Only Murders in the Building Season 5, Episode 7, “Silver Alert,” swaps New York City for Connecticut as the trio turns the tables to crash the billionaires’ party. This episode, written by Taylor Cox & Pete Swanson and directed by Jessica Yu, gives board games a sinister twist – one sharper than general competitiveness. That feat is easier said than done for most, but not for a show – and a season – of this caliber. On the other hand, “Silver Alert” makes directorial and editing choices that complement its horror tropes.
Only Murders in the Building has such a great time with all of this that the episode could have succeeded as a bottle episode. Given that the award-winning comedy is one of the few streaming shows that operate on TV’s usual schedule, it would not be unheard of for Only Murders in the Building to contribute to the revival of that type of episode. Regardless, “Silver Alert” is closer to the season’s finale than its premiere, using that spacing to reveal even more truths and turns in the investigation.
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Sympathetic Billionaires?
One of the earliest examples of both comes from Keegan-Michael Key’s Mayor Tillman. “Silver Alert” roots his obsession with the podcast in an interest to win the people of New York City over. More interestingly, Mayor Tillman wants to distance himself from Bash, who has embedded himself in the politician’s life. Admittedly, the mayor’s assistant being Bash’s niece is an overly convenient detail, but it certainly depicts Bash’s overreaching influence. On the other hand, this revelation underscores how, until “Silver Alert,” Bash is the only one of the three billionaires with any edge. This episode goes out of its way to highlight that Bash’s actions – peeling the bark of the skin tree – are suspicious.
Only Murders in the Building starts to fill out Camila and Jay better, the latter more so than the former. Given the episode’s cliffhanger, there’s a benefit to Camila’s flatter characterization. For Jay, though, any greater understanding of his character comes through his thin dynamic with Mabel. The episode leans on a supposedly one-sided conversation between the two. After all, there’s an intention to show that Mabel’s opinion of Jay matters to him. It’s difficult to grasp why. Since they don’t share the screen after the dinner party, it’s Logan Lerman and Selena Gomez’s chemistry that does the heavy lifting.
Still, it’s a real question of whether it’s all perception with the billionaires. Looks can be deceiving, after all. Sure, Bash wants to be a good and eternally present (and young) father for Algie. But is there something more nefarious at play than Operation? Should Mabel let her guard down around Jay? Camila proves that any sympathetic or superficial portrait doubles as a good cover.
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Chosen Families, Tractors, and Casinos
Satisfyingly, “Silver Alert” also answers where the episode gets its name – Oliver wandering off to Becky Ann Baker and Dylan Baker. Once Only Murders in the Building tees up Oliver’s boots and his texts to Loretta, there’s no question that the alert can’t be for anyone else. The episode sticks the landing. As always, Martin Short sells every line and nails the meta bit of explaining the show’s plot to strangers. It’s also such a fun way to include Loretta. Her virtual presence works in keeping her and their future on Oliver’s mind as the trio goes to Bash’s place.
As odd as it is for Oliver not to consider Charles and Mabel more, it pays off in the end. “Silver Alert” makes the point that the trio isn’t thinking as clearly as they should be. Otherwise, Charles’s actions aren’t motivated by his hurt feelings after being catfished. The moving thing is that Only Murders in the Building has Charles, Oliver, and Mabel realize that and choose each other in the end. Why else is Charles and Mabel remembering Oliver’s stories for a game of Celebrity moving? When it comes down to it, this trio knows who is important.
“Silver Alert” depicts that understanding how only this show can – Charles saying that Mabel is his family, with Oliver on a tractor. That sequence encapsulates why Only Murders in the Building only works with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. Hopefully, the next awards season will more consistently represent that in its nominations. Regardless, that scene feels like such a win that “Silver Alert” has everyone waiting for the other shoe to drop. When it does, it leaves a mark that threatens to change the Arconia more than LESTR ever will. Only Murders in the Building Season 5 keeps raising the stakes!
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What did you think of Only Murders in the Building Season 5, Episode 7, “Silver Alert?” Let us know in the comments below!
New episodes of Only Murders in the Building Season 5 stream on Tuesdays on Hulu.
