Summary
“Thirty” is satisfyingly crafted, laying out all of the evidence, which the trio then uses to finally solve the case. These twists aren’t that shocking, and some are quite predictable overall, but the results are still entertaining. This perfectly sets up the show for an enticing season finale.
The besties are back in Only Murders in the Building season 3, episode 9 — Mabel (Selena Gomez), Oliver (Martin Short), and Charles (Steve Martin) reunite in “Thirty,” working together to finally crack the case in the murder of Hollywood actor Ben Glenroy, so let’s recap.
The latest installment finds the trio of podcasters reconstructing the final thirty minutes before Ben’s Broadway debut, using the interrogation recordings to find the killer, the motive, and the murder weapon.
The penultimate episode begins in the hospital. Oliver has recovered from his near-death experience and is free to leave. They’re on a tight schedule, though; Oliver’s musical starts in two days’ time, and Loretta is on trial for murder. They need to find the real killer pronto.
So, the trio returns to the chalkboard, going through all the clues again. They focus on Dickie and question the brother immediately. The trio is open with Dickie, admitting that they know that Ben stole the CoBro idea from him. They also know about the blood work cover-up.
Dickie’s Alibi
Dickie admits to everything, he did resent Ben, and he did change the blood work, but not to hide his own crime. Dickie has a perfect alibi. Feeling confused by Ben’s death and then his sudden resurrection, Dickie went out onto the streets, looking for drugs and hookers. The police have CCTV footage that proves he wasn’t in the building when Ben was killed for the second time.
He then explains his reasons for this rather odd bender. Ben always talked about meeting up with his five favorite whores and doing drugs with them. Dickie was jealous and wanted some action of his own. The trio decides to retrace Ben’s steps, reliving his final day.
They head to the brothel, which is named Snitches Get Stitches. It’s, in fact, a fabric shop, and Ben’s five whores are actually a sewing circle of lovely old ladies. Ben used the hobby of sewing as a way of keeping him away from drugs. He sewed the gift handkerchiefs with the sewing circle ladies the night before the show.
Back at Charles’ apartment, the trio mapped out Ben’s timeline from the moment he left the fabric shop to the point he went out on stage. This thirty-minute window is currently unaccounted for. The trio uses the police’s interrogation recordings to fill in the blanks.
Only Murders in the Building season 3, episode 9 (Credit – Hulu)
Ben and Dickie’s Argument
The thirty-minute window began with Ben turning up at the theater late. KT yelled at him; then Cliff offered him a cookie gift. Ben stated that he was fasting and refused the cookie. Loretta encouraged Dickie to leave Ben and quit his job as Ben’s assistant. Ben found out, and the brothers argued.
Howard then tried to collect the ritual broom from the office, but the door was locked. He overheard somebody shredding important information inside. Next, Loretta and Ben argued about Dickie quitting. Charles interrupted the argument and punched Ben in the face.
Joy helped out with Ben’s emergency make-up. Then Ben stressed about his five guests being stuck in traffic. Feeling overwhelmed, Donna urged Ben back into his dressing room. Ben argued with Tobert in the doorway before swiping Tobert’s camera for himself.
The trio now have all the relevant information, but they are still unsure who Ben was talking to in his dressing room after the argument with Tobert. They know that Ben was sad and overwhelmed, that he was somehow poisoned before stepping out onto the stage.
What was the motive for killing Ben?
Suddenly, Howard arrives with the shredded papers that he has pieced back together. Oliver realizes that it is Maxine’s review of the play. In the review, Ben’s acting is referred to as wooden. They believe that this review is the motive for Ben’s death to save the play.
It then clicks for Mabel; she realizes that Ben was talking to the cookie all along (called it!). The poison must have been placed inside the cookie. Ben ate the cookie and then wrote graffiti on his dressing room mirror. It all starts to add up now.
Only Murders in the Building season 3, episode 9 (Credit – Hulu)
Who poisoned Ben?
The trio then pinpointed who the killer was. Donna must have poisoned Ben. She didn’t want him to ruin the play’s future success, so she read the review and then shredded it. Whilst in the office, she will have spotted the cookie and the rat poisoning. They now have the killer, the motive, and the murder weapon.
Now, all they need to do is save Loretta from a prison sentence. They decide to break into the courthouse dressed for a wedding. Mabel jumps into Joy’s wedding dress while Oliver and Charles suit up. They sneak into the courtroom, and Oliver tells Loretta not to plead guilty. He tells her that they know who the real killer is. Unfortunately, Donna is in the courtroom listening to this conversation.
What did you think of Only Murders in the Building season 3, episode 9? Comment below.
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