‘Only Murders in the Building’ Takes Us Inside the World of Its Deaf Character in a Nearly Silent Episode

Only Murders in the Building Episode 7 “The Boy From 6B” takes viewers inside the world of the one character who sees everything: Teddy Dimas’s (Nathan Lane) deaf son Theo (James Caverly). Using an inventive muffled sound mix and a series of haunting flashbacks, we learn not only what happened to Zoe Cassidy (Olivia Reis), but how the seemingly enchanting world of the Arconia can feel like a prison. It’s certainly a departure for the Steve Martin/Martin Short/Selena Gomez Hulu show, but it’s one that ups the ante on the show’s murder mystery. We might not know who killed Tim Kono, but we know that the Dimas family is up to no good…except maybe poor, trapped Theo?

Only Murders in the Building follows the mayhem that unfolds when three neighbors decide that they are going to start a murder mystery podcast about a death in their Upper West Side building. Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) were in an elevator with Tim Kono (Julian Cihi) moments before he died. While the cops think Tim died by suicide, the trio suspects foul play. They embark on a wild investigation into the Arconia’s other residents all while keeping key secrets from one another. In fact, it seems that the Arconia resident with the darkest secrets might be the podcast’s sponsor, Teddy Dimas. The deli king isn’t paying for his ritzy lifestyle with hummus and spinach artichoke dips.

As it happens, Teddy Dimas and his son have a side hustle stealing jewelry from dead folks and reselling it on the black market. But that’s not the really big revelation in this week’s episode. Way back when Mabel and her “Hardy Boys” ran riot in the Arconia, Theo struck up a secret friendship with Zoe, who knew ASL. Zoe and her penchant for stealing priceless items from various units for fun wound up forcing a confrontation between the two on the roof. Theo asks Zoe for the ring back and later they have a tense conversation. An angry Zoe tries to give Theo the ring back, but he won’t take it now. Upset, she shoves him and he grabs her in return and in the tumult, she falls by accident. Tim Kono is the only person to see what really happened…

And so Tim Kono is later cornered by Teddy Dimas, who threatens to kill Tim if he doesn’t help frame Oscar (Aaron Dominguez) for Zoe’s death.

Does that mean that Teddy finally killed Tim Kono? That we still don’t know!

So, no, the sound on your TV isn’t broken. Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building muted dialogue and background noises on purpose to give Theo the proverbial spotlight. We experience the story through sign language and lip reading, all of which are subtitled so we understand how Theo sees the world. And the world Theo sees is sad, indeed. But not because he’s deaf; because his dad is kind of awful.

Where to stream Only Murders in the Building