What happened to Oscar in Only Murders in the Same Building?

Only murders in the building Season 4 premiered on August 27th of this year with its most epic mystery yet. Each season builds on the previous one, getting better and better with each clue, suspect, and twist. However, one of those suspects seems like a loose thread from his iconic tie-dye hoodie. Oscar Torres, played by Aaron Dominguez, was a pivotal character in the mysterious events of Season 1. Also known as Tie-Dye Guy, Oscar was deeply connected to the main characters, Charles, Oscar, and especially Mabel, with whom he shared a complicated past that was central to the mystery of Season 1. Despite this, Oscar eventually disappeared from the show altogether.

What happened to Oscar after the end of the first season mystery? He hasn't returned and has barely been mentioned since the end of the first mystery. According to the series creators, Oscar had suffered so much trauma that it would make sense for him to leave Arconia forever. Given this reasoning, the end of Oscar’s story would also mean the end of his time on the show. But can fans expect to see Oscar return in the new season, or has his character truly been written out for good?

Did Oscar kill his friend on New Year's Eve?

The mystery of the first season dates back to a fateful night

From the beginning of the first season's mystery, it's clear that the building's history is rooted in an undiscovered tragedy. The main character, Mabel, played by Selena Gomez, has lived in Arconia since she was a child and eventually befriends and grows up with three other people: Zoe Cassidy, Oscar Torres, and Tim Kono, the victim of the first season's murder mystery. Oscar was the son of the building's superintendent and had access to people's apartments while they were away, using his father's stolen keys. The four would “investigate” people's homes, steal some of their jewelry, and eventually call themselves “The Hardy Boys.” Everything was perfect between them until it all came crashing down at a rooftop party on New Year's Eve 2010.

As far as the audience and Mabel know at the beginning of season one, Zoe and Oscar had a falling out and, as the story goes, Zoe was pushed off the roof by Oscar. However, things didn't seem to add up. Tim Kono refused to say what he saw happen on the roof and instead drove Mabel away forever. Oscar spent ten years in prison for the murder and the Hardy Boys were no more. Let's fast forward to the current mystery of the building in season one. Tim Kono's murder has brought to light some obvious suspects, some of whom were there that night, New Year's Eve 2010. It turns out that it was actually someone else in the building who killed Zoe.

Theo Dimas, another resident of the building, was actually the one who pushed Zoe off the roof. It was accidental, but he still committed the violent act. Theo's father, Teddy, played by Nathan Lane, chose to protect his son and threatened Tim Kono to keep quiet about what he had seen or he would harm both him and Mabel. This revelation added new layers to the mystery surrounding Tim Kono's murder, implicating the Dimas family in a dark cover-up. However, despite their involvement, none of the Dimas men were the true culprits in Tim Kono's death. This twist left Arconia residents and the audience wondering who else might be hiding secrets within the walls of the building.

Did Oscar Kill Tim Kono?

Oscar Torres was one of the main suspects in the first season's mystery

• “The Boy From 6B” is the seventh episode of the first season, and is almost entirely silent, as throughout the story we follow Teddy's son Theo, who is deaf.
• Michael Cyril Creighton, who plays fan-favorite cat lover Howard Morris, is allergic to cats in real life.

All the residents of the building were suspects in the first season, including the famous musician Sting, for a moment. And as discussed above, the most likely culprits were not behind Tim Kono's murder. Another prime suspect was Oscar, who had plenty of motives. Tim knew from the beginning that Oscar was completely innocent, but remained silent. During the evacuation with a fire alarm at the time of Tim's death, a main character, Charles, saw a figure he referred to as “Tie-Dye Guy” coming up the stairs. Charles always thought it was strange and his suspicions were confirmed when it turned out that Tie-Dye Guy was Oscar. Oscar, with a very strong motive, was in the building, on his way to Tim's apartment at the time of his murder. So, Oscar decided to kill Tim for what he had done to him years before?

Yes, Oscar was planning to confront Tim about what he witnessed. However, Oscar did not kill Tim Kono. When Oscar arrived at Tim's door, he heard a gunshot on the other side. Fearing what might be on the other side of the door, Oscar decided to run. In the days following the murder, Oscar reconnected with his former friend and fellow Hardy Boy, Mabel. Oscar helped Mabel, Charles, and their friend Oliver solve Tim Kono's murder, finally putting all the tragedy and mystery surrounding their late friend and the building to rest. That is, until Mabel found another body, leading to a brand new mystery for season two and the main characters being arrested for the crime.

When season two came out, many fans wondered what would happen to Oscar. To this day, fans are still wondering, as the show and its characters have not referenced him since season one. Where did Oscar go? According to information provided by the show, Oscar is still living with his father in the building, and he and Mabel have finally acted on their romantic feelings for each other. So, what happened? The answer from the show's creators may be the only one fans will get anytime soon. Oscar has been a popular character since his introduction, but it makes sense that the show would want to explore new and more exciting suspects for future mysteries. Still, it's hard not to wonder what happened to Oscar Torres.

Will Oscar ever return to the show?

Why did Oscar not appear in the series after the first season?

The new season of Only murders in the building already looks like his most dangerous and personal mystery yet. With fan-favorite Sazz Pataki, Charles's close friend and stunt double, as the victim, the show's new killer could be someone from his past. While it's unlikely the clues will point in Oscar's direction again, perhaps he could join the long list of suspects appearing this season. Or maybe he could return to help solve the crime. He and Mabel could finally resolve some of their lingering romantic tension. In Only murders in the buildingeveryone is a suspect, past and present.

Show creator John Hoffman spoke about Oscar's return to the show in a 2022 interview with Deadline. He said, “We decided that we didn't want to see Mabel develop a relationship where the traumatic bond was strong,” and added that it would probably be difficult for the character to stay in the building after another murder. However, he also teased that Oscar might return in some capacity, saying:

“I think they stayed in touch and I'm not saying it's not something that will come back in some ways, because he was a part of her life.”

Oscar Torres, the Tie-Dye Guy, has been a character steeped in tragedy and mystery since his debut in season one. Fans quickly became attached to his character, especially as a romantic foil to Selena Gomez’s Mabel. Played by Aaron Dominguez, Oscar helped solve two of the building’s biggest crimes in one season, alongside the show’s main podcasting trio. Hopefully, fans will get to see Oscar grace their screens again in the future. But for now, Oscar’s story feels comfortably complete. At least for now.