Only Murders in the Building, Season 5, Episode 2, is an origin story of sorts for the popular Hulu streaming series. The script has us see how Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), director Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and existential-crisis millennial Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) came to live in the building known as the Arconia.
We learn the truth through the eyes of beloved doorman Lester (Teddy Coluca), who was found dead at the end of Only Murders in the Building’s fourth season. This episode uses the classic “documentary-style” trope that the series often employs in later seasons. Here, Lester is interviewed as part of a film about New York City doormen.
Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Episode 2: How Did Charles, Oliver, and Mabel Come to Live in the Arconia?
The episode of the streaming Hulu series takes us back to when Lester first began training and working at the Arconia, where he was taught to take pride in his job. He even mops and buffs the floors at night for the wealthy residents of one of the city’s most exclusive West Side buildings. It’s here that we meet our favorite trio of true-crime podcasters.
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Mabel was just a toddler when Lester shook her tiny finger as she arrived at the building with her mother. Later, we see Charles, then a full-fledged star of Brazzos, the fictional 1990s police procedural that made him famous. Two women sneak into the Arconia to meet him and snap a photo. Oliver makes his entrance, pretending to slip and fall while Lester cleans the floors. He threatens a lawsuit unless Lester moves his application to the top of the pile.
Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Episode 2: Who Trains Lester to be the Arconia’s Doorman?
George (Ugly Betty’s Tony Plana) hires and trains Lester to be a doorman at the Arconia. Later in the episode, we see construction underway in the building’s basement and the elevator out of service. A few familiar characters appear with period-appropriate hairdos. George then produces an envelope identical to the one Charles and Mabel discovered in the previous episode.
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As George prepares to retire, he approaches Lester about continuing a side hustle he’s been running. George wants his protégé to work with Nicky Caccemelio (Boardwalk Empire’s Bobby Cannavale), a mobster and husband to Sofia (Madam Secretary’s Téa Leoni). He asks Lester to help sneak mobsters and gamblers into the illegal speakeasy hidden in the Arconia’s basement. In exchange, he gets a nice envelope full of cash each week.
Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Episode 2 Ending Explained: How Does Lester Die?
At the end of Only Murders in the Building, we see that Lester is killed with his own weapon, which he keeps for personal protection. It is a poignant, bittersweet third act, as we see Lester took care of his residents, who didn’t come to appreciate him. As a young man, he carried a makeshift crank-handle he would use to strike predators who harassed the residents.
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It appears Lester tries to quit before Oliver’s wedding, but Nicky won’t allow it. Lester trains a new doorman (Eenie Meanie’s Jermaine Fowler). Later, Lester is seen running across the courtyard before suddenly turning—only to be struck in the head. He falls backward into the fountain, hitting his skull. Nearby, a bloodied “crank” lies on the ground. A gloved hand picks it up before walking away.
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!