Review: Only Murders in the Building, “Cuckoo Chicks” | Season 5, Episode 8

It’s only fitting that a guest list factors into the main plot of this week’s Only Murders in the Building. “Cuckoo Chicks” is all about its guest stars and recurring players: the Meryl Streep-Renée Zellweger two-hander in The Velvet Room, Da’Vine Joy Randolph getting to play a different side of Lieutenant Williams, and Dianne Wiest getting the space to spread her wings as Rainey. The episode makes time for three appearances from Vince Fish, and although each of them is a knockout for Richard Kind, they also account for some issues of overcrowding and wonky pacing that emerge as the end credits approach. Nonetheless, the “women downstairs/men upstairs” plot to keep Camila from taking control of the Arconia helps “Cuckoo Chicks” build the victory of last week’s episode into a winning streak.

I’m not sure if multiple actors on the same show can submit the same episode for Emmy consideration (or, if that’s allowed, whether or not it’d be a sound strategy), but award winners Streep, Zellweger, Wiest, and Randolph are all giving their most award-worthy performances of season five in “Cuckoo Chicks.” They each get their individual moments to shine, but I’m especially fond of the time they spend around the blackjack table with Selena Gomez, with Mabel and Williams attempting to tie down a pair of loose cannons before they both unload on Camila and ruin the entire scheme. Hand after hand, the editing, the score, and the daggers stared across the felt all ratchet the suspense.