Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 9, the penultimate episode, seemingly zeroed in on a murder suspect responsible for taking out Ben Glenroy, but this new development isn’t all that shocking or exciting. 

The trio—Mabel, Oliver, and Charles—did what they should’ve done about 8 episodes ago in an attempt to solve the mystery: create a timeline of Ben’s movements from opening night. 

By retracing his steps while watching the witness statements, the hope was that they would be able to pinpoint the person responsible. It’s one of the first times this season that they were all on the same page, which is likely why they were able to make some real headway on the case. 

But the revelation that the killer is Donna DeMeo falls kind of flat, particularly when she jumped to the top of the suspect’s list following her chat with Meryl Streep’s Loretta in the bathroom, where she declared that a “mother’s love” knows no bounds when it comes to protecting a child (not to mention the creative forces behind the show underscored that this seemingly fleeting bathroom interaction was going to play a much larger role in the grand scheme of things in a post-mortem, thus nearly confirming that she’s responsible). 

Donna had the most to lose and the most at stake, and with it being her son’s first production—she couldn’t afford for it to be his last. 

The motive was staring them dead in the face the entire time, however, the “how” was unknown until Mabel witnessed Oliver speaking passionately to his biggest vice—dips. 

From there, Mabel was able to piece together that the person Ben was accusing of ruining his career in his dressing room wasn’t a person at all, it was a cookie (his biggest weakness) and one that was poisoned by Donna when she read the early review of the play calling Ben the weakest link. If you’re trying to destroy evidence,  you should probably empty out the shredder—just food for thought. 

They figured they cracked the case with 20 minutes to spare before Loretta’s arraignment, and with time of the essence, needed a fast way to get into the city, which is where Joyce’s bridal dress came in handy. 

Since before the seasons even premiered, fans wondered why Mabel was spotted running across NYC in a wedding dress with her two besties in full-on tuxes by her side (the Fathers of the Bride joke was a nice touch), and now, we know—it was murder business, the best kind of business of all. 

They made it to the courtroom with enough time to spare for Oliver and Loretta to not only quip about how good they both looked—orange is her color—but for him to warn his true love that she can’t confess to a murder she didn’t commit just to save Dickie because he’s not even the prime suspect anymore. 

And that’s when they see Donna, in the crowd, ready for action. It definitely comes off as menacing, but the question does remain—did they pinpoint the right suspect this time around?

And could it really be as easy as Donna? They didn’t put too much thought into Donna’s second attempt at killing Ben, who might not even be the same person. Maybe they only solved half the puzzle?

What about all the other potential suspects? This season hasn’t really done a great job at including them all, including Tobert, who has basically been sidelined for the past few episodes. 

The episode was good at giving a deeper insight into Ben—the man, not the movie star, including his struggles, insecurities, and the fact that his best friends were “5 whores,” who weren’t whores at all, not anymore at least, and in actuality, five ladies that made up his sewing circle. 

We also learned that Loretta was encouraging Dickie to leave Ben behind and no longer serve as his manager because he “deserved better,” (how did no one realize she’s so maternal to him? Did Dickie know the whole time?) a fact Ben found out right before opening night which led to his spiral. And when he shoved the whole poisonous cookie in his mouth, he’s the one who wrote “f**king pig” on the mirror to torment himself. He self-sabotaged. There were so many layers to Ben that sort of explained his asshole-ish ways, and it was kind of heartbreaking to see them pulled back. 

Also, all of this transpired on Mabel’s 30th birthday, with her birthday wish coming true as they were all back together doing what they do best. 

The trio may have landed on their most logical suspect, but there’s still much more to the story, and I for one am hoping that the series pulls the biggest twist of all and reveals that Dickie was, in fact, the second killer. Or maybe it was always Loretta and that’s why she’s so at peace with her decision?

They have a reputation to uphold, and they can’t ruin it on a subpar season. 

What did you think? Are you convinced that Donna is responsible for Ben’s demise?

With just a few episodes left in the third season of Only Murders in the Building and the action ramping up, fans are wondering whether we’re about to reach 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, however, one has to wonder how many murders three people can endure without it taking a toll on their mental health.

This season alone, it seems like they’re over death taking such a strong hold over their lives, but then again, getting to solve the unsolved mysteries and helping those wrongly incarcerated get out of prison is important work.

As for writing, Hulu has not given word on whether it will renew or cancel Only Murders in the Building. This means Only Murders in the Building Season 4 is not guaranteed, and it can go either way, however, it does have plenty working in its favor. Each season, there’s a better and more star-studded cast, leaving fans wondering how the series can top itself.

There’s also plenty of buzz and interest in the show, along with rave reviews, including Emmy wins and nominations. The writers continue finding new and fresh ways to expand the storyline, with season 3 roping in potential suspects outside of the walls of the Arconia (though the murder does still happen there) through Oliver’s Broadway play.

There are so many reasons for Hulu to give the series a green light, however, we may have to wait a smidge longer as it’s impossible currently due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. The strikes have halted production on most shows, and that extends to any talks of renewals.

Until an agreement is reached between the union and the studios, we likely won’t get any information about the show’s fate, unless there was an agreement for a fourth season in place prior to the strikes.

If there are any developments, we’ll update this post quickly and accordingly. 

You can catch up on all of our OMITB reviews here. 

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: 

https://twitter.com/jasmineeejada__/status/1704109952971772180

• 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