In Only Murders In The Building Season 3, Oliver's Passion Could Be What Kills Him
This post contains spoilers for Season 3 of "Only Murders in the Building."
Season 2 of "Only Murders in the Building" ended on a massive cliffhanger: a death on a Broadway stage, where an actor topples halfway through his performance. The actor in question is Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd), known best for playing "Co-Bro," a "friendly zoologist" who turns into a cobra (!) but helps save the day in the end. Ben is as dramatic as his fictional role as Co-Bro, and his sudden death takes everyone present by surprise, including a distressed Oliver (Martin Short), director of the stage play, "Death Rattle."
Over the first two seasons of the show, it has been established that Oliver is a struggling thespian who yearns to recapture the fame he had tasted while directing "Splash!" years ago. A combination of factors, including the multiple deaths at the Arconia, leads him to Broadway again, allowing him to channel his dramatic intensity on the stage and express himself freely. As Ben was supposed to play the lead in "Death Rattle," his sudden death disrupts Oliver's dreams of making it big again, and he panics right after and decides to through an emotional support party.
Meanwhile, in season 3, Charles (Steve Martin) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) are busy investigating this potential murder, but before they can launch another season of their podcast, Ben miraculously survives and crashes the party, shocking everyone. While this delights Oliver, what happens next only serves to distress him further as it takes a toll on his health. Could Oliver's intense passion for the arts be his undoing in the latest season of the show? Here's what happened so far, and how things might fare over the next episodes.
Death Rattle, indeed
The plot of Oliver's play is a tense, noir murder mystery, where a brutal murder takes place in a lighthouse in Nova Scotia. A nanny becomes one of the prime suspects, and this role is played by Loretta (Meryl Streep), who is rediscovered by Oliver after she spends years auditioning for roles. Ben's "death" clearly rattles everyone, and Oliver copes with the truth by talking to Loretta at the party — just when Loretta implies that she wants to know Oliver better, Ben bursts into the scene, proclaiming that he's beaten death. Being the jerk he is, Ben talks to every co-star, producer, and understudy to cement his return, and Oliver breathes a sigh of relief, as Ben's resurrection turns out to be good publicity for "Death Rattle."
However, the same night, Oliver, Mabel, and Charles board the elevator and see blood dripping from above, and they move out of the way just in time for Ben's dead body to collapse onto the floor. This time, the murder has occurred inside the Arconia, giving the trio enough reason to seriously investigate Ben's death. While Mabel and Charles sleuth it out, Oliver desperately attempts to save "Death Rattle," which has been dropped by his producers due to the controversies surrounding the lead. During Ben's funeral, Oliver pleads with a critic to give his play a favorable review, but she honestly, yet gently, explains that "Death Rattle" doesn't quite have the Oliver Putnam spark traditionally associated with his work.
After Oliver reminisces about a conversation with Ben, he suffers from cardiac arrest due to the stress of the situation and is asked by his doctor to not indulge in emotional extremes. However, is Oliver the kind of guy to ever listen?
Not knowing when to stop
Unlike previous seasons, where the trio exclusively worked together to solve crimes for their podcast, season 3 introduces a split in priorities among the three. Charles and Mabel are mostly on the same page, even though the latter is dealing with a quarter-life crisis and general directionlessness, but Oliver seems to have thrown himself completely into his play. During Ben's funeral, Mabel and Charles are busy scouting for clues, but Oliver is determined to convince his producers to fund his play again, and the stress of the situation gets to him pretty soon. Even after he has been asked to rest, Oliver doubles down and stays up all night to transform his play into a musical.
It is also pretty concerning that Mabel and Charles are not aware of Oliver's cardiac arrest, which might lead them to underestimate his bursts of passionate fury after he's disappointed with his cast's performances. While Oliver has always been dramatic, the play makes him feel especially jittery and on edge, and another emotional shock could seriously be detrimental to his well-being. As "Only Murders in the Building" is known for sudden twists, here's hoping that Oliver is able to adjust to them in a healthy way, and pull off his murder-mystery musical without completely burning out.
While "Death Rattle" is no "Splash!," the play is the catalyst for a murder that is bound to have repercussions on everyone, both inside the Arconia and without. While Ben was not the kindest guy, his death affects all the characters involved with the play, and might potentially reveal crucial ties to the murder and the motivations behind it.
Episodes 1 and 2 of "Only Murders in the Building" are currently streaming on Hulu.