Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Only Murders in the Building Season 3
The Big Picture
- Only Murders in the Building‘s Tobert becomes an essential addition to the crime-solving team after Ben’s death, initially making it hard to tell if he’s trustworthy.
- Tobert and Mabel develop a mutual understanding and intense connection while working together to crack the case, which eventually develops into a romance.
- Tobert serves as an excellent counterpart for Mabel, challenging her and allowing her tenacity to shine, while also grounding her character in the present.
This season of Only Murders in the Building was positively electric, with a brand new, all-star cast to usher in a new era of deadly fun. But one new character leaves his mark this season in a way that makes us yearn for more. Jesse Williams’ Tobert is a magnetic watch from his first moments on screen when he promises that we won’t hear a word out of him from hereon in. However, after Ben Glenroy’s (Paul Rudd) death, Tobert becomes an essential addition to the crime-solving team. At first, it is hard to tell if Tobert is trustworthy. Usually, the most charming characters are the most guilty. Over time, Tobert becomes a character that we’re not ready to lose after the curtain closes on Season 3.
How Do Tobert and Mabel Meet in ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 3?
From the moment Tobert and Mabel (Selena Gomez) find themselves approaching Ben’s penthouse to search for evidence, it is clear that these two have come into each other’s lives at the perfect time. Mabel is not convinced that the police have arrested the right person in connection to Ben’s death, and is determined to not let the trial go cold. Her conspicuous excuses on the elevator ride up pique Tobert’s suspicions, and now they are both keeping a sharp eye on one another. Under the guise of banter, they try to catch each other in a lie. In doing so, they make it obvious that they are not afraid to go toe-to-toe. When they’re almost caught and are forced to hide together, we gain more of an insight into Tobert’s motives and the role he might play in helping them crack the case.
In a murder mystery full of twists and turns, not everyone is who they appear to be upon first meeting. Tobert is chasing the same answers as Mabel, looking to close in on the story to make his own film. Though this puts him in competition with Mabel and her podcast, he doesn’t want to stand idly by while Ben’s killer may be roaming free. They develop a mutual understanding as well as an intense connection that culminates in later scenes as a fiery resolve to decode this crime, something they have in common that is very important to them both.
Though they have agreed to work as a team as they delve into the case, it is hard to tell who has the upper hand, which makes for a mysterious and playful dynamic. Though there is potential for this pair to turn romantic, their partnership is equally satisfying if they’re coconspirators, or perhaps it’s a long game of cat and mouse.
What Makes Tobert Such a Good Love Interest for Mabel?
In the early scenes together, it is unclear how their connection will unfold. Will Tobert end up betraying her or using her the same way Alice (Cara Delevingne) did last season? Is he guilty of Ben’s murder? Many aspects of Tobert remain a mystery, but what defines these moments is introducing Mabel to someone who is her intellectual equal. This is what sets up Tobert as an excellent counterpart for her this season. For a moment, Tobert seems too good to be true, as though he is getting too close to the case in order to divert suspicion. But with time, he proves to be a loyal and capable companion for Mabel, which is why they have such a compelling connection on screen.
Time and time again, Mabel retreats to memories of her past in order to cope with how uncertain she is in the present. This season, this manifests in daydreams of Ben Glenroy’s character in “Girl Cop,” a show she loved as a child, coaching her through her regrets and anxieties. Tobert brings Mabel out of this shell by challenging her, and this enables her to rise to the occasion of solving the murder without her “best buds” Oliver (Martin Short) and Charles (Steve Martin).
At a time in the season when all the usual key players are apart, Mabel feels lost and without purpose. She depends on the podcast to keep her on track and focused, and she is unsure if she can keep it going on her own. Tobert matches her passion and ability and enables her to maintain that forward momentum even in the face of doubt. He is equally interested in her as a crime-solving partner as well as a romantic partner. The reason why this is so refreshing is because Mabel’s character is not dulled by the introduction of a boyfriend. Rather, the additional support in her life allows her tenacity to shine even brighter, even at a time when she is feeling depleted. Having Tobert around to bolster the production of the “Only Murders in the Building” podcast also keeps the main story engine of the series chugging. The scope of the story this season is huge with Oliver and Charles veering toward a career on Broadway, but without the podcast at its core, everything is in danger of falling apart. Tobert and Mabel play the vital role this season of keeping that aspect of the show alive.
Tobert Grounds Mabel in the Present in ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 3
Mabel is a complex character; people in her life sometimes take advantage of her good heart, but her tough exterior can make it hard for her to let people in. Tobert struggles with this side of her as they go about producing the podcast and digging up clues alongside Mabel’s friend Theo (James Caverly), who can relate to the never-ending quest to get a read on the reserved, highly intelligent woman. The audience can sometimes fall victim to this as well, only getting rare, sparing glimpses into her personal life. There is a lot of focus on Mabel’s past, whether that be memories of her father and the puzzling hobby they shared or her reminiscing with an imaginary Glenroy about the college degree she never finished. Strong relationships like the one she has with Tobert ground her character in the present. Not only that, but it illuminates the possibility of an exciting future.
If Mabel’s companions continue to be discarded season-to-season, all of the growth built upon that relationship comes to a grinding halt. It is amazing to see Theo return this season and to know that friendship didn’t fall to the wayside after his case was solved, and granted, not everyone in Mabel’s life deserves to be a mainstay. Someone like Tobert, who possesses qualities that complement Mabel’s, is not someone who should be erased from the series as it develops. Mabel’s past may be murky, but her future is even more unclear. As Tobert states in the episode “Ah, Love,” it is hard to plant roots when you don’t have a partner to ground you. When he offers to bring Mabel with him on his shoot in LA, it is mature of her to recognize that she can’t run away from her feelings of being lost or stuck. But she may also be guilty of the same thing that keeps Tobert fleeing from place to place: she uses her passion as an excuse not to get close to anyone. Maybe, if these two cross paths again, they can continue to grow together. From all the people who have come into Mabel’s life, it seems like Tobert is meant to last.
Tobert has a charming ability all season to show up in the knick of time to get the investigation back on track, to the point where Charles and Oliver are a little threatened by him. The connections he establishes with the entire cast this season cement him as a solid candidate for a recurring character. His storyline doesn’t stop and start with Mabel, but their budding romance does bring out a softer side of her that we long to see. She herself can be a mystery at times, but Tobert never shies away from meeting her at her level with patience and kindness. Throughout the season, Tobert is a soft place for Mabel to land and if it were to continue, it would bring forward the elusive part of Mabel that her character is so good at hiding.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
