Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building
The Big Picture
- Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building focused too heavily on supporting characters, neglecting the trio and their friendship.
- The trio was split for a significant portion of the season, with individual storylines that didn’t overlap much.
- The upcoming Season 4 needs to prioritize the trio’s friendship and bring them together in the story, rather than isolating them in separate worlds.
In Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, residents Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) take on the responsibility of solving the murder(s) in their building — the legendary Arconia. Along the way, they develop a successful true crime podcast that changes the genre, while also building a beautiful friendship that works really well despite Mabel being four decades or so younger than the other two. However, along the way, and definitely in Season 3, the series has forgotten that the trio and their friendship is what made the audience become so attached to the show in the first place (in addition to well-written mysteries and killer comedy). This needs to change when the series returns for its fourth season.
‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 3 Did the Trio Dirty
The third season of the popular series was a departure in many ways from the status quo. We left the Arconia for much of the season and headed to the Goosebury Theater, where Oliver began putting together both his play and musical, with Charles as one of his stars. The season also began placing much more focus on all of the new supporting characters, rather than just the person who died, like Loretta (Meryl Streep) and Dickie (Jeremy Shamos). Therefore, Mabel — alone for too much of the season, as Charles and especially Oliver couldn’t be bothered, but occasionally assisted by new beau Tobert (Jesse Williams) — took up the responsibility of investigating the death of Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) and reviving their podcast.
The Trio Was Split for Far Too Long in Season 3
For much of the season, the trio was split. They each had their individual stories, which overlapped some but not much. Charles focused on his relationship with Joy (Andrea Martin), until it ended — then he threw himself into the play to learn his part. After discovering his show was going to be a flop with terrible reviews, Oliver switched it up and turned it into a musical, but not before the stress caused him to have a couple of heart attacks. Meanwhile, Mabel packed up her apartment after learning her aunt was selling it, leaving her apartment shopping and without a home at the Arconia — for now, she’s staying with Theo (James Caverly). Plus, with no job prospects, Mabel visited an insistent Cinda Canning (Tina Fey) and was offered the opportunity to host her own podcast, but that was no longer appealing once she reconnected with the old guys in the last two episodes of the season to solve the case.
We Need To See the Trio’s Friendship Take Center Stage Once Again
In the first season of Only Murders in the Building, quite a bit of work was put into developing the friendship between our beloved trio. It had to be, considering the major differences between them and how unlikely it was that they’d discover this life-changing friendship. However, after the first season, the series started to split up the trio more and more. It happened quite a bit in the second season; Charles was digging into his father, while Oliver found out the truth about his child’s paternity, and Mabel became romantically involved with shady artist Alice (Cara Delevingne). Mabel also wanted to separate herself from murder and the podcast, which formed a crack between the trio for several episodes, just as we saw in the third season when the reverse occurred and it was Mabel who wanted to solve the mystery.
This continued to happen even more in the third season, as the trio hardly had any meaningful interactions. They did have their major fight, which was actually refreshing to see because it shows how much they care for one another. That said, it’s become quite tiresome to see the series putting in little effort to continue exploring the relationship between the three characters that we are all watching for. While seeing them off in their own worlds and exploring their lives is incredibly important, the series should be exploring the friendship as they deal with their own issues and investigate the mystery. Instead, it feels like it’s always one or the other, but the series no longer knows how to let these factors coexist, which is why the characters are so often separated unless they are strictly working on the mystery.
‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4 Needs To Get Back to Basics
The upcoming Only Murders in the Building Season 4 needs to get back to basics. There was far too much focus on supporting characters in the third season, which was ultimately harmful to the trio and took away time that should have been spent on furthering their individual and collective stories. There was surprisingly little time spent on developing our main characters as the season bit off more than it could chew with a slew of new roles and having to delve into Ben’s life and murder. Even the most important person in each member of the trio’s lives (outside of the trio) didn’t have much of a role in the season — Oliver’s son Will (Ryan Broussard) and Theo only appeared in one episode each, while Lucy (Zoe Margaret Colletti) didn’t appear at all.
Above all, we simply need the trio to take the spotlight again for the entire season and for them to be together, actively, in the story. Enough of tearing them apart and isolating them in their separate worlds. They are major players in each other’s lives and that should shine through, bringing their friendship to a new level (and to the forefront of the show once again). There’s no excuse for how little time has been spent on this friendship in the last two seasons, and it’s becoming very disappointing to watch the mysteries be put above the trio. This show is and should be about them and their zany friendship and partnership as they solve crimes and record their podcast. It’s beyond time for those in charge to remember that.
Every episode of Only Murders in the Building is now streaming.
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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.
