Production designer Patrick Howe explains why Selena Gomez's Mabel painted over her mural in Only Murders in the Building Season 2. Only Murders in the Building production designer Patrick Howe recently revealed why Mabel Mora's (Selena Gomez) iconic mural didn't carry over into the mystery-comedy show's third season.
Howe explained the decision to have Mabel paint over the mural in Season 2's finale, "I Know Who Did It," during an interview with Variety. According to the production designer, Mabel's actions reflected her new-found willingness to leave her past behind. At the same time, Howe also noted that his design for Mabel's revamped mural wall nevertheless alludes to its former significance. "I found a tone-on-tone graphic wallpaper with a building that looks similar to [Mabel's apartment building] the Arconia," he said. "I put a gold frame around it to say the wallpaper within this frame is very important."
Howe's comments arrive hot on the heels of an interview with Only Murders in the Building co-creator John Hoffman in which he also touched on Mabel's character arc over the course of the Hulu series' run. Notably, Hoffman stated that Mabel is "dealing with some trauma" in Season 3 and also described her as at a loose end when the show's latest batch of episodes kicks off. "We learn at the end of Episode 1 that she's not going to stay in the Arconia much longer, and it just puts a heightened focus on this woman who's facing 30 and looking at her life... She's really grasping for what to do with her life," he said.
How Only Murders in the Building S3 Keeps Things Fresh
Hoffman added that Mabel finds a renewed sense of purpose following the death of Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) in Season 3's premiere, "The Show Must...," as it reunites her with fellow protagonists Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short). That said, the showrunner also acknowledged that teaming up Mabel, Charles and Oliver to solve yet another killing on the Arconia's premises risked recycling plot and character beats from Only Murders in the Building Seasons 1 and 2. To combat this, Hoffman said the cast and crew leaned into Season 3's "theatrical identity" and the fresh slant it put on the Charles/Oliver/Mabel dynamic.
Hoffman doesn't seem worried about the prospect of keeping the show's core premise feeling novel in the future, either. He indicated as much in a recent interview, insisting that everyone involved with Only Murders in the Building wants it to continue for as many more seasons as Hulu is willing to greenlight.
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