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Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez)
OMITB Has A New, Possibly Deadly Romantic Duo — Here Are Some Theories

No one was expecting this pairing.

by Ani Bundel
Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu

As noted by Oliver earlier in Season 2 of Only Murders In The Building, the podcasters failed to account for the romance angle in Season 1. Despite Jan being an obvious suspect, Mabel, Oliver, and Charles failed to take her into account as a suspect simply because she started dating one of them. Somehow, despite knowing this downfall, the podcaster trio seems to have overlooked the relationship angle for the second season in a row... or did they? These theories about Officer Kreps and Cinda Canning’s possible relationship prove things could go in any direction.

Warning: Spoilers for Only Murders In The Building Season 2, Episode 9 follow. When Only Murders Season 2, Episode 8, “Hello Darkness,” revealed that Officer Kreps was “Glitter Guy,” it seemed to confirm that the case had multiple unconnected suspects. One was Kreps, who was using the podcasters to help find breaks in the case by letting them think they were texting with his partner, Williams. The other was the person who murdered Bunny and set up Mabel and her compatriots to take the fall. That person was probably connected to Cinda Canning, either following orders, trying to impress her, or Cinda herself.

But that assumption rested on the idea that Kreps and Canning were in no way connected, an assumption blown out of the water in Episode 9, “Sparring Partners.”

So, what is Cinda and Kreps’ relationship? Here are a few theories.

01

Kreps & Cinda Are Married

Patrick Harbron/Hulu

In the boxing gym, Kreps said to Mabel, “If I’m so stupid, how did I land the smartest woman on the goddamn planet?” Those words suggest he’s not just in a relationship with Cinda, but that they’ve locked each other up and gotten married.

It may seem like a bit of a stretch, but consider this: Kreps owns the entire building where his gym is housed. That’s not cop-level money. That’s not even cop-working-fo- the-mob money. You own a block of property in New York City? That’s big money... maybe even famous podcaster money.

Moreover, a true-crime podcast host getting a secret inside track by being low-key married to the lead detective in Manhattan’s most prominent murder cases makes a lot of sense.

02

Kreps Is The Father Of Cinda’s Child

Oh, did you forget that little conversation between Poppy and Cinda? Cinda’s kid just turned 3 years old. Interestingly, her podcast empire — built on the back of the hit show All Is Not OK — is about three years old. (In Season 1, it had started “a couple of years ago.”)

So, perhaps Kreps and Cinda aren’t married. But Kreps “landed the smartest woman on the planet” long enough to get her into bed and get her pregnant. Even if Cinda broke up with Kreps after that, that kid would still be an 18-year commitment, minimum.

03

Kreps Is In Love With Cinda & She’s Using Him

Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu

The most prominent theory isn’t “Krepes and Cinda are secretly married” or “Kreps and Cuinda have a child.” It’s the one spelled out directly for the audience. Kreps was sitting in a bar in Oklahoma when he turned and fell head over heels for “the smartest woman on the planet” — presumably Cinda — and then he turned his entire world upside down for her.

And Cinda? Well, in a bar in Oklahoma, the most helpful human being walked up to her, and suddenly she had a freelance cop on a leash doing anything and everything she told him to. It’s the perfect relationship for her: He loves Cinda Canning, and she loves Cinda Canning. He probably even willingly babysits while she goes and gets her throat massaged. And when she needs to take down a few upstart podcasters, he happily gets himself made lead detective on the case and does whatever she tells him.

04

Kreps & Cinda Are Just Accomplices

Although the first three theories account for Kreps’ POV of meeting “the woman who turned his world upside down,” there is one thing none of them account for: Poppy, aka Becky Butler.

Poppy being Becky Butler adds an extra wrinkle to this season’s case. Until now, the audience has taken it for granted that Cinda Canning is good at her job as a true crime podcaster. All Is Not OK, the podcast that made her a superstar, helped bring national attention to the Becky Butler case and was instrumental in solving it.

But if Becky is alive and well, and Canning and Kreps know it? That means her podcast didn’t solve the case; the entire story it told was a lie. That would make Cinda a fraud, and Kreps her accomplice. The two don’t need to have a kid or get married for his world to be turned upside down. Covering up the Becky case for Cinda to have her hit podcast would be enough.

Fans will just have to wait for the Only Murders In The Building Season 2 finale — streaming Tuesday, Aug 23, 2022 — to learn more about this bizarre connection.