Third time’s the charm
Only Murders in the Building shows no sign of slowing down, despite completing its third year as a comedy-mystery series. Not only did it welcome a few special guest stars in the third season, but it managed to raise the bar so high that even the next season will find it hard to match the quality. With veterans Steve Martin and Martin Short leading the way, and the multitalented Selena Gomez supporting them as their next-gen companion, the series was bound to succeed no matter how many murders take place in the building.
Since the last season reached sky-high, so did the expectations ahead of the third season, but once you are through watching it, it makes you understand the true meaning of “third time’s the charm.” The series might have come across as a comedy show featuring two of Saturday Night Lives’ best but it has matured into a serious murder mystery where nothing is what it appears to be.
Every actor be it the trio that solves the case or the special guest stars [very special guest stars in the case of Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd], portrayed their parts well and made you want to be part of the Arconia, one way or the other.
The Plot
The multiple award-winning second season of OMITB ended with the death of star Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) on the eve of his Broadway debut through Oliver Putnam’s (Short) Death Rattle. The third season kicks off from where the preceding one ended, highlighting the impact of the death on every member of the cast, and the crew. However, when Ben returned soon after being declared dead, things began to move in the right direction, that is in the direction of a murder, in the building!
How things go wrong after the reprieve and how the trio of detective podcasters —Martin’s Charles-Haden Savage, Gomez’s Mabel Mora, and of course, Short’s Oliver Putnam — defy all odds to solve another case is what makes this season worth your while. With Mabel moving away from the ‘building’, Loretta (Streep) entering Oliver’s life, and the Brazzos star finding love, will things become difficult for the mystery solvers, or will everything ease-out, watch the third season to get your answers.
The Good
Everything from the opening night jitters that kicks off the new season to the cliffhanger ending seems perfect and definitely makes the it the best amongst the three seasons. Although at first, it seems that nothing much has changed, there are a lot of changes that take place in the lives of our detectives.
The most important development of this season is Oliver's heart condition which makes him rethink his priorities; Mabel leaves her apartment and finds someone she cares about, whereas Charles has a lot to think about, since he falls in love, again!
But more on that later, right now let’s talk about the many devices introduced by the creators Steve Martin and John Hoffman, out of which the ‘White Room’ stands out as something close to the audience’s hearts. However, it is the introduction of Rudd’s Ben Glenroy and Streep’s Loretta that takes the cake, since both the actors are at the peak of their prowess while playing the victim and the suspect respectively. Add to that the tension provided by the producers Donna (Linda Emond) and Cliff (Wesley Taylor) and you have a loaded season where things just happen, especially a murder.
All the characters from the previous seasons return with Howard, the cat-loving Arconian, becoming Oliver’s assistant, or Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch) who played Charles' stunt double in Brazzos, everyone has something to contribute to the plot, and to the next season. There is neither any dearth of suspects nor is the humour any less; the fact that the oldies are still cut off from the current generation continues to add colour to their interaction with the newbies.
Rudd was the surprise element here as the victim who dies not once but twice in the opening episode. He plays an arrogant movie star who is about to make his Broadway debut but due to his nature, he doesn’t have the best of relationships with anyone on the show, including his brother who is also his manager. Since he isn’t the most loved person around, his murder makes the series more interesting, and the same could be said of the way the detectives apprehend the culprits.
Streep also shocks her fans and followers with a role that goes against her career trajectory; she plays an unsuccessful actress Loretta which is the exact opposite of her real-life persona, considering she is the most-nominated Oscar actress ever. That’s why when she does come up with her ludicrous accents and smiles-cum-laughs, she shows the range of her talent without trying hard. That way, she does an excellent job in convincing the viewers that despite having the talent, she hasn’t achieved much and that lifetime of rejection makes her character stand out.
One interaction that also stands out is between Martin’s character and Matthew Broderick playing himself; the writers have implied that Charles-Haden Savage was one of the options for Broderick’s title character in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, giving the two something to creatively ‘discuss’, which results in the viewers ending up as winners.
Also, Martin has confirmed that being Charles-Haden Savage might be his last full-length role be it in cinema or TV. Playing leading roles since the early 80s, The Three Amigos actor said that he only has one more leading role left in him, as he aims to finish out his career with Only Murders in the Building.
While talking to The Hollywood Reporter, the comedy legend said that he won't seek new work when the series comes to an end. ‘When this television show is done, I'm not going to seek others. I'm not going to seek other movies. I don't want to do cameos. This is, weirdly, it.’
For a last hurrah, this is something very powerful for Martin who is also the co-creator of the show. He leads the pack with his trademark wittiness matched equally by longtime collaborator Martin Short’s quirkiness, resulting in something you don’t want to end. Selena Gomes’s presence adds glamour to the trio’s existence, and even though the murder doesn’t seem to happen in the building this time, these three ensure that they get to the bottom of it, any which way they can.
The Bad
Too many characters in ten episodes becomes one of the few things that sort of distracts the audience because not everyone remembers what happened in one specific episode of the first season or sometime in the second. Bringing back old characters might add value to the story but it is also sort of taking two steps back, which is sometimes not ideal on TV.
Also, as much as I loved the Mel Brooks cameo in one of the episodes, the writers missed the chance of reuniting ‘Simba and Timon’ from The Lion King, considering Matthew Broderick — who played Simba — was guest starring in one episode, while Nathan Lane — famous as Timon — was a regular in the last two seasons. And finally, something about the mature romance between Short and Streep, it was a good subplot but it could have been explored in a much better way.
They had a date that began badly with Oliver losing his tooth but ended beautifully at a spot reminding one of classic Hollywood; despite a one-night stand, there was something missing in it. The pair might have come out as the most solid romantic couple of the series, it would have been great had the creators worked on it a bit harder.
Talking about the chemistry, co-creator John Hoffman said in an interview that the highlight of their love affair was their ‘lovely, wild, complicated’ date that ended on a ferry overlooking New York City.
“They’re the most palpably like, ‘Oh, we’re on the cusp of something huge personally,” Hoffman said. “And then we quickly hit Oliver with Loretta's red flags about this case that keeps getting buttressed with, “Oh, but she’s so fantastic and now she’s eased my mind…” and we end that story on a heaping spoonful of suspicion.”
Hoffman also added that no matter what the audience thinks, the multiple Academy Award Streep thanked him for writing the romance between her and Short.
“It’s pretty unexpected to imagine a pairing of Streep with Short and watch them find this incredible connection together and, as Streep said, to not have it be twee or about the age or about any of that. It’s just a beautiful romance that you buy, I think because of who these two characters are. But then you see Short step up in ways that are incredible and nobody works harder at it, comes in with more intelligence to the work, and then to watch him have these scenes that break your heart and have to be played with such dramatic poignancy, riding the line of keeping it comedic, keeping it mysterious… I’m amazed,” Hoffman said.
The Verdict
OMITB is one of the very few TV shows that have gone from good to better; it is a sort of amalgamation of yesteryear mystery shows and modern police procedurals making it relevant for folks of all ages. You will not be disappointed with the script, the characters, and above all, the execution because everything is first-rate, to say the least.
If Shirley MacLaine’s surprise appearance was a boost for the second season, the combo of Streep and Rudd has done the trick in the third season. Add to that the one-episode return of Tina Fey and you have a dream cast that fits the characters assigned to them.
Be it using funny names like ‘Robert with T’, or naming a fish after President Johnson, the writers manage to keep the audience’s interest alive in the 10 episodes. Martin is at his best as a former TV star going through a late-life crisis, and his happy room antics are enough to make you remember him for a long time. Short also has many scenes where he steals everyone else’s thunder especially the one where he is confused whether to be a director or a detective podcaster. Gomez might have changed physically since the first season but she keeps the trio together with her sleuthing and people skills, less with the former and more with the latter.
In the end, there are many reasons to watch the show but the best is to listen to the two veterans and the beauty. Oliver, while pleading with Mabel to let him and Charles hang out with her, declares that “You’re the Mabel in the Charles and Oliver sandwich!” to which Charles adds “Without you, we’re just two pieces of stale white bread.” It doesn’t mean that Gomez ranks higher than the two oldies but it means that she is essential to the show, which is nothing short of a yummy sandwich.
Omair Alavi is a freelance contributor who writes about film, television, and popular culture
All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the writer