Finally, some momentum and drama! 

Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 8 uncovered a surprising connection between two characters, making the storyline much more personal, and putting a lot more at stake, 

If you’ll recall, there was once a time this season when we all suspected Loretta (Meryl Streep) of murder after Oliver (Martin Short) found a book of cutouts and notes all about Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd). She looked obsessed, and we all know that obsessed people will go to great lengths to get what they want. 

But you know who else will go to great lengths? Mothers. 

And that’s exactly what Loretta was… a mother, to—drumroll please—Dickie (Jeremy Shamos), Ben’s brother. Now that I know, I can’t unsee the resemblance to Streep, and I’m wondering how I didn’t know. 

At the beginning of the episode, we got a little backstory about her life, including what drew her to Oliver’s play, and it included wanting to get close to the son she gave up back in 1976, placing him with a young couple who got pregnant not long after adopting Dickie and gave him a brother. 

Loretta thought this would be the biggest blessing as her Dickie would never be alone, but in reality, it turned out to be quite a burden on Dickie, who was forced to essentially dedicate his whole life to his brother, a pompous asshole, who not only treated him as if he were less-than but also stole his ideas and profited on them. 

And you know what that sounds like for a mother who is forced to stand by silently and watch? Motive. 

Loretta likely didn’t know the extent of Ben’s ruthlessness going into the play, but once she started to spend more time with him and get to know him, she got a firsthand look at how terribly he treated her birth son, which could’ve been the catalyst to the murder attempt. At the very least, it likely explains why she called him a “f**king pig.”

However, it also doesn’t mean that she did it. A mother will go to great lengths for her child—a point that was underscored throughout the episode with Loretta’s bathroom chat with Donna (anyone else suspicious of the lipstick?) and then later with the Nanny’s big final number—but I’m not convinced that Loretta had it in her to murder anyone, let alone someone who meant so much to her son. At the end of the day, Ben may have been a big pain, but he was also his brother, and that means something. 

When Loretta turns herself in, copping to the murder in front of the whole cast—and her beau Oliver—she’s doing it from a selfless place as she thinks it will protect Dickie. The police are taking him in for questioning, and after her chat with him right before the performance where he explains that he felt “trapped” and when Ben was killed, he suddenly felt “free,” I’m not surprised that she thinks she’s doing the right thing. 

But again, I also don’t think Dickie is the killer. He definitely has motive, and it would make sense for him to be, but he doesn’t strike me as someone who has a mean, let alone, murderous, bone in his body. If he was feeling like he couldn’t take it anymore after Ben came back to life, there is a slight chance he pushed him down the elevator shaft, which would mean we’re looking at the murderer and then a different suspect for the attempted murder with poison. 

Loretta’s decision to risk it all for him, however, will raise plenty of questions, and Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Charles (Steve Martin) will be able to paint a better picture as they’ve already learned the truth about her connection to him. 

But where does that lead this incredibly complex investigation? The wrong person—I think—has been arrested, again, as things from her past bubble up to the surface and likely blindside Dickie. I’m hoping Mabel and Charles show him the letter so she can at least tell him the news and it’s still sort of on her own terms. It would be incredibly upsetting if she was stripped of the ability to convey the truth to her own son—a truth she’s held close to her heart for so long. 

There’s always the possibility that Ben knew the truth about Loretta and was planning on blackmailing her, but I just don’t see why she would kill him because of it when she was already gearing up to tell Dickie at some point. 

The chaos and off-stage drama at the sitzprobe did not need to be rehearsed—and for those asking “what is a sitzprobe?”, it’s a rehearsal where the singers perform with the orchestra for the first time ever to see if what they’ve been working on is any good—but it also took a toll on Oliver, who was ordered by the doctor to keep his stress levels down and then did the exact opposite. 

The whole production has been quite stressful in itself, but then you add a murder mystery on top, along with a fight with your best friends and a relationship with a maybe killer… and the heart attack was almost inevitable.

Sadly, it also seems to be a case of a broken heart as it happened right after Oliver told Loretta he loved her and then watched her confess to murder and get taken away in handcuffs. I feel terribly for the guy.

The good news, however, is that Mabel, Oliver, and Charles finally made up, even doing their corny signature little handshake to seal the deal, and the duo came through, orchestrating a pretty impressive plan that got them videos of every single interrogation Det. Williams was conducting (let’s hope they pressed record), which means that they can now conduct their own investigation to find the actual killer. And they’ll be there for Oliver during his much-needed recovery period. 

As for the murder mystery… who do you think it is? Do you think Loretta went into full mom mode and killed Ben? Was Dickie fed up with his brother’s behavior and took him out?

Who used the rat poison on him? Once we figure out the why, it’ll be much easier to deduce the who. 

Other Only Murder Musings

• Does anyone else miss Tobert? Do you think he’s the one who got into a fight with Ben the night of the show and killed him? No one has accounted for his actions that evening! Mabel said a killer often inserts themselves into the investigation—and he did just that by charming her.
• How incredible was it that Charles was able to deliver the full performance of the Pickwick Triplets song with ease? He nailed it. Everyone was floored, and it’s proof that he was always the right man for the job, he was simply in his head about it! Also, I’m out here just singing the patter song to myself all day long now. Need the lyrics? 

I have the pickwick triplets song from “Only Murders in the Building” trapped inside my head, but I’m not that mad about it

— Sara (@ariesara3) September 15, 2023

You can watch the performance of it right here: 

I’m so obsessed with this song. “WHICH OF THE PICKWICK TRIPLETS DID IT???!!” 🗣️ https://t.co/CVlkbvCJOu

— Damita Jo Elizabeth Carey. (@jasmineeejada__) September 19, 2023

• Williams is such a treat—I’m so glad she’s back on the case, even if she’s not too pleased to be meeting with the podcasting trio again. 
• Maybe Donna’s speech to Loretta about protecting your children means she killed Ben after her son Cliff initially pushed him down the elevator shaft because they thought the musical would be a flop and she wanted to protect his directing debut. Just food for thought!

I relish in the fact that Only Murders has gotten its spark back, with the Loretta and Dickie connection reinvigorating a somewhat stale storyline and investigation this season. 

We’ve got two more episodes left as Only Murders in the Building Season 3 consists of a total of 10 episodes, so let’s hope it’s an energetic push to the finish line! 

Share your thoughts and theories in the comments below—I’d love to hear them! 

Who Is Ben’s Killer on ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 3? Here’s Our List of Suspects

Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 7 picked up following Mabel, Charles, and Oliver’s huge fight—and the tension was surely present. 

None of them felt compelled to apologize, and when Charles realized Oliver was already re-casting for his role, it was an even bigger gut punch.

Oliver thought he landed on a gem when Matthew Broderick walked through the door, but as it turns out, getting a Broadway legend to play the Constable comes with plenty of strings attached and a process that was way too invested than it needed to be. 

Before he knew it, Oliver was missing the simplicity and kindness that Charles always brought to the set. The old saying that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone couldn’t be more true in this instance, so when Oliver finally had enough and sort of, well, snapped, he couldn’t be more delighted to see Charles lurking by the door and ready to make amends. 

Broderick was shown the door—sorry, Ferris Bueller—while Charles and Oliver forgave each other over a glass of gut milk. It’s at that point that Oliver felt the need to share his fears about Loretta potentially being the killer—long overdue—though Charles didn’t seem to get that same vibe after looking at her little burn book filled with pictures of Ben Glenroy. As Oliver pointed out, his track record with identifying killers isn’t great, so we probably shouldn’t take his word for it.

Charles suggested that Oliver simply talk to Loretta, but I haven’t crossed her off my lists of suspects just yet, and I don’t think she’d take too kindly to being accused of being a murderer or even questioned about her involvement. Not to mention the fact that Oliver stole her personal property. 

Not wanting to believe that someone is capable of murder doesn’t explain why “f**king pig” was written on the mirror in Ben’s dressing room, but there’s still a lot that needs to be addressed from that night and the events prior to his death, along with why Charles hit Ben right before the show in the first place. We haven’t gotten a full picture here, and it’s kind of frustrating that it’s just bits and pieces that may be something or may be nothing. The action is very slow-paced. 

This season started off as a very promising one with the theater setting leading to Ben’s death, but it feels like the focus has been lost, likely because the characters aren’t as invested in solving the mystery either, well, aside from Mabel, that is. It’s come as an afterthought rather than something that’s being prioritized, so instead, the plot is all over the place, and with each passing episode, we’re no closer to learning the truth. 

At the very least, Mabel made a discovery that slowly but surely moved things along and led to the first podcast episode, solo as Bloody Mabel this time—though both Theo and Tobert were on hand for the assist—which also convinced Detective Biswani to reopen Ben’s murder investigation. I guess that’s a fair outcome when someone outright and publicly states that they’ve got the wrong guy serving time behind bars.

Mabel and Theo, who was on hand to help her move out of her apartment, attended the CoBro auction being hosted by Dickie to get some insight as to Ben’s final moments. Dickie didn’t seem pleased with Mabel digging around and trying to make some money off of her brother despite doing the exact same thing, however, he eventually opened up and aired some grievances that definitely gave motive. 

It’s no surprise to learn that Ben was an asshole—we’ve known that—but it was heartbreaking that all of his success was stolen from his brother, who was the actual mastermind behind CoBro. And despite all of it, Ben kept Dickie as nothing more than his assistant till the very end—that’s enough to make anyone snap and get revenge. 

As Mabel’s podcast episode reaches the masses, we also see Dickie cling to the handkerchief that Uma stole from Ben’s cold dead hands after his fall, the bloody fingerprints still there, which does kind of make him seem guilty. Did he buy it from her simply as a memento of his brother or did he want to make sure there was no evidence for cops to find?

Mabel also figured out that Greg couldn’t have killed Ben because he wasn’t even in the building at the time of his death, which is what the cops hinged their whole investigation on. And she only knew this because Dickie slipped up and informed her that Ben always set his watches 20 min early, meaning that he wasn’t killed at 12:06 but 12:26 when Greg was already gone.

While she doesn’t have a suspect at the moment of the podcast episode’s launch, this doesn’t bode well for Dickie, who not only had motive but also now had someone to pin Ben’s death on; a scapegoat. He clearly knew about Greg for “years” and was always protecting his brother from him, so maybe he just decided to let Greg take the fall because of his “obsession,” while Dickie got to walk away, free from Ben’s toxicity. 

But this is also the problem with the season, no case has really been made against any of the suspects aside from broad general observations. Mabel insisted that this was a very credible piece of evidence, and she’s right, they have accused off of way less, but it shouldn’t be—seven episodes into a season of a whodunnit means we should be in a tailspin, finger-pointing at everyone for a good reason. 

While Mabel didn’t replace the olds in her podcast, choosing to move forward alone, Tobert and Theo were technically stepping in, and it was fun to see her dynamic with someone other than Charles and Oliver. I do wonder if maybe Tobert is so eager to help her as to take the heat and attention off of himself.

Oliver and Charles decided to offer up Loretta’s burn book as a peace offering to Mabel the following morning, but when they knocked on the door, they were face to face with a new tenant—a fed-up and tired new mom. 

I was hoping that Mabel wouldn’t actually move out of the Arconia, but alas, her time had come, and without the connection to the olds, I wonder how she’ll find access to the building to continue her investigation… not that I think she’ll have any problem getting through security, especially as she’ll likely be forced to work with the FBI moving forward. 

And hopefully, they all make up sooner rather than later and bring this mystery home because the killer is staring them right in the face this whole time.

What did you think of the episode? Are you enjoying the season? Or is it an, as Oliver would put it, epic fail?

2023 Fall TV Schedule—Here are the 17 Shows That Need to Be on Your Radar

Too bad the Virgin River Season 5 Episode 10 carnival didn’t have a rollercoaster—it would have been fitting because the finale was a whirlwind of emotions. 

Disclaimer — this review includes spoilers from the episode — proceed with caution.

I would say “All’s well that ends well,” but that’s not the case for everyone in town. 

Brady’s nightmare with Melissa escalated fully, Doc made a big decision in terms of his declining eyesight, Cameron and Muriel decided to make things official, Mel and Jack found a renewed hope for the future following a dark period, and the father of Charmaine’s twin boys was finally revealed…. and that’s just scraping the tip of the iceberg in terms of plot developments. 

Virgin River always finds a nice balance, straddling the line of being a dark and dangerous and sleepy and cozy small town. 

The episode kicked off with intense action that found Jack confronting Brady about the drugs planted in the airstream. Brady insisted that it wasn’t what it looked like and begged Jack to believe he was telling the truth just as Melissa and her goons pulled up to the campsite. If Jack had any hesitations about the validity of Brady’s story (and he definitely did at first), well, he saw it all go down with his own eyes. After Melissa’s men threw a bag over Brady’s head and drove off with him, Jack didn’t even hesitate to jump into action, trailing the SUV and calling Mike for help in the process. 

Jack saw firsthand that Brady was a man of honor, one who wasn’t willing to snitch on his friends even when he was staring down death. Brady definitely deserves the majority of the hero treatment, but Jack also showed up and pulled his weight when it mattered. He had his back! The two of them have always made a good team, so before the cops arrived, Jack and Brady were able to fight back and came out relatively unscathed. 

Unfortunately, Mike didn’t get off so easy as Gene, Melissa’s right-hand man, was able to get a shot in at the last minute, so even after they took down the whole operation, uncertainty clung in the air like a dead weight as everyone waited to see if Mike would survive. 

Thankfully, he pulled through and was able to vouch for Brady to the FBI since he was an off-the-book CI throughout the whole operation so as to not raise any flags. Brady’s biggest mistake proved to be not checking for cameras when he went snooping around the manufacturing company, and he knew it, too. I couldn’t help but laugh at his “shit” response when they showed him the video of his escapades because he knew he was caught red-handed. 

Mike has been very hot and cold this season as a character—I wanted to like him but I didn’t like how he was pursuing Brie—but he did go as far as vouching for Brady about being the real hero. Sadly, she already made up her mind about her ex and wanted to give things with Mike a try, which is her prerogative, however, it doesn’t fully make sense to me. This is the second time this season someone is like “look, Brady, your man is a hero,” and she’s like, “that’s cool.” I wonder if the fact that everyone liked Mike, including her mom and her co-workers, while no one was in favor of Brady, lent itself to her decision. 

As someone looking for safety and security, dating a man with such a dangerous job doesn’t provide any peace of mind. She also didn’t hold it against Mike for lying to her in the same way she held it against Brady. Neither of them was honest with her—for the same reasons—and yet things between her and Brady were beyond repair, even after everyone underscored just how much he risked to make things right and be with her. She vouched for him when everyone turned on him, and now that everyone was praising him, she couldn’t forgive the situation.

Brady is truly a hero—and quite frankly, deserves so much better than Brie. I’d like to say he did it all for her, but in reality, he did it for the town because he knew he was the only one with the ability to stop it—proving himself to Brie was just part of it.

I’m certain, however, that Brady will land on his feet, and hopefully, Lark will continue to be someone who recognizes the good that he’s doing. I shipped Brie and Brady for so long, I couldn’t see him with anyone else, but after she turned him away so quickly despite his near-death experience saying nothing changed for her, I’m questioning if she even really loved him at all. And now know that I’m Team Brady till the end, so I’m in full support of his relationship with Lark and Hazel. The way he agreed to go on the carnival rides with the little girl was truly too cute; the mother-daughter duo is a family that has been through hell and back and feels the safety that Brady provides, something Brie couldn’t recognize, and that doesn’t go unnoticed. 

I also can’t shake this feeling that she’s going to want Brady back once he’s fully moved on with Lark and they’ve created a family together. Brie, don’t do this! 

One thing that felt like it was just glossed over was the fact that Nick’s sister Melissa was in charge of the whole drug ring. I feel like news of that caliber would take the town by storm, yet it was briefly mentioned in passing by Nick, who apologized to Jack informing him that he didn’t know. It should’ve had more impact considering how small the town is and how everyone knows each other’s business.  

Doc was informed that someone dropped out of the clinical trial to treat his macular degeneration, so he eagerly claimed a spot. It’s proactive to take a chance considering the end result regardless of the trial’s success is blindness. At least he’s fighting for the possibility of regaining his eyesight, and he’s doing it with Hope by his side. They remain the cutest, even if Hope was a little tough to stomach during some of her “firecracker” moments this season. 

Muriel approached Doc informing him about her and Cameron’s feelings for each other, and as expected, he had nothing against it as long as they kept it cordial in the office. Keep your hands to yourself in front of the patients is all we ask, though out in the town, they clearly couldn’t resist each other—and Joe Ellen’s reaction was absolutely priceless. Between this new couple and the realization that Nick’s sister was a drug lord, Joe Ellen has plenty of “hot gos” for the sewing circle.

Pregnancy has been a huge theme throughout the season with Mel suffering a miscarriage and Ava learning that she needed to have a hysterectomy (which she decided to go through after freezing her eggs to ensure she can have kids when the time comes), but the last person I expected to announce her pregnancy was Lizzie. And yet, it makes so much sense and also creates just the right amount of drama in light of Denny’s revelation that maybe his grandma was right and he shouldn’t put his travel plans/med school on hold to stay in Virgin River. 

Then again, he didn’t expect this turn of events, and I’m glad Lizzie history didn’t repeat itself and she told him regardless—unlike Rose to Doc—so he could make the decision for himself. If he chooses to leave town, Lizzie would have the full support of all the ladies in Virgin River, no doubt. 

But having a child also guarantees Denny’s future, one he didn’t think he had before he met Lizzie. She has given him a renowned sense of purpose in every sense of the word, so I think that’ll sway him into sticking around. He could always get a degree nearby and join his grandfather’s practice, which would make things come full circle! 

Also, Mel’s idea of starting a birthing center to help expectant mothers in the area is absolutely going to come in handy and makes Virgin River a prime destination ensuring a bright future for the practice. Doc filled it with great people who won’t let him down, and in the meantime, he can still do telehealth appointments, which, in this day and age, are crucial. 

Speaking of pregnancy, Charmaine is STILLL PREGNANT. I fully thought she would go into labor in the final moments of the episode as she made her way to the car, but instead, she was confronted by the father of the twins…. Calvin! Yes, not only is he alive and came out of hiding after Mellissa was nabbed, but now he wants to be there for the boys. This was a soap opera-level twist that I didn’t see coming, nor did any of us actually need. I could’ve settled for the father of Charmaine’s children to just be some one-time hookup we never saw again. But alas, drama makes the world go round, and nothing will shock the townspeople more—particularly Jack—than the realization that Charmaine slept with the sworn enemy. Right about now, I’m truly wishing those boys could just claim Jack as their father for their own sake.

Did you see how great Jack was with the kids at the carnival? He was born to be a father, and now, he’s understanding that it’s something he really wants in life. Thankfully, Mel’s outlook on everything did a complete 180 after their hiking heart-to-heart, and not only did she realize that they can have their dream of being parents (upon letting go of the how and when), but also that the perfect opportunity presented itself for them to start building their dream family—restoring the farmhouse on Lilly’s land. Lilly would’ve wanted nothing more, and there’s no one more authentic to Virgin River than Jack, who will surely keep the land’s integrity intact. Plus, the show reminded us that this is where it all started, her whole love story with Jack, by the swing at Lilly’s, which somehow survived the fire. They saved each other and got to this moment together, and it feels right. With each passing episode, I love Jack and Mel more and more. Plus, it was a nice change of perspective after a darker period in their lives. In the face of immense loss—the air stream glamping business seized by the FBI for an unknown period of time—a new opportunity presented itself, proving that everything happens for a reason and no one should ever let themselves get too down about something.

And it looks like we have a wedding to plan, people! I’m just imaging the nuptials on Lilly’s former farm, and I have no doubt it’s going to be completely breathtaking. 

But while some people definitely had some happier moments, Preacher went from being borderline broken-hearted by Kaia’s leave to Alaska to floating on cloud nine when she returned and informed him that she switched units so that she could stick around longer to once again watching his ever-after crash when she got a call that they found a body likely belonging to Wes, the man Preacher buried out of his love for Paige, in the fire wreckage. Nothing will send Kaia fleeing faster than learning that she’s dating a possible murderer (even if we know that’s not necessarily the case). How is Preacher going to find his way out of this one? How much pull does Mike have in this case?

And finally—leading into the two bonus holiday episodes—is a scene set four months after the Labor Day carnival. As Mel and Jack decorate their cabin in anticipation of Joey and her kids coming for their first Virgin River Christmas, Joey informs her sister that she found a stack of love letters between Mel’s mother and a mystery man in Virgin River who she believes is Mel’s father. Who could he be? There aren’t that many elderly males in Virgin River aside from Doc (and it would truly be next level if he had another secret child) and Nick, Bert, and Charlie. You’ve got to hand it to them, they sure know how to keep us on the edge of our seats and clamoring for more.

While I fully expect the holiday episodes to address some of the cliffhangers, they will likely be merry and full of joy (and insanely sweet moments with all the new romantic pairings established this season), meaning that we have to wait until Virgin River Season 6 for clarity. As they say after a great vacation, take me back! 

Personally, I found this to be the best season of Virgin River with thrilling plot developments, promising character and relationship growth, and plenty of gratifying and heartfelt moments with a dash of intense drama.

What did you think of Virgin River Season 5?

Will There Be a Season 6 of ‘Virgin River’? And If So, When?