It’s ladies’ night at the Arconia in Only Murders in the Building season 5, episode 8, “Cuckoo Chicks,” and billionaire Camila White’s carefully refined image is starting to come apart at the seams in glorious fashion.
While I loved that last week’s episode focused on Mabel (Selena Gomez), Charles (Steve Martin), and Oliver’s (Martin Short) own part in the investigation, it was undeniably fun to watch Loretta (Meryl Streep), Detective Williams (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), and Lester’s wife, Lorraine (Dianne Wiest) gets in on the action this time around, albeit with varying degrees of success. Williams may not have lasted at the blackjack table, but watching her treat Charles, Oliver, and their neighbor, actual therapist Dr. Grover Stanley (Russell G. Jones), was an absolute treat.
Best of all, their inclusion in this episode felt natural—not just because it was ladies’ night and that’s not Mabel’s forte, but because fighting for the Arconia’s future is in everyone’s best interest, whether they live there or because they don’t want to deal with a casino in NYC. After all, if Camila (Renée Zellweger) wins, Arconia’s few remaining residents won’t just get kicked out of their homes. She’ll get to determine the city’s future.
I’m genuinely invested in this storyline, which is a credit to the show’s writing, the story’s stakes, and the actors. This is the fifth season of a series with a relatively repetitive formula; it’s not easy to keep surprising viewers this far in the game.
The characters’ devastation and helplessness in episode 8 felt real and relatable, but they were still able to find points of hope, even after a loss. Mabel bonded with Lorraine, Charles finally admitted his relationship woes, and he and Oliver became closer at the same time. That’s the magic of Only Murders in the Building. I love watching these personalities grow and change.
So, what happens to the Arconia now? Who sold their apartment to Camila, and would they have done so if they knew what she was planning to do with it?
Camila White Shines As A Villain In Only Murders In The Building Season 5, Episode 8
I’m glad the show has largely decided to focus on Camila as its season 5 villain. As a trio, Camila, Bash Steed (Christoph Waltz), and Jay Pflug (Logan Lerman) are an oddly entertaining and inherently evil force to be reckoned with. Still, there’s something about Zellweger’s performance that makes it hard not to watch her on screen, specifically, and that was especially apparent in this episode.
Physically, her body language reminds me of her previous role as English romantic disaster Bridget Jones; her movements and facial expressions are so responsive and memorable, especially while she’s flirting with Nikki Caccimelio (Bobby Canavale) in the game room during episode 8’s flashbacks.
It was nice to see another side of both their characters through these revealing scenes. Camila was a little flustered, on edge, while Nikki’s easy-going, charming personality was softened by his love for his wife. The flashbacks in this episode really worked for the story, and I’m glad Loretta was the one to get Camila to reveal some version of the truth.
The billionaire’s pristine appearance contradicts her actions, choices, and almost supernatural beliefs, making it difficult to box her into a specific role, but that’s the best kind of villain there is. Zellweger plays the part perfectly. I find it hard to believe Camila pulled the metaphorical trigger herself, but there’s so much we still don’t know about her, and I can’t deny I’m intrigued. What would push someone like her over the edge?
That said, I don’t want the show to forget about Jay and Bash as suspects or minor antagonists, and their absence in this episode was noticeable. It does feel like they’re setting Jay up to help Mabel in this and last week’s episode, however, which would be quite the turnaround and redemption for his character. Does he deserve that? I have no idea, but I have to admit that I’m invested in their dynamic. Are all of her romantic prospects doomed to fail as well, or will this one, somehow, stick the landing?
There’s a lot left to unravel in Only Murders in the Building‘s final episodes, but if they’re as funny, interesting, and character-focused as these last two installments, this may just end up being one of the show’s best seasons yet.
New episodes of Only Murders in the Building season 5 premiere on Tuesday, exclusively on Hulu.
- Release Date
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August 31, 2021
- NETWORKS
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Hulu
- Showrunner
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John Hoffman
- Directors
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Jamie Babbit, John Hoffman, Cherien Dabis, Chris Koch, Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman, Adam Shankman, Don Scardino, Jesse Peretz, Jessica Yu, Jude Weng, Chris Teague
- Writers
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Ben Smith, Matteo Borghese, Rob Turbovsky, Kristin Newman, Madeleine George, JJ Philbin, Ben Philippe, Kirker Butler, Jake Schnesel, Peter Swanson, Stephen Markley, Rachel Burger, Kenny Schwartz, Rick Wiener, Valentina Garza, Elaine Ko, Tess Morris, Kim Rosenstock, Sas Goldberg, Thembi Banks