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Only Murders in the Building Season 2 Episode 6 Performance Review Only Murders in the Building Season 2 Episode 6 Performance Review

Only Murders in the Building

Only Murders in the Building – Did Cinda Canning Frame Mabel? (2×06)

Only Murders In The Building -- “Performance Review” - Episode 206 -- Charles, Oliver and Mabel collide with their podcasting mentor-turned-competitor, Cinda Canning. Subsequently, a key clue requires the trio to orchestrate a classic stakeout -- Brazzos-style. New York has never been more glittering. Charles (Steve Martin), Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Oliver (Martin Short), shown. (Photo by: Patrick Harbron/Hulu)

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Bloody Mabel is in bloody trouble.

Things didn’t go very well for our beloved Mabel on Only Murders in the Building Season 2 Episode 6 as she only got herself into more hot water. 

And unfortunately, it was both her fault and it wasn’t. Mabel was framed for Bunny’s murder, that much we know, which is what earned her the viral nickname in the first place, but stabbing someone on a public subway station is not how you make it all go away or prove your innocence in the court of public opinion. It’s honestly the exact opposite of what you want to do. 

Even if it is the alleged murderer that’s framing you. And even if it’s self-defense. These days, perception is everything. 

Mabel has gone through a lot of trauma in her life. Her past is pretty dark, and her recent situation with Bunny wasn’t ideal. Throw in the fact that she just found out that Charles was still communicating with Jan, the person who killed her friend, and that Alice was using her pain for some kind of art installation, and well, you have a bomb just waiting to explode. Not a pretty glitter bomb either.

With all that pain weighing on her, when Mabel saw the killer walking toward her on the train, it seemed as though she went into fight mode instead of flight mode. 

But my guess is that this is that the killer isn’t exactly stupid either. They never unmasked the killer at the site of the glitter explosion because they were all too busy and distracted, and by the time Mabel saw him/her on the train, a significant amount of time had passed. Enough time for the killer to swap clothing with someone else and even pay the person to trail Mabel or simply to get off at a stop that they knew would spook her. 

Mabel might be falling victim to the killer once more, though this time, on a much more public platform and completely red-handed.

It’s not looking good for her, especially paired with Cinda Canning’s podcast that just came out that basically paints her as an angry person capable of harming others. 

And let’s talk about that podcast for a minute, shall we?

Poppy’s storyline is introduced in this episode as she accepts being treated like garbage in exchange for paying her dues and working her way up to a promotion. A promotion that, as Cinda explains, is never going to come. She was waiting for a break that Cinda was never going to give her. 

Mabel helped Poppy eventually see the light right before she attacked the suspected killer on the train. The incident also happened right after Poppy called Mabel to inform her that Cinda is a liar who will “do anything to tell a good story,” perhaps a “tantalizing” one with beauty as the suspect. She thinks Mabel is a threat to her kingdom, and Poppy promised to know the scope of the plans considering she’s the brains behind the whole operation. 

It’s possible that Cinda is going to great lengths to ensure that she frames Mabel in order to help boost her own success. 

She was there the night of Bunny’s murder, so she could have very well texted them. She’s capitalizing on the murder with her podcast. She published an episode painting Mabel as violent with Jimmy Russo, a former co-worker. (The last name Russo is also not lost on me here. Wizards of Waverly Place fans, anyone?)

And it’s possible that Cinda was within earshot of Detective Kreps (not the brightest, remember?) telling them that Detective Williams is on maternity leave and can’t meet them in person hence the follow-up response. 

It also feels like Cinda has the potential to be one step ahead of them but also be ignorant enough to underestimate them about their Brazzos-style stakeout with planted evidence. 

Think about it — if it isn’t Cinda, why would Poppy get involved? And since Cinda doesn’t do anything for herself, it’s even likelier that the hooded person they Mariah’ed is her assistant, Luis.

Solving murders has never been this trio’s strong suit as they just can’t help but self-sabotage and pursue red herrings, but they really aren’t even trying this season. They took Kreps’s word about Williams at face value. Why couldn’t they just walk the evidence over to Williams instead of testing a number that they just assumed belonged to her? How careless. Do they even want to solve this murder? Do they want to clear their names? Can they focus for like half a minute!?

Alice, however, should likely be crossed off the suspect’s list. Everything that transpired with her is simply a diversion and a red herring to mislead the audience. Alice definitely looks guilty of something, but it’s not what we think. She’s either obsessed with Mabel or trying to help her work through the grief and solve the mystery. Or both. Or, a third option is that she’s just like Cinda in that she’s using Mabel’s viral popularity to elevate her artistic brand because she only cares about her own success. Once a liar, always a liar. But I don’t think she’s a killer. 

She’s also the catalyst to get Mabel to a moment where it’s believable that she would crack and stab somebody, even if in her mind, it was self-defense. It looks bad to the public, but we have to remember that Mabel has a target on her back so she’s always on edge. 

Elsewhere in the episode… 

After a pretty stern talking to from his friends, Charles broke up with Jan via Sazz. I can’t say that I missed Sazz in the slightest, but I’m glad Charles finally saw the light. I know he needed to get closure even after Jan was arrested for trying to kill him, but honestly, I wish they never brought her back. Jan is in the past, and she needs to stay there. Maybe he’ll be able to move on from the makeup artist on Brazzos! He deserves happiness!

Oliver also never got his answer about Will’s paternity. He seems convinced that it will somehow turn out that he’s Greek and not Irish, which ensures that Will is his son, but I think that’s just Oliver’s optimism/denial talking. Of course, blood doesn’t make someone family, and regardless of the outcome, Will will always be his child. No DNA test will ever change that even if it does shake Oliver’s self-image and self-worth slightly.

What did you think of the episode? Based on all the facts presented, who do you think the killer is?

What’s Alice’s deal? Is Cinda hiding something? And how do you think Mabel will restore her reputation now that the whole world believes she’s a killer or, at the very least, capable of hurting someone?

Only Murders in the Building Season 2 – Who is the Killer? We’re Logging Every Clue on the Murder Board

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Lizzy Buczak is the founder of CraveYouTV. What started off as a silly blog in her sophomore year at Columbia College Chicago turned her passion for watching TV into an opportunity! She has been in charge of CraveYou since 2011, writing reviews and news content for a wide variety of shows. Lizzy is a Music Business and Journalism major who has written for RADIO.COM, TV Fanatic, Time Out Chicago, Innerview, Pop’stache and Family Time.

Only Murders in the Building

Only Murders in the Building Recap – Is [SPOILER] Really Ben’s Killer? (309)

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Only Murders In the Building Season 3 Episode 9 Recap Thirty

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?

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Only Murders in the Building

Will There Be a Season 4 of ‘Only Murders in the Building’?

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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. 

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Only Murders in the Building

Only Murders in the Building Review – Did They Arrest the Right Person? (308)

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Only Murders in the Building Review - Did They Arrest the Right Person? (308)

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. 

Only Murders in the Building Review - Did They Arrest the Right Person? (308)

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? 

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

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