Only Murders In The Building Boss Explains Why Oliver's 'Surprise' Backstory Is Revealed In Episode 6
Meryl Streep's return to Only Murders in the Building brings tragedy for Loretta Durkin — and a revelation about her husband Oliver Putnam, the flop-prone Broadway director.
When her apartment goes up in flames, the Grey's New Orleans: Family Burn Unit star returns from New Zealand to assess the damage. Everything she owned — 47 years' worth of belongings and memories — had been reduced to ash, and she spends the day in Brooklyn with Oliver, in pursuit of Lorraine and Sofia.
It's there we learn that Oliver grew up in the foster care system. From ages 9 to 12, he lived with his second foster family in Flatbush, where he kept himself small, hoping he'd get to stay.
But Oliver didn't feel "at home" until he stumbled into the Mycyn Theatre and was cast in a play. His foster parents didn't approve, but on opening night he snuck out in costume to watch as another kid said his line.
"In my whole life, I've only really felt like myself in two places," Oliver says. "Being back here today, I finally understand why I'm so afraid to leave the Arconia." But now, he and his beloved have a chance to start fresh and build a new home together.
According to series co-creator John Hoffman, Oliver's foster care backstory wasn't entirely a new invention. But Season 5's focus on the meaning of home made this the perfect time to deliver that reveal — and to challenge preconceived notions about Oliver's larger-than-life persona.
"It was something we had thought about, and I just loved subverting the idea that he was always the Bon Vivant — the big mouth, the pied piper," Hoffman tells TVLine. "Knowing that, actually, that personality was born out of a very different experience growing up, was interesting to me."
The specifics of Oliver's childhood were shaped by this season's central mystery — as well as Hoffman's own history: "I was born in Brooklyn — and knowing that Lester and his wife Lorraine were living in Flatbush, and knowing Flatbush pretty well, I was imagining some symmetry that could be discovered between Oliver and Lester." Ultimately, the foster care aspect came from a desire "to know what kind of time Oliver spent in Flatbush" — and to land on a backstory that "would be a surprise to most."
What did you think of Only Murders in the Building Season 5, Episode 6? Did Oliver's backstory surprise you — or maybe even move you? Leave a comment and let us know.