#jay pflug

My personal rankings of every season of Only Murders in the Building. This is my opinion only.

Warning: Contains spoilers of each murderer, avoid if haven’t seen any of the seasons)

1. Season 5 (Murderer: Mayor Tillman). Reason: Love the storytelling from start to finish. Everything meshed together really well and the new characters, Bash Steed, Camilla White, and Jay Pflug blend with the main cast. I also love the chemistry between Jay and Mabel as it felt authentic and genuine. I wish we got to see them together but maybe we’ll get more of them in season six. Finally, the mob aspect was balanced well and didn’t feel over the top for me. Overall, this was by far my favorite season.

2. Season 3 (Murderers: Donna and Cliff): I may be biased as I love anything that has a Broadway/theater theme, but this was perfect for the murder setting. The score in particular was strong in this season and was able to really get into each episode. I love seeing almost all of the guest cast being broadway stars as we knew we would get strong performances. The humor in this season was strong, especially between Charles and Oliver. Oliver also meets Loretta and I love there chemistry in this season and the vulnerabilities that he goes through when he has a heart attack and seeing Mabel and Charles support him. It shows the true friendship they have developed over the course of the two seasons up. Only wish that Sazz didn’t die and Selena sing but we don’t get always what we want and we wouldn’t get season four if Sazz didn’t die. Plus Paul Rudd was a great addition to the show and wish we got more of his character.

3. Season 4 (Murderer: Rex). Reason: I didn’t expect to really tap into the Hollywood vibe. I thought it would be too over the top and corny, however I was pleasantly surprised. Sure there were moments where the celebrities got way over the top with Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy, and Eva Longoria going too far into helping. However, I will say the dynamics between the three of them, they were able to bounce off each other and mesh well with Charles, Oilver, and Mabel. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked for most of the season. Plus, we got to see another side murder happen and rather than seeing them put away, they had a goodwill towards the other neighbors and despite them murdering someone, atleast they knew they were going to die and got to live with themselves. Won’t lie, Bev was extremely annoying and I couldn’t stand her character but overall the season worked to my surprise.

4. Season 1 (Murderer: Jan) Reason: I like the beginning as it sets up the whole dynamic between Charles, Mabel, and Oliver. It’s rare to see a different generation gap being able to bond over there love of murder podcasts and not make it cheesy/corny or make it to the point where they mention it once and forget about it. I do wish we got to see more of there lives prior to the murder in the building and not start with the two month gap after the season concludes, but then again we have to prepare ourselves for what’s the come down the road. It’s not perfect, however it shows the most podcast formatting as they try to put there hobby/passion into something that can help potential murders down the road. I did feel bad for Charles as we see him attempt to get back in the love game only to find out that his love interest is the murderer. I personally loved the connection between Jan and Charles as it felt real and authentic, though it does become toxic over the course of the season. So I was glad to see Charles say no to her in the end of season 5.

5. Season 2 (Murderer: Becky). Reason: I love the reveal of Becky as the murderer in the season finale. The score was able to build on the intensity of the scene. I also like how Cinda was able to help Charles, Mabel, and Oliver after they were framed for murder because up until that point, I found her character annoying. While Tina Fey plays the character well, a lot of her character felt annoying and manipulative, so it was nice to see Cinda help them in clearing there names in the end. Other than that, the season felt forgettable for me. In fairness, I haven’t seen Season 2 since 2023 but for me this season felt forgettable to me other than the finale. Also the connection between Mabel and Poppy was somewhat forced. Sure, I think they did have feelings but it didn’t really work in this show and wish there was a better way for them to stay in touch, even if they were just friends. For me, don’t remember this season as much as other seasons.

We have:

Out-of-focus antlers behind Jay's head the first time he and Mabel talk alone

Antlers behind Bash as he looks at them triumphantly after Oliver walks out

The same stag head behind Jay, this time in focus, when he lets Mabel and Charles escape with the finger

The last shot, when he helps them, frames Jay in between Mabel and Charles, with a fully realised pair of antlers, in contrast to how blurred and barely visible they are in the first shot, when he tries to charm Mabel out of her suspicion. Bash is framed with antlers when he becomes confident that Mabel and Charles will lose -- that he will win.

Antlers represent power. Just as the stag with the biggest antlers wins, the person with the antlers wields the power in that scene. (Analysis below the cut)