Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Episode 1 Recap and Spoiler Review — Who Does Oliver Find Dead?

The last time we saw Only Murders in the Building, our favorite trio of podcasters—network television actor Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), director Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and existential-crisis millennial Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez)—discovered beloved doorman Lester (Teddy Coluca) dead in the Arconia’s fountain.

Martin, Gomez, and Short continue to be an entertaining trio in this Hulu mystery-comedy series. However, at some point, how many times can the show recycle the same characters from previous seasons—and still manage to find new and interesting murders to keep audiences engaged? The fifth season’s pilot is beginning to show some strains in credibility.

(Fun fact: the real building is the Belnord, a historic luxury apartment complex built in 1909, located at 225 West 86th Street in Manhattan, New York.)

Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Episode 1: Who is Sofia Caccemelio?

At the end of season four of Only Murders in the Building, we meet Sofia Caccemelio (Madam Secretary‘s Tea Leoni), who approaches Charles and Mabel about finding her missing husband, Nicky (Boardwalk Empire’s

Bobby Cannavale), a mobster. They tell her they can’t help because they’re podcasters, not police or private investigators.

While discussing Oliver’s wedding to Loretta (Meryl Streep), they’re informed that Lester’s death was, in fact, a tragic accident. However, a new and unfortunate term—“Finger Shrimp”—is born when Oliver, mid-conversation, chomps on some shrimp, only to pick up a severed finger next, which Mabel quickly points out.

Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Episode 1: What Do Charles and Mabel Find in the Arconia?

Charles and Sofia find an illegal gambling establishment in the bowels of the Arconia. After failing to identify the finger at the funeral as belonging to Lester, they visit Sofia’s home. In this Godfather house, they found a picture of Nicky talking to Lester at Oliver’s wedding. There, they meet the Caccemelios’ five sons.

Sofia assures Charles, Oliver, and Mabel that the finger doesn’t belong to her husband. She also gives Charles a deck of playing cards Nicky usually carried, but not on the night he vanished. Later, Charles discovers one card has a magnetic strip, and a hidden map visible only through red light. Meanwhile, Mabel notices that the footage from the night Lester died is missing.

Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Episode 1 Ending Explained: Who Does Oliver Find Dead?

Only Murders in the Building ends with Oliver finding the dead body of Nicky, hanging from a hook inside a local dry cleaners. He goes to the cleaners to fix the doorman’s hat as a gesture to his old friend. He knocks on the door, which looks to be closed, but someone buzzes him in. He sees Lester’s suit hanging, but finds Nicky instead, deceased. The body falls from the motorized hangar, landing on top of Oliver.

Meanwhile, the map leads Charles and Mabel to a secret passageway to the basement, where stairs descend to a security door. The playing card with the map also serves as a magnetic key, granting them access. Inside, they discover an illegal gambling hall with a bar and a roulette table. Entering the code 62400, a drawer opens to reveal an envelope full of money—the same one Lester and Nicky exchanged on the day Lester died.

You can stream Only Murders in the Building season 5 only on Hulu starting September 9th. A new episode will be released every week until October 30th!