Tuesday TV Touchbase: Only Murders in the Building

 

Only Murders in the Building wrapped up it's 3rd season last week.  It was a season that not only gave us another twisty murder mystery to solve (who killed insufferable actor Ben Glenroy?)  but also gave us what has got to be the trippiest Broadway musical every conceived, Death Rattle Dazzle. 

The musical is about the murder of a mother who is tossed from the top of a lighthouse and the primary suspects are her three infant children. 

Wait! Infants? As murder suspects? 

Not a lot about Death Rattle Dazzle makes any sense but what we do see is strangely captivating.  

• The heartbreaking ballad "Look for the Light" performed by Loretta (Meryl Streep), a story that echoes Loretta's relationship with Dickie, Ben's long suffering adopted brother.  (Loretta is Dickie's birth mother.)   
• "Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?" is an insanely dense patter song that would trip up Lin Manuel Miranda.  Charles (Steve Martin) eventually sticks the landing and just kills with this performance. But it takes a few visits to the "white room" before he gets there. (The white room is a sort of fugue state an actor goes into when they realize they don't remember what they're supposed to say. When Steve comes out of the white room, he's told he uttered a string of obscenities and he's found in a compromising position.)  
• "Creatures of the Night" is the big epic opening number which director Oliver Putman (Martin Short) is compelled to perform at the last minute on opening night. It's over the top, totally gonzo, 100% Martin Short.  

Death Rattle Dazzle is consuming a lot of time and energy from Oliver and Charles leaving poor Mabel (Selena Gomez) alone to investigate Ben' murder and keeps the "Only Murders in the Building" podcast alive. And Mabel's turning 30 and no longer has her aunt's cushy digs at the Arconia. 

Well, at least she has a shot at romance with Tobert (like "Robert" but with a "T"), the documentary filmmaker.

Tobert may also be a suspect in the murder of Ben Glenroy. 

Or it could be Loretta. Or Dickie. 

Really, Ben was a total asshole to a LOT of people. Finding people who didn't have a motive for killing this jackass would produce a shorter list.  

Eventually the old trio of Mabel, Charles and Oliver reunite and it's then that the pieces of the puzzle start to come together and the  fickle finger of suspicion points right at the musical's producer, Donna.

Unnerved by a bad review of a show rehearsal that centered on Ben Glenroy's inept acting skills, Donna poisoned one of Ben's favorite bakery cookies which caused Ben to "die" the first time.  And she actually confesses to his 2nd death when he was shoved down the Arconia's elevator shaft. 

Except...

All along, I suspected that whoever tried to poison Ben was not necessarily the same person who killed him at the Arconia. 

And that person was Cliff, the show's co-producer and Donna's much beloved son.     

So the "Only Murders in the Building" podcasts gets another satisfying resolution of a murder mystery and Oliver basks in the glow of rave reviews for Death Rattle Dazzle.

But the season ends under a deadly shadow.

 Sazz (Jane Lynch) who is Charles' long time stunt double gets shot  by an unknown assailant.

Which sets us up for season 4. 

OK, that ending sucks! I liked Sazz!  

But this was a really good season. It helped that the status quo was challenged with our trio of amateur detectives dealing with their own things. By only the 2nd season, the show had established a formula that led to familiarity which threatened the show's ingenuity. Season 3 changed up the formula just enough to keep us on our toes but delivering the humor and whip smart dialogue we've come to expect.  

This season's guest actors really delivered. In flashback before Ben's death, Paul Rudd's performance was a complex mosaic of manic narcissism and crippling self loathing. 

And Meryl Streep is... well, Meryl Streep. Seriously what can this woman not do? I know it's a cliche that "Meryl Streep is the best actor of her generation" but damn, she is so good as Loretta.  

And the surprise guest turn by Matthew Broderick as "Matthew Broderick" who just doesn't know when to stop analyzing his character and adding backstory was completely hilarious. And kudos to Mel Brooks for his zoom call with Oliver; Mel tells Oliver it's a big mistake to ask Matthew for his opinion.  

But let's not forget our triple threat podcast detectives.  Selena Gomez just keeps getting better every season. Mabel is as acerbic and snarky as ever but there are emotional depths to her character as she turns 30, her search for purpose and direction and does this purpose and direction still include these 2 strange old dudes who she has come to care about a great deal? 

Steve Martin takes Charles on a journey as he struggles with his anxiety over his roller coaster engagement and break up with Joy and his role in a Broadway show. Charles made his rep in TV, not live theater. Hence the white room flip outs. But when Charles finally crushes the "Pickwick Triplets" number, it's a moment of ecstatic triumph.   

And a few words about Martin Short. Short got roasted in article earlier this summer that dismissed him as an untalented hyperactive hack and that writer did not know what the hell he was talking about. Yeah, Martin Short has a brand that involves him being a flighty attention seeking performer but he's so much more than that and Only Murders In the Building is proof of that. Oliver Putnam can be quintessential Martin Short but there are levels of nuance and grace in his performance. Oliver's romance with Loretta is a great example of the depths to Martin Short's acting. 

I also want to comment on the age appropriate relationships in this show. Oliver and Loretta as well as Charles and Joy are in the same age bracket. So no young hot girlfriends for these guys. And their relationship to Mabel is that of fathers (or as Oliver might put it, "distinguished mature uncle".)  

So that's a wrap for season 3  Only Murders In the Building and now we have to wait for the actors strike to be resolved so everyone get back to work on season 4, figure out what bastard killed Sazz and why that person was trying to kill Charles. 

Next week the Tuesday TV Touchbase goes on adventures in SPACE (the wrap up of Ahsoka) and TIME (the 2nd season returns of Quantum Leap and Loki.) 

And the week after that, Our Flag Means Death. 

So much TV, so little time.

 Until next time, remember to be good to one another and try to keep it down in there, would ya? I'm trying to watch TV over here.