“Only Murders in the Building” is a killer murder mystery that will make viewers die of laughter.
Hulu original “OMITB” stars Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez, who play Oliver Putnam, Charles-Haden Savage and Mabel Mora, an oddly matched trio who met over a true crime podcast.
This is one of my favorite shows to watch. I love the banter and the reality of an almost 30-year-old hanging out with two geezers. Mora often tells the two men what’s trendy and how to text, and Savage and Putnam eminently don’t get along without her.
They start recording their own true crime podcast after a man in their apartment building is found dead. The three take it upon themselves to solve the crime after the police rule it a suicide, and they end up finding and confronting the killer in the season one finale. At the end of that episode, Mora is found kneeling over another dead resident in her apartment, revealing a second season is in the works.
I love this show because there are many easter eggs within this whodunit show and subtle patterns you might not catch until the 20th time you’ve seen it. I didn’t notice all the episodes of the first season were an individual character’s point of view until episode seven, which is shown through Theo’s, James Caverly, eyes and ears, and that’s what stuck out—Theo is deaf.
The entire episode lacked any verbal dialogue, and it was beautiful. I really enjoyed this perspective and the inclusion.
In season two, the group has to clear Mora’s name and solve the murder because the police strongly believe Mora killed her neighbor. The season includes a surprising love interest for Mora and new information about the true-crime podcast the group bonded over, “All Is Not OK in Oklahoma.” Mora, Savage and Putnam find the true killer and prove Mora’s innocence.
Before the season ends, the show flashes forward a year, and we see a new character, Ben Glenroy, who is played by Paul Rudd, collapse on stage after speaking very angrily to both Putnam and Haden. Bad news for the trio but good news for the viewers: we knew there would be another season to find out how he died and who killed him.
Season three follows Putnam’s play-turned-musical, “Death Razzle Dazzle” and the death of the leading man, Glenroy. He was nice to everyone in groups but a terrible person in private. He died twice, which was a real testament to how much he was disliked.
The third season gave a strong message about mother and son relationships from Putnam’s musical between the producers of the play, Cliff played by Wesley Taylor and Donna played by Linda Emond. We find out later in the season that Loretta Durkin, played by Meryl Streep, has her own mother/son issues with a to-be-named character.
Now, rewatching the third season—yes, already—I’m noticing a lot more details I didn’t catch the first watch-through. I remember seeing Durkin’s collection of mugs in a later episode, but this watch-through, I spotted her “Mamma Mia” mug in episode five. Now knowing the ending, it’s fun to rewatch the season and find out how many clues they threw in.
The second to last episode is when they start getting the real pieces of the puzzle. Savage and Putnam recorded the questioning in episode eight, and then in episode nine, Mora joined them to listen to the recordings. The three of them mapped out the last 30 minutes of Glenroy’s life. At this point in the season, we don’t like him. He was so mean to everyone and for what reason?
He had everything: good looks, the starring role and an entire series. But, as the three follow Glenroy through his last 30 minutes, they watch him lose his manager and brother, get punched in the face and cheat on his diet. He was sad and lonely, feeling really bad about himself, and then the call he made to his friends to make sure they would be there, broke many fans’ hearts. The writers know exactly how to make us feel bad for the victim we first thought was just a bully. He still got himself into that position though, so I’m not too sympathetic.
Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep were fantastic guest stars for this season. It’s interesting how many big names are in the cast like Matthew Broderick and Amy Schumer but also the difference between the few who play themselves compared to the characters.
The killer is revealed in the ninth episode, but we still get drama and action in the last one. Episode 10 is about the opening night of the play, and the “OMITB” group confronts the killer. They confess really easily. Like, weirdly easily. But there are still more than 20 minutes left in the episode.
I won’t spoil it. The show is very well done. I loved the musical aspect, the plot twists and getting to work through it with the characters and share my theories after the episode. If you’re looking for a new show to binge, this is it.
