Who played Bonnies mother in Only Murders in the Building?

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Only Murders in the Building season 2, episodes 1 & 2.

The casting of Shirley MacLaine as the mother of Bunny Folger, the Only Murders in the Buildingseason 2 victim, is secretly a tribute to a classic Hollywood movie. Immediately picking up where season 1 ended, Only Murders in the Building season 2 opens with Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) interrogated about the murder of their Board President, Bunny. Having come into conflict with Bunny during Only Murders in the Building season 1, the true-crime podcasters are prime suspects, especially as the body was discovered in Mabel's apartment, stabbed with her knitting needle. Investigated by another true-crime podcast, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel aim to set the record straight with the second season of their own podcast.

Only Murders in the Building season 2, episode 2, "Framed", introduces more of the new Only Murders season 2 characters by way of Bunny's mother and Charles' father. Alluded to in season 2, episode 1, Charles' father (Ben Livingston) spent time in prison, and this is expanded upon in the flashbacks that bookend "Framed." It's also revealed that he was intimately involved with both the artist Rose Cooper and Bunny's mother, Leonora Folger. The casting of Shirley MacLaine in this story of infidelity and the secrets kept behind closed apartment doors is a perfect tribute to one of her best films, 1960's The Apartment, co-starring Jack Lemmon and directed by Billy Wilder.

The Apartment is the story of Lemmon's C.C. Baxter, an ambitious insurance clerk who hires his apartment out to senior colleagues for extra-marital trysts. Baxter's career aspirations become complicated when he falls in love with his boss' mistress Fran Kubelik, played by Shirley MacLaine. While the Only Murders season 2 storyline doesn't have obvious similarities to Wilder's murder-free The Apartment, both the show and the movie focus on the hidden lives of an apartment block's residents. The most obvious connection is the involvement of Shirley MacLaine in season 2, bridging the gap between these fictional apartment residents in a way that really enhances Only Murders in the Building season 2.

Nina (center) at Bunny’s surprise retirement party.

Only Murders is a whodunnit, after all, with Bunny Folger (Jayne Houdyshell) slain and her killer still unknown. But could Nina be the killer? Her relationship with Bunny began as a sweet mentorship, but when Bunny decided not to retire as board president in the end, thus keeping Nina from the promotion, they get into a bitter fight and Nina's ulterior motives are exposed. She resents that Bunny became board president because of nepotism (her mother had the same role) and, more importantly, believe Bunny is keeping the Arconia in the past. Nina has a plan to “modernize” and “monetize” the historical building, to bring it into the 21st century, and she won't let a “relic” like Bunny stop her.

Now, we've gotten hints of Nina's ferocity before. In an earlier episode, Howard warned that she's is a bigger “bitch” than the no-nonsense Bunny, and Nina said herself that she would give the Arconia residents “hell” if they didn't follow the building rules. But is that enough to convince us that she's a potential murderer? Was she so dead-set on becoming board president that she killed Bunny for the coveted role? Or is that all a little too obvious?

All we know is that by the end of the episode we see how Bunny dies: She answers a knock at the door of her apartment (thinking it's Charles, Mabel, or Oliver) to find a mysterious visitor (whom we can't see). While the person remains unidentified, they seem to be someone Bunny knows; when she opens the door, she asks, “What the fuck do you you want?” hinting that she recognizes the face. The person responds by attacking Bunny, stabbing her to death. Whether that late-night visitor was a jealous mentee or someone else remains up in the air.

Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now. 

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