Summary
“Ah, Love!” is excellently written, bringing satisfying conclusions to some of the earlier mysteries in the case. It is also an elegantly crafted production, weaving three separate stories perfectly together. And there is still room for two cute romances to blossom.
We recap the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 5, “Ah, Love!” which contains spoilers.
“Ah, Love!” is a classic episode of Only Murders in the Building, focusing on the three main leads in three separate storylines while exploring and pushing forward the central murder mystery case in an elegant fashion. The fifth episode features three suspects, two dates, and one break-up.
Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 5 Recap
Before our three main players embark on their own separate adventures, they gather outside of Charles’ apartment. The trio are suspicious of Joy, whose lipstick was found in Ben’s dressing room.
Charles is still too scared to confront Joy about this clue, but he promises he’ll speak to his fiancee about it.
Mabel and Oliver both then depart on their dates. Mabel is meeting up with Tobert about a possible suspect, while Oliver is off on a hot date with Loretta.
Charles finally plucks up the courage and asks Joy about the lipstick. Joy is offended by the accusations. Before the couple heads off for wedding cake tasting, Sazz shows up unannounced. Charles’ former stunt double has brought the couple an engagement present.
Joy storms off, leaving Charles and Sazz alone together. Sazz wants to know what’s going on. Charles opens up about his relationship with Joy. He thinks his fiancee could be a killer, and he wants to break up with her.
Sazz interrogates Charles about his relationship with Joy, eager to discuss Charles’ commitment issues. Charles thinks Joy is a psychopath, but Sazz thinks she’s just in love. Charles realizes that he is afraid of falling in love and of being happy.
Why does Oliver suspect Loretta?
Meanwhile, Oliver’s date gets off to a bumpy start. Loretta cooks for him in her crowded apartment. Oliver bites down on his hard pork chop, and his tooth comes out. They laugh about this incident, and Oliver snorts like a pig. Loretta then brings up pigs, calling Ben one. This is a mammoth clue in the case, linking back to the abuse on Ben’s dressing room mirror. Oliver is highly suspicious of Loretta. Now she has motives and a link to a clue.
Changing the subject, Loretta proposes they go on an adventure. They take a boat ride. Loretta brings booze and a joint along for the journey. They talk about careers and the past.
Loretta believes that she was always unlucky with her missed roles and thinks she may be cursed.
Later, Loretta apologizes for bringing up Ben. She admits that she did call him a pig and that they had a fight only 30 minutes before the show started on opening night.
Ben hated Loretta because he thought that she was obsessed with him. He called her a no-name.
Loretta apologizes to Oliver, sorry that he didn’t get his opening night. The boat then passes under a bridge. Loretta explains an old family tradition of throwing a tooth into the river under a bridge and asking for one wish.
Oliver complies and then kisses Loretta.
Who is Doctor C?
The second date of the night involves Mabel and cameraman Tobert. They meet at a swanky restaurant where Jonathan is performing. Jonathan is Howard’s boyfriend and was Ben’s understudy. Tobert thinks he may be the killer. It is also a great excuse for Tobert to take Mabel out on a date. After his show, Jonathan meets with a shady individual for a mysterious transaction. Tobert finds out later that the mystery man is Doctor C, who was Ben’s private doctor.
After the date, they head back to Mabel’s apartment. She shows him the murder board, and they add Doctor C’s name to it. Mabel then kisses Tobert.
Near the end of the episode, Charles apologizes to Joy for accusing her of murder. Joy admits that she was backstage on opening night. Ben had a cosmetic emergency, and Howard asked for her expertise. She was the person brought in to deal with the red mark on Ben’s face. He had been punched.
Joy thinks her lipstick must have fallen out of her pocket during this interaction. She covered up the red mark and then left. Charles confesses that he was the one who punched Ben in the face.
Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 5 Ending Explained
Charles saw Ben and Loretta arguing. He went over to see what the problem was, and Ben hurled abuse at Charles. The actor retaliated by punching Ben in the face.
Joy can’t believe that Charles was accusing her when he had his own secrets. Then Charles admits that he proposed to Joy by accident. She ends the engagement there and then breaks up with Charles in dramatic fashion.
The episode concludes with Oliver’s subplot. He kisses Loretta in bed. She goes to run a bath, and he wanders to her apartment, casually observing her collection of books. Oliver soon finds a book containing newspaper clippings of Ben. It would appear Loretta is obsessed with Ben after all. She is now the lead suspect in the case.
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