What I’m Watching: Only Murders in the Building

Only Murders in the Building: Season 1, Episode 7 “The Boy from 6B” (B+)

This was a fascinating concept, having an entire episode play out without any dialogue from the perspective of a deaf character who has been much more part of the overall storyline than any of the podcasters realized. Obviously, things weren’t entirely silent and we did hear a bit of the score subtly playing underneath the action, but it was still an involving and helpful way to look at things from a different vantage point. I am glad that a deaf actor was cast, and James Caverly did an effective job of conveying the way that Theo interacted with the people around him, sympathizing with the doorman about how much he hated all the other residents and then being seen by Zoe, who ended up getting upset with him when he attempted to intervene in her relationship when she hadn’t asked for his opinion or his pity. It was incredible to see how quickly Teddy expressed his support and his willingness to do whatever was necessary to protect his son, which included convincing Tim to say he saw Oscar rather than Theo. Watching Theo read the lips of all our clueless podcasters explained how much he knew and how far ahead of things he and his father were, culminating in Charles getting a big break in the case at just the moment that Oliver and Mabel were tied up in the back of Theo’s van headed somewhere that didn’t look too promising for their livelihoods. With three episodes left and a second season on the way, they’re likely to survive, but it’s going to take some sheer luck given how hapless Charles is going to be by himself.