DISCLAIMER: This recap of the Only Murders in the Building episode “The Boy From 6B” is riddled with spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Welcome back, true crime lovers! Only Murders in the Building returns with a propulsive, brilliantly executed outing, bolstered by standout performances from James Caverly and Nathan Lane. Theo Dimas is Deaf, and “The Boy From 6B” tells its tale from his perspective, deftly exploring the number one suspect in the Tim Kono case. It’s bereft of sound save for the score and Steve Martin‘s line at the end. The inclusion here is lovely, and Theo’s story is incredibly vital to the overall narrative.
Not only does this showcase Siddhartha Khosla‘s masterful score, but it turns down the volume in one of the noisiest cities on the planet, a.k.a. The City That Never Sleeps. I love Theo’s line before the opening credits about how “people talk way too f*cking much in this city.” It’s a fascinating character study and a beautiful display of emotions all around.
Ready to delve into “The Boy From 6B”? Let’s get to it.
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We open with Teddy (Lane) and Theo as a child. Teddy listens to the Carousel soundtrack and puts his headphones on Theo’s ears. He signs the lyrics to Theo. Despite his dad cranking up the volume, Theo can’t hear anything. Teddy breaks down and embraces his son.
Fast forward to the present when adult Theo (Caverly) spies on Charles (Martin), Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez). Mabel and Charles plan to break into Teddy’s home while Oliver takes their number one suspect out to lunch. Meanwhile, they have to figure out the password to Tim Kono’s phone. Theo glimpses their suspect board through his binoculars, and the word “jewels” pops out at him.
Next, Theo watches his father and Oliver boarding an elevator, and they’re getting coffee. Later, Theo distracts the doorman and snags a key to Charles’ apartment.
While in Charles’ place, Theo snaps a photo of the suspect board to show his dad.
Then, we see Charles and Mabel sneaking into Teddy’s apartment. Mabel opens a secret door to a narrow, dark space. While keeping watch outside of Teddy’s humble abode, Charles receives a text from Oliver alerting him to wrap up the break-in. We see Oliver and Teddy waiting for the elevator in their building.
Charles dashes into the apartment to warn Mabel, and she shows him the secret room. Many urns decorate the walls with “Shine On Funeral Home” emblazoned on the bottom. Suddenly, Theo heads inside and drops off his coat before leaving again. Mabel and Charles seize the moment to make their escape.
Later, Teddy encounters his son after the coffee date with Oliver. Theo pulls up the image of our sleuthing trio’s murder suspect board. Teddy chastises Theo for “compulsive home-breaking” and asserts he’ll remedy the situation. He unloads a cache of jewelry into one of the urns. Teddy reminds Theo he’s supposed to take care of his son, not the other way around.
He orders Theo to oversee a shipment for that night, and that’s that.
Next, we see a flashback from a decade ago. Theo ducks into the secret room and observes while Mabel, Zoe (Olivia Reis), Oscar (Aaron Dominguez) and Tim (Julian Cihi) wander into his apartment. The quartet knows who lives there — Teddy Dimas, “the deli guy.” Zoe notes she finds Theo attractive in front of her then-boyfriend Oscar. Before they leave, Zoe snags the emerald ring and signs to the peeping Theo.
Back in the present, Theo notices a yellow glove tucked away behind the door that Mabel was wearing earlier.
But wait — more flashbacks! This time, Zoe and Oscar board the elevator with Teddy and Theo. Zoe gets surreptitiously handsy with Theo, and when she leaves, Teddy spots the emerald ring on her finger.
Meanwhile, Oliver and Mabel sneak into a funeral at Shine On Funeral Home. They spot someone carting a bevy of urns through a door, and the pair follow suit.
Now, the duo finds another secret room in what appears to be the mortuary.
Our pal Charles is preparing for his second date with Jan (Amy Ryan). First up on the itinerary: dancing!
Then, Mabel and Oliver find a jar filled with gold teeth and jewelry aplenty. But before they can dive deeper, they hear descending footsteps.
Jan and Charles engage in a steamy game of Scrabble, and there are many sexually charged, high-scoring words. This scene might be one of my favorites in the episode, and it gives Martin and Ryan a chance to show off their comedic gifts without uttering a single syllable.
Next, Oliver and Mabel emerge from the secret room. There’s a dead body on a gurney. Theo arrives clad in protective gear, and Mabel sees him pocket a pearl necklace from the corpse. She sends Oliver a text about Teddy being a graverobber.
Suddenly, Theo notices the pair trying to flee. Theo’s thrown into a flashback from that fateful New Year’s Eve party when he catches Mabel and Oliver. He observes Zoe and Oscar in a heated argument. Zoe claims she feels like she’s dating “the help,” which is 50 shades of racist.
After Oscar storms off, Theo swoops in, and he tells her Oscar’s not good for her and attempts to keep her company. Then, Theo reveals he must give that ring back to his father, and he vows to buy Zoe a real one someday.
Zoe erupts into laughter at this, and it’s evident that she pities him. She angrily returns the ring, which morphs into a scuffle. Theo releases Zoe’s arm, and she falls backward off the roof. Theo, aghast, whirls around to find Tim as an unwanted spectator to the incident.
Later, Theo runs home to his father, completely overcome with shock and grief. Teddy tries to elicit the story out of a heartbroken Theo. We see Teddy not-so-subtly threaten Tim into silence regarding what he saw, although it’s apparent Tim wants to spill the beans to whoever’s willing to hear it.
In the present, Theo ties up Mabel and Oliver and throws them in the back of his van, and he’s driving them to an unknown location.
Meanwhile, Charles and Jan soundly sleep after an evening of passion. He wakes and finds several texts and calls from his friends. One text from Mabel urges him to try “Theo” as the password on Tim’s phone. Theo messages his dad, warning him that Charles, Mabel and Oliver have “seen everything.”
Finally, Charles successfully enters the correct password, and he shouts, “we did it,” followed by Steve Martin’s signature maniacal laugh.
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“The Boy From 6B” not only reveals the inadvertent perpetrator behind Zoe’s death, but it also gives Teddy Dimas a solid motive for killing Tim Kono. In addition, he’s responsible for Oscar going to prison. So much is revealed!
I’ll be shocked if Graverobber Dimas isn’t the murderer — he could be a flashy red herring, and if he is, I’ll tip my hat to Only Murders in the Building for such a massive twist.
I like watching Charles lust after his lady. You seldom see older folks get aroused or hot for each other, and it’s lovely. Those feelings don’t dissipate with age.
Sh*t has hit the fan, y’all, and I’m excited to see where these last few episodes take us!
New episodes of Only Murders in the Building are available to stream every Tuesday on Hulu.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
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