Only Murders in the Building
Only Murders in the Building Review – Who is Becky Butler?
She’s not Becky with the good hair, but Becky Butler is a crucial piece of the puzzle as Mabel discovered on Only Murders in the Building Season 2 Episode 9.
Who knew that splitting up the core trio would do the show so many favors? When Mabel, Charles, and Oliver went their separate ways, they made more progress in one 25-minute episode than they did throughout the entire season.
It was mostly Mabel who did the heavy-lifting, swapping the Arconia for a boxing ring with Detective Kreps, who she previously discovered was Glitter Guy. Mabel got into the ring with the detective solely to get some answers out of him, and while he thought he was dodging all her questions, he was unintentionally leaving a trail of breadcrumbs that she would later piece together.
At this point, someone needs to get her a job with the NYPD because her interrogation skills were on point! Also: she’s not corrupt!
Kreps didn’t outright confirm he was Glitter Guy — though the red glitter on his neck was proof enough — but he did drop some key pieces of information that took this investigation in a whole new direction.
There were two majors clues that really solidified Mabel’s theory: Kreps bragging about how he was able to lock down the smartest woman in the room (clearly podcaster Cinda Canning) and how he was also into podcasts like All Is Not Okay in Oklahoma, which, if you’ll remember, was what brought Oliver, Mabel, and Charles into each other’s orbit in the first place back in Season 1. They were podcast junkies who found themselves thrown into a murder mystery of their own!
After her meeting with Kreps, Mabel began to dissect everything he told her, starting with replaying episodes of the aforementioned podcast, in which Cinda Canning reveals that she worked with freelance level cops from other cities on the case to solve Becky Butler’s murder. She even explained that they met at the local bar, the Chicken Chug, which connected back to Kreps as he had two items with the bar’s logo.
Mabel knew that she wouldn’t get any more intel out of Kreps, so she went to the source… well, the second-best person, Cinda’s PA Poppy, who once offered up her help in bringing Cinda down as she “knew where the skeletons were buried.”
At the time, Poppy’s call to Mabel didn’t make much sense, but it’s all starting to come together when she reveals that she’s actually Becky Butler. How could Cinda Canning solve a murder if Becky was right there alive and well? This all seems to prove Poppy’s original point that Cinda is a fraud.
But with such a big secret hanging over them, why does Cinda treat Poppy/Becky so poorly? Are they related? Did she promise Becky a better life in return for her silence? Did she simply blow into town in hopes of conjuring up a fake crime so that she had an interesting story to tell? Is that what she’s doing now?
While Mabel was putting two and two together, Charles met with the fake Leona Folger, who turned out to be the real Rose Cooper, the missing woman from his father’s past. What is with people lying about their identities on this show?
Rose, however, didn’t have any ill intentions. She informed Charles that she loved his father, but she had to fake her own disappearance so that she could keep them both safe from her abusive ex-husband. As for the portrait, which the trio found hidden in the parrot’s cage, it was actually a piece of art that covered up another piece painted in tribute to Charles, showcasing that his father also wanted to be a better dad to his son. In one moment, Rose gave Charles all the closure he ever wanted and needed.
She then revealed that a rude and pushy woman, who Charles immediately identified as Cinda, came by and tried to get her hands on the portrait a few weeks ago.
However, it’s unclear what connects Cinda to the portrait. Does she want her hands on it in order to frame the protagonists and set up a narrative for her podcast? With Cinda as the criminal mastermind, it seems like she’s doing everything in her power to ensure that the trio, specifically Mabel, looks guilty.
And why hasn’t anyone called Detective Williams yet?
Is this even something they want to broadcast on their own podcast? It would incriminate Cinda, but we have no idea what she’s capable of or how far she’ll go to preserve her own name.
There are plenty of lingering questions as well, including what’s Amy Schumer got to do with it (unless she’s in cahoots with Cinda because she wants the TV rights) and most importantly, who killed Bunny Folger? Would Cinda go as far as killing the old lady simply to set the scene? If Kreps is Glitter Guy, he has to be the person to have killed Bunny and snuck out via the tunnels. It’s clear he’d do anything for extra cash to support the skyrocketing cost of living in NYC (finally something realistic!), but now that he’s in love with Cinda, I don’t think murder is off the table!
The episode also addressed Mabel’s fallout with Alice, and while I hate to see Mabel get hurt, I’m more than happy to see Alice exit. She wasn’t trustworthy, nor did she seem to have Mabel’s best intentions at heart.
Oliver also got the results of the DNA test, and though he told Charles, Mabel, and Will that he was the father, an elevator scuffle with Teddy shortly after proved that wasn’t the case.
Despite everything that went down between them, Teddy and Oliver found common ground while talking about wanting to do right by their children. Hopefully, Teddy is genuine about them being even (“you put me in jail, I slept with your wife”) and keeping the paternity a secret so that Oliver and Will’s relationship can continue to flourish. Will is an adult, so he could handle the truth, but I don’t think it would help him in any way considering Teddy doesn’t even seem interested in pursuing a relationship with him after learning the truth.
What did you think of the episode? Do you think we’re closer to figuring out this mystery?
Only Murders in the Building
Only Murders in the Building Season Finale Recap – The Arconia’s Next Victim Revealed (310)
Which one of the Pickwick triplets did it? That was essentially the question haunting the final episode of Only Murders in the Building Season 3, except swap Pickwick triplets for someone from the production of Death Razzle Dazzle.
Mabel, Oliver, and Charles’ investigation coincided with the opening night of Oliver’s Broadway musical, which was fitting since the plot of the musical paralleled this season’s murder mystery, specifically, how far would a mother go for her child?
The trio confirmed—with ease— that Donna did, in fact, poison Ben Glenroy with a cookie right before the first opening night, in an attempt to protect her baby boy, Cliff, from the worst review about his first production ever. She didn’t intend on killing Ben, she simply wanted to knock him out for a bit. The trio was quite surprised by her straightforward confession, but honestly, there was no need for her to drag it on any further or try to weasel her way out of it… the facts were right there staring her in the face, and with supposed stage 4 lung cancer, she didn’t have much to lose.
But there was still the question of Ben’s actual murder as we know the rat poison didn’t actually kill him. Donna confessed to pushing him down the elevator shaft after Mabel showed her the handkerchief with her lipstick on it, and while everyone was happy that they got the confession on tape and could move on to focus on the show, Mabel wasn’t convinced. Something just didn’t sit right with her about the whole situation, and it wasn’t until she witnessed Loretta’s confession to Dickie about being his mother—and he already knew, he always knew—that she realized it wasn’t just a mother protecting her son but a son protecting his mother.
The real killer was Cliff, who had a run-in with Ben right after he got his lab results and learned of the poisoning. Since he was fasting that day, he was easily able to connect it back to Donna, and when he promised that she’d go to jail for a really long time, Cliff kind of just lost it. It was definitely accidental, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s lied about it this whole time.
And thus, Death Razzle Dazzle was the death of the mommy-son duo that was a little too close for comfort since the beginning anyway.
The celebrations were underway shortly after as Oliver not only produced the show and received rave reviews this time around, but he also served as the stand-in when Jonathan took too many pills and found himself out of commission.
There was so much anticipation building up to this Broadway spectacular, that admittedly, I was slightly more excited about seeing it all come to life than I was about cracking the murder.
And, as usual, the final moments of the episode set the stage for yet another murder. One might wonder how in the world are they going to pull off another murder in the Arconia, but they somehow did it in a way that not only made sense but built intrigue, not just about the killer but why the intended target was Charles!
In his dark apartment, a bullet pierced through the window hitting someone in the chest and knocking them to the ground. Initially, it seemed like Charles, but it was revealed to be Sazz, who was dressed just like him.
It’s unclear who might have a vendetta against Charles but there won’t be a shortage of suspects, including Matthew Broderick (mhhm!). My immediate go-to thought was that Jan got out of prison early and wanted revenge, but that’s too easy, right?
Sazz did want to talk to Charles about something, and if they don’t find her before she bleeds out on his kitchen floor, we’ll never know what it is that she wanted to get off of her chest. But it’s possible it was somehow related to the shooting.
At this point, they don’t have to look far for their next murder as it hits way too close to home. This time, it’s personal.
And while that’s good for the podcast because there’s no shortage of material, I swear, I would be high-heaving it out of the Arconia the moment a fourth murder occurred. Maybe it would just be better for the trio to take a break in Los Angeles, a sunny place free from the dangers lurking in NYC… one would hope.
LA became a topic of conversation as Loretta and Oliver discussed the next phase of their relationship, which means Meryl Streep may stick around for the foreseeable future, though she’ll likely be busy pursuing her blossoming acting career and establishing a relationship with Dickie.
As for Mabel, she offered to visit Tobert in Los Angeles, so he might also be around next season. You don’t even understand the sigh of relief I let out when it was revealed that Tobert had absolutely nothing to do with Ben’s murder. Mabel finding a good guy who wants to pursue things further? All I have to say is, hold onto that, girl!
So, that’s where we leave off this season—Ben’s murder solved, everyone’s relationships thriving, and a new murder plaguing the lives of the core three?
What did you think of this season of Only Murders in the Building? Are you still enjoying the concept?
Who Is Ben’s Killer on ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 3?
Only Murders in the Building concluded its third season on Oct. 2, 2023, leaving fans wondering if we’ve reached the end of the road with Mabel (Selena Gomez), Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short), the dynamic murder-mystery-solving-podcasting trio.
It would be a shame to wrap up a series with a cast that has such a genuine bond and chemistry, and the good news is that the murderous fun is over just yet.
On Oct. 3, 2023, the official social media pages for the show announced that the series will be coming back for a season 4. “Let the investigating begin,” the caption read alongside a photo of the iconic trio laughing and celebrating.
https://twitter.com/OnlyMurdersHulu/status/1709225551683047887?s=20
No release date has been announced just yet, but we’re hoping that a summer 2024 release isn’t out of the picture. After all, it was the perfect summer show to get invested in this year.
The third season ended on a major cliffhanger by introducing a new murder victim—who fans initially thought was Charles, though it turned out to be his lookalike stand-in Sazz (Jane Lynch). Sazz was hit with a bullet (and it’s unclear if it was rogue or intended for her or Charles) in Charles’ kitchen before collapsing to the ground and whimpering as she bled out.
There were also some development in terms of the trio’s personal romantic relationships, with both Oliver and Mabel establishing that they want to continue seeing love interests Loretta and Tobert, respectively, meaning that Meryl Streep and Jesse Williams may appear in the future season in guest spots as the trio potentially ventures outside of NYC to visit LA, a sunny place they can only handle in “small doses.”
All in all, there’s plenty of fan interest in the show along with fresh mysteries to keep it going—and we’re absolutely thrilled about it.
Only Murders in the Building returned for its third season on August 8 on Hulu and wrapped up its run on October 2 by finally bringing to light Ben Glenroy’s (Paul Rudd) killer.
It’s not the most riveting twist we’ve seen—that honor goes to the second season finale—however, the musical theater backdrop was a fun new setting to explore to prevent the season from becoming stale, and it delivered a cliffhanger that was nothing short of jaw-dropping.
After hitting some rough patches, Mabel (Selena Gomez) Charles (Steve Martin), and Oliver (Martin Short) finally got their podcast back on track, thankfully, and their episode revealing the murderer was timed perfectly to opening night of the Broadway show.
And fittingly, life imitated art, with the love of a mother willing to do anything, anything to protect her boy.
When the trio confronted Donna, she confessed fully to poisoning Ben with a cookie doused with rat poison, though she made it clear that she wasn’t trying to kill him but it was hard to figure out how “many rats make up Ben.” Truly an iconic line.
Of course, there was Ben’s actual death at the Arconia later that night, mere hours after coming back to life. When presented with the evidence—a handkerchief with a lipstick stain matching Donna’s that Ben was found holding when he plunged to his death—she also confessed to pushing him down the elevator shaft because she couldn’t “risk him performing the next night and ruining the show.”
It was almost too easy, and Mabel knew it; she was not convinced. She spent the rest of the play keeping her eyes open watching Donna, who they allowed to finish out the show as she had “stage 4 lung cancer and wasn’t a flight risk,” and eventually seeing an intense moment between Donna and her boy, Cliff.
Hulu
Mabel followed Cliff up to the little room above the stage where she finally pieced it all together, with Cliff owning up to his part in Ben’s death.
Turns out, Ben got a call with his lab results after coming back to life during which he was informed that he ingested rat poison.
Since he was fasting the night of the play, he didn’t think it was possible until he realized that Donna gave him a cookie right before the show knowing he couldn’t refuse it and basically encouraged him to eat it.
As Ben solves his own attempted murder, Cliff panics because he doesn’t want to see his mom go to jail.
Things get heated between Ben and Cliff, the latter of whom pushes the former in a moment of anger.
As for the handkerchief, Donna would always kiss her son Cliff on the “lips” and on “the heart” before every show, meaning she’d kiss a handkerchief and tuck it into his chest pocket. And it’s how Ben ended up clutching one with her lipstick print.
Cliff panics as the realization that he murdered Ben sets in, so he threatens to jump to his death. No one is able to stop him until Donna arrives, placing her hand in her baby boy’s to tell him everything’s going to be just fine. If they go down, they go down together—the mother-son duo is arrested for their respective roles in the death of Ben Glenroy, bringing to end another season of Only Murders in the Building.
At the celebratory party shortly after, everyone is chatting about what’s next for them, with all three planning to make a trip out to Los Angeles.
Charles announces that he’s going to grab a 1966 Malbec so that they can all drink in celebration of opening night getting such rave reviews.
But once he enters his apartment, a gunshot flies through the window and hits him… or what looks to be him. It’s soon revealed that the victim is Sazz, Charles’ double who was dressed just like him. She lays bleeding out on his kitchen floor, whimpering in pain.
Charles was likely the intended target… and it looks like this core trio won’t have to look too far to find their next case. The series always finds a way to keep it interesting.
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