(Warning: Spoilers ahead.)
It isn’t hard to imagine a Sliding Doors scenario in which Renée Zellweger is the ’90s starlet with a lifestyle brand selling candles that smell like body parts.
Thanks to Only Murders in the Building, this vision becomes a reality with Zellweger joining the guest star-packed fifth season of Hulu’s cozy whodunnit.
“A human incarnation of a Nancy Meyers Kitchen” is how Charles (Steve Martin) describes Zellweger’s Camila White. Even before we learn more about Camila, this image paints a vivid picture.
Only Murders co-creator John Hoffman has cited Martha Stewart as a source of inspiration for polished entrepreneurial designer Camila, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s business model (including her unique scented candle) appears to be another influence. Whereas the Goop offering was called “This Smells Like My Vagina,” Camila’s scent is from a less intimate spot: the inside of Camila’s nose gives this luxury candle its fragrance, as Mabel (Selena Gomez) mentions.
While Camila’s role in the killing of doorman Lester (Teddy Coluca) and mobster Nicky (Bobby Cannavale) is currently TBD, the home decor guru and hotel magnate has made it onto Oliver’s (Martin Short) eye-catching murder board alongside fellow billionaires Bash (Christoph Waltz) and Jay (Logan Lerman).
This week’s episode underscores why Zellweger is another example of A-plus A-list casting from the Only Murders team in a role that plays into her comedic strengths—both timing and nailing a line delivery.
Zellweger didn’t have me at hello, but “Shock me, shock me, shock me with that deviant behavior.” For anyone unfamiliar with the ’90s teen cult classic Empire Records, do yourself a favor and watch it now. My introduction to Zellweger was as a performer who matches the energy of the material, a quality she continues to exhibit 30 years later.
Returning to an old favorite like Bridget Jones is only part of Zellweger’s roadmap to earning laughs. So far on Only Murders, she reminds audiences that it isn’t only will-they-won’t-they material that led to the ’90s and ’00s dominance. Here, she taps into heightened elements, getting to play wry and a little dark.
Perfection is a key aspect of Camila’s $47 billion empire, evident in the effortless way her coat is draped over her elegant yet casual attire. The natty little scarf, the delicate gloves she never removes, her perfectly coiffed hairdo, and her ultra-wealthy bubble ensure Camila doesn’t have a “just like us” aura. Still, Camila’s rags-to-riches origin lends some weight to the sprinkling of attainable advice amid her luxe branding.
From the moment Camila sets foot into Oliver’s maximalist-decorated Arconia apartment, it overwhelms her traditional sensibility—she has brought a candle as a gift. “Well, isn’t this an assaulting amount of everything?!” she says as she puts her sunglasses back on. It isn’t too long before she spots an offending “plum plaid” and sneers in revulsion. The two-time Oscar-winner isn’t trying to mimic Stewart or Paltrow’s upper-class diction or accent. However, her disdain for Oliver’s theatrical apartment interior design shows she is cut from a similar cloth.
Given that this is the first time the podcast trio directly interacts with the billionaire threesome, there is a lot to take in. Discovering a secret casino in the basement of the Arconia is one of the significant revelations of the three-episode premiere. It is notable that Camila, Bash, and Jay are members of this exclusive (and illicit) gambling ring and that Jay is the likely owner of the severed finger that kicked off this investigation.
Of the moneyed antagonists, it is Zellweger drawing on IRL upper-class tastemakers that I want to see more of. Take the opening scene that showcases Camila’s ease at marketing her philosophy. Zellweger’s rich-person affectation is given the prime voice-over slot in a clip from the “Camila White Masterclass: How to Win Beautifully” video. The plush, neutral furniture and quiet luxury cashmere are nothing like the kitsch aesthetic of Zellweger’s 1960s-style rom-com, Down With Love. Yet, this Only Murders performance feels like it is a spiritual successor to the 2003 satire, and for that, I am grateful.
Whereas Down With Love’s stylistic depiction of New York City takes its cues from Rock Hudson and Doris Day classics, Only Murders has tipped its hat to Hitchcock and Broadway. Now notes of mafia movies are mixed with this satirical portrayal of recognizable CEOs (what Oliver calls “the new mob of New York”). Zellweger is as game as she was in Down With Love opposite Ewan McGregor. Now she gets to play in the sandbox with Short.
By the time Camila leaves, Oliver brands her a “home decor witch.” A sight gag reveals that Oliver’s entire dining room has been remodeled during the short time Oliver and Camila departed this space. Gone is the garish wallpaper and moody dark tones, with an array of creams now filling the room—subtle patterns remain. Moments like this underscore the whimsy, which also leads to comparisons with Down With Love.
Before the makeover, Camila seamlessly gains the upper hand by picking at Oliver’s literal approach: “Are those the Statler and Waldorf balconies on your wall?” Oliver reasons that he is a director. “So, you thought, ‘I should put theater directing on my walls?” she responds.
Having verbally s–t on the design, Camila continues to make fun of Oliver’s over-the-top aesthetic, doubling as poking at his insecurities.
“I also had a sad home,” says Camila. It drips with condescension under the guise of being well-meaning. “A young girl with a deep love of beauty, born to a casino magnate and his former showgirl wife, raised amidst a sea of hot pink in Reno,” she continues. It physically pains Camilia to say her hometown out loud, which is part of the comedic brilliance. Ditto when she talks of how transformative it was to move to the East Coast when she was 18.
No, not New York. It was Connecticut that jump-started her “mission to beautify the world” and made her a billionaire.
After wrinkling her nose in horror at the trinkets on the mantle, Camila shifts gears. She happily answers questions about the night Nicky and Lester died, as well as explaining how Jay lost his finger. A coked-up Nick, brandishing a cleaver, gets the blame for Jay’s severed finger, and all three billionaires claim Lester was alive when they fled the Arconia.
It all gets cleared up very easily. Too easily. By the end of the episode, the billionaires have made it impossible for the podcasters to publicly reveal any suspicions they have against Camila, Bash, and Jay. It is unclear who (if any of the CEO trio) is the culprit, but Zellweger, channeling an arbiter of good taste a la Stewart and Paltrow, makes a strong early case for guest star MVP.
Now, where can I buy Camila’s candle from?
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