Nail in the Coffin

Lester the doorman of the iconic Arconia building is dead. Was it murder or an accident.

No one can quite point the finger at the right direction.

Charles, Oliver and Mabel are back for the fifth season of Only Murders in the Building.

It is a strong opener. This time taking on the New York mafia.

Sofia Caccimelio (Tea Leoni) wanted the team to search for her missing husband, a reputed mobster. She claims the mafia are a force consigned to the past.

Hence why Scorsese now makes movies about native Indians and Irishmen. Which was the best joke of the episode.

Only Murders in the Building returns, and after an okay fourth season, season 5 has proven to be much more entertaining as of thus far.

Starting positively, the episode is very funny. Over the seasons the quality in the humour has dropped quite a bit, but the comedy side of the show is back. It's still nowhere near as good as season one, but I enjoyed it. For any of my fellow Godfather fans, you'll be delighted to know that the whole episode has heavy references Ford Coppola's iconic trilogy. The editing and pacing was amazing as per usual and the new plot of Lester's death is proving to be a very cool idea filled with mystery.

I only have one little nit pick for the episode, that being that I feel like the characters seemed to overcome their adversity too quickly and perfectly. When Mabel and Charles learn of the card being a map, they make their way to the room underground to find out that the numbers on the card are a safe combo on a roulette board. It's nothing overly egregious, but it does slightly ruin the thrill of the mystery and realism.

Overall, the fifth season of the show appears to be a step up in quality from the season prior, and the storyline has me hooked.

I'm normally a huge fan of this show - I think it strikes the perfect balance of sharp humor and silly set-ups, but this episode is a rough start to the season. The set-ups are very obvious, though that's something I can get past. I can't ignore the totally amateur writing. The jokes aren't funny, the dialogue is forced, and there's a punch line dropped in about every 30 seconds. We're missing all of the charm and connections set up by previous seasons - it feels like the characters suddenly know nothing about one another or how they would respond in situations. I hope it gets better from here because I do love this show but this is a rocky start.

I smiled twice in this episode. No laughs. No chuckles. Two smiles. Everything felt forced. The scenes that made me smile were the piano at the beginning and the brothers. Everything else was just dull or silly, and not in a good way. The scene with the coffin is a prime example. I'll give episode 2 a chance, but I think I'll be abandoning this sinking ship.

I just watched the first episode, and I'm glad they released three together so I still have two more to watch. The episode was fast-paced, and the comedy worked well. I was a bit hesitant at first, since they release a season every year and I thought the quality might drop, but this one was entertaining and engaging throughout.

For me, the real fun isn't about who died or solving the mystery. It's more about how they go about it in such an entertaining way. Still, since they never really kill off characters we care about, the mystery sometimes feels less intense. If the next season is the final one, I think they should take a bigger risk-maybe even kill off one of the three leads. That would make things far more interesting, with the villain now targeting the remaining two. If they stick with killing only side characters, maybe Howard could be next, and that could still work. But I do wonder how long it will stay exciting if we know the leads are always safe.

I'd also like to see more personal arcs-like exploring marriage for Mabel and Charles. It would be fun to watch all three solving a case while also dealing with their relationships. Last season, the best part was the cameos, even though they weren't used much. This season, they haven't leaned on that as much-only one cameo so far, the actor who played the politician.

Overall, the first episode was good, but the formula is starting to feel repetitive. The chemistry, comedy, and presentation are still working, but everything follows the same pattern each season. To break that monotony, I'd suggest either bringing in the leads' loved ones or taking a bold step like killing one of the three. Otherwise, if the plan is to keep going for 10 seasons, this approach might still hold up-though I think many viewers could lose interest unless something big changes in the next year or two.

Rating: 3.5/5.