I enjoyed it. I mean, it was nothing to take too seriously; but it was a pleasant enough watch that struck the right balance of whodunit and humor for me. My wife, on the other hand, was more like @Chefguy and some others: she was ok with it at first but it bacame a slog for her and she just finished watching it because I wanted to. But for season 2, looks like I’m on my own.
Question about the end scene:
When Martin and Short’s characters go to Selena’s character’s apartment and find her on the floor with the dead tenant coordinator lady, and she said “it’s not what it looks like” I assumed somebody killed the old lady and put her in Selena’s room as a setup. Because of course Selena’s character didn’t murder her (…or DID she?)
But then Selena said something to the effect of “she surprised me with knitting needles”. Was she admitting she accidentally killed the lady out of self-defense because the lady surprised Selena in her apartment, or did I mishear / misinterpret that?
I have seen Selena Gomez in other shows, and she usually has bouncy, happy, animated parts. Mabel is nothing like those characters. To me, she is playing the part of Mabel as a jaded and world-weary young person.
She said “I just opened the door. She stumbled in on me.” I guess it could be interpreted otherwise but it seems like the she meant the knitting needle was already in place. Nothing else makes sense since someone has obviously called the police to set them up and they came through the door seconds later.
Was I the only one who was disappointed that Sting wasn’t standing there during the perp walk?
I read an article that said Selena Gomez is absolutely obsessed with true crime just like her character and it was mentioned in interviews long before the show. I wonder if that had something to do with her being cast.
The teaser opening scene and the closing scene of Mabel caught red-handed were obviously done before they knew if they’d get a second season, so I’m glad it is going to continue. But how did the setup occur and who was responsible? Was Bunny (the co-op board head) already stabbed when she walked into Mabel’s apartment?
And I liked what I saw of the apartment building and was thinking I wouldn’t mind living there. I learned from Wikipedia that the external shots of the building are of a real one in Manhattan called The Belnord. Expensive condos now but not that long ago, it was rent-stabilized (so I might have been able to afford living there).
Yeah, you’re right. That’s the only explanation that makes sense, the one difference being:
I think the setup was only meant for Selena’s character-- Short’s and Martin’s characters both got a text saying to leave the building now, which seems to point to someone who only wanted to frame Selena but not Short and Martin. Unfortunately for them they interpreted ‘leave the building’ as a sign the building itself was in danger and went to get Selena. At least, that’s my interpretation.
Never heard of “conservation of characters”, but I assume that’s a device. I hope the next series cranks up the parody of True Crime podcasts and throws it in there. Oliver (who else?): “We’re in episode 8, it can’t be Bunny’s ex–husband. Conservation of characters!”
Also want to hear an argument about who the showrunner is.
That was a satisfying finale, very enjoyable. The “no sound” episode and the one after with the podcast fans were pretty annoying/terrible, but at least the no sound episode explained a lot.
I’m also interested in the “loose ends” that Mabel referred to, the person that texted Charles and Oliver probably is one of those loose ends.
Roger Ebert wrote a glossary of movie terms. Basically it was the TV Tropes website before the internet was a thing. Sort of like Chekhov’s Gun but with people. If the red herring suspect is shown to be innocent then that seemingly random guy in act one is the killer.
We really liked it.
Its one of those shows that if you sit down and really parse it all out… it doesn’t totally hold up. But it’s a fun ride so just go with it.
It will be fun next season to see the sequence of events that puts Bunny in the OMIB tie-dye hoodie to get stabbed in.
…I’m thinking Tina Fey might be next season’s big bad.
I picked Jan, but my reasoning was wrong. I thought that she’d killed what’s-his-name because he was sleeping with the (very young) bassoon player who’d replaced her as first chair, and Jan was trying to frame her for the murder. The love (sorta) motive.
My second choice was Bunny because she wanted to clear the building of people who brought the property values down. The money motive.
before she started singing Gomez was known for “wizards of Waverly place” about 3 kids who were half magical and had the magical world and real-world intertwine …
for the Disney channel, it was Shakespeare compared to what they have now …
You are so right about that. My daughters are the exact age for those shows as they came out. Out of all the shows I was forced to watch, that show didn’t quite make me want to claw out my eyes.
I think I already figured out the murder mystery for season 2:
Tina Fey’s character (Cinda?) killed Bunny and framed Mabel and the guys because she was jealous of the competition, and she wanted to set up her next podcast season, “Only Murderers in the Building”. Two birds with one stone.
One hitch in my theory is the text both guys got warning them to get out of the building, which would seem to point toward the killer only wanting to frame Mabel. But Cinda may have known they would immediately run to Mabel once they got the text.
I really had fun with the whole series and am looking forward to season 2.
Cinda is a good option, but I’m going to throw an early bet on the “fans”, specifically the girl in the wheel chair who always told Mabel how pretty she was. I think maybe the motive is that she liked the podcast so much she’s forcing a second season.
I dunno what Oliver is going to eat now that his dip supply is gone…
Oscar’s dad has to be a suspect for next season too. He can’t be happy with his son starting up with one of the Hardy Boy crew again right after he gets out of prison.
One of my favorite exchanges of this season (from memory):
Charles: They even used Saz in my love scenes. They said my hip movements were “unnatural.”
Jan: I enjoyed your hip movements, I was always surprised.
My wife and I just finished this last night, we thoroughly enjoyed it.
There’s the question of who left a note on Jan’s door - she certainly didn’t put it there herself, no one saw it but her (and the viewers). And who suppressed the tox screen on Tim Kono’s blood - the detective said that must have come from someone powerful/connected in the department, and there’s no sign Jan had that kind of pull.
