliver, and Mabel turning into amateur sleuths has real consequences for the people around them. And that, case or no case, life goes on.

Poppy’s jarring mentor-mentee relationship is an interesting subplot on its own, especially now that she’ll help the trio against “girl boss” Cinda to prove Mabel’s innocence. (After Fey’s acerbic delivery of “To our audience, there’s nothing more tantalizing than an unhinged murderous beauty” to Mabel, I’m on board with taking her alter ego down). But Poppy’s voiceover lends a greater purpose. When she poses the question, “What are the stories we tell ourselves?” it isn’t just about how she’s falsely believed Cinda will someday promote her. It pertains to Mabel, who lets herself believe she can start fresh without her past affecting the present.

In her blooming romance with a stranger like Alice (Cara Delevingne), Mabel latches on to the possibility of moving on from the deaths that surround her. It’s understandable but also regrettable because, as an infamous figure, her volatile history will never really leave her. “Performance Review” uses her past to push her into a corner and away from everyone. The episode brings out one of Gomez’s most vulnerable performances yet, and tees up another crusher for next week because Mabel’s heart? Oh, it’s broken.

As if Oliver publicly doubting Alice wasn’t enough, she finds out Charles is seeing Jan again—the same woman who killed her friend, Tim Kono. Plus, a sleazebag former coworker, Jimmy Russo, lands up on Cinda’s rival podcast to share a fake story about how Mabel injured him (In reality, she fought back after his unwanted sexual advances). Worst of all, when she goes to Alice’s gallery seeking solace, she discovers a horrible scene. Her girlfriend is dressed up as Bloody Mabel, the entire room has transformed into Mabel’s apartment— complete with that beautiful wall painting of Arconia’s residents. Um, what the hell, Alice? She was wily with the Son of Sam card switcheroo, but this quickly went south from Mabel as an unintentional muse to Alice exploiting her misery.

Now, if OMITB wants Mabel to have an ultimately happy ending (fingers crossed), whether or not it’s with Alice, I suspect there’s a good chance Mabel will embrace the idea of speaking her truth through art. We already know she rejoices in a creative outlet. But for now, she has a bigger problem than loved ones betraying her. After running away from the gallery, she apparently “stabs” a man in the subway, only for the video to quickly go viral. Bloody Mabel is at it again, or so the internet seems to think. Even Charles and Oliver are pretty shaken after seeing the footage, leading to a hella cute, slightly awkward, anxiety-riddled hug between them.

“Performance Review” is about Mabel, but Oliver and Charles do have some terrific moments. The whole “stories we tell ourselves” applies to them to some extent too. Oliver hasn’t even considered that Roberta would’ve cheated on him, and thanks to Jan’s manipulation, Charles has concocted a love story with her. At least Oliver is introduced to new comfort food: A variety of salsas instead of his usual tzatziki because Greek dips aren’t doing it for him right now. It’s been 36 hours, and he still hasn’t gotten the DNA test results to determine if Willy is his son or Teddy’s. We’re all waiting with bated breath, but this narrative really doesn’t need to be stretched into yet another episode.

On the plus side, Charles’ arc leads to some amusing guest appearances. Amy Ryan, Zoe Colletti, and best of all, Jane Lynch all return. It’s good to see you, Sazz Pataki. Sazz dumping Jan in Charles’ stead using last-minute pages that “get pretty porny” is a hall of fame OMITB scene, right? It’s nice to see Lucy folded into the mix, even though she hasn’t told anyone about her visit to the Arconia during Bunny’s murder. What are you waiting for, kiddo? In fact, I briefly thought Lucy is the one who texted Charles to “get out,” but it turns out it was the killer using Detective Williams’ (DaVine Joy Randolph) phone.

Not to quote Brazzos again, but this sends the investigation in a whole new direction. Who would have easy access to steal or the ability to clone her cell? Why would the murderer warn Charles, Mabel, and Oliver to get out of the building if they’re the ones being framed? With only four episodes to go, OMITB has a lot to clear up about this specific case, but kudos to the writers and performers for successfully delving into the protagonists’ state of mind in some unexpected ways.

Stray observations:

• Here are some fascinating meetings spotted in Cinda’s calendar as Poppy browses through it: There’s a carb nap at noon, dinner with someone she’s dubbed limbless Leticia, a clitoral stimulation session with Jake, two massages, and a “neck thing.”
• Adina Verson (like other OMITB guest stars, including Jayne Houdyshell) made the most of being a central figure in this episode.
• Andrea Martin is another perfect guest addition to OMITB as Charles’ makeup artist. Her line delivery of “We did it once, those were different times” is hilarious.
  PS: Martin’s also crushing it weekly on Paramount+’s Evil, which is a must-watch.
• Con: Michael Rapaport returns as Detective Kreps in this episode.
  Pro: It’s only for one scene, to yell at all the podcasters for interfering with his investigation.
• “If my years in regional theater and wild orgies have taught me anything, it’s that there’s no getting rid of glitter” is an all-timer line from Oliver.
• “The Parrot Theory” is such a sly reference to The Staircase’s Owl Theory. I love it. Sorry, Mrs. Gambolini.
• “I usually spend one year getting into a relationship, one year trying to enjoy it, and four years trying to get out of it.” Hmm…is Charles Haden-Savage a fellow Scorpio?
• Costume designer Dana Covarrubias has done it again. Shoutout to Mabel’s absolutely stunning white jacket and Oliver’s black waistcoat in “Performance Review.”
• Who do we think is the evidence-stealing “glitter man” stabs in the final scene?