Only Murders in the Building season 2, episode 2 ending explained: Is someone framing Charles?

The brilliant series Only Murders in the Building made a triumphant return with its sophomore season on June 28, 2022. After days of speculation and anticipation, the first two episodes of the show lived up to the hype of the first season, and in fact, trumped the first season in many ways. While seamless guest appearances (like that of Sting in the first season) did not work out perfectly in this one, the show did at least manage to create a perfect mystery.

While the mystery was fascinating enough, the three-murder podcast micro-celebrities, Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez), being the prime suspects, made it all the more intriguing. Soon, the trio delved into solving another murder, this time to clear their names. The second episode largely dealt with an erotic painting, which has supposedly been singled out as a major reason for the murder. However, there may be some bigger plans in motion.

Read on to find out what happened at the end of the second episode of Only Murders in the Building.

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Only Murders in the Building season 2, episode 2 ending: And your bird can sing?

The second episode largely dealt with the painting and some revelations from the past. One of the things the second episode established was that this season will revolve around Charles' past (even some ancient history), much like the first one did with Mabel. The key piece of evidence here is 'the painting.' It was later revealed that it was Charles' father in the erotic artwork.

The episode opened with the painting at Charles' house, making it evident that someone was trying to frame Charles for the murder. At this point, Mabel also revealed how Bunny's (played by Jayne Houdyshell) last words were 'savage,' something which was also inscribed on the back of the painting. This kickstarted the mystery of the painting, which ended in Bunny's mother discovering that the painting is a fake one.

This implied that someone was neck-deep into framing Charles, to the point that they even replicated the painting to frame the ex-actor. Charles' story is crucial to this new crime, as flashbacks have already established how Charles' father is directly linked to the painting. Now, if the artwork were a reason for murder, it would include Charles inadvertently. But what if someone killed Bunny just to frame Charles and the murder podcast trio?

The previous season of Only Murders in the Building has already established how twisted the real story can be. The second season will surely try to trump that with its layer of mysteries. The ending also left a lot to wonder about, even if it took the show in a more tangential direction. The ending saw Oliver being given Bunny’s pet bird as a part of her will. The bird also said, "I know who did it," in the closing moments.

Now if a bird truly knows the identity of the killer, it would be rather absurd. But the bird could be an important piece of the puzzle in the future. The third episode will have a lot of mysteries to untangle, especially now that we know an enemy is lurking somewhere, trying to ruin Charles.

The third episode of Only Murders in the Building will premiere on July 5, 2022.