Are Selena Gomez And Logan Lerman Getting An Enemies-To-Lovers Arc On Only Murders In The Building? I Have A Lot Of Thoughts

Now that we’re on Season 5 of Only Murders In The Building, I’m actually rather shocked at the lack of romance we’ve seen in the comedy starring Selena Gomez, Martin Short and Steve Martin. It’s kind of refreshing that the only big couple to write home about is the recent marriage between Short and Meryl Streep’s characters (the actors are rumored to be an item in real life), but now that Logan Lerman’s character made his first appearance on the series, the potential for a new romance for Gomez’s Mabel has stirred up a lot of thoughts about the show from me.

Lerman has been established as Jay Pflug, who is one of three billionaires the Only Murders podcasters/mystery-solvers come across as they try to solve the potential murder of the Arconia’s Lester Coluca. He’s the heir of a pharmaceutical magnate and happens to be around the same age as Mabel. In Episode 4, they strike up a meaningful conversation that had Charles and Oliver saying that he makes her “eyes flutter.” So, what’s being set up exactly?

I (And Other Fans) Do Sense Some Flirtation Between Mabel And Jay On Season 5

While I could be absolutely wrong, I do detect Only Murders In The Building is trying to set up a little flirtation and potential love interest territory between Mabel and Jay. Particularly, one where one of the possible villain and our hero could get into a classic enemies-to-lovers scenario. The romance trope is personally one of my favorites, found in the likes of Pride & Prejudice, Bridgerton, La La Land and The Sound of Music, and hasn’t necessarily played out on the show yet. Here’s one reaction on Twitter that sums things up pretty well:

I’m certainly not alone in catching the potential. Check out some other social media reactions:

• “logan lerman and selena gomez playing friends to enemies to lovers in only murders in the building im calling it now” - @americanreqiuem
• “the chemistry between logan lerman and selena gomez was chemistrying fr. 😍” - @mdnightchords
• “i’ve never been able to get into any of mabel’s love interests but logan and selena’s chemistry is crazy. the potential for an enemies to lovers with insane buzz!!” - @decodedsabrina

These two are just too easy to want to see together, and lots of fans are rooting for it to happen, and we’ve only seen a taste of these two actors playing off the other, with half the season having aired so far.

I Actually Love The Idea Of Mabel's Guard Going Down For A Villainous Billionnaire

Shortly after Jay impressed Mabel during the unexpected billionaire “dinner” party in Episode 4, we learn that Jay used the information they talked about to trap her, Charles and Oliver in a new deal where they cannot talk about him or the other billionaires on their podcast. Mabel is flustered and angered that he took advantage of a sweet moment between them, but that goes to show that his charm went far. Mabel's skills are usually sharp, and she’s always paying attention to who could be suspects, and how they could be tricking her. But, in the case of Jay, she was quick to write him off, probably because she has a little crush.

Being attractive and knowing how to use it to gain power is a dangerous game that I think that Jay is playing, but if Mabel falls for it, it’d mean she’s only human. There've been a lot of unexpected villains throughout the series, but a case being difficult to crack because a character like Jay knows how to use his magnetism to get away with things is an interesting plotline for Only Murders to explore. And, it'd be even better if it ends with Jay actually being one of the good ones, and the pair fall in love. Mabel has always been an unexpected character, and as long as he’s not actually a murderer, I’d kind of love this for her.

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It'd Sort Of Be The Best, Since Selena Gomez Once Said He Was Her Celebrity Crush

One big reason why Mabel and Jay’s possible romance is also so interesting to the internet comes from their history. Long ago, Gomez said that Lerman was her celebrity crush (via X), and it became so viral that the actor was asked about it during a press junket. He was flattered, and Gomez sweetly took back her answer to get the attention off the pair of actors being a couple everyone wanted to see. Over a decade later, the pair have had the chance to work together for the first time, and should they become an on-screen couple, it's kind of a sweet full circle moment. Plus, nowadays, Gomez is engaged to Benny Blanco and Lerman is engaged himself.

I Have A Larger Problem With Mabel's Romantic Storylines That I Hope The Show Can Start To Rectify

The conversation about Mabel and her love life brings me to a larger issue I’ve had with how her character has been handled in relation to meeting a love interest. Across the show so far, Mabel has had a few love interests, with Oscar Torres in Season 1, Alice Banks in Season 2 (played by one of her best friends Cara Delevingne) and Jesse Williams’ Tobert. I totally get why the writers have chosen not to make any of them stick. The focus is more on Mabel’s friendship with Charles and Oliver, and her own personal self growth journey, but it’s getting kind of tiring to see them each last season, and for her to be stuck in the same one-season romance loop.

It doesn’t allow Mabel to really grow as a character if she’s interested in a romance/partner-in-crime outside of her sweet friendship with Charles and Oliver, but she’s never able to juggle her mystery-solving life and finding the happiness she’s looking for, it ends up being a let down if we don't get to see her explore relationships beyond the surface.

While I don’t necessarily expect Jay to be the character to break the spell, the arrival of another love interest has me thinking about a circular pattern on the mystery. I hope it doesn't stay stagnant until whenever they decide to end the show. In other words, if you’re going to give Mabel another love interest, really commit to a good romantic plotline, because they’ve been so thin and forgettable thus far.