S2 E6 BONUS: Performance Review - LIVE REDDIT TALK

Summary

Only Murders in the Building Official Podcast
Episode: S2 E6 BONUS: Performance Review - LIVE REDDIT TALK
Date: August 2, 2022
Host: Michael Cyril Creighton (Howard) | Guests: Adina Verson (Poppy White), Ben Smith & Joshua Griffith (Writers), Reddit Fans

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Episode Overview

This special bonus episode is a lively, interactive Reddit talk with the cast and writers of Only Murders in the Building, centering on Season 2 Episode 6, "Performance Review." Hosted by Michael Cyril Creighton (Howard), the discussion is highlighted by an in-depth interview with Adina Verson, who plays Poppy White, plus insights from writers Ben Smith and Joshua Griffith. Fans join in with live questions, theories, and appreciation for the show's characters and layered mysteries. The episode unpacks Poppy's pivotal role, actor process, boundary themes, on-set stories, fan theories, and the delightfully obsessive Reddit community.

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Key Discussion Points

The Rise of Poppy White: Behind the Scenes with Adina Verson

• Poppy-Centric Episode and Narration (02:31–03:04)

  • Adina expresses excitement about Poppy finally getting her own narrative episode.
  • Quote: “It’s such a gift to be a smaller character on the show and then get to narrate an episode. You never know who’ll get that spotlight.” - Adina (02:53)

• Transitioning from Wallflower to Center Stage (03:11–04:30)

  • Adina relates to Poppy’s nervousness stepping into bigger roles:
    • “Sometimes it’s hard for me to step into a bigger role… but the set was really respectful. They fleshed out Poppy in a way that made her very clear and relatable.” - Adina (03:26)

• Constructing Poppy’s “NPR Voice” (04:30–06:30)

  • The development of Poppy’s unique vocal tone originated in Adina’s original Cinda audition, inspired by NPR hosts and aiming for “smooth NPR” to contrast her initial, over-the-top New York character take.
  • Quote: “The radio voice came from wanting to do the total opposite of this absurd New York choice I auditioned with originally.” - Adina (05:08)

• Influence of Tina Fey’s Cinda (06:37–08:29)

  • Adina auditioned for Cinda but ended up playing Poppy.
  • Poppy literally copies Cinda’s style, even wearing similar glasses. Adina watched Tina closely on set to inform her reactions as Poppy.

Reddit Fan Q&A: Boundaries, Revenge, and Character Craft

• Theme of Boundaries Across Characters (10:06–12:18)

  • Fans notice boundary issues for nearly all leads in S2E6.
  • Adina: “When someone doesn’t set their boundaries, it tends to explode somewhere eventually… Maybe it’ll be a journey to see who sets boundaries and what that means.” (11:45)
  • Fan: “Let’s agree to set boundaries so we don’t die—that’s the moral of the season!” (12:18)

• The Actor’s Approach to Poppy’s Narration (12:41–14:48)

  • Adina details her process: “I printed out pages, worked on them scene by scene, and built the emotional life underneath—her dreams, fears, and what drives her anxiety to please.” (13:08)

• Fan Theories: Anagrams & Poppy’s Revenge Style (14:59–16:59)

  • Mrs. Gambalini = “M. Mora sibling” is an anagram but the team can’t confirm anything.
  • On Poppy’s revenge: “She’d do something very well planned so it wouldn’t be obvious. A little covert operation, for sure.” - Adina (16:40)

Writers’ Insights: Reddit Theories, Easter Eggs, and Motifs

• On Reddit Obsession and Accidental Clues (19:00–20:44)

  • Writers enjoy lurking on Reddit, reading theories—sometimes they’re astounded by how much fans read into accidental details.
    • “We’re getting way too much credit sometimes… but some fans get shockingly close!” - Ben Smith (19:00)
    • Cast and crew sometimes share the funniest Reddit posts via text.

• NPR Inspiration for Poppy (21:00–22:58)

  • Adina drew on Terry Gross for her “White Noise” voice.
    • “I just ripped off Terry Gross.” - Adina (21:27)
  • Writers are NPR fans; Joshua is a KCRW member who loves their “Good Food” show.

• “Glitter Bombs,” Slasher Elements & Bunny’s Fate (24:19–34:43)

  • Glitter trail was not inspired by Mark Rober’s famous glitter bombs, but rather by general mischief tropes.
  • Slasher theme addressed: Yes, eight stab wounds is a lot—writers mention it's partly an intentional genre send-up to comment on how true-crime uses victims for pathos.
    • “Humanizing Bunny and then seeing her murdered is attacking brutally, but also a way to comment on how victims are handled in the genre.” - Joshua Griffith (33:10)

• Motifs of Doubling and Breakups (26:25–28:10)

  • Writers note that parallels (Cinda/Poppy, Charles/Saz, Mabel/Alice) developed organically rather than by plan, showing the show’s layered storytelling.

• Favorite Characters to Write For (29:36–30:59)

  • Jan Pataky’s wild energy and Tina Fey’s Cinda are most fun for writers this episode.

Fan Theories & Community Highlights

• Discussion of Empathy, Theories, and Easter Eggs (39:24–41:26)

  • Reddit’s intense theorycrafting praised; episode especially fuels love for Poppy and sympathy for Mabel’s “worst day ever.”
  • Notable theory: An analysis of Arconiacs and podcast view counts suggests a traitor or “sleeper agent” among them, inspired by subtle background details (number of fans vs. viewers).

• Whodunit Summit: Hosts’ Weekly Theories (37:08–38:43)

  • For this week, Cinda is the chief suspect due to her pettiness, ambition, and possible jealousy toward the trio.
  • Discussion whether Alice’s apparent art-forging is a separate crime thread or tied to the murder plot.

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Notable Quotes & Highlights (with Timestamps)

• On Poppy’s relatability:

  • “There is a huge Team Poppy on Reddit. She hits a very human chord for a lot of people.” – Host (01:57)

• Adina on getting the script:

  • “It was such an honor… it takes a lot of trust for people to give you a bigger role.” (13:08)

• On boundaries as central theme:

  • “When somebody doesn’t set their boundaries, it tends to, you know, explode somewhere eventually.” – Adina (11:45)

• Community fandom:

  • “Seeing Poppy get her flowers has been particularly exciting for everyone.” – Host (17:51)

• Meta-podcast moment:

  • “If you ever want to start a podcast, Adina, you got it down.” – Host (06:30)

• On the “sleuthiness” of Reddit:

  • “The level of detail and sleuthing is pretty incredible on this sub… at the end of the day, it makes me feel like anybody could be a murderer, even in real life.” – Adina (20:38)

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Important Timestamps

• 02:31 – Poppy episode focus and narration
• 03:11 – Adina on becoming the episode’s lead
• 04:30 – Creation of Poppy’s “NPR” voice
• 07:02 – Poppy imitating Cinda, style and character cues
• 10:06 – Fan question on boundaries as a season theme
• 12:41 – Poppy’s emotional preparation and actor’s approach
• 15:02 – Reddit anagram theory (“Mrs. Gambalini”)
• 16:40 – How would Poppy get revenge on Cinda?
• 19:00 – Writers on reading and lurking on Reddit
• 21:27 – NPR influences for Poppy’s voice
• 24:19 – Writers on the “glitter bomb” plot device
• 26:25 – Discussion of episode motifs and breakups
• 29:36 – Favorite characters to write (Jan, Cinda)
• 32:08 – Humanizing Bunny and slasher elements
• 39:24 – Reddit theory: the traitor among the Arconiacs
• 37:08 – Weekly “whodunit summit” (host suspects Cinda)

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Conclusion

This Reddit-LIVE episode offers an intimate, enthusiastic glimpse behind the making of Only Murders in the Building S2E6, focusing on the pivotal character of Poppy White. Listeners are treated to honest reflections from cast and writers, actor process deep dives, playful banter, and the best of fan sleuthing. The organic growth of motifs, intentional and unintentional clues, and the tight-knit, detail-obsessed community highlight the show’s charm and complexity.

Fans leave with warmth for Poppy and Mabel, insights on set culture and actor preparation, confirmed Easter eggs, and plenty to fuel ongoing theories about murder, art, boundaries, and podcast rivalry in the Arconia.

Transcript

[A]

Straw hut media. Hi, kk, how are you doing?

[B]

Good.

[C]

How are you doing? I know we have some exciting guests lined up.

[A]

Yes, absolutely. Oh, my gosh. Well, a very exciting lineup today.

[C]

Really. We do.

[A]

It was a very long title for our talk today. In fact, there was so much excitement.

[C]

Oh, nice. Kind of like a performance review in itself.

[A]

I know, right? A little bit of foreshadowing.

[C]

Right. Art imitating life.

[A]

Yes. Oh, my gosh. Like every other week. So much to discuss.

[C]

It was a jam packed episode, that's for sure.

[A]

Jam packed. Absolutely. I think maybe the biggest cliffhanger to date, right? Yeah.

[C]

There was a lot going on, that's for sure.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Hi, Adina. Can you hear us?

[C]

Oh, she's on mute. You have to hit the unmute button down. There we go.

[B]

I'm unmuted. Can you hear.

[D]

You did it.

[B]

Yay.

[A]

Oh, my gosh.

[C]

Poppy herself. Poppy White herself joining us.

[A]

I can't believe it.

[B]

It's an honor. It's an honor to be here. Oh, my gosh.

[A]

Adina, I. I hope that you get a chance to see all the love thrown your way in the discussion thread, because so many people love Poppy and the way that you've portrayed her.

[B]

Oh, thank you. I love Poppy too, so that makes me really happy.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

On the podcast, I called it Team Poppy.

[A]

Yes. There is a huge Team Poppy on Reddit, and I think a lot of people. I don't. I feel like she hits a very human chord for a lot of people. A lot of people relate to her and her experience.

[C]

Yeah, Everyone sees a little bit of Poppy in themselves.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, that's. That's very heartwarming. Sorry, I'm looking at all these comments. That's amazing. But, yeah, I. It's been so exciting to, like, finally kind of share this episode.

[A]

Yes. Yes.

[C]

It's a very poppy centric episode. You actually narrate it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And we've all been waiting for that. We love Pop because we knew that she was absolutely going to be an essential part of the story, and we were just waiting for it to be revealed and to have an episode like this come up.

[B]

Oh, cool. And it's such a gift to be like, you know, a smaller character on this show, and then you never know who's gonna get their own episode to narrate. So it's, like, so exciting.

[C]

It could be anyone, especially with such a large cast, too. So that really says something about you and Poppy.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Can you tell us a little bit about that experience of kind of becoming, you know, a Little bit coming off from being a wallflower to being, like, on the center stage and how that experience was, like, for on your end.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, it was really fun. I, like, knew that the episode was coming, but I didn't get the script into, you know, I. For, like, a couple months, I think. So I was like, I had no idea. And of course, I made. Made up so many different things in my head. It was so fun and so comfort. It was such a comfortable set to be on Tim. I'm a little bit, like, poppy in that I, like, can be very diminutive or, like, assume that people are thinking poorly of me or something like that. And so sometimes it's hard for me to, like, step into a bigger space or a bigger role. But it was especially on a show like this where there's, like, legends leading it. But I was able to, you know, feel comfortable stepping into. To set on this episode. And I feel like they are really respectful, and I feel like they just, like, fleshed out Poppy in such a way that I was like, oh, I like, I know her. It's really clear, and I really feel for her. So they made it kind of easy.

[C]

That's great. I remember one thing we talked about on the podcast. You. We kind of discussed how you created the voice to use for Poppy. It's kind of that NPR voice. Do you want to just talk a little bit about that and how you decided on what to use?

[B]

Yeah, I. You know, it actually. It went back, actually, all the way to the original edition. When I had auditioned for Cinda, one of the scenes was some of her podcast recording. And I guess it's just like, what I did then. Oh, you know what? Actually, memories are coming back to me.

[A]

I love it.

[E]

Right.

[B]

Originally, I think they might have taken this line out once. Tina was, like, definitely playing the role. But, like, when they go in. In season one to meet Cinda, that was the scene, the audition scene for Cinda.

[C]

Because you originally auditioned for the role of Cindy that Tina Fey then ended up playing, right?

[B]

Yes, yes. As she obviously should. But they. They had. One of the lines was like, you sound different. Like, and they were, like, a little confused about the way that she's speaking when they hear her not on the podcast, like, when they meet her in person. And so I had made, like, a really bold choice to be, like. To kind of be like, Joey's agent from Friends, like, super, like, New York, New England, and Thielen, like, and. And then so I was like, what's the total opposite of that? Like, as far as, like, a radio voice goes. And. And so I was like, yes, it should be smooth npr. So that's. That's where that choice came from, was from this, like, just trying to be the opposite of this totally absurd choice that I made that, um, you know, nobody ever saw. Um, but then. But then when I. When they wrote Poppy, John Hoffman was like, I loved your radio voice. Like, keep it like that. I was like, oh, okay. So then I just kept that. Yeah, I know.

[C]

If you ever want to start a podcast, Adina, I think you'd be great. You got it down.

[A]

I know. For real. And Adina City Bike Finder asked in the comments. Hi, Adina. Thank you for participating. Did you spend a lot of time studying Tina Fey's performance as Cinda as a basis? I know that you kind of said you. You were going for Cinda initially, but did anything change for you when Tina assumed that role?

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I. I mean, I've basically seen everything that Tina Fey has ever done, so I feel like I didn't need to, like, study her, but I definitely was excited to play with being in the room with her and seeing, like, what I. What Poppy would copy. I never realized that Poppy rhymes with copy. Interesting. One of the first times that they. That I, like, had an interaction with the. Once I got cast, they, like, quite quickly sent over. I think it was a PA or it might have been a costume assistant. I don't remember. Or maybe it was props, because glasses are technically props, not costumes. And they fitted me for glasses because they told me that I was going to be wearing the exact same glasses as Cinda, which I thought was hilarious. And, like, then I was like, okay, now I get to, like, see what. What I can copy from her. And so it doesn't always work to do that, but I feel like I'm like, Poppy is always hanging on every word that she says, and if Cinda has a reaction to somebody else, then, like, definitely. I. I wouldn't plan it ahead, but I would just, like, watch her like a hawk while we were shooting, and then, like, you know, in a Poppy way, try to emulate whatever her reaction had been.

[C]

That's hilarious.

[A]

It is. And it's such a healthy foundation to have so much Tina Fey work out there to study.

[B]

Oh, absolutely.

[A]

And she's just so incredible.

[B]

Yeah. And she's so, like, cool and calm and collected, which is, like, the opposite of me, so it's nice to, like, have that to play against myself.

[C]

And Poppy definitely looks up to Cinda as A mentor person and probably taking some style tips and personality tips, as much as she can.

[B]

Definitely, Definitely.

[A]

Yeah. Oh. Calm struggle says Poppy is my new favorite character with a dancing emoji. I think a lot of. I think they're not alone in that.

[C]

Not at all.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That's amazing.

[A]

Anyone has any questions from here until the end of the show, please feel free to raise your hand by hitting the hand icon if you'd like to come up and ask a question live or to make some comments live. Alternatively. Of course, we're always sleuthing the comments, as you can see. So if that is more of your cup of tea, feel free to keep on typing and sending those comments. And that way. Okay, we actually have a couple of raised hands. So are you guys ready for a couple of people to come on stage?

[C]

Sounds good.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I just sent an invite to. Yeah. Her. And I think that's Howard as their icon.

[B]

So

[C]

I need to see this.

[A]

I know.

[C]

I think it is.

[A]

I think

[C]

I can see the sweater.

[A]

Yes. Yes, I can see the sweater. Okay. Yeah.

[C]

Her 20 telltale sign.

[A]

You're on if you'd like to unmute.

[F]

Thank you guys so much for having me. So first thing you explain. I picked Howard because I think he may be involved. And then also, I just think he's cute, and I really hope he's not involved, because, I don't know. I don't want anything bad to happen to Sevillin. But I do have a couple questions. So I think in this episode, one thing that we navigate a lot is boundaries. Like, we see, like, Mabel's boundaries being tested by Alice in this and their relationship. And then Charles is handling his boundaries with both Saz and Jan in this episode. And then Oliver is, like, trying to define his, like, thing with his son, who may not be his son, and we're still trying to figure that out. And then, obviously, Poppy's dynamic with Cinda. So I guess, like, my. And then obviously, the boundaries with the tunnels and then going on rabbit hole. So I guess my question is, do you think that we're gonna see this pinnacle of the boundaries being tested? And do you think that that is what led to Bunny's murder? Is her being testy and taking things

[B]

a little too far? Very smart question.

[C]

Yes. Well, it certainly seems. It certainly seems like Poppy was kind of pushing boundaries towards the end of the episode when she was kind of dishing on Cinda to Mabel.

[B]

Yeah, well, I mean, I feel like when somebody doesn't set their boundaries very well, it tends to, you know, Explode somewhere eventually. And I would say that that probably could be said for all of the boundaries that you listed.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And so I feel like, yeah, maybe it'll be like a journey of seeing if people, like, take care of themselves and set their boundaries or don't. And then what does that mean?

[C]

What are the repercussions of that?

[B]

Yeah.

[F]

So basically, let's all agree, like, to set boundaries so we don't die. That's the moral of the season.

[G]

Congrats.

[C]

Don't hold everything in because you'll explode. That's a great question.

[A]

Thank you so much. Yahir.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

All right. And try reading. You are on if you'd like to unmute and ask your question.

[D]

So after this episode, Idina, I have a whole new appreciation for Poppy and she's a really cool character and there's just so much more. But I guess you sort of talked about this a little. But for you, once you found out that you were going to be narrating many parts of this episode, what was that like for you? A, learning that you were going to get to do that and then B, in the process of that, what was that like?

[B]

Yeah, finding that out was just like so exciting. It was just such an honor to know that the creators, like, trusted me. I feel like when you have like, you know, a two line role or something like that and you're not a famous person, it takes a lot of trust for people to give you a bigger role. And so it was just like really overwhelmingly lovely to be given that gift. And then I was just so curious about like, what I was going to learn about Poppy and then just wanting to do well and, and honor the story and the, what all the writers are, are creating. And so then when I got the script, I mean, if we're gonna get like nitty gritty, nerdy actor, I like, you know, like printed out all the pages and then like, had I worked on them scene by scene and, and like any questions I had, like, of motive or anything like that, I. And actually I felt like what was the most important for her was to kind of build the emotional life underneath the words, like, what her dream is and then what the like, worst case scenario is and what she's fighting against and what her fear is, because I feel like that's why she's so anxious and, or like anxious to please or eager to please is because she is fighting. She's. She's trying to succeed against something that maybe she thinks she's a failure or something like that. So just Kind of like building that emotional life underneath so that that was, you know, could just be with me while I was present.

[E]

That's awesome.

[D]

Thank you.

[B]

Yeah. Thank you.

[A]

Thanks so much. Try reading. Bacon quiche. You are on.

[C]

You're making us hungry.

[A]

Well, thank you. I'm glad that everyone here likes bacon quich.

[B]

So I actually have two questions, if I can ask two questions. One is just a fun one, and one is something that I'm actually curious about. So the first one is that I discovered last week that Mrs. Gambalini is actually a perfect anagram for M. Mora sibling, which just feels, like, way too close to be coincidental. So I'd love to know what you guys think about that. And the second one is, what kind? Like, aside from Poppy kind of teaming up with Mabel to try and give her some dirt on Cinda Canning, what kind of, like, revenge do you think Poppy would get on Cinda? Like, do you think she's a mare in the shampoo bottle kind of girl? Or is she gonna be, like, sneaking the gluten croutons in her salad instead of gluten free? Like, I'd like to know what Poppy would do to try and get revenge on someone.

[C]

That's a good question, because Poppy knows so much about Cinda.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. The first question, I will not speak to, but interesting. Interesting.

[C]

Yes, we'll keep an eye on that one.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The second question. Yeah, I mean, I think Poppy's really smart. I think that she wouldn't give up everything that she's worked for. So I think she'd have to be like. I think that she would do something really well planned out where she would know that it maybe wouldn't be obvious that it was her.

[C]

A little covert.

[B]

Well, yeah, like, covert operation. Yeah. And, you know, she knows everything that Cinder doesn't like, so I think it would probably be something that you would, you know, plan for a long time and make sure that it was really satisfying.

[A]

I love to see puppies. And, you know, I'm so sorry. We should have given a disclaimer that we will be discussing spoilers here from the episode, but we cannot elicit future spoilers from the writers and the cast who might know a little bit more about what's going on. And I know that people will try, but. Well, we'll just be a little bit more explicit about it in this little psa. Thank you so much. Bacon quiche.

[B]

Thank you.

[C]

And I believe Ben and Joshua are here.

[H]

Adena, if you.

[B]

You're.

[H]

Please stay.

[C]

And I'm sure people Will have continue to have questions for you if you are willing to stay, but. Hi, Ben and Josh.

[A]

Hello.

[D]

Hey there.

[C]

Hey, guys.

[B]

Hi, Ben and Josh.

[H]

Hi.

[C]

We got everybody.

[A]

We really. There's so much love from the community around this episode. I think after every episode there's a surge of excitement and whatnot. But I think seeing Poppy get her flowers has been particularly exciting for everyone. So thank you, Ben and Josh, for doing such a great job of bringing her story to the forefront.

[C]

Definitely a fan favorite.

[H]

Yes, we have fun. And also Idina's so great. Like, Poppy is a delightful character, so it was a lot of fun.

[B]

Thank you. You gave me a huge, huge gift.

[A]

I am going to ask a question from the comments while we bring up another person, if that's all right. I want to just make sure. Okay. It's from Puzzle Exchange, and I think it's a good question for the three of you, which is, do you guys go on Reddit? And if you do, do you have any fun stories about your experience there? Have you gotten downvoted and has anyone gotten close to guessing what is going on or are they just totally off?

[H]

I. I definitely check the Reddit sometimes. I have not commented and not been devoted, but it is fun to read and I feel like sometimes there's a sense of, like, wow, there. We're getting way too much credit is my big takeaway. Sometimes. Yeah, it's like, people are like, they're like, okay, this thing. And this thing could not be an accident. I'll be like, actually, oh, my God, that was an accident. But. But don't want to. Don't want to call attention to it. But it is fun to read everyone's theories. And I won't comment on season two, but it was fun to watch some people get pretty close or correct on season one, for sure.

[B]

Yeah. I'm an interloper on Reddit. Occasionally it's fun to see the theories that people come up with and. And just to see that, like, people are excited about figuring it out. Like, that's, I think, the most exciting thing. Occasionally. I won't say who, but I am. Some other cast members will, like, will text, like, funny things that we see on Reddit.

[H]

Oh, my gosh.

[C]

That's it.

[E]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. There was a really well thought out theory this week about Marv that we can dive into later on, but the. The level of detail and sleuthing is pretty incredible on this sub.

[C]

It's always fun to hear the rationale of how they arrived at that theory.

[A]

Yes, yes, absolutely.

[B]

And at the end of the day, it really just makes me feel like anybody could be a murderer.

[E]

Right?

[B]

Like in my life, everyday life, in real life.

[A]

Yes, absolutely. Hopefully it's not inspiring anyone in any of those ways.

[C]

Fingers crossed

[A]

and calm Struggle asks and this is a fun question because it is a fun only murders and NPR crossover question, but NPR and Poppy separately. Superfan here. I'm curious to know if Adina has a favorite NPR reporter or show. And I would love to know Ben and Joshua's takes on that too, because maybe there was some inspiration from NPR taken into this character.

[B]

I mean, I definitely like just ripped off Terry Gross. I'm more of like a podcast listener than I am. I listen to NPR in the car, but I, I don't think I have a favorite NPR show, but I am a big like, serial fan.

[E]

I definitely got Terry Gross vibes from, from your performance of White Noise for sure.

[C]

Absolutely.

[B]

Thank you. Thank you.

[C]

Such a great name for the show too. Yeah, Poppy had that ready to go.

[E]

I will say that I this is a bit of a flex, but I'm a sustaining member of kcrw, member station of NPR in Los Angeles. Proud member. I wear my hat and T shirt all over town.

[A]

How many tote bags do you own?

[E]

How many tote bags do I know? Seriously, how many coffee mugs do I have? And my favorite KCRW show is Good Food with Evan Kleiman. Every Saturday I've been I'm consistently brought to tears by how passionately chefs and like local farmers and distillers of spirits will come on and just talk about how much they love making their. There was a, there was a story from some cheesemonger who during the pandemic found a way to keep her business afloat. And I was weeping in the car because he was so passionate. And so I feel like maybe Reddit, Reddit users will find that passion interesting too.

[B]

That's beautiful.

[A]

I love it. I love it. And thank you for supporting npr. I'm also a proud, you know, contributor. Quick PSA for anyone who is just joining. We have Adina, who plays Poppy from Only Murders, as well as the writers from season two, Episode six, Performance Review, Ben Smith and Joshua Griffith with us today. So if you have questions and you want to ask them live, hit that hand icon to raise your hand for a chance to come up. Alternatively, we are checking the comments. So please continue to add your fodder there we are reading through them. I actually have a couple lined up and andall 227. I've sent you an invite if you'd like to come up. You've had your hand raised for quite some time, so I hope it's not asleep. So this question comes from City Bike Finder, who asks two questions, so I'll ask them both for the writers. Do you designate in the script the build of this mysterious person in the black hoodie? And were you inspired by Mark Rober's glitter bombs? And a very random question. Is there someone who really loves mango salsa in the writers room?

[H]

The build of the. Of the person in dark wearing glitter. I think that we. Well, we did know, and we do know who that person is each time. And, you know, person on camera, person in passageways, person on subway, like, whether or not they're the same person. We know all those identities. And so that is information. Whether or not it's in the script, I can't remember, but it is something. When John, the showrunner works with all of the production staff in terms of like, hiring extras, wardrobe, what. Like, all that information is communicated because you need to get the right size clothes for the person, all that. So it is something. I can't remember if it was in the script, although we knew who it was. It is something that's conveyed to all the departments so that they. They can get that right. And I'm unfamiliar with this glitter reference. I don't know. Joshua, do you know it?

[E]

The reference to who was the glitter person?

[A]

It was. The glitter person is Mark Robers R O B E R. I wasn't sure who that was either, but let's.

[H]

No, but we definitely. We were not inspired by that. But after we did write it, I was watching Yellowjackets and did see that glitter and someone. And leaving glitter behind is a plot point in that show. And I was like, oh, man. I had to wait till next week to see how they paid it off. And once it paid off, I was like, I think we're okay. We're doing it as like, purely comedy, at least initially. So. But that was. That was the most. That was the pop culture reference that after we'd written it, but before we filmed it, I saw that and was like, oh, I hope we don't get too close to them.

[E]

I think the inspiration was just a deep seated hatred of glitter and how it's like it gets into every wrinkle and crevice of your body and never leaves.

[A]

Please.

[E]

I think that was.

[C]

Reminded me of those porch pirates who would steal Amazon packages and people would kind of get their revenge by doing things like that. That's what was in my head.

[H]

Yeah. Yeah. That feels like pandemic things.

[C]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

Thank you so much for that. I love that. It's. It's just like, you know, it was really an ode to glitter. This question is for Ben and Joshua from Kelsey NYC 200, they ask. There were several motifs in this episode. The doublings of Charles and Saz, Cinda and Poppy, Mabel with Alice's reenactment, and also the workplace settings. Brazos only murders Office. Did these things rise organically during the writing of the episode, or were the motifs designated when the writing room was breaking down? Season two?

[E]

That's a good question. I think I would have to say they. It's. I'm always stunned by how some of those types of parallels raise. Come. You know, come. Come to the surface organically. And whether by osmosis or because of the things that writers are going on are, you know, going on in the personal lives of writers, they sort of make their way into ideas in unconscious ways. I. I would have to say that it was probably unconscious, but even re. Watching it recently, I was spotting other synchronicities too, like multiple breakups. You know, versions of breakups. Cinda and Poppy and Saz and Jan and Alice and Mabel have, like, a big break. Yeah, it's a. Yeah, it's sort of a breakup episode too.

[H]

Yeah. But, yeah, I. I don't. I can't recall that being a conscious decision at our point, but it's a good observation. And maybe one of those examples of, like, going onto Reddit and being like, huh, it wasn't intentional, but I don't want to tell them they're wrong.

[A]

I think your presence on Reddit is just. Any presence is one that we all appreciate and love.

[E]

So

[A]

this one. This question. Next question is for Adina from Hannah Lemp. Adina, in the podcast, you say you originally auditioned for Cinda. If you could play any other character besides. Besides Poppy or Cinda, who would it be?

[C]

Ooh.

[B]

Oh, that's a good question. Howard.

[A]

Amazing.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Why Howard?

[B]

I love Howard.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And I. I just. I get the kind of, like, fatty awkwardness. You know, it's. It's kind. It's like a different flavor of the same ice cream that Poppy is.

[A]

Yes. Yes. I love it. Two takes of Rocky Road by two different ice cream makers.

[C]

Good analogy.

[B]

Foreign.

[A]

I'm gonna bring. Try reading back on stage. They raised their hands, but. And then I have another question from the comments, but try reading your. On. If you'd like to unmute so this

[D]

question is for Ben and Josh, and knowing that there were a lot of characters that we saw again, you know, even Lucy was on for just a little bit and Saz was back on, and, you know, we just got a lot of different characters that we had already seen before for this specific episode. Did either of you have a favorite character to write about, even if it was just for, you know, one scene or something?

[H]

Oh, that's. I'm trying to think of all the characters. You know, I think Jan Pataky.

[C]

Jan.

[H]

I mean, that whole Jan and sass in general are so fun. They're together. Like, you know, bringing Jan back this season with, like, the mask is off, and it's all on the surface. Like, she's just. She's lost it. Like, that was a really fun new color to write because we got to a little writing for her last season, but this is the first time and got to write for her this year, so that was probably mine.

[E]

Tina Fey. I don't think we saw her since the first episode of this season, if I remember incorrectly. And she has such a swagger in this episode that I like, oh, my God. She can make anything that we write sound amazing. But it was just really great to write for her and such a privilege. It was my first time writing for that character, and I just loved her performance of it.

[B]

Thank you.

[H]

Yeah, thank you.

[A]

Thanks so much. Try reading. All right. Bringing on another person who has their hand raised. Puzzled exchange. You have an invite waiting for you. And I just realized I also have to apologize. I haven't been reading people's flair on this subreddit. They the ability to add a little. Only murders flare next to their name. So Hannah Lemp is. Where are the balls, Howard? She asked the last question, so I'll highlight that.

[C]

Acknowledge it.

[A]

Yep. I have to acknowledge them because they're too good. Puzzled exchange. You're on. If you'd like to unmute.

[G]

So what I wanted to say first to the writers is I love the show, and I wanted to talk to you about Bunny. I love the guy, the way you guys wrote her. She's such a well developed character, and I mean, just really amazing. And then in episode three, there are a couple of characters that commented that Buddy was a freak. So I thought that just added something else to it. And so my question for you is, so now, Buddy, you make her love us, love her, and then she gets stabbed eight times.

[B]

So I'm just asking.

[G]

So it's a murder and a comedy, and, you know, huge props for being able to do both of those. But now we're adding Slasher, and I'm wondering if anybody in the writers room might have said maybe we're going a bridge too far here, because it's not like you had an episode with a she needed killing kind of theme or anything, you know?

[H]

Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Bunny is death. When you lay it out like that, we sure do sound pretty callous and terrible.

[B]

I still love you, though.

[H]

Oh, thank you. No, but. But I think you're. I mean, I don't have a very thoughtful answer besides saying that, like, you're right. Like, when you. When you hear about those gruesome details and then you get to know the character more, I think it becomes even more upsetting. And hopefully, you know, we'll be. Hopefully it'll be satisfying when we ideally, hopefully catch the person responsible for it. And, you know, I don't.

[G]

That may be the payoff.

[H]

Yeah, but you're right. Like, it. It does kind of go from sensationalist slasher, you know, number of stabs to kind of like, meeting the person. And we only kind of learn about her after we've. She's passed away. But you're right, the number. It's a high number. I'm trying to think if we had a conversation in the room about the number.

[E]

Yeah, I think we probably. I mean, I don't know that we had a conversation necessarily about this, but I think it's. It's operating on some level. And the show at all times is that we're sending up the genre and sort of commenting on the way that those podcasts and shows treat victims and use victims to create pathos and play with our emotions and entertain us. So I think humanizing Bunny in that way and then seeing her murdered is. Is attacking brutally.

[A]

Absolutely. You know what I.

[G]

In my mind, what I've done is I've come up with this whole different scenario. Bunny passes away peacefully in her sleep and then is stabbed afterwards.

[H]

Like.

[G]

Like maybe Howard comes over and tries to take.

[E]

When he.

[G]

He kidnaps her for, like a. A bar crawl that night.

[E]

It's very merciful.

[B]

Yeah.

[G]

Actually, I have it all figured out.

[A]

No.

[G]

Okay. So, anyway, so thank you.

[H]

Yeah. Thank you for watching.

[E]

Thank you.

[A]

Thanks so much. Puzzles exchange. All right, Ben and Josh, I know that you all have to go very soon, so one last question from the comments. This is from Ollie Mabel, and their player is the Charles is Silent. They asked out of the aired episodes, is there one that we'll look and think it gave us the most clues once the mystery is unraveled.

[E]

Good question.

[H]

I feel like. I feel like that's a great question and one that we can't answer.

[A]

I know, I know.

[H]

I'm sorry. Yeah.

[E]

It's an even numbered episode.

[C]

Everything's in episode 12.

[H]

Yeah, Charlie, it's an even numbered one and it's 210. 210 is the one that'll make it all make sense.

[C]

There's a lot of payoff.

[A]

Yeah.

[H]

I wish we could have this conversation after the season and go back and talk about little moments that were important to us, but, yeah, I feel like we'll get reprimanded if we say anything. I'm sorry.

[A]

Don't worry. I'm the bad moderator because that was a little bit of a hard question.

[H]

No, it's fine.

[A]

Well, thank you both so much for joining. A door is always open, and you're welcome back. If you want to have that after season discussion, you would be welcome back with open arms. So let us know.

[H]

Okay.

[E]

Thank you guys so much.

[H]

Hope you enjoyed the rest of the season.

[A]

Thank you so much.

[C]

Thank you. Go wrap season three. Yes.

[H]

We're on it.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

What's happening?

[A]

I know.

[C]

I thought I'd try.

[A]

No, exactly. There was a question about when season. If season three has a release date, but I'm like, I don't know if. If anyone knows that yet.

[C]

They might know.

[E]

Yeah.

[C]

I don't know.

[A]

Yeah. Adina also left. Thank you, Adina.

[C]

Thank you, Adina.

[A]

Love your way. Yes. Well, kk, do you want to do your. I know it'd be a whodunit summit of 1. Your theories for this week for everybody. I know people love hearing about it.

[C]

Yes. For the whodunit summit from our podcast this week, I picked Cinda just because of how she treated Poppy. And I just don't feel like she's a good person. I think there's. I feel like she is jealous of the trio and the success they've had with their podcast. I kind of said this before, too, and I find she's a bit petty because they also. She named her podcast Only Murderers Plural in the building. And finally, I think that she did not want to go on location again for her next show. She was able to stay home in New York. So for those reasons, this week, I picked cinder.

[A]

Awesome. Amazing. I think there's. Gosh, like, everyone could be is. Is a suspect.

[C]

But that's the fun, right?

[A]

That's the fun. There's a lot of chatter on the discussion thread about how that lasts or I shouldn't say the last. The close to last scene where Mabel sees Alice recreate frequently her apartment.

[C]

Right. The mural and the stabbing part.

[A]

Yes. And it did not go unnoticed that her ability to recreate the mural in Mabel's apartment was so easy for her to do that a lot of people think that Alice recreated the Rose Cooper Savage painting.

[E]

Right.

[C]

With Charles's father.

[A]

With Charles's father, yes. Any thoughts there? And did that. Did that sway you at all this week?

[C]

Alice is always on my mind. I wonder if it. We kind of talked about this before, but I wonder if there could be two different things going on this season. Like last season. Last season we had the Theo and his father stealing jewelry and items from the funeral home as well as the murder. So I'm wondering if there is something with the painting where it's a separate story that's not exactly part of the murder. So maybe Alice has her own thing and she's guilty of something. Maybe she's an art forger or something like that. And maybe the murderer is Cinder.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. The discussion thread this week was a lot of, I'd say a lot of empathy and a lot of love, but love for Poppy.

[C]

Love for Poppy.

[A]

A lot of empathy for Mabel for having maybe what could be the worst day ever, having having to release that episode

[C]

they lost after their glitter bombing. They lost their suspect.

[A]

They lost their suspect. Suspect. She walks in on her girlfriend doing a really good thing.

[C]

And then there's the subway ride.

[A]

Yep, exactly. Right. So a lot of. A lot of people dissecting that and feeling. Sending a lot of love there. And also a lot of people sending a lot of love their way for Oliver and what he's going through with his whole paternity.

[C]

Right. He's still waiting for the results.

[A]

He's still waiting for the results. And so a lot of chatter about those things, I would say specifically this week, but there was a really compelling theory on the. On the subreddit this week about Marv. And they go back to episode or season one where they only have four views and it's the episode where the Arconiacs are introduced as well as when Winnie gets poisoned. And they state that in that episode that they only have four views on their podcast and that it's later revealed to be the Arconiacs. And at the beginning of the episode, the Easter egg is three industrial fans on top of the building, but there's only three. So they think that one of the four Arconiacs is not actually a fan. Oh, yes.

[C]

Like a sleeper agent or something.

[A]

Sleeper agent. Exactly.

[C]

So he infected, infiltrated that group for whatever purposes.

[A]

Exactly.

[C]

Oh, those Easter eggs are definitely something to keep an eye on, that's for sure.

[A]

Yes. Which I thought was a really, really cool observation.

[C]

That's a very great observation. I'm still thinking of last week with the Brady Bunch theories too.

[A]

I know.

[C]

There's so much to keep track of.

[A]

This subreddit is truly incredible.

[H]

Yeah.

[A]

It's such a, such a pleasure as always. We look forward to this every week. So thank you all for joining and for bringing your friends.

[C]

Thank you for having us on.

[A]

Oh my gosh. We love it. And have such a great rest of your day. And thanks everyone for listening. And tune in here next week. We're going to have more talks with the folks from Only Murders in the Pod. So keep sending your theories and comments and we'll. We'll talk next week.

[C]

Thanks, everybody.

[B]

Great.

[A]

Thanks so much.

[C]

Bye.

[A]

Bye.