
Join Keener and KK as they take a deeper look into the life and death of Bunny Folger. Today we'll be talking to the writers of episode four, Valentina Garza and Rachel Burger, as well as Zoe Colletti who plays the only person cooler than Mabel Mora,...
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Zoe Coletti
Straw Hut Media.
Rachel Berger
That's the tragedy of that storyline. It's just Oliver doesn't have dip anymore.
Elizabeth Keener
That is the sad. That's the saddest thing of all.
Kevin Lan
Who are we? We're a couple of true crime aficionados,
Elizabeth Keener
kind of like Charles, Oliver and Mabel, the three main characters in the Hulu original show. Only murders in the building now in season two.
Kevin Lan
And we're here making a podcast about a show where the characters make their own pod about a murder.
Elizabeth Keener
I'm your host, Elizabeth Keener.
Kevin Lan
And I'm your host, Kevin lan.
Elizabeth Keener
Why are we here?
Kevin Lan
To solve a murder and to try to figure out who the killer is before it all is revealed in the season finale.
Elizabeth Keener
We may not be in the Arconia ourselves, but we'll get some inside information from members of the cast and crew and clues to help us piece it all together.
Kevin Lan
Today we'll be talking to the writers of episode four, Valentina Garza and Rachel Berger, as well as Zoe Coletti, who plays the only person cooler than Mabel Mora. Lucy.
Elizabeth Keener
Plus, we'll hear more from showrunner and co creator John Hoffman. We'll talk about Nina Lind as a suspect and the writing process for that intense elevator scene between Teddy and Oliver.
Kevin Lan
We'll explore the secret passageways of the Arconia and learn some cool Gen Z slang.
Elizabeth Keener
As of now, we've seen the first four episodes, so listeners beware. We're going to give a quick recap and if you haven't watched, hit the pause button, Stream episode four now and come right back so we don't spoil anything for.
Kevin Lan
Episode 4. Here's looking at you. We finally meet Lucy. She surprises Charles in his trailer on the Brazos set.
Elizabeth Keener
Teddy Demas is back from prison with an ankle bracelet, and Oliver runs into him in the elevator. Teddy is holding a big grudge.
Kevin Lan
The trio meets Lucy back at Charles's apartment. Charles gets ready to make his signature omelet, and Lucy grabs a bloody knife from the knife block.
Elizabeth Keener
It's the murder weapon.
Kevin Lan
And it's Oliver's missing knife. And now it has sees fingerprints on it.
Elizabeth Keener
And Howard Morris shows up. He says Nina Lynn punched in the night of Bunny's murder and gave him his black eye. He thinks she's the one who killed Bunny.
Kevin Lan
And Lucy shows the trio the secret door in Charles's bathroom. And of course, they go in.
Elizabeth Keener
Oliver goes to spy on Teddy to see what he's plotting, but ends up witnessing an emotional argument between Theo and Teddy.
Kevin Lan
They see Nina Lynn with her partner. He says that Bunny had to go and they see her plans for a giant space pod thing on top of the arconia.
Elizabeth Keener
They're convinced Nina is the killer, and they go to confront her with her microphone. But Nina goes into labor and she's no longer a suspect.
Kevin Lan
Mabel asks Lucy why she really came back to the arconia. And we learn that she was in the walls the night of Bunny's murder. She saw a person in a mask
Elizabeth Keener
with a flashlight, and they sneezed or coughed.
Kevin Lan
Lucy was feet away from Bunny's killer.
Elizabeth Keener
Yes. And then Charles sends her home to Connecticut.
Kevin Lan
Then we finally see who's behind the unknown number that's been calling him.
Elizabeth Keener
It's Jan. Hello, Charles.
Jan
I've missed you.
Kevin Lan
So this episode was co written by two amazing writers. You might remember Rachel Berger from last season on the pod. She started as a writer's assistant and then ended up co writing the season one finale with John Hoffman.
Rachel Berger
Hi. Nice to see you again.
Elizabeth Keener
This Rachel was paired with Valentina Garza, who's worked on some pretty big shows like the simpsons and Jane the virgin.
Valentina Garza
I mean, it was very exciting. I didn't really have a context for what the show was. When I jumped in, season one hadn't aired.
Elizabeth Keener
Here's Valentina.
Valentina Garza
But I read the pilot and I was like, oh, my God, I love this. And it may sound kind of crazy to say this about a show that's about murder, but I was like, this
Zoe Coletti
is the most joyful script
Valentina Garza
in a long time. And I think I was writing, like, a lot of really heavy, and I was kind of processing a lot of the heaviness of, like, being at home and in the pandemic and a lot of, like, the George Floyd of it and all of the crazy, intense things that, like, as a nation, we were kind of processing. And I was writing into that, like, so I was in a very, like, heavy, dark, emotional space. And then I read the script and I was like, oh, my God, this is so joyful.
Kevin Lan
This murder is so relaxing.
Valentina Garza
All these killings, they're so great.
Kevin Lan
Finally a breather.
Valentina Garza
It was like an optimistic, like, I don't know, know, like, finding some levity and humor even in the darkness.
Kevin Lan
I think Valentina was hired for season two as a consulting producer and was ready to put her genre bending experience to work.
Valentina Garza
And that really is one of the things that attracted me to the show. Just coming from the very specific writing background that I had, which is like, I've worked on a lot of different genres and I've worked on a lot of genre smash shows. So I feel like that was one of the thing that was things that was really exciting to me is like, oh, we get to do comedy and we get to do like a mystery and a thriller and it can be dark sometimes, but it's also like super fun and poppy and visual and all of those things.
Rachel Berger
So that's.
Valentina Garza
Yeah, that's what's really fun.
Elizabeth Keener
Speaking of poppy, that was my guess on episode one and two.
Rachel Berger
I love that you guys do that.
Kevin Lan
Only Murders has always been a Zoom writers room. So the traditional methods for outlining and writing a show think note cards stuck to a wall and whiteboards that get moved around don't really apply.
Valentina Garza
The challenge of Zoom is that you don't have like all of those resources. So it's a lot of just like trying to get as much of a scene on a screen share, you know, as you're breaking it, as you're breaking it in the room. And then like, truly us walking away and kind of like talking it through and seeing what makes sen. And then I think the way that we did it was. It was like, Rachel, you take. I think I took act one and she took act two, and then, and then we were like, let's split act three and then swap everything. And then you get eyes on. On my half and I get eyes on your path. And yeah, we'll talk through the problems and what's working and what's not working. So definitely not, I think like a super traditional classes. Thank you, COVID 19.
Elizabeth Keener
But there is, of course, Google Docs and good old fashioned pen and paper. Here's Rachel.
Rachel Berger
I'm sure every writer has their own notebook. I have this really fun Beauty and the Beast one that looks like a VHS tape. So I did a lot of like, writing in that just like on my own if I didn't want to put it in the Google. But the Google Doc was like the, like the final phase of like, here's my brain for you to look at, you know?
Elizabeth Keener
Right.
Valentina Garza
And then to make it, like, to make it extra challenging, you know, as a consulting producer on the show. So I was there three days a week. So a lot of times it would be like, you know, let's talk about the episode. They would talk about the episode and I'd read the notes. So then poor Rachel would have to be like, okay, I'm done in the room and now I have to start a new room with Valentina because she has no idea what's going on.
Rachel Berger
No, I loved it. She joined me on my evening walks with my dog. Like, I get off the room and then be like, ellie, are you free? Can I call you?
Kevin Lan
This was the first time Rachel and Valentina had ever written together.
Rachel Berger
But I do remember when I first met Val. I was like, oh, my God, I hope I get to do my episode with her. I willed it into the universe. Yeah. So I was like, oh, my God, a really cool person that I can learn from. And, yeah, it was cool.
Valentina Garza
Oh, sure, let's.
Kevin Lan
Yeah. Fantastic.
Valentina Garza
Yeah. And I think also John was really thinking about, like, creating this character, this young woman who we owed from season one in Lucy. I think he probably put us together because he thought that we would be really successful at kind of trying to find a voice for this young woman and really thinking about who she could be. So I think that that made a lot of sense, and we did have a lot of fun. It was a very meandering journey. At one point, she was, like, a lacrosse player.
Rachel Berger
Oh, yeah, I remember that.
Valentina Garza
Who was, like, taking out Oliver with a lacrosse stick in the bowels of the show at one point. So, yeah, totally trying to find her.
Rachel Berger
We had this task of creating this character that everybody knew, but, like, no one did know. So it was kind of a fresh slate. And we knew we wanted her to be, like, the Mabel and how she is to Charles and Oliver, you know? So it's like the making fun of the generational gap. And we recognize that there's, like, this really cool younger generation, like, that's even cooler than millennials that are just, like, they're vulnerable but, like, self aware and have this, like, confidence to them. And you're kind of, like, intimidated because you're like, why are you so well rounded? And we knew that, like, that was the vibe we wanted to bring to life. And there was a lot, like, trying to figure out the balance with her.
Zoe Coletti
Anyway, you are so lucky. It's probably, like, so easy for you to get Xannies and Klonopin and stuff. I prayed to the 100 dextry to get a real diagnosis, but my mom, she, like, hates Big Pharma.
Kevin Lan
So,
Zoe Coletti
guys, is the adult business concluded?
Rachel Berger
Please.
Valentina Garza
I'll give you $200.
Rachel Berger
But we did go into it having kind of an idea of, like, her personality. And it was really fun crafting, like, her backstory, in a sense. And I think you get some good, juicy stuff in episode four. And, yeah, it was a lot of fun.
Kevin Lan
Yeah. Because we actually noticed it did seem, like, to Lucy, Mabel seemed like a Charles and Oliver to her. She has to explain things.
Elizabeth Keener
Can you explain to us what is bet.
Rachel Berger
Oh, bet.
Kevin Lan
The BET text. Yeah, the text. The text that she talks about Lucy.
Rachel Berger
To be honest with you, I don't necessarily know. I feel like. Valley, your kids might say. I know that.
Valentina Garza
Like, I know it's totally. Kids speak.
Zoe Coletti
Yeah.
Rachel Berger
And you guys talked to Noah Levine, and that was, like, his pitch. And he was like, really? Like, this is what kids are saying. And we're like, that must be true.
Valentina Garza
So my kids are saying that one
Kevin Lan
of our producers explained BET to us, and I'm gonna try to do my best to relay the explanation to you now.
Elizabeth Keener
Okay.
Kevin Lan
So think of BET as an affirmative. It's an agreement you could swap it with for sure pretty easily. So you want to grab some breakfast?
Elizabeth Keener
Bet.
Kevin Lan
Do you like dogs? Bet. Are you going to do the dishes? Bet. Get it now? Bet.
Rachel Berger
Yeah. We wanted Mabel to feel intimidated, which she's already cool. So the fact that, like, how do you make a character cooler than her?
Zoe Coletti
Enter Lucy.
Elizabeth Keener
Oh, yeah.
Kevin Lan
And this young whippersnapper comes up and.
Zoe Coletti
Yeah.
Kevin Lan
Puts her in her place.
Valentina Garza
Yeah.
Kevin Lan
And speaking of young whippersnappers, that's kind of creepy.
Zoe Coletti
Like, there's a child running through your walls. You don't know how long Lucy's been living in there.
Kevin Lan
This is Zoe. Margaret Colletti, who plays Lucy. She talked to us from New Jersey.
Zoe Coletti
All of my family is home, like, for the first time in a million years. So we're all just at home enjoying the summer. The only time in New Jersey that it's actually nice to be here is when it's lovely and sunny.
Elizabeth Keener
So she's a real live Gen Z er. She's even on TikTok. And so we wanted to know how much of her own life she brought to Lucy.
Zoe Coletti
They wrote such a phenomenal character, so there wasn't, like, a ton I feel like I had to do for Lucy that they hadn't already added just because all of their character work for their writing is just awesome. But I think one of the most fun things for me to get to play with is just that kind of dynamic between not only Lucy and Charles, but also Lucy and Mabel, which I know people have talked about before. But, you know, the whole aspect of Mabel being the one to make, you know, Oliver and Charles feel so old. Mabel's world is kind of shattered when somebody comes in and makes Mabel feel old. So that was a dynamic that was super, super fun. The writers did a great job of, like, hitting it on the head with, like, the young, like, Gen Z slang as well, and it was a really collaborative process. They were really great. If I had any ideas or, you know, it was just a really, like, welcoming kind of process.
Kevin Lan
If hearing all Lucy's slang made you feel old, don't feel too bad. Even Zoe didn't get everything.
Zoe Coletti
I understand, like, I want to say like 99% of the things that my character says. There was a few things that I had to Google, like the Hundred Gex tree. I had no idea what that was like in my. I had to Google that like back when I did my tape because I was like, I can't remember, to be honest with you.
Kevin Lan
It's still a question mark.
Zoe Coletti
It's still a question mark. Lucy knows. I do not know we separate the two because I. She is not me. We are separate people. She is cooler than me, apparently, because, I don't know, I'm a little bit older than Lucy. So, you know, it makes sense that she, like, knows some more stuff than I do. But it's making me feel really old because I'm not that old.
Elizabeth Keener
We googled the Hundred Gecks tree too. And honestly, we're still confused. If any of you listeners want to enlighten us, we welcome the help.
Kevin Lan
Back when Zoe was about Lucy's age, she watched season one of Only Murders in the Building and loved it.
Zoe Coletti
So I watched it after it had come out. So I didn't realize that they kind of formatted it, you know, releasing it even though it's on the streaming platform, kind of releasing episodes per week. Which now with this season, I'm like so angry. I'm like shaking my fist at them because I don't want to have to wait. I'm like, what's the point of it being on a streaming platform if they're not going to give it to me all at once? I am a hardcore binge watcher and
Kevin Lan
at the time she had no idea she'd have the opportunity to audition for the part of Lucy. But she did.
Elizabeth Keener
She was in Sweden with her boyfriend, also a tiktoker.
Zoe Coletti
So I just, you know, filmed a few of the scenes and sent them off into the usual black hole that you send all your auditions into. And one of the nice ones that you actually hear something back from and they had me do another tape where they gave me like, my gosh, I don't know how many. It was like, pretty almost, I think all of my scenes from episode four and they're like, we need it. It crazy enough by tomorrow. You don't have to be completely off book with the lines, but we need it by tomorrow. And I was like, ah, okay.
Kevin Lan
You're like, it's already tomorrow in Sweden.
Zoe Coletti
I'm like, I don't know what you mean, but yeah. So I then like super quickly turned it around, got the scenes I did go off book because I don't love doing scenes when I have to read the lines just because I feel like it makes it harder to actually pay attention to the scene. But I managed to learn like all the, I don't know, 20 pages of the scenes and sent it off to them. And then I ended up finding out I got the job like within the week. It was all like super, super quick.
Elizabeth Keener
Production started pretty quickly and when Zoe got to set, she was working with legends.
Zoe Coletti
First of all, Steve and Marty, they are like the funniest people on the entire planet, which obviously everyone knows. But like getting the opportunity to just be around them when they're just kind of hanging out. It's absurd how hilarious they are just all the time. Like, I, I, that's, I found that so funny. Just in between scenes, they're just, they have these whole comedy bits that they just pull out of nowhere. And like both of them are completely committed to them. It's hilarious. I, I get like the best behind the scenes ever. It's like so funny and they're just so talented and amazing. And also all three of them were so welcoming and kind and complimentary, which, like you said, kind of going into, you know, a cast that is not only on their second season but, or they're just, you know, they're, they're the big guys, you know, so it could be really threatening or like nerve wracking to kind of jump right into a set like that. But they made it such a phenomenal experience. And I, I, I have to say, I'm like a massive Selena Gomez fan. She was my favorite actor of all time. When I was young, I used to. What would it have been? I don't know when I was like in first grade. And even my dad knows all of the lyrics to her songs. And my mom, because I had one CD that went in my dad's car and it was her CD from when she was Selena Gomez in the scene. And it was the only CD I had that I bought at justice, which is a relic of a store at this point. And so it was all I would play on my way to and from first grade. And so even my dad knows all of the lyrics to her songs. She was my favorite. They say, like, don't meet your heroes. Except I did. And it was the Greatest experience. And now I just love her more.
Kevin Lan
We're going to take a quick break, and when we come back, John Hoffman returns to talk about some of the themes in the episode. We go inside the passageways of the Arconia, and Zoe gives us something to look forward to with a clue.
Valentina Garza
At some point in the room, there was some conversation of, like, when we see Teddy for the first time, like, it would be really cool if, like, you just see the ankle bracelet.
Rachel Berger
Right.
Valentina Garza
Sticking out of the elevator. And we always kind of felt like that was first moment, and it was such a great, like, sight gag. And so. And then, you know, it's just. It becomes a very classic. Only murders in the building, really uncomfortable ride up the elevator, you know?
Elizabeth Keener
We're back with Valentina and Rachel, co writers of episode four, discussing some of the key scenes of the episode.
Jan
Come in, Titty. I'll just get another one. Oh, don't be silly. I insist.
Elizabeth Keener
Okay.
Jan
How are you? I'm good. You're back for a few months awaiting trial. Ah, I see. So how was prison?
Valentina Garza
But, yeah, but it's also kind of like, okay, so now I'm Oliver, and I'm stuck in the elevator with this guy whose life I've totally turned inside out and I've hosted. So, like, what do I say? How do I make chit chat? So how was prison? Yeah, you know, it kind of is
Rachel Berger
the first thing you would say, though. You know what I mean? It's like, what else am I gonna. Like, how are you?
Kevin Lan
It really agrees with you.
Zoe Coletti
Yeah.
Valentina Garza
Valley and I had a lot of
Rachel Berger
fun writing that scene too. Cause I feel like we had, like. Like, we went in all different directions to kind of like, see where we wanted to go with the humor in it. But I'm pretty sure we had, like, a more intense scene. And then we, like, had it even lighter. And he got really into his yoga and, like, what he's doing. And, like, he basically was in a
Zoe Coletti
cult, like, you know what I mean?
Rachel Berger
You're like, what did you do with your time there? So it was just a lot of fun to write. And I think kind of like the level of emotion that we're in every iteration is what ended up in the
Jan
final version actually transformative. I don't know if you know Master Han, but he's helped me realize I don't have to act on my thoughts. For example, right now, the thought of wringing your neck really stimulates my root chakra. But it's probably not worth losing three of my mindfulness badges.
Kevin Lan
That's good.
Valentina Garza
Yeah. And I think we also just love the idea of, like, him trying to. Trying so hard to find his Zen and not have murderous thoughts, but all he wants to do is, like, kill him, like, right then and there. Yeah. And I'm also kind of like. I'm like a shameless. Like, I will walk an extra half mile just to get, like, that badge on my app. So I thought it was kind of funny that he's like, I'm gonna stay Zen because I want. I want that badge.
Kevin Lan
I don't want to fall out of the league.
Valentina Garza
Exactly. Exactly.
Jan
Well, I guess I'll see you around. Oh, definitely. Because I'm going to fuck you, Oliver.
Elizabeth Keener
Excuse me?
Jan
I'm going to fuck you. I'm not sure when or how quite yet, but I'm going to. Going to fuck you hard. Harder than you've ever been fucked before in a way you won't see coming until one day you'll slip your nubby little fingers into one of my dips you love so much and realize you're choking. Choking on a big heaping bowl of fucking. Namaste.
John Hoffman
That threat that Teddy gives Oliver in that elevator is one of my favorite moments, and I'm waiting for it. You know, please tell me, you know, where are we going with this?
Kevin Lan
Here is showrunner and co creator John Hoffman.
John Hoffman
Oh, and Nathan was brilliant in that scene. I thought both of them were. I. I thought, you know, it just is taught throughout that whole scene. But I. I think the flip. The flip is really the nice part of that because, you know, I think it's a. It's a signature of the show. Just when you think, you know, where this story might be going, even within this one episode, we flip it and it points right back to Oliver's relationship with his own son. And we're telling Oliver's story in that moment where he's sure Teddy is out to, you know, eff him, because he said it 14 times to him in the elevator. And so he's on defense, and he's ready to go and he's ready to take on the offense when he finds these passageways and he goes after him. And then, boom, it all flips. And he's seeing something. A side of Teddy he'd never seen before, a side that he wouldn't be seeing if. If he hadn't revealed the truths about Teddy and the enterprise that he was engaging in with his own son. And then it points back onto Oliver, and he comes back from that experience saying, I've never wanted to Hug my son more. And he knows where he needs to go at the end of the episode. He needs to be with his son and help him out.
Kevin Lan
What did you find out about Teddy?
Jan
Nothing, except I saw him weep. It was like. Like watching Darth vader take off his helmet. I'm in a total state of shock. I really am. And I've never wanted to hug my son more.
Rachel Berger
I mean, a big theme, as you probably have guessed this season, is just like, fatherhood and what it means to be a parent. And we kind of talked about kind of, like the levity of emotions that we have and different genres of the whole show. And I think it was important that, like, you know, they were huge characters. Season one, they were villains, but, like, they're human. So we were kind of showing an empathetic side, and they kind of have a softer storyline than we're probably used to. But, I mean, their chemistry is so great. So any chance that we get to write for them, we're like, yes, let's bring them back. And it kind of spoke to, like, the purpose of the passageways. It's like, yes, it's a violation of privacy, but it's like, it's not necessarily, you know, for perving, as Mabel says. But it's like, what are these intimate moments that you're not supposed to see that you see? And I think that's also more haunting to Oliver is the fact that, like, here's this menace, and I'm seeing his human side, and now I feel bad for him. So it's like, it's very layered and complicated and, yeah, it's just everybody has empathy because we're all human.
Elizabeth Keener
We learned about the existence of the passageways in episode two, Right.
Kevin Lan
We saw Archibald, the architect of the arconia, and Bunny's grandfather creepily spying on a woman getting undressed.
Elizabeth Keener
Right, Exactly. He wasn't just creepy, he was a creep. But it isn't until now, thanks to Lucy, that we see that they're still accessible. And it makes you wonder who else knows about them.
Rachel Berger
I will say, if the secret passageways were well known, then I feel like Teddy would have utilized that more with his side business, you know what I mean? So I don't think they're a wildly known thing, especially because they were originally intended for such a gross purpose and violating purpose that it's like you kind of don't want people to know about the quirks that you create.
Kevin Lan
Season one, it was important to know which floor everyone lived on when it came to solving the murder. So we were wondering if the writers had to come up with a detailed map of where all the secret passageways were and how they were connected, especially
Elizabeth Keener
because the killer would have had to use them on the night of the murder and again afterwards to plant the evidence.
Valentina Garza
Yeah, totally. We had everything laid out in every possible way we thought of everything.
Elizabeth Keener
Guys.
Rachel Berger
Oh, my gosh. Pete was our amazing writer's assistant, so I will say he probably is the map guy, because there would be constantly, like, hey, are we allowed to go down? Like, whose apartment's down if we go down? Exactly up. So, like, we left that in the minds of our, like, brilliant logistics in the room. So, yeah, okay, there's a version.
Valentina Garza
Why Rachel? She's being modest because she would totally police me when we were in our Google Doc. And she's like, you can't do that. Because someone told us on hand.
Kevin Lan
Classic Rachel.
Jan
She knew.
Valentina Garza
She was like, no, they don't have time to go up this many flights. So, yeah, no, Rachel. Rachel's on top of, like, who's where and on what floor and what you can do.
Kevin Lan
Can you tell us about what it felt like on the sets inside the passageways? Those kind of catacombs at the Arconia?
Zoe Coletti
Yeah, they. I mean, first of all, they looked amazing.
Elizabeth Keener
Here's Zoe Coletti. She plays Lucy.
Zoe Coletti
Like, it was really, really cool. And obviously, because it was built up in the studio, it really were like, it. It really was like these huge, long hallways and passageways. And then the one that's kind of the entrance to it in the bathroom, that was super, super cool. So they did a phenomenal job building all of them. They just looked insane. But in terms of actually filming, it was super, super cramped. So them having to fit what, when all of us were in there, four actors in there, two cameras, all of the camera operators, people having to try and, like, just even doing, like, touches for makeup and hair in between was so difficult because we'd all have to funnel out of the little hallways to do the touches and get go back in. It was, like a ton of cramped, tight spaces, trying to move everybody in and fit everything in there. That was the hardest part about that, because it was very, very teeny, tiny spaces.
Kevin Lan
It feels like it would get hot in there, too.
Zoe Coletti
Oh, it definitely was. There's definitely a lot of sweat. There's. I feel like people are always really hot on set in general because you're, like, running around like crazy people, like, trying to get everything done. Everything's always feeling like. Like the world is going to end if we don't finish shooting, like, in time. So I feel like everyone's always like, oh, my God, we're going to die. But extra. Extra pressure in the tiny, little hot compartments. Also with the little sliding door. Definitely a few people hitting their head trying to get in and out of there. It's. I thought it was hilarious, but it's. There's a few casualties for sure.
Elizabeth Keener
And even though the interior of the arconia is all on a set, the passageways felt very real.
Zoe Coletti
A lot of the passageways were connected. So, like, the entrance one just had a tiny little, like, nub of a passageway at the end of it. But all of the other ones are connected. So, like, the little entranceway is the only one that was separate. Otherwise they were all intertwined. They had to label all of, like, the entrances and exit. You know, I'd be like, oh, you know, the actors are going to meet at exit B. Like, they were all labeled, so we knew, but it wasn't too big. I know. Yeah, I would have been the one to get lost for sure. And it's like, pretty much most of my scenes are in there.
Kevin Lan
So. What Charles and Mabel see while they're spying on Nina Lynn in the secret passageways cements her in their minds as a key suspect. But it's actually Howard Morris who's the first to accuse her. I was not truthful about the way I obtained my injury. The night of Bunny's death, Nina Lynn punched me. She is violent, and after backstabbing Bunny, I think she might have front stabbed her too. She will cut a bitch. You can use that in the podcast. Why would Nina punch Howard in the face?
Zoe Coletti
Why are you all looking?
Valentina Garza
Cause Nina is a bitch, and she will cut a bitch.
Rachel Berger
I feel like there might have been another cut where we went deeper into that, but it might be revealed later. So I feel like we can't really say stuff about it.
Elizabeth Keener
Yeah. Okay. Okay, I'm gonna make it. Nice try, K.K. nice try. Nice try.
Valentina Garza
I mean, also, I'm just gonna say, like, I don't.
Rachel Berger
I mean, say what? Say it.
Jan
Yeah, go ahead.
Valentina Garza
Her boyfriend may or may not be an MMA fighter, so she probably knows how to throw a punch.
John Hoffman
Right?
Elizabeth Keener
Right.
Rachel Berger
It's called foreplay, and she was really into it, and it got out of hand.
Elizabeth Keener
Oh, yeah. I'm starting to like Nina.
Zoe Coletti
Yeah, she's cool.
Elizabeth Keener
But by the end of the episode, even though she is looking guiltier and guiltier, we think it's safe to say that Nina's no longer a suspect.
Valentina Garza
I mean, I think that you can never count anybody out, you know, so we're. We're gonna go on the journey. And you can never assume that anyone is off the. The board until episode 10.
Kevin Lan
And for the conspiracy theorists who thought maybe Nina had been faking her pregnancy, which we have, confirmation that she was indeed preggo.
Rachel Berger
Well, I can confirm she really was pregnant. Her water really did break. That wasn't a gimmick.
Kevin Lan
And another key piece of evidence pops up in this episode.
Elizabeth Keener
Oh, the bloody knife.
Valentina Garza
Obviously, it makes them look guilty for having the murder weapon, like, in their apartment. But for Mabel, who presumably has never touched it, it's actually, like, proof of her innocence. Right? So it's. It creates, like, an interesting conflict between, you know, all of the players. Like, what are we gonna do with this? What does it mean? And it's also just like, how did this get in here? And is this about, like, us being framed or is this about us being toyed with?
Elizabeth Keener
Right.
Rachel Berger
And now Oliver's involved, which he's been like, I'm not a part of this. But now he is.
Elizabeth Keener
That's right. Now all three of them are implicated in Bunny's murder. It was Mabel's knitting needle. And obviously the stabbing happened in her apartment.
Kevin Lan
The painting shows up in Charles apartment, and now this knife, but it's Oliver's
Elizabeth Keener
knife, so now he's a suspect too.
Valentina Garza
And then, of course, it also, by the way, it also just, like, involves Lucy. All of a sudden, it's like, oh, my God, now she is implicated in this whole thing, and she's not a part of this, and we want her to be a part of this. And all of a sudden, damn it, now she's a part of. This is so.
Rachel Berger
So it just.
Valentina Garza
It creates like a. A really interesting complex cluster.
Kevin Lan
And right before Lucy pulled that bloody knife out of the block, we get to hear Charles's hit song, angel and Flip Flops.
Elizabeth Keener
Yeah, yeah. All the way at the top at number 83 in Germany.
Jan
Walking all alone with my past in front of me Lonely as a man with nowhere to go Looking for the
Rachel Berger
woman that the thongs all promise yeah, it definitely came from the brilliant mind of our ep, Kirker Butler. And I don't remember exactly. Like, I think he just, like, went on a pitching thing, and he was like, guys, this is gonna happen. And Steve was all about it. And he would pop in on Zoom, be like, guys, I'm so sorry, but I just thought of this part. And he would, like, sing on his banjo a little part of it. And then and then we were like, oh, my God, this is amazing. He'd be like, okay, I'm so sorry. I'm so. We're like, no, play more.
Elizabeth Keener
Yeah. Oh, I love to Pita Potter. Yeah.
Zoe Coletti
So, yeah, I. I feel like that's
Rachel Berger
kind of what we were saying about, like, you think of things and you don't necessarily know where they're going to land in the episode. So I kind of felt bad that, like, it landed in ours when it was, like, from his brilliant mind. But, like, it is the most delightful thing.
Jan
Good God. How much money have you made from this? I made about 200 grand a year. Yeah, you're going be to be okay.
Rachel Berger
Okay.
Jan
Big finish.
Zoe Coletti
Loving a man like me. Steve wanted to make sure he was singing on the correct key. So we'd play it, like, before we would start. Right. Just before they would say action. So that he could get the key, of course, because, you know, he's brilliant, so he needed to listen to his own song.
Elizabeth Keener
Here's Zoe talking about what it was like to shoot that scene.
Zoe Coletti
It was honestly such a hilarious song. And it did help the scene. It did help it to be able to actually have it playing just before. They couldn't do it every time because, like, you know, for sound purposes, like having it over all of the dialogue and stuff, but I couldn't get enough of it. I loved it.
Kevin Lan
How many times do you think you heard it?
Zoe Coletti
Because we played it before every single take. And there's so many angles and so many takes for each angle. I mean, I feel like we're looking in, like, nearly 100 times, I think not the whole song, but, like, a decent bit for sure.
Kevin Lan
And then it'd be ingrained in your head later that night when you're trying
Zoe Coletti
to for all eternity. Like, I went to sleep hearing it, I woke up hearing it. It's just forever. Forever. Internal loop.
Kevin Lan
Thanks, Steve.
Zoe Coletti
Yeah. God, jeez. Thanks.
Elizabeth Keener
At the beginning of the episode, we see Charles and young Lucy singing the song, and we get a little more of the history of their father daughter dynamic.
Kevin Lan
Yeah. Charles clearly felt like a father to
Elizabeth Keener
Lucy, but when his relationship with Lucy's mom ended, he thought he had to give it all up.
Kevin Lan
And while he's thrilled to have Lucy back in his life, there are some complications when they finally have their heart to heart. It feels really sweet, you know, it
Zoe Coletti
was really, really nice to finally get a text from you, but eight years is like, that's like a really long time.
Jan
I'm sorry, I didn't know I was allowed Your mom said no contact.
Zoe Coletti
Well, you're allowed.
Jan
Okay.
Zoe Coletti
See, you know, this. This is why out of the five dads that I have had, you are. You are by far my favorite.
Jan
I'll take that.
Zoe Coletti
It was one of my favorite scenes to film, honestly, from the whole season. And for me, it was really cool because, you know, obviously by nature, the show is a comedy, so being a part of some of those more emotional or sad scenes in the show, having that be kind of one of the things that I got to bring to it was really cool for me, especially with so many great actors and great directors around me. But I think it's a really, really important part of Lucy and Charles relationship, and it was kind of the elephant in the room. So I think it was kind of inevitable that they had, you know, a more genuine conversation about everything that's happened. And getting to see that side of Lucy and also getting to see that side of Charles, I think is something that's really sweet and much needed from all of the kind of discussion, all of the omelette making that comes from Charles in the first season, I think it's closure for their relationship, but it's also an opening for a fresh start for them.
Kevin Lan
After their Heart to Heart, Charles sends Lucy home to Connecticut. But we have a feeling that it's not the last we'll be seeing of her.
Elizabeth Keener
Well, I hope not.
Zoe Coletti
I think from what we can tell of Lucy's character so far, she's very persistent. And if Charles says up, she says down. So I have a feeling him telling her to stay away will not stick. She is the perfect kind of teenager, and he's in that sort of the dad role. So I think anything that he says to her, she's gonna just ignore, pretty much.
Kevin Lan
But as Lucy leaves, an old character returns.
Jan
Well, unknown caller, I need your help with something. Hello, Charles. I've missed.
Rachel Berger
We are so delighted by Silence of the Lamb. Jan. She's.
Valentina Garza
I think we.
Rachel Berger
She's just even more now that she's,
Zoe Coletti
like, exposed as to her true color.
Rachel Berger
She's just, like, really leans into that. It's so fun.
Elizabeth Keener
That's our episode. But before we get to the whodunit summit, a clue from Zoe.
Kevin Lan
Is there any. Any clue you would like to share with everyone?
Zoe Coletti
Ooh, is there a clue I do not like. You are sneaky asking that question. Is there a clue? Oh, my gosh. That is a hard question, sir. My clue would be that the little peepholes in those passageways, they show some pretty exciting stuff. So I think, look Forward to those.
Kevin Lan
Ah, that's a great clue. Perfect. I'm writing that one down.
Zoe Coletti
Oh, God. I'm afraid John Hoffman. Immediately, my phone starts ringing right now. She's like, what did you do? I'm like.
Kevin Lan
The zoom cuts out.
Elizabeth Keener
Alrighty. Kk.
Kevin Lan
Yes, Keener. Is it time?
Elizabeth Keener
Yes. You know what time it is? It's time for the who done it?
Kevin Lan
Whodunit.
Elizabeth Keener
Woo.
Kevin Lan
This is where Keena and I come up with who we think the murderer is, based on the episodes we've seen so far. So we're up to episode four, and we write down who we think the murderer is on a piece of paper, put it in an envelope, and reveal it now for the first time live.
Elizabeth Keener
Okay, so do you want to read mine first?
Kevin Lan
Yes.
Elizabeth Keener
Okay, here we go.
Kevin Lan
Okay. And you put Howard the cat guy.
Elizabeth Keener
I put Howard the cat guy.
Kevin Lan
Why did you pick Howard?
Elizabeth Keener
Well, you know what? That sneeze. The sneeze got me the sneeze. I don't know. I feel like. I feel like he.
Kevin Lan
In the passageway when Lucy was hiding there and the masked man sneezed.
Elizabeth Keener
Yes. And I think that it made me think, okay, you know what? He's that kind of guy that needs an antihistamine. You know what I mean? That's just maybe. Maybe not for cats, because he might be fine with that, but for birds or dust or things like. Of that nature, you know, I think that he needs that. And then I watched. I watched the walking, and I thought, is that Howard? Those were my two.
Kevin Lan
Based on his walking.
Elizabeth Keener
I tried. I tried. You know, you. Sometimes they'll have somebody else walking. It's not even that person. I don't know. But, I mean, I'm sure.
Kevin Lan
And they probably want someone who you'd be like, is that a guy or a girl walking?
Elizabeth Keener
Yeah, I didn't. You know, really, I had no idea who was. You know, they were walking.
Kevin Lan
So you're going with Howard the cat guy.
Elizabeth Keener
Yes. So now. Okay, so I'm going to open yours.
Kevin Lan
Yep.
Elizabeth Keener
That was. Oh, Theo.
Kevin Lan
Yes.
Elizabeth Keener
Quotes even. You know, you actually crossed out something lower than that. I'm not gonna say I couldn't tell what that was, but Theo. Wow. Now, why Theo?
Kevin Lan
Okay, so Theo is backed in this episode along with Teddy. So they're out of jail for the moment, so.
Elizabeth Keener
And tell who Theo is again, just to.
Kevin Lan
Theo is Teddy's son, who they were caught smuggling the jewels in dead bodies last season. It's kind of gross, but they're back this episode, and if you recall, last season, Theo had That hidden room in their apartment building. So maybe he knows about the secret passageways already. Already? He already discovered it. And he could be framing the trio for sending him to jail, he and his father. But we also know that he's fighting with his father, Nathan Lane. So maybe he stole the painting to have a million dollars. Since his father will be in jail, he won't have access to money anymore, and it's to finance his future. So I'm working with Theo. Thanks for listening to season two, episode four of Only Murders in the Pod. Our inbox is open again, so please send over your thoughts and theories to to Only murdersrawhutmedia.com and if you're enjoying the show, please, please leave us a rating and a review. It really helps people find the show.
Elizabeth Keener
Only Murders in the Pod is a production of Straw Hut Media, hosted by Elizabeth Keener, me and Kevin Lan Me, produced by Ryan Tillotson and Maggie Bowles. Associate producer is Stephen Markley. Original music by Kyle Merritt. And Only Murders theme music by Siddhartha Koslave. And a big, big thanks to John Hoffman, Xavier Salas, Luisa Moltini, and of course, the entire Hulu team. Thank you, everyone who sends any kind of emails in fan mail with your theories, your thoughts, your ideas. We appreciate them all.
Kevin Lan
We got a lot this week.
Elizabeth Keener
Right. So Jackie. Jackie, she had some great thoughts. Ursula had an invoice for an elevator inspection, but obviously she didn't. The elevator broke out working properly. And she had other ideas about Mrs. Gambollini's cage being moved. And Howard and very interesting stuff. So that was. That was a cool. Yeah, yeah.
Kevin Lan
And Howard, Nina, Liam, and Dr. Stanley are all kind of suspects because they've been in Bunny's apartment.
Elizabeth Keener
Yep, Exactly. Exactly. And then we have Jennifer. Hi. Jennifer from New York City. She thanked us for having the cocatini recipe put.
Kevin Lan
Yes, she actually made drink.
Elizabeth Keener
Yeah.
Kevin Lan
Lily from Chicago agrees with you. She thinks it's Howard.
Elizabeth Keener
And yeah, she. I love when someone agrees with me, so thank you, Lily.
Kevin Lan
Alice was a very popular suspect this week. And several people, like Chloe from Hawaii, Heather, Julia and Ryan, they all kind of think that Alice could be the granddaughter of Rose Cooper.
Elizabeth Keener
Ooh, that's good.
Kevin Lan
So she's trying to get back her grandmother's painting. Edward from the uk, he thinks it's Amy Schumer.
Elizabeth Keener
Yeah, this is pretty good. You know what it might be? We don't know. We'll see who her again. And. And he. He loved listening to Ben Smith's thoughts, which was great. We just want to thank people. Ellen from South Carolina and Chloe is from Aloha. Hey Chloe, we mentioned you that you agreed with them the only from Greece
Kevin Lan
Keep them coming again the email address is only murdererstrawhutmedia.com we love layers.
Rachel Berger
We love layers in 100 degree weather.
Zoe Coletti
She's been living in there since like like since Charles and then Lucy's mom broke up. Lucy's just been scuttling around in his walls. It's really scary.
Only Murders in the Building Official Podcast
Episode: S2 E4: Here's Looking at You...
Host: Elizabeth Keener & Kevin Lan | Featuring: Valentina Garza, Rachel Berger, Zoe Coletti, John Hoffman
Release Date: July 13, 2022
This episode of the Only Murders in the Building Official Podcast dives deep into Season 2, Episode 4 of the series, "Here's Looking at You." Hosts Elizabeth Keener and Kevin Lan are joined by episode writers Valentina Garza and Rachel Berger, actor Zoe Coletti (Lucy), and showrunner John Hoffman. Through interviews, scene breakdowns, and behind-the-scenes insights, the podcast celebrates the show’s blend of mystery, comedy, and heart—this time centering on the arrival of Lucy, the ever-complicated web of suspects, the iconic elevator confrontation, and the secrets hidden within the Arconia’s walls.
Guests: Rachel Berger & Valentina Garza
(03:18 – 09:39)
Guest: Zoe Coletti (Lucy)
(11:03 – 13:02, 09:39 – 10:41)
(13:10 – 16:23)
Writers, Showrunner, Scene Excerpt
(16:41 – 22:09)
(23:28 – 27:57)
(27:28 – 30:42)
(30:42 – 32:57)
(32:59 – 34:53)
(36:00 – 42:38)
Episode 4’s podcast offers a rich blend of serious craft breakdowns, hilarious on-set anecdotes, and playful theorizing that matches the show's tone. The writers and cast detail how the episode balances mystery with genuine emotion, notably through Lucy's involvement, the infamous elevator scene, and the show’s ongoing use of physical spaces as narrative devices. The meta-podcast format encourages listeners to become armchair detectives, absorbing clues, reveling in character complexities, and joining the communal guessing game of "whodunit"—all with a wink and a smile.