Only Murders in the Building has clarified the sudden absence of a key character from the first season.
Aaron Dominguez played Oscar Torres, the falsely convicted childhood friend of Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez), with the two of them rekindling a long-standing romantic connection in the initial run of episodes.
However, despite the second season picking up immediately after the season one finale, Oscar is nowhere to be seen and his disappearance from the storyline isn’t even acknowledged until episode two.
In that chapter, Mabel briefly discusses the status of their relationship with friends Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short), lamenting that their bond was forged primarily from shared trauma.
“I think Oscar and I are both waiting for the ‘let’s just be friends’ text,” she adds.
It’s unclear exactly the whereabouts of Oscar at this time, but it’s apparent that he has decided to put some space between himself and his former flame.
That’s somewhat understandable given that Mabel has just been framed for murder (along with Charles and Oliver), with Oscar probably wanting to avoid attention from authorities as he has only recently been released from prison himself.
However, given the feelings that they showed for each other in season one, some viewers may be surprised to see Oscar abandon Mabel so abruptly in her time of need.
It’s unclear if an early exit was always the plan for Dominguez’s character, given that comments from Only Murders in the Building co-creator John Hoffman in October 2021 implied that he could return for the follow-up.
“I love Aaron Dominguez and we talked a lot about this character,” he told Deadline. “I think it’s a really complicated relationship that he and Mabel have and it’s going to be interesting to see where it goes.
“There are certain dreams they both have that they recognise who they are together, but I think they have work to do to understand exactly who they are and if they’re meant to be together.”
By March 2022, TVLine was reporting that Dominguez was no longer a series regular on the show, although there is still the possibility he could make a guest appearance later in the season.
In the meantime, Mabel seems completely unfazed as she pursues a new romantic relationship with Cara Delevingne’s enigmatic artist and gallery curator Alice, who she first crosses paths with in the season 2 premiere.
Only Murders in the Building season 2 is streaming now on Disney Plus. New episodes are released weekly. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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