Did Camila Kill Lester? 'Only Murders in the Building' Season 5 Episode 8 Raises the Stakes

Luck be a lady at the ol’ Arconia, as the investigation into the season 5 death of doorman Lester Coluca in Only Murders in the Building continues.

Hulu’s hit mystery comedy, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez,  nears its season wrap up as episode 8 finds the amateur super sleuths desperate to lock down the beloved doorman’s killer before they are locked out of their apartments at the Arconia building. 

Firing on all cylinders as we go into the home stretch, the episode showcases what the series does best in spotlighting both impressive actor performances and meticulously crafted scene setups in such a way that you find yourself invested in both the mystery, itself, and the often quirky relationships between the characters. 

And, with the versatility of the star-studded cast given the sheer number of guest appearances this season, the character dynamics, integral to the unfolding storyline, do not disappoint. 

Picking up where we left off...

With the trio’s current No. 1  suspect — uppercrust interior designer Camila White (Renee Zellweger) — buying up Arconia apartments like Monopoly game property to build out her own casino, the billionaire is just one lease away from taking control of the NYC landmark. The clock is ticking.

The episode opens with a flashback to the recent past where we quickly learn how the high brow hospitality industry maven found herself eager to take over the building with a burgeoning partnership with the now-deceased drycleaner and would-be casino boss, Nicky Caccimelio (Bobby Cannavale). 

It seems an innocent request to start a monthly ladies nite at the Velvet Room in the basement of the Arconia from Camila two years prior may have also ignited an unrequited situationship with Nicky.

Back in present day, Mabel Mora (Gomez) goes to see Vincent Fish, Only Murders popular recurring character and fellow west tower neighbor, to warn him of Camila’s plot.  First introduced in Season 4, with a wicked case of drug-resistant pink eye, the eccentric Vince Fish, is played by funny man, Richard Kind, known for his roles in "Mad About You" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm.” As always, Vince is eager to get the 411 on the podcasters new mystery.

With a little help from her childhood friend and the building’s resident pop music sensation, Althea (Beanie Feldstein), who drops by, Mabel pulls together a rather eclectic group of ladies to crash the secret speakeasy festvities in the hopes of getting Camila to cop to the murders.

Mabel updates Oliver Putnam (Short) and Charles-Haden Savage (Martin) on their plans as the trio workshop their approach to getting answers from the elusive billionaire designer. Oliver’s still-fresh-off-the-altar new bride Loretta Durkes, portrayed by the incomparable Meryl Streep, wants in on the fun and eagerly joins the plot to get Camila to confess. Detective  Williams, played by Da’Vine Joy Randolph, relunctantly jumps into the fray, herself, no doubt to serve as the adult in the room when the plan ultimately goes off the rails. Hey, this is not her first rodeo with this group. 

Of course, no undercover plan would be complete without a music montage, slow-motion walk-up sequence to get the party started. Cue Kool & The Gang — you know the song — as Mabel and her misfit ladies make their way through the lobby en route to the Arconia’s off-the-books gaming room. 

And, as luck would have it, Lester’s widow Lorraine, played by Dianne Wiest, runs into the undercover girl gang and asks to join the group, eager, herself, to find out who killed her husband. 

Upstairs, Charles and Oliver go door-to-door in the Arconia trying to convince residents not to sell to Camila. The podcasters’ investigation has uncovered that the billionaire’s rapid buy-up of apartments puts her minutes from garnering controlling interest in their long-time homes.

Meanwhile, the Velvet Room is filled with NYC high society, celebrities, and anyone of notoriety with money to burn. The ladies split up to blend in, only to find themselves back together at the blackjack table. Camila arrives shortly thereafter with her high-dollar tray of chips, ready to challenge Mabel and Lorraine to a game. Det Williams, who has somehow ditched her sequins for a blackjack dealer uniform, sweetens the odds with a stacked decked pulled from her pocket.

With all due respect to the series’ entire production, it is the steller writing that keeps the jokes flowing and the laughs coming as the witty dialogue consumes the scene. And, with Only Murders known for always being one plotline away from a surprising twist, the episode packages the first one of the night in the form of Loretta showing up to the table portraying a supposed psychic. She quickly gains Camila’s trust with a cavalcade of creepy facts about her backstory (gleaned from a quick read of a magazine expose on the decorating moneybags mere hours before).

The clever setup creates an engaging tone that fluctuates between lightheartedness and suspense, keeping you invested in the unfolding mystery despite this departure into the somewhat absurd.

Nevertheless, Loretta gets the supposed murderer to open up and dish about her history with the Vevet Room, particularly her association with Nicky Caccimelio. 

Still trying desperately to save the Arconia from being sold, Charles and Oliver run into the building’s resident psychologist, Dr. Grover Stanley (Russell G. Jones), who up until now has only appeared sporadically onscreen, most often showing up in the crowd scenes of building’s HOA meetings, despite being on canvas since season 1. The two podcasters-turned-super sleuths, came to urge the good doctor not to sell to Camila. However, when an impromptu therapy session breaks out, revealing some inner feelings for Oliver and Charles, the distraction pushes Grover passed an important legal deadline to hold onto his apartment. 

In these moments, the series shines in its authentic portrayal of its cast of characters’ flaws, vulnerabilities, and relationships. While traditional mystery shows often lean heavily into suspense and dark themes, Only Murders employs humor and character-driven narratives with great success that allows for both laugh-out-loud moments and these unexpected poignant reflections on life, particularly regarding aging and relationships. 

Back to the matter at-hand, the jokes are giving at the ladies nite at the Arconia as Camila continues to unburden her soul about her business deal with Nicky to Loretta, which she unexpectedly reveals the planned private party with herself and the other two billionaires regarding the casino development on the night of the murders. However, through tears, Camila also reveals she almost got everything she wanted until a certain doorman got in the way.

Oliver radios Mabel that they lost the building. Mabel bemoans the loss, along with her podcast and conflicted feelings for billionaire Jay Pflug (see episode 7). She seeks some motherly advice from of all people, Lester’s widow Lorraine, while smoking cigarettes on the fire escape.

Thinking that all was lost on their busted evening, the podcasters retreat to Charles’ apartment to recap how things fell apart. Loretta Durkes returns to tell the trio and Detective Williams what she learned from Camila about her casino plans with Nicky that may have been foiled by “the doorman!” Hmmm…are you hearing possible motive, too?

Loretta’s discovery of Lester’s bloody elevator crank in Nicky’s office adds decidedly to the intrigue.

As an aside, what we also learn is that, at the time Loretta was skipping down memory lane with Camila, Lorraine Coluca was reminiscing about her late husband as she played a soft call on Lester’s old bird whistle. Unbeknownst to everyone, a feathery friend responded, activating the bird camera in the courtyard that Lester and Vince Fish had once set up. Turns out, it was a camera that not only stored video, but was also not controlled by billionaire Bash Steed (Christoph Waltz). Alerted, Vince finds Lorraine, and together they roll camera back to the night in question to show the footage to the podcasters and Loretta. It reveals the activity in the courtyard that night, involving the supposed murder weapon. 

The final plot twist of the night comes when an unexpected figure enters the video frame and to everyone’s surprise reveals who went back to retrieve that bloody elevator crank on the night Oliver and Loretta said, “I do!” 

And, just like that, we are down to the final two episodes before the big reveal to end the season 5 whodunit for Only Murders in the Building. To catch up on any clues you overlooked, check out this week’s episode and others you may have missed along the way. All are streaming now on Hulu. New episodes drop weekly on Tuesdays.

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