‘Only Murders in the Building’ EP on Oscar’s Absence and Whether He’ll Return in Season 3

Only Murders in the Building will never forget the OG Tie-Dye Guy. Aaron Dominguez’s Oscar Torres played a significant role in season 1 of the Hulu comedy as a suspect-turned-love interest for Selena Gomez’s Mabel Mora. However, much to fans’ surprise, he was dismissed with one comment early in season 2 and never mentioned or seen again. What was that about? Only Murders in the Building co-creator John Hoffman recently addressed the decision to write Oscar out of the show and revealed if he could return in season 3.

Oscar Torres disappeared from ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 2

At first, viewers only knew Oscar as Tie-Dye Guy in season 1. Charles (Steve Martin) saw someone in a tie-dye sweatshirt heading to Tim Kono’s (Julian Cihi) apartment just before his death, so the mysterious figure became a suspect in the murder case. That person turned out to be Oscar, Mabel’s ex, who recently got out of prison. Eventually, it was revealed that Teddy Dimas (Nathan Lane) framed Oscar for the death of their friend Zoe (Olivia Reis).

With Oscar’s name cleared in Zoe’s and Tim’s murders, he and Mabel rekindled their romance. However, he was nowhere to be found in the premiere of Only Murders Season 2. Then, in episode 2, viewers learned what happened to Oscar: He and Mabel basically ended their relationship.

According to Mabel, “the trauma bond was strong.” However, they wanted to remain just friends. Many fans held out hope for an appearance later in season 2, but one never came.

‘Only Murders in the Building’ co-creator John Hoffman shared why it was necessary for Oscar to leave

Though it was disappointing for Oscar to leave the Arconia behind, this did contribute to Mabel’s growth in season 2. She ultimately overcame her trauma and let go of her past. As Hoffman told Deadline, that’s why the writers felt it was necessary to say goodbye to Mabel and Oscar’s romance.

“For both those characters, the shock of Bunny’s death for Oscar and his father working in the building, just felt like it was really hard for him to stay at the Arconia. We made a call that we didn’t want to see Mabel develop a relationship where the trauma bond is strong. With all that Oscar had gone through with going to jail for murder, we thought his leaving made sense,” Hoffman said.

But is Oscar gone for good, or will he make a comeback in Only Murders in the Building Season 3? After all, Oscar and Mabel did want to stay friends.

“I think they keep in touch and I won’t say it’s not something that won’t come back around in some way because he was a part of her life,” Hoffman added. “I’m really proud of Mabel and how she worked through some difficult stuff with Theo (James Caverly), she was victorious. Now she’s a woman with a new purpose who is stronger and even goes on to solve the case.”

Mabel has a ‘brightness’ in her future, according to Hoffman

With Mabel’s past behind her, she can look forward to better days ahead. Well, as better as they can be during another murder investigation. In another interview with TVLine, Hoffman teased Mabel’s new outlook in season 3.

“One of the headlines is, there’s brightness … a different color. She has, over the last two seasons, been able to sort of take that shawl of heaviness off of her a bit,” the co-creator said. “There are certain new pressures ahead of her, and questions that she is asking herself about her own life, but she’s got a much more optimistic viewpoint.”

Only Murders in the Building Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Hulu. Stay tuned for more updates on season 3.