C'est Lamour! Love is in the air in the 5th episode of Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building. With our favorite podcasters distracted by their emotions, will they lose track of the case? How will Charles-Haden Savage deal with the fact that he unintentionally proposed to his girlfriend Joy, who is now the lead suspect in the murder of Ben Glenroy? Find out in this week’s recap.
Episode 5: “Ah, Love!” – Written by Tess Morris and Noah Levine
Joy (Andrea Martin) takes the introduction this week with a narration about how people are capable of keeping secrets from those they love best. Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) and Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) are both dressed nicely as they stand outside Charles Haden Savage’s apartment door, alarmed by the sounds of smashing glass inside. Charles (Steve Martin) steps out, apologizing for the sound and telling them that Joy is breaking sea glass for the fish tank. It’s been two days, and he still hasn’t asked Joy why her lipstick was in Ben Gelnroy’s dressing room, with the same shade used to draw a pig on the deceased actor's mirror, along with an explicit phrase. Mabel wants to talk to Joy herself since Charles is dragging his feet, but he insists on being the one to do it. He and Oliver realize at the same time that Mabel is dressed up, asking her if it’s a date. She insists that it’s not, saying she’s going on a stakeout with Tobert at an upscale restaurant. She and Oliver head down the elevator together as he is about to leave for his first date with Loretta Durkin.
Joy enters the bedroom singing as Charles holds her tube of lipstick. She tries to kiss him while he talks as if to shut him up, even saying, “Hey, Brazzos, hang up your badge.” She turns around and yells at the fish tank, seemingly upset at a particular fish she named President McKinley. “I don’t tolerate bullies,” she exclaims as she scoops the problematic fish out and puts him in a pitcher of water, calling it solitary confinement. Charles tells Joy that someone wrote a threatening message on Ben Glenroy’s mirror with her tube of lipstick. Their impending quarrel is interrupted by a knock at the door from Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), who stopped by with an engagement gift to congratulate her Brazzos colleagues. Joy is clearly upset and tells Charles to stay behind while she goes to their cake tasting alone. “Maybe she wants to be interrogated,” she scoffs on her way out.
(Patrick Harbron/Hulu)
Oliver nervously arrives at the apartment of Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep), who is wearing an apron as she apologizes. Her one-bedroom apartment is temporarily without a microwave, and her broiler is ancient, so she’s having a hard time judging how long to cook the pork chops. Oliver examines her charming apartment, calling it a work of art. As they sit down to dine, they discover that the pork chops are so overcooked that they can’t be cut with a knife. Oliver tries to bite directly into the meat and ends up losing a tooth. Loretta is mortified, but he says it doesn’t hurt, and they laugh over his new whistle. She brings up how much she loves his snort, which reminds her of a piggy. She shares anecdotes about several times she’s played a pig in plays like Charlotte’s Web and Animal Farm. “You know who was a real [CENSORED] pig? Ben Glenroy,” Loretta adds, which causes Oliver to lose all the color in his face. He tries to ask for more details, but Loretta is no longer interested in talking about Ben. She picks up Oliver’s tooth and says, “I know just the place for this.”
(Patrick Harbron/Hulu)
Mabel arrives at the swanky piano bar and finds that Tobert (Jesse Williams) has already ordered her a drink and hors d'oeuvres. She tries to ask Tobert who they’re staking out, but she’s interrupted by the beginning of a performance on the stage. It’s Jonathan (Jason Veasey) from the musical, someone whom Mabel didn’t take seriously as a suspect. And as Tobert explains how he’s watched him the past couple of evenings, she realizes that he’s not a likely suspect to Tobert either. She’s miffed that this is a date. “I got creative, is that ok?”, he asks. Mabel decides to stay, but she orders her own drink from the waiter. During the date, Mabel and Tobert learn more about each other.
(Patrick Harbron/Hulu)
Sazz talks to Charles about his theory that Joy could’ve killed Ben Glenroy. She drops that she and Jan are still an item and brings up a theory about Charles, diagnosing him with MGDS – “Murderous Girlfriend Derangement Syndrome.” Examining the fish tank, Sazz picks up the color-changing remote for the lights and gets an idea for a game called “Commit or Be Committed.” Charles has a paddle for both options and Sazz pretends to be Joy, bringing up scenarios that Charles needs to judge. The fish tank turns green or red if he gets the answer right or wrong. In the end, Charles realizes he’s not afraid of Joy (the woman), he’s afraid of joy (the feeling). In other words, he has commitment issues. He no longer thinks Joy could’ve murdered Ben Glenroy.
“Pick your poison,” Loretta says to Oliver as they ride a ferry. She holds up a flask or a purple joint, which she says she’s had since 1978. Oliver chooses the joint, and Loretta expands the story, saying she got it from a chorus girl. Oliver remembers how one night at Studio 54, he used a purple streamer to roll 10 joints for her, and Loretta realizes she’s holding one of them. As they pass it back and forth, Oliver laments that their paths didn’t cross sooner. “I may not have been on your radar, but you were certainly on mine,” Loretta responds. “I would’ve killed to be in one of your productions.” Loretta apologizes for acting weird over dinner when Ben came up. She tells Oliver that she and the star had a fight on opening night 30 minutes before they went on stage. She brings up how the entire cast thought Ben was rude. “Even his kind-hearted brother,” she adds. They laugh about how their date has unfolded and as they pass under a bridge, Loretta reveals why she brought him there. She tells him that as a girl, her mother would take her for a ferry ride whenever she lost a tooth. When they went under a bridge, she would make a wish on the tooth and throw it in the water. Oliver asks her if the tooth fairy still gets the tooth that way. Loretta points out that it’s a play on words – “Tooth Ferry.” Oliver makes a wish as he tosses his tooth overboard, taking Loretta in his arms for a kiss.
(Patrick Harbron/Hulu)
Jonathan’s act ends, and everyone applauds. Mabel’s conversation with Tobert is interrupted when she notices that Jonathan has sat at a booth with a man in a red blazer and a chauffeur’s hat. Jonathan produces an envelope and the mysterious man pockets it in his red coat, handing Jonathan a piece of paper. Mabel describes what she’s seeing to Tobert who can’t stand not watching. He gets up to move to her side of the table, but accidentally causes a scene when he trips a passing waiter, sending glass crashing to the floor. Jonathan sees Mabel and Tobert, looking embarrassed as he slips out the back door. Before they left, Robert had a look at the man in the red jacket and recognizes him as “Dr. C,” Ben Glenroy’s private doctor.
Joy returns to Charles’ apartment with 4 boxes of cake samples for him to try. Charles apologizes for believing Joy could’ve written that message on Ben’s mirror, or worse. She confesses that she was in Ben’s dressing room on opening night to do Ben’s makeup because someone had punched the star. She believes the tube of lipstick fell out of her bag. Charles confesses that he’s the one who punched Ben, a fact he’s kept secret this whole time. He overheard Ben and Loretta fighting and came to her aid. When Ben became verbally abusive to Charles, he punched the leading man in the face. As Charles explains all this to Joy, he reveals that he has been actively investigating her with Oliver and Mabel, and that his proposal was an accident. Joy tells Charles that their relationship won’t work if he’s not as open and honest as she is. In anger, she pushes a tray of cake samples into his chest. “The engagement is off,” Joy declares as she walks out of Charles’ apartment.
Mabel returns to The Arconia with Tobert in tow. In her aunt’s apartment, Mabel pulls back the curtain on the suspect board. “Really?”, Tobert asks as he sees his own photo on the board. “Due dilligence,” Mabel answers. Tobert grabs an index card, writed “Dr. C.” on it, and pins it next to Jonathan. He looks into Mabel’s eyes and they kiss.
Oliver and Loretta snuggle in the afterglow on her Murphy Bed. Loretta wants to take a couple’s bath and goes to the bathroom to fill up the tub. Alone, Oliver goes to Loretta’s bookcase and takes a peek into her private life. A small scrapbook has a piece of paper hanging out with Ben Glenroy’s photo on it. Curious, Oliver pulls it out and begins to thumb through the pages. It’s full of magazine clippings and articles about Ben, appearing to have been worked on for many years. And then Oliver finds a note with Loretta’s handwriting on it. It contains a capital “F” and “P.” We see Oliver’s mental image of the lipstick writing on Ben’s mirror. They match.
Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building continues on Tuesday, September 5th, only on Hulu. Here’s a description of the 6th episode, titled “Ghost Light,” written by Madeleine George.
All roads lead the trio back to the Goosebury Theater during a nerve-rattling thunderstorm. With Howard as their jittery guide, they track a legendary ghost who’s haunted the theater for generations. Boo.