'Only Murders in the Building' season 3

Season 2 thread.

Another new season already? Seems like just yesterday that I was ignoring the previous season.

Season 2 was not as good as season 1. Will the trend continue? Why would they bring in Streep unless the new the show was going downhill and needed a big boost?

Is Meryl the kind of person to hitch her name to a dying show?

I’m gonna pass on this season. I’ve LOVED this show but once all the “celeb cameos” start happening, or thirsty celebrities beg their way into shows like this, they’re dead. No interest in it anymore.

Is this the season where Martin's lovely wife has a cameo?

One season was sufficient.

R7 is right, one season was sufficient. The second season was fun and still charming. I wish they wouldn't ruin it with a third but let's face it, it's not called show BUSINESS because they want to entertain. It's about that money baby. You'd think Martin and Short have plenty enough already. I just wish la Streep didn't have to stink it up. She never knows when to sit down and take a break. She's omnipresent which makes her irritating.

I love the first two episodes of season three. Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd are terrific additions to the cast. I’m so happy this delightful show is back!

[quote]Charles, Oliver and Mabel investigate a murder onstage of a Broadway show.

Guest-starring Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice.

The first episode where Meryl was doing the “voices” during the table reading was pretty damn funny

I liked the first two episodes so far.

Very entertaining start. Paul Rudd is hilarious. Also funny is the producer’s gay son.

I thought these first two new episodes were pretty great. Meryl was very good. Glad the mystery is back in the building. Also, happy to see Jackie Hoffman back!

I love this show and I'm glad it's back for a third season. Meryl and Paul are great, and I'm looking forward to seeing their characters express their mutual hatred. I love the back and forth between Steve and Martin. I hope Selena's Mabel gets a happy ending. I know the whole point of the show is investigating murders and podcasting, but Mabel deserves a better reason to get up in the morning.

As long as this one doesn’t have that horrendous British model with the funky eyebrows stinking up the joint then I’m good.

Meryl's 4th Emmy. She stole the show.

Martin Short and Tina Fey had so many great moments in Season 2, I managed to miss how mediocre it was (compared to the brilliant Season 1.

[quote]one season was sufficient.

Thanks for posting, Miss Vance.

I have to say - this is one of the only shows airing right now that I have any interest in. I loved the first two seasons.

Jackie Hoffman AND Andrea Martin? Yes, please!

This show has all the right ingredients except decent writers. Is Steve Martin actually one of them? And Selena, does she just underplay everything or is low energy her style? And, having not watched S2, has she gained 40 lbs since S1?

Is it my imagination or are there constant pauses waiting for laughs?

Meryl Streep has s just a bag of tics in search of a character. Painful.

Is Selena Gomez’s character supposed to be Down’s Syndrome in this?

Is episode 3 any better than the first two?

R23 and you're just a sad little troll in search of attention

[quote] And Selena, does she just underplay everything or is low energy her style? And, having not watched S2, has she gained 40 lbs since S1?

Having her character now be a fat chick, since Selena herself has become a porker, changes the dynamics of the show. She’s becoming just the fat female friend.

I saw that Hulu now has Michael Cyril Creighton hosting an aftershow. I don't know if this show benefits from having that kind of examination and deep dive.

I cannot believe how little traction this thread is getting and the series even stars Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd.

The Betty Grable and Lee Remicks thread are far more lively.

To me, bringing in big name actors is a form of jumping the shark. A show that wasn't going downhill or hadn't run out of ideas wouldn't need big names to try to save it.

What R30 said. Bringing in big name cameos is always tiresome. I checked out of Big Bang when they started doing that too.

Also, what’s with Selena Gomez suddenly looking like she’s gained 50 lbs. in the episode where she’s talking to Paul Rudd’s ghost on the sofa? Then the next episode she’s way more thin doing a Fosse routine?! How far apart do they shoot these episodes? Does anyone know?

Yes yes, Meryl Streep we get it already! You REALLY like doing accents. Please just take a seat for a while. Some of us have had sufficient.

R31 Yes, I was so confused about her weight difference between the two episodes.

I enjoyed Meryl making fun of herself but her whole performance is showy and mannered so the joke doesn’t get any room to land. And has she always been so breathy?

Meryl is 74 so no, she wasn't that breathy when she was 24, or even 34 or 44 or etc., r34. How old are you?

Has anyone else noticed the overuse of bold graphic wallpaper everywhere in the production design of the series? Is it supposed to make the jokes land?

This one has always had big-name guest stars, R30.

Before I wander back to Disney, can someone tell me, have they released it all at once or are they trickling it out a week at a time?

One per week R37

Sigh. Well they can sing for my subscription till all episodes are up.

Thanks R38.

Meryl's 4th Emmy I guess, she's terrific

[quote]the overuse of bold graphic wallpaper everywhere in the production design of the series? Is it supposed to make the jokes land?

Huh? The use of wallpaper to help "the jokes land"?? WTF does that even mean?

The constant use of these graphic wall papers seems to be signaling what a "wacky" world the series takes place in. I find it as tiresome as the rest of the show.

R42, I think it's just supposed to portray that they live in a very old school, upscale and somewhat stylish building in Manhattan even though at least two of them aren't really wealthy people. It reenforces the premise of the show that even in "stylish enclaves" and well to do residential areas, there are murders and mysteries to be found. It's also not supposed to be taken completely serious. Better now?

What is this wallpaper queen on about?

LOL R44. The wallpaper queen will NOT let it go.

I’m going to check the wallpaper in the next episode.

Trust me, it's hard to miss, r46.

I loved the first two episodes but felt the third was a letdown. There was a lack of zing. I miss Nathan Lane.

Is Selena fat or thin in E3?

Wow Streep gave a great performance with that lighthouse song.

Is Donna the producer a datalounger??

[quote]“You need a showstopper. That’s how musicals make money. A song so irresistible its like syringe that shoots from Broadway straight into the neck of Debbie from Duluth. Who becomes an addict from the first second she hears it during girl’s night out at the Calorie Pit. And an addict will do anything. Anything. To get her fix. Even if she has to take a middle seat on a red eye to New York City, where for the low, low price of everything she’s got, Debbie can have the privilege of sitting in the finest rear balcony seat in all the land to finally, finally see that show with that song she can’t stop belting out all over fucking Duluth. So. Do you have anything that good. Do you have a showstopper?”

Didn't Selena Gomez get a kidney transplant? Kidney issues might be why she puffed up.

Selena looks fine. Not every woman has to be Twiggy.

You could really see her trying to act in the scene with Jesse "Anaconda" Williams so at least that's something. A for effort.

Does Selena have health problems? In this season she seems particularly fat and lethargic.

Surely, you're all seeing the graphic wallpapers in every room now? Everywhere but the little cafe.

Sorry, my mind wanders a lot watching this show. Do you think they really wanted Christine Baranski for the lady producer?

R55 She has lupus and had a kidney transplant

R56 I thought of you every time I spied a new wallpaper in the latest episode. I’ve definitely clocked this in the first two seasons too. I think the problem is that it screams production design instead of reflecting the individual taste of each tenant. Unless the residents of The Arconia all signed leases stipulating they had to have at least one room with bold patterned wallpaper.

It's wild, r58! Are they getting a discount from one of the big wallpaper houses in the city? That shit is expensive. And I love wallpaper. It's just a bit out of control here.

I find the show so unfunny. Why isn't the writing better, esp. with Steve and Marty producing? And so many of the actors seem to be encouraged to mug like mad. And the pacing is so off, like they're waiting for the audience to laugh at jokes. I wouldn't watch except for Meryl who almost elevates every scene she's in.

Selena speaks like she has lock jaw and she is so fat faced and bloated. She should be thankful for this job, she is not much of an actress.

First episode Mabel has her coat on the whole show except for maybe a minute. Covering her weight gain?

In episode 3 I had to stop and say, “Um, hasn’t she been an actress her whole fucking life?” Selena has never been great on the show, but being surrounded by some of the best comedic actors (and best actress) of all time really does highlight her mediocrity. Also, Mabel’s coats are nice, but they’re clearly strategic. You would think Selena’s pregnant with triplets the way her character’s body is always obscured.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz especially the chick.

Are we supposed to think Meryl’s hammy hand gestures while singing were good, or that her audience was a bunch of rubes?

As far as her singing itself goes, it’s Dr. Johnson’s dancing dog all over again.

I see Meryl has not been moisturizing all these years.

I do hope Jesse Williams will show off his best part before the series finishes.

R59 I agree that this show strains to be funny most times. It’s clever but it’s not really funny. I wish they would throw away some more jokes and pick up the pace. The footage of Paul Rudd backstage was also weird. The person he was talking to never responded to anything he said. This makes me think he was talking to a plate of cookies.

And what was the business with Jesse Williams hiding in the closet with Selena? Why did he need to hide when he had worked for Paul Rudd and had a right to be in his apartment to pick up his equipment? It's all so badly plotted.

WOOF! This season is a dog.

Dickie is a fake and there's no tv show for Meryl's character?

Dare I say Paul Rudd is over rated?

Paul Rudd has barely shown his ass and not one hint of Pinga in all his years working. Selfish fucker.

The show is definitely off this season; Meryl has been the only highlight. It’s nice that she can surprise us after all these years (the lighthouse song performance.)

The theater wallpaper in Martin Short’s apartment sets my teeth on edge; it’s awful and it draws attention away from the actors whenever I see it.

Short is way overacting this season and his character was my favorite up until now.

I did like the nod to “All That Jazz.”

I usually enjoy Martin and Short but this show can be so corny

R68 he was lying about picking up the equipment - did you watch the scene?

I did, r75. But as Paul Rudd's character's documentarian (or whatever the hell he is) he had a logical reason to be in his apartment. Why did he need to lie is the bigger question. I see no reason he would have to hide from the brother.

The brother fired him, so it'd be suspicious that he'd be in the apartment after termination.

Martin Short's apartment has become ridiculously over-staged. Of course, it's absurdly massive, even for an upscale building. In once recent scene, he's at the piano and Steve Martin walks-in, Short is frustrated and has a meltdown followed by a little pep-talk by Steve Martin. Suddenly, we see an entire room of people sitting in chairs, awaiting the producer and her kissy gay son so that they can all watch a supposedly impromptu performance by la Streep. Were they all just sitting there catatonic while Short was at his piano? But the apartment itself, with the stage, and the massive classic theater curtains, and the crazy wallpaper and sconces, etc. I mean, it looks really fun and I totally bet that place is what every theater queen in the world dreams of having. And I get that it's supposed to be a bit over-the-top. It's just a little too.... I don't know... twee? Ridiculous? And what happened to Short's money problems? Was he suddenly a millionaire from the PodCast or getting enough money to start directing the play?

The thing with the producer and the kissy gay son is funny, but it's very close to the edge of offensive stereotype: swishy fey theater queen with a mommy issue who constantly kisses mommy on the lips, outrageously dressed, etc. I'm not at all sensitive to funny stereotypes within reason, but this seems perilously close to offensiveness. Last season, the lesbians were portrayed and complex, artistic, sophisticated and, of course, very fluid in their sexuality, which in itself is a bit of a stereotype about lesbians. I'm not sure they would do black or Jewish stereotypes like this.

I spit-laugh at the Jazz routine, when Martin Short's cute son turns around and says, "That's RIGHT daddy!". LOL! I'd love to see more of that. And he's really adorable. Hope he gets more screen time.

I think all the wallpaper is quite beautiful.

I guess you queens must be underwhelmed this season since half of the posts are about wallpaper.

r78, are you unfamiliar with producer Daryl Roth and her son Jordan Roth? Believe me, the "kissy gay son" is mild compared to the reality.

I figured the producer and her son were going to be revealed to not actually be mother and son. It just seems like it’s intended to play a significant role later on in the season.

Anyway, one of the funniest moments so far is when Charles and Mabel are reviewing the potential suspects so far, and after mentioning Kimber, Charles is like, “The female killer…that’s been so done before.”

The killers in Seasons 1 and 2 were both women, so there’s a 100% chance Season 3’s killer will be a man. And I highly suspect it will end up being…Oliver.

The killer is going to be Paul Rudd's brother or Jesse Williams. Haven't decided which one yet.

Jesse Williams' got the bigger.....name.....so my money's on him.

Look very carefully at the wallpaper patterns. There are hints to the killer's identity hidden in them weekly.

The killer has to be M. It’s always the ham.

Linda Emond's hair and costuming have been FAAAABULOUS! That outfit she was wearing at the end of Ep. 3 was incredible.

I think Season 3 is better than Season 2.

I’m betting the kissy gay son is the killer. Also - isn’t that Isaac Cole Powell’s ex?

I love you, The Wallpaper Queen.

Agree r88. Season 3 has been the show in it's top form so far. Adding Meryl to the cast has gone a long way.

R82 - Do you seriously think the murderer will be one of the three leads?!?

They want us to believe it's either Meryl Streep or Paul Rudd's brother. I don't think it's going to be the handsome mixed-race guy. He's trying to find out who the killer is also without being very vocal about it. After seeing the footage from Rudd's argument with an unseen person, and his little ghost dialogue about regrets and such, I think it's very possibly the gay son who he was having an affair with and then either broke it off or said he was leaving the play? Shit, I don't know. Usually Meryl would only take this kind of part if she were going to be the star of the show; she could be the murderer which will give her several campy "scene-stealing" lines. I'm still impressed by her little song and that whole scene. It was very well done and unexpected.

The song is beautiful.

R93, I texted my major, over-the-top theater queen friend in Massachusetts and asked if he'd seen that scene. I'm really not a fan of Broadway, and he would drag me to everything when we both lived in NY. But there was something about that scene where maybe I should rethink that. Of course, it was highly produced. I don't have much use for the high camp and jazz hand routine of most Broadway productions, or for Meryl Streep for that matter. But yeah, that scene definitely blindsided me. So well done.

Look for the Light

I guess we now know why Pasek & Paul are "consulting producers" this season.

Thanks R95. That's really amazing. Hope people who don't even watch the show come by that. It's such an unexpected treat.

Thanks R95 that was as good as people have been raving about. Where's the troll who said someone else did Streep's singing for "Into The Woods"?

That song smelled like rank ass.

I think that’s your upper lip, r99.

The last episode really felt like filler and there don't seem to be anything resembling stakes this season. It also feels very, very obvious that Paul Rudd was talking to a plate of cookies backstage and wrote "fat pig" about himself on the mirror.

R101: In the 3rd episode I figured he was talking to a pizza or some other food item. It’s pretty obvious he’s not talking to another person.

The Wallpaper Queen, in the 4th episode did you notice that even the dressing rooms at the Broadway Theater all had wall paper? This production designer is obsessed.

Haven't seen the 4th episode yet, but I told ya all, didn't I? You can be sure I'll report back after I do.

R101 You’re right. They’re really telegraphing this. This season feels out of sorts. They’re spending so much time on this musical and have seemingly abandoned their podcast.

Ben talking to the cookies was my first thought. It’s too easy, I hope I’m wrong. He probably ate them all and then was disgusted with himself and wrote fucking pig on the mirror. They’ve mentioned he’s hard on himself like four times already.

I liked the White Room stuff. It’s funny to imagine what Charles did while ‘in the zone’

I did notice the wallpaper in Charles’ place this episode when he was making an omelet. The difference between the dark orange wallpaper on his right and the dark green kitchen cabinets on his left was nice. I’m not sure about the kitchen floor, though. Too busy.

I’ve binged seasons 1, 2, and 3 these past three days. Season one was the best. The Bunny episode in two made me sad. Theo and Will are cute. Didn’t care for Cara Delavigne at all. I like Paul and Meryl this season. Cute show.

We’re ALL the wallpaper guy.

I don't suppose writing the producers or posting a Change.org petition would help in bringing back the pug in the opening credits, would it? It used to be Bunny walking a pug on a leash along the front of the building. Now that she's dead, it's the sissy-bear queen walking his cat. I loved that little pug cartoon. Couldn't they have just had somebody else walking him? It made me happy. :-

I'll also add that I'm a big fan of the whimsical, graphical cartoon style they use in the opening credits, with the falling leaves set against the backdrop of whatever that music is called; sort of mysterious and foreboding but also non-threatening. I really like that stuff. Wish someone would develop something similar for a show that dabbles in the supernatural or ghosty kind of stuff.

I'll also add that I'm a big fan of the whimsical, graphical cartoon style they use in the opening credits, with the falling leaves set against the backdrop of whatever that music is called; sort of mysterious and foreboding but also non-threatening. I really like that stuff. Wish someone would develop something similar for a show that dabbles in the supernatural or ghosty kind of stuff.

The opening credits have always been the cleverest aspect of the series. The show has never reached the wit and whimsy of those credits.

Is still haven't watched E4. Thinking of bailing now after so many bad reports. Life is too short. Will you gays keep posting about wallpaper sightings for me?

R11 I don’t blame you for bailing. It’s getting a little ridiculous. I’ll keep posting about the wallpaper for you.

It was nice to have Tina Fey back…she’s been the only highlight in an otherwise abysmal season.

Also, even though Charles dating the killer has been done before, it’s obvious Joy was the one who was with Ben (covering up the red mark on his face for him). I don’t think she’s the murderer, but that will be an upcoming source of dramatic tension.

Lastly, I really enjoyed Martin Short in the previous seasons, but his portrayal of Oliver is…off. The character has morphed from lovably self-involved to outright bitchy.

I can honestly say before reading this thread (today) I have never noticed the wallpaper.

I binged episodes 1-3 last night and am enjoying it (I think Paul Rudd is a national treasure, just a different kind of treasure than Meryl Streep). I can't remember a single wallpaper, or remember having noticed it in any way.

Some of y'all are weird.

SOME of us?

The writing for this season is so bad. Viewers should be allowed to vote on how much the writers got paid for it and whether or not they get residuals. That might be an incentive for lazy writers to do better.

Loved Tina's Goop imitation. I wonder if Gwyneth will be able to leave it uncommented on

R117 - Is there a new episode out yet or are you referring to last week's episode where Mable goes to Tina Fey's office/studio and she's wearing the white shawl and lighting white candles on her desk? I'm guessing she's trying to set Mable up with the bribe and that her intentions aren't as innocent as she's letting on, but who knows. If there's a new episode out, I haven't seen it yet.

I'm not loving Steve Martin's girlfriend. I'm not even sure where she came from, was she a character from last season? She's a little too goofy and it's very, VERY difficult to suspend disbelief enough to believe that Martin's character, who's notoriously fussy, organized, particular...... would have a girlfriend move-in with him. Even if she's moves out, I'm not sure why we needed that whole side-story. Seems shoe-horned into the series.

Does anyone know if this is expected to be a final season? As for the ending, any guesses on whether or not Mable will find a way to keep living in her aunt's apartment? Seems terribly sad that she'd have to move away after having such a bond with those two. My first laugh-out-loud moment in the entire series came last week when the three of them were in the hall and Steve Martin's character says to Mable "You have old lady energy" and Martin Short turn to him quickly and says, "You know, she really does..." and they begin muttering a little conversation about Mable's old-soul personality while she's standing right there. Funny stuff. Wish the writers could do more of that.

It's Andrea Martin. I love her.

What's wrong with Andrea Martin's mouth? Did she have a stroke or is that just a plastic surgery accident?

Half the credits are everyone who's an Executive Producer. How many Executive Producers does a TV show need?

An EP credit is the new “name placement on the movie poster” method for proving who has the biggest dick on set. Some actors probably care more than others—for OMITB, Short and Martin would only accept equal treatment, while Gomez had to make it clear she’s the only one who’s still culturally relevant. Meanwhile, the creators, writers, and actual producers have to get in line too.

I noticed for The Bear, the actual star isn’t an EP, but the second-billed co-star is (Ayo whatever her name is). To me it reeks of insecurity…certain actors just want an EP credit like it’s the ultimate form of validation.

Oh would you give it a fucking rest with "THE BEAR" already, R122? How many times are you gonna keep wedging that into threads in a feeble attempt to promote it? Enough already.

I miss James Caverly, that adorable deaf boy.

The many wallpapers in Meryl's apartment were the highlight of the last episode, which otherwise felt like a complete slog again.

Despite the A-list supporting cast this season, the only highlights have been the two people who ALWAYS steal every scene in which they appear: Jane Lynch and Tina Fey. I’m now convinced there was no reason to introduce new characters when more time could be spent with people introduced in Season 1.

I thought Tina Fey's appearance was amusing, but rather pointless. Jane Lynch's appearance was also pointless and I didn't even find it amusing.

R127 It's otherwise quite hard to find a place for Lynch, though. She's a mannish character actor, great at improv.

She can't be a romantic interest, or a lead character, so she has to play weird shit like "Steve Martin's gender-bending stunt double."

Even after reading this thread, I watched the latest episode and didn't consciously notice the wallpaper. I have no idea what you guys are going on about.

Uh, I don’t think Tina is all that good of an actress. I feel like the creators think she’s hilarious in every scene and… she’s just not.

I don’t care what anyone says, I love Jane Lynch. She makes me laugh in everything she’s in.

There's nothing about the wallpaper to note here. An earlier poster noted the wallpaper and a few of us asked them WTF they were talking about, then somewhat lovingly referred to them as the DL Wallpaper Queen.

I don't think there's any attempt by the producers to actually highlight the wallpaper on the sets. It's just part of the set design meant to convey the both the personality of the character whose home it's in and the fact it's an upscale Manhattan building. Other than that, there's nothing extraordinary about the wallpaper so, everyone can sort of just calm down about it. It was borne from one person's comment.

**speculation about episode 5**

Do we think Meryl is the secret mom of ben’s brother? She called him ‘that nice brother’ when she was on the ferry, and Ben seems to treat him badly, maybe Meryl didn’t like that. He was also in the background of all those clippings at the end alongside Ben. Hmm.

I love the scenes with Jane Lynch and Steve Martin.

What I think is off about this season is that Mabel, Charles and Oliver don’t have many scenes together. That was the original spark of the show

It’s still good though and will watch to the end.

The show is quite mixed. I love the New Yorkiness about it.

But more often than not it doesn’t live up to its promise.

Enjoying season 3 than most of here. (Ep 4, by Regis’s daughter, was the worst.)

The whole Broadway show thing has ruined the season. It destroys what the show is about, by splitting up the trio’s focus.

Are they not doing a podcast anymore?

[quote] The whole Broadway show thing has ruined the season. It destroys what the show is about, by splitting up the trio’s focus.

That and the actress playing Loretta is terrible. You can practically see the wheels turning inside her head every time she tries to emote. Click, click, click!

[quote]Now with Meryl Streep

She'll be a complete HAM

Selena's voice seems to be getting more and more nasal. It's annoying me now.

I agree with the posters pointing out the dynamic between the 3 leads is missing this season. Their fun old vs young chemistry was really what made the show click and it's getting lost in all the Broadway bullshit. The trio's interactions with each other are a big part of the fun. It's very charming and even touching in the first two seasons. It's definitely off now.

Meryl is loved by her former co-stars, she keeps working with them and getting them to throw her roles

It was inevitable that this show would do the cliche Broadway thing. I loved that scene with Meryl singing the lullaby song but other than that, I'm sick of the Broadway thing. I don't think east coast based entertainment people; producers, writers, etc., understand that Broadway is mostly a New York-centric thing. People love theater globally of course, but there just aren't hoards of people hungry for Broadway shows or Broadway themed television. The campy slapstick of it wears thin very quickly and it's all just so cliche.

I avoid most of what Meryl Streep is in because she's such a hammy scene-chewer, but I did enjoy that little song.

Happy birthday, Meryl!

Yeah, Meryl and Ashley Park sang that song beautifully.

I read that Meryl was freaked out in anticipation of recording that song, which they gave to her two days in advance and is not an easy piece to master.

Lots of credit to her for continuing to challenge herself like that. Just having to duet with a Broadway pro (Park) is high risk.

Someone on the crew told me that Asley Park literally tried to upstage Streep during “Look For The Light.” You can see when Park first lands on the “stage” she’s somewhat in front of Streep on her left side but in the next shot she’s definitely brhind her. My crew friend said Park was nobody’s favorite on set on those shoot days this past winter.

Interesting about Ashley Park. And sort of too bad because I've really liked her in everything I've seen. For this show, though, it would sort of make sense that her super thirsty character would be trying to upstage Meryl.

[quote]I don't think east coast based entertainment people; producers, writers, etc., understand that Broadway is mostly a New York-centric thing.

So is pretty much every aspect of "Seinfeld," still one of the most heavily watched TV shows of all time. (Even in reruns on Netflix.) And "Only Murders..." is easily Hulu's biggest hit. I'm thinking the problem here isn't NYC; it's you.

[quote]There's nothing about the wallpaper to note here. An earlier poster noted the wallpaper and a few of us asked them WTF they were talking about, then somewhat lovingly referred to them as the DL Wallpaper Queen.

I've been on DL hit or miss the past few years, but I clearly missed the earlier "Only Murders" threads, because I'll readily cut any bitch who wants to duke it out for DL Wallpaper Queen! I'm definitely a design nerd, but I've been geeking out about Charles's entire apartment – including, but not limited to, the wallpaper – more than literally any other I can remember. That paper is NOT cheap, nor are any of the fabrics elsewhere in Charles's apartment.

I immediately recognized the striped fabric on his sofa, since I have nearly the same one as a bolster for my bed: it's one of the designs Paul Smith did for Maharam, which also produces pretty much every cool original midcentury-era fabric designed by the Eameses, Knolls, etc.

Anyway, it stands out more in some episodes than others, and one room has an orange-based print that's particularly noteworthy, but I assume the production designers were basically following Steve's own lead here. He's an art collector and apparently has a Rothko and Ed Ruscha being used on set, but I saw a spread years ago of his apartment – I assume in Architectural Digest – and he has SPECTACULAR taste: very modern and in line with what's shown on the show. He has some of the best design chops I can recall seeing on a straight guy!

And while I hate using the word outside of the context of a museum, it seems like the point is that Charles has carefully curated his belongings in a *very* specific manner, having lived solo at the Arconia for 30+ years. (Oliver's apartment, meanwhile, is of course a hot mess, much like its occupant. And Mabel's apartment now looks nothing like her, since her aunt's selling it – except that seems unlikely given the show's premise, and I assume the aunt will kick the bucket and leave the flat to her before the end of the season, or at least the beginning of the next one.)

New York-centric is a weird complaint r143. This show's DNA has always been NYC, as they say the city itself is a character.

I like it.

R149 I love everything about your post. You’re clearly a man with taste but there is only one Wallpaper Queen.

Why is Selma Gomez referred to as if she's some industry giant and amazing actor equal to Martin and Short? She's totally one note. She has one facial expression, and she speaks in a monotone. She's NOT attractive. It's like she's totally sleepwalking through this entire season, all puffy and stiff.

What am I missing?

But no one is calling her some amazing actor r153. While her costars get award nominations she does not.

Hey gays! It's your original Wallpaper Queen here. I still haven't seen E4 or 5 if it's even out yet, no interest at this point, but just read all the latest comments here.

You know, I never said the wallpaper looked cheap or ugly. I've worked in production design and I'm very aware of just how expensive it can be. I merely commented that bold graphic wallpaper was constantly being used in many of the interiors sets, almost to comic effect.

All I can say is that if you haven't noticed that by now, you're really not paying attention, or terribly visual.

Well, NOW when I watch this I notice the wallpaper.

The only time I’ve ever paid attention to wallpaper was when the same one showed up in several different shows within a season or two. I can’t remember the other shows where I saw it, but it was in the kitchen of The Americans where I saw it the most.

Last week's episode ("The White Room") was written by Regis Philbin's daughter, who's also a co-executive producer this season.

Martin Short is insufferable.

R153 what R154 said. Selena held brings viewers in as she has a HUGE SM following.

Martin Short has followed the same pattern my entire life (which spans a whole 40 years!):

I see him in something and find him absolutely hilarious. However, it doesn’t take long for him to veer into “annoying and insufferable” territory. A good example is the Jiminy Glick character. I thought the routine was soooo funny the first time I saw it. However, it didn’t take long for a decades-long dislike of Short began to emerge. I really couldn’t tolerate him again until the mid-2010’s when he and Steve Martin did a Netflix or Broadway special…

R157, coincidentally, that was the worst ep this season by far.

As someone who never watched Gray’s Anatomy, I found Jesse Williams much more attractive before I had to endure his acting. He’s hot, but not believable as a suave and mysterious stranger.

I really hated The White Room episode. It wasn't at all relative to the series or the story at hand really. I get that they were portraying his nervousness at being back on the stage but, it was just odd and seemed to take up way too much time.

And those bitching about poor Selena Gomez: I don't understand the hate and irritation with her. Just because she's not a typical blonde, giggly white girl talking in baby voice doesn't mean she's "one note". Yeah, she's a bit deadpan in her delivery; but she's portraying a character who's noted to be no-nonsense, direct, worldly and stoic. Pulling that off and having people think it's Selena Gomez's own personality perhaps speaks to the likelihood that she is, in fact, a very good actor. They've made it a point to frame her as beyond her age, or having "old lady energy". So how odd would it be if she were hopping around shrieking about murders in the building as if she were Aunt PittyPat fleeing Atlanta?

[quote] Pulling that off and having people think it's Selena Gomez's own personality perhaps speaks to the likelihood that she is, in fact, a very good actor.

Or maybe it's that most of her haven't seen her in anything else so we don't know how versatile she is.

I just don’t buy the friendship of Mabel and the two guys.

It’s really reaching. And Mabel is pretty charmless.

^I disagree I think it's sweet

That's entire premise of the show, R165. You don't have to "buy it", but it's kind of the first thing you have to embrace or suspend disbelief about if you're going to try and like the show. The three of them became friends during a fire alarm or some such thing, when they realized that they all listened to the same true crime podcast and we huge fans of it. So, they did give context for their friendship which was pretty plausible. And, as R166 says, really kind of sweet. I would have loved two older dudes as my BFF's when I was 20-something. If anything, Mabel living in that fancy apartment is the thing that's hard to believe, but they cover it as being her aunt's home, who has retired to Florida or something. And this season, they note that the aunt has finally sold it, so it isn't like she's just living there in some fairytale situation. She was basically living there and house sitting for her aunt until it was sold. And the remodel and aforementioned wallpaper and such apparently was done by the aunt in order to prepare it to sell.

Not sure it's coming back but regardless, I hope they find a way to keep her in the building in the end. It would seem weird if she moved-in with one of them so I'm not gonna be satisfied until they're all written as staying at the Arconia indefinitely. That's what would make a happy ending for me.

Oh, and I wish they'd give Martin Short's son more screen time. He's nice, and I got a crush on him when they did that little Fosse number a couple of weeks back. ;- )

I enjoy the New Yorkiness of it and the fun supporting, recurring actors like Jackie Hoffman and Jayne Houdyshell, who remind me of so many people in NYC.

I find much of the interactions of the main three a bit hokum. And Martin has his moments but I don’t feel like he’s trying that hard.

As someone noted above, Short can be wonderful at moments then quickly move into annoying.

[quote] I find much of the interactions of the main three a bit hokum.

Oh, dear!

I would love to have known what Pauline Kael would have thought of this hokum. But then again she never reviewed TV shows.

I wonder how they settled on Selena. Miley Cyrus would’ve been better in the role.

R171 No. Miley Cyrus is never the better choice for any role.

I think the idea was to make her a daughter of ethnic immigrants. She was a likely an easy choice for that millennial age given her social media popularity.

I was originally cast in Serena's role.

[quote]she has a HUGE SM following.

But why tho.

[quote]I don't understand the hate and irritation with her.

I thought she was fine in previous seasons, honestly. Not special, but fine. This season she seems ugly and flat and toneless and charmless and inconsistent, to the point of being annoying.

[quote]Yeah, she's a bit deadpan in her delivery;

The phrase "a bit" is going a hell of a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.

R175 no idea why she has a huge presence as I've never seen anything or heard her songs but the fact she does properly helps with OMITB

Holy fuck, who's the loon obsessed with hating Selena Gomez?!? Let it go already and don't watch the show if she irritates you so much.

R176 She dated Justin Bieber peak fame and is besties with the Taylor Swifts, Britney Spears' and Christina Aguileras of the Millennial world. That would probably explain her SM popularity.

Before the show, I only knew of Selena because of her Bieber connection. I can’t imagine them together now based on her current looks.

Was Selena the girl on holiday with Bieber when he was airing his hairy pinga on some tropic beach, and getting papped

I really liked this show but for some reason this season is boring me to death.

She and Bieber could be twins.

[quote] She and Bieber could be twins.

Yes, the blond Canadian and the Latina, identical.

R183, they both have what can only be described as sexy toddler face.

I think Bieber's nudes were pretty shocking at the time

R175 & R176, it's more than a bit obvious that you're in the Geezer Club with Steve & Marty. Saying Selena has a "large SM following" is actually an understatement: she LITERALLY has more Instagram followers than any other woman ON EARTH (427 million!), and is third behind two of the most iconic footballers of all time (see link).

[quote]She dated Justin Bieber peak fame and is besties with the Taylor Swifts, Britney Spears' and Christina Aguileras of the Millennial world. That would probably explain her SM popularity.

Or – here's a thought – maybe she earned her fame on her own? Biebs isn't even in the IG top 10! Hell, even Taylor Swift isn't! (That said, IG is a great example of just how large the world's Latine population is: I'm guessing most DL bitches know even less about Ariana Grande than Selena, but she's #2 in terms of follower count as a female celeb.)

I do usually enjoy her banter with both Martin and Short but I agree this season is doing her no favors . I especially liked one scene in an earlier season between the boys discussing the the word rando and how she had taught them a word and Short replied "same" like a youngster. It was very cute they were picking up her young lingo.

For what it's worth both Martin and Short really love her.

And yes at that age consider her a friend. Don't you have friends of different ages?

All I can say is that as an Old Geezer myself, and having never seen (and barely heard of) Selena before this series, I'm totally baffled by her appeal on any level. Sweet, pleasant presence but totally ordinary.

Can any of you youngsters provide a link of her performing in something earlier that might provide some illumination for me that drives those 427,000,000 fans crazy?

As a fellow old geezer who has never heard her sing, I find her delightful on this series.

I’m enjoying this season as much as I’ve enjoyed the first two, which is very much. The three leads are excellent, and the guest stars always add, never detract. It’s as if the creators know how to bring out the best in everyone on screen. I can understand that opinions will vary though.

She's kind of funny, and much more natural, in the brief intros to the Aftershow program (new episode every week; hosted by Michael Cyril Creighton.)

She's just OFF this season.

Never had a problem with her in seasons 1 and 2.

I’m enjoying the season, but the plot seems to be stalled; the mystery isn’t moving forward. It’s halfway through and still hasn’t found its footing. The murder board is full of suspects we’ve seen very little of, only 3 people seem to live in the building considering the lack of attention to the other residents, no one has a job yet they’re too busy to do the podcast. I hope the second half of the season pulls it all together.

R186 = The LITERALLY Queen

R186 has got to be 12 years old. Maybe 13, but no more.

"She LITERALLY has more Instagram followers than any woman, ON EARTH!!" LOL! - THIS is the mark of fame and importance to people like R186.

Having hundreds of millions of followers on IG has done wonders for her health, love life, and weight!!!

This season has been a little uneven but the newest episode feels like a delightful return to form.

Good to hear because after White Room we stopped watching for the time being.

No momentum.

It certainly is a marker of fame and is a monetizable asset. Now you can certainly argue whether she is worthy of the fame, but social media follows are real in the way Nielsen ratings used to be real.

Episode 6 was actually good.

I think she's also viewed as heroic because of her lupus and two kidney transplants. She started a cosmetic company with perfectly ordinary products and became a billionaire off of it because of her devoted fan base. Impressive.

If episode 6 was good then the bar is now very, very low.

This episode was lame. Did we learn anything new other than what Jonathan was using Ben’s doctor for?

The broadway stuff isn’t cutting it for me, plus I miss the Arconia sets

And I don’t give a shit about Paul Rudd’s character and don’t care who killed him

I agree 100%, R206. And let's not even discuss Steve Martin and the fish.

Steve Martin was particularly tiresome in this episode. I won’t mind it if his character gets killed off and he’s not in Season 4.

if Mabel is moving and Oliver has a heart condition, maybe this is the last season.

I, too miss the more Arconia-centric sets. The resident meetings and HOA drama stuff. But I also called it last season when said that the mark of any dying television show is when they begin to wedge-in cameos and guest appearances by famous people, like Tina Fey, Shirley MacLaine and now Meryl Streep. It's sort of stunt casting and begins to make the show drift away from the characters that made it beloved. This should probably be the last season anyway.

They had a good first season, a middling second, and now this dreck....it's time to call it a day and let Steven Martin get back to his ukulele and pork pie hats.

LOL R211.... Those ukeleles and pork pie hats are just so WACKY, aren't they? Just as zaney as throwing one's head back with mouth agape while putting both index fingers in the air. It always brings the house down.

Steve has said he's retiring from acting completely after "Only Murders" is over.

R213 Chance would be a fine thing. He hasn't been at his best for twenty years.

He's become maudlin, self-obsessed, clumsily postmodern, and far too goddamned musical. I don't want to watch every Boomer's favorite comic actor pluck away at a banjo and bitch about the art scene in Santa Fe.

This show definitely lost its way. So much has changed this season, and not for the better. They’ve abandoned the podcast, The Arconia, even the murder investigation. Instead we get endless scenes in and about the theater and more scenes with magical realism that do nothing to move the plot along.

All I want to know is where the FUCK is Jackie Hoffman? She should take over the podcast.

R216 That’s a genius idea. Downloads on that podcast would go up. It’s a shame that they cast her aside.

I keep thinking the cast had more fun filming this than I'm having watching it.

Yeah, it feels self-indulgent.

I just started season 2. Selena Gomez is a terrible actress, but the part is well written so her terribleness isn't too distracting.

They've abandoned everything so that we can get love interest themes from all three characters. I never tuned-in to watch some giddy little romance comedy series. It's not what they sold us on. I hope it ends this year.

I am enjoying this season. It’s feeling a little like they don’t know where to go next, but the cast additions (Meryl, Jesse and Andrea) are all good.

It was a mistake building so much plot around guest stars who only appear sporadically. Last week's episode ended with Martin Short finding Meryl's stalker-y scrapbook and then of course she didn't even appear this week. There's zero momentum to any of the storytelling.

How many episodes left?

4 episodes left. I wonder if releasing the whole season at once would have been smarter. It would still have been a slog, but maybe watching it in a day would have made it feel less dragged out than watching it slowly unfold over several weeks.

I think the major problem with the show is:

Season 1 was a brilliant satire about true crime podcasts and their fans. To a lesser extent, Season 2 was as well…

However, Season 3 made the mistake of assuming people want to see the 3 main characters in zany adventures or falling in love. The less one-dimensional the characters become, the worse the show is.

Was Paul Rudd's character gay?

[quote]Can any of you youngsters provide a link of her performing in something earlier that might provide some illumination for me that drives those 427,000,000 fans crazy?

Sure, Gramps. She started out as a child actor at the age of 10, first on "Barney & Friends" (yes, seriously) and later as the lead on the Disney show "The Wizards of Waverly Place," which ran for five seasons. (It did well enough that Selena became one of the ten highest-paid child actors of all time.) From there she continued acting but also segued more into music, which she'd started during her Disney years. Her band's first single, which she released at the ripe old age of 17, went 4x platinum, and although she later went solo and experimented with a variety of different music styles, she was one of the top-selling musicians of the entire 2010s.

In stark contrast to today's "nepo babies," Selena started with nearly nothing. Her mom got knocked up in high school in the Dallas area, and had Selena at 16. They were financially troubled for most of her youth, and partially homeless on occasion. After her initial "Barney" success, she mostly got minor acting jobs in Texas, but then got her big break with "Waverly Place." (Btw the subsequent TV movie made after the series ended is still the second highest-rated cable movie of all time, behind "High School Musical: The Musical.")

What I think *really* sealed her place as an icon, however, is how open she's been with her mental health struggles. I know there's a far greater emphasis placed on mental health today versus five years ago, but Selena was doing it TEN years ago, after cancelling the final part of a world tour due to lupus. She's also one of the only major celebrities who've openly, and without prompting, admitted they're bipolar. (As opposed to, say, Britney Spears, whose bipolar disorder was basically revealed when the papps snapped her shaving her head & she had all the 5150 holds and conservatorship.)

Also, while Gen Z celebs are *definitely* more openly political than any prior generation, Selena's advocacy for a WIDE variety of causes – including a ton of LGBTQIA+ ones btw, for which she's been honored by GLAAD – definitely stands out. Starting at 16 (!) she launched a get-out-the-vote campaign in advance of the 2008 election (and I assume it's stating the obvious she was an Obama supporter). And while Angelina Jolie makes sure a sizable PR entourage covers her every move "helping" troubled African countries, Selena's given FAR more time AND money to similar causes, but along a far greater breadth of fields. After George Floyd's murder, she let the co-founder of Black Lives Matter take over her Instagram account and its obviously huge following to educate her followers about systemic racism and police brutality. She's been extremely outspoken about abortion rights, even *before* Roe v. Wade was overturned, and she's possibly been most involved with UNICEF and its efforts to provide clean drinking water to Africa – and if you're not familiar with the topic, I'll just note that nearly all of Africa's groundwater supplies are toxic, and its myriad problems are one of the main reasons people throughout the African continent have significantly weakened immune systems. (Among other things, it's why HIV & AIDS are as prevalent there among heterosexuals, including women, as gays.)

Finally, the one colossal advantage that comes with having 400 million Instagram followers is that any person in that position has enough influence to generate vast sums from both sponsored posts and ones encouraging donations: she's paid $1.7 million PER POST (!), and in many cases donates the entire amount to one of the myriad causes she supports.

[quote]All I can say is that as an Old Geezer myself, and having never seen (and barely heard of) Selena before this series, I'm totally baffled by her appeal on any level. Sweet, pleasant presence but totally ordinary.

I'll just note here that you may be confusing Selena with her character. Mabel is intentionally droll & sarcastic, and her character's the "straight man" in the show's trio. (When your costars are as animated as Steve Martin & Martin Short, I don't think it's possible to do anything *but* be the straight man!) Watch one of her concerts (or even music videos), and you might understand it better. She definitely looks vastly different dolled up in glam makeup & attire.

[quote]She's just OFF this season.

Agreed, but – again – I think it's *Mabel* who's off, not Selena. The entire first episode was about her loneliness over basically losing Charles & Oliver to their Broadway show, and also the imminent sale of her apartment. And now Oliver's ended up being such an incredible ASSHOLE to her has made everything worse.

[quote]I’m enjoying the season, but the plot seems to be stalled; the mystery isn’t moving forward. It’s halfway through and still hasn’t found its footing.

Sadly, I have to agree here as well. It was a given that they'd have to change up the show's formula at some point, though going to such a ridiculous extreme to ensure that Ben died at the Arconia was more than a bit much. I feel like part of the problem is that Meryl only agreed to do half of the season's episodes, or the producers simply couldn't afford her ask for more than that. Having Oliver discover her Annie Wilkes-esque "#1 obsessed fan" book, only to have her ENTIRELY absent from this week's show, was stupid. (Albeit not as stupid as any of Charles's subplots this season. Getting stuck in a theatre stock room with a smoke machine and his ex's fish, which he literally flushed down the toilet, was just sad.)

Unfortunately some TV shows have sooner expiration dates than others, and I think "Only Murders" is getting to that point (barring some sort of genuine idea to return the writing, and characters, to their first-season roots). Given that it's Hulu's highest-rated show, I doubt they'll cancel it, but I could definitely see them doing a going-out-on-top type of thing (e.g. a voluntary cancellation, a la "Seinfeld").

[quote]Was Paul Rudd's character gay?

We've seen nothing indicating that, but OTOH there's also been no mention of him having a wife (even an ex-wife) or kids, and like Rudd, the character's supposed to be around 50. (So yes, he's probably a total homo, and for all we know his killer could be his closeted gay lover. If so, I assume it must be Tobert, if only because that's one of the gayest character names I've heard in YEARS!)

Well, the show is doing well on the streaming charts so a sure thing to be renewed, it seems.

[quote]Starting at 16 (!) she launched a get-out-the-vote campaign in advance of the 2008 election (and I assume it's stating the obvious she was an Obama supporter)

I hope she didn't vote!

[quote]Episode 6 was actually good.

All the episodes without M. are superior.

It's wild that the DL pretends to ignore the existence of Selena Gomez when it had an exhaustive following of Wizards of Waverly Place costar David Henrie for so many years. To say nothing of Peter DeLuise's leaked power-bottom pics. She's been on our periphery for years.

R228 i think a huge part of her popularity was that she dated Justin Bieber for a while. He was at the height of his fame and she was his girlfriend for three or four years. That had to have gotten her major instagram followers.

I watched Wizards of Wavery Place. I don't recall her at all. She left no imprint.

This show is more popular than ever.

The Wallpaper Queen, I’m not sure if you’re caught up or if you gave up but the latest episode takes place almost entirely in the theater. Oliver trails a failed director up to the rafters where he is squatting in a little nook. The room was so small that both actors had to play the scene sitting down. I half expected to spot wallpaper on one of the walls but there wasn’t any. Just now I listened to a podcast on OMITB and they had on the production designer, Patrick Howe. He said for set dressing he used rolled up wallpaper that was left over from various productions in the theater. I swear the wallpaper is more intriguing than the actual story this season.

Slate apparently has a piece about how some find Martin Short annoying.

Herewith

Does anyone know which theater they filmed in? The grand staircase was gorgeous.

I hate that there's a hit piece out on Martin Short now. He is what he is - of course he's annoying, that's his schtick.

If you're talking about the Slate piece, it starts out as a hit piece but it's really an appreciation of his various characters. Short works very hard to get people to laugh and love him. The writer hates Ed Grimley but, in many ways, Ed is easier to take than Oliver Putnam. Oliver romancing Loretta could have been cut to a few minutes.

How can anyone hate Jiminy Glick? I love any character that attacks celebrity.

The author of that hit piece at R242 needs to go fuck himself with a dead porcupine.

Martin Short is a delightful human being and an enduring comedic talent.

[quote]It was inevitable that this show would do the cliche Broadway thing. I loved that scene with Meryl singing the lullaby song but other than that, I'm sick of the Broadway thing.

I keep hoping the camera will pan back at rehearsal and Brooke Dubek will be revealed, following which she will take charge of the stupid musical and get everyone back on the rails, or at least be amusing trying, unlike the current cast.

The song WAS great, though.

R240, it’s the Union up in Washington Heights, where the Tony Awards were held this year.

R245, I'm curious if anyone else got that reference! (Still sad the show was cancelled, but I gather the showrunners made it impossible to continue.) I doubt HBO (or Max or whatever) would let Hulu borrow the character, but I do think the show's always been a bit too male-tilted – this season even more so with Michael Cyril Creighton added to the main cast – and aside from Selena and Cara Delevingne, even the recurring female characters have all been north of 50 (e.g. Jane Lynch & Tina Fey). Heléne Yorke could actually be both a realistic character who's a friend of Mabel's – she & Selena are both millennials, and Selena could be the straight man to *her* over-the-top personality as well.

This was the first episode in weeks that actually seemed to move the plot along. I did laugh, though, when Steve Martin commented to Jackie Hoffman about being the same age. Jackie Hoffman is only 62. Steve Martin is 78. Poor Jackie.

Is it official there will be no Season 4? thought this was the number 1 show on Hulu.

I assume it will get renewed so long as the stars want to continue.

I loved Matthew Broderick and Mel Brooks.

R251 = Nathan Lane and Anne Bancroft

Theo is cute. He needs more to do.

I’m r133 and now I definitely think Meryl is the bio mom, or some relation, to Dickie. I don’t think she killed Ben, but she hates him because he took credit for what Dickie created. And now that Mabel suspects dickie, I don’t think he’s the killer, either.

Aww, Bunny. Her episode last season still makes me sad.

Broderick was tolerable.

Why would she keep a Ben scrapbook if she hated him?

In all the pictures and articles in the scrapbook, dickie was in the background. She could’ve been collecting clippings of him.

^In the few pictures we saw, but I imagine all of them had Dickie photos or mentioned him.

Theo is looking very sexy but it's distracting when Mabel isn't even facing him and he still seems to understand her. She also is on and off with signing, and I don't think that's how it works.

Theo is looking more like Nathan Lane's son than ever.

If I was Mabel, I would need to be the meat in a Theo/Tobert sandwich. They’re both good looking.

When is Theo going to fuck Tobert?

Are deaf guys loud in bed?

Ugh, any sign of Ferris Bueller in Matthew Broderick is long gone. He is so schlubby and heading toward appearing as a late middle aged male lesbian.

[quote] Martin Short is a delightful human being and an enduring comedic talent.

And I always look forward to seeing his delightful wife!

Jackie Hoffman was amazing in this week's episode. Pretending to split half a sandwich with Steve Martin, only to leave him with the bill - which also includes a heaping bag of to-go food.

"Thanks for breakfast. I also ordered lunch and dinner!"

I agree she’s funny. And she was great on Feud: Bette vs Joan. But there’s sometimes a whiff of Levittown community theater acting in her work.

R263 More than a whiff. That's Jackie's demographic, and she loves it, and FUCK YOU for thinking it's a bad thing!

She's right at that intersection of haughty Jewess, tired suburban frau, and crass backstage fag hag.

I thought Mabel had been established as a CoBro fan, so why did deaf guy have to feed her information about the movies?

She was a fan of his undercover teen detective show

[quote] it's distracting when Mabel isn't even facing him and he still seems to understand her.

This annoyed the fuck out of me. He can't hear you, you annoying cunt.

I chuckled at that- when she turned her back to him and did her little speech. He obviously didn’t understand, but just rolled with it. He didn’t ask her to repeat it or sign ‘hey, you have to look at me when you’re talking’. I think that was intended to be a funny moment, like she’s so into it that she’s just rambling to herself mostly.

The show was generous in pointing out that deaf people cannot automatically "read lips" and be understood. Even skilled lip-readers can only get a fraction of the conversation right.

Really enjoyed ep five. Streep, Short, Lynch and Martin were pretty great.

And it advanced the plots, vs focusing on the theater stuff.

[quote]Broderick was tolerable.

He was sure as fuck better than Sting! Still: kinda weird that they acknowledge him starring in "The Producers" and "Ferris Bueller," but his decades-old marriage to Mr. Ed isn't referenced even once.

R271, I think this is a fictionalized version of Broderick where he’s a fussy old “confirmed bachelor” so thus no Mr. Ed.

I’m cracking up by you all discussing the Mabel and Teddy scene! When she turned her back and stopped signing I thought, “Wait…so is he just mute? I thought he was deaf!”

Anyone watch the new episode?

(Don’t want give away spoilers)

I’m starting to think Oliver Putnam is the killer

How many more episodes? I don't think Streep did it.

I think it's the fey son producer, and Mommy's protecting him. I could tell by the way she shifted her wig that she's used to covering up bad mistakes.

She was putting on red lipstick, too. She probably had a hand in it.

Did dickie sort of admit to Meryl that he pushed Ben down the elevator shaft? It kind of sounded like that- that he was so mad when Ben showed up to the party that he couldn’t deal and offed him.

He didn’t do the poisoning.

This was a very slow episode. They only seem to have enough plot for half a series this year.

Great twist and Streep was a terrific narrator

[quote] This was a very slow episode.

This was a very *long* episode. Almost 40 minutes. I thought it was one of the better episodes, though, as it actually moved the plot along. But I agree there was no need for 10 episodes this season. They probably should have trimmed in down to 6-8.

Which little brat made mommy go splat?

I like this song.

Hahaha, today I’ve been walking around singing, “Which of the Pickwick triplets did it…”

This is some Eminem shit right here:

“Which of the Pickwick Triplets did it?

Which little putz had the guts to kill?

Like a forensic pediatrician I'll complete this inquisition,

I will name the neonatal from the cradle that proved fatal,

I will find the perpetrator who did murder to their mater...”

Why does Michael Cyril Creighton get billing in the opening credits?

I think he’s good but he’s barely been in it. (Just finished the Jackie Hoffman-centric ep and he wasn’t even in it.)

**Spoilers for todays ep**

I knew Ben was talking to the cookie and wrote fucking pig himself. Called it way back around episode two or three. Donna poisoned him, but her son probably pushed him down the elevator shaft. But, I’m still not ruling out Tobert.

The fathers of the bride line was cute since Martin and Short were in those movies. Where does Mabel live now? I missed that part. With Theo?

The Five Whores!

[quote]Why does Michael Cyril Creighton get billing in the opening credits?

Pretty sure it's because he's the only other actor on the show in every episode.

She never said r287. Just said she had no place to live

Mabel mentioned in the previous episode that she’s staying with Theo in The Arconia.

The DL sleuths (or sleuth) pretty much figured out the plot in the first few episodes.

However, since the murderers in the previous seasons have been women, I’m still convinced Tobert is behind the poisoning AND fatal fall.

Best episode of the season. There was movement in the story and the gang is back sleuthing/podcasting. A bunch of really solid laughs too. I did clock the wallpaper in the dressing rooms at the theater.

Good for MCC for getting regular billing! We love a fellow queen getting a steady check.

Doesn't Theo live in Astoria with the rest of the Greeks?

That was an AWFUL episode, absolutely terrible. Incredibly slow and badly shot. The credited director was someone called Cherien Dabis, which I think is a fake name/anagram because the “direction” was so embarrassing and downright inept.

And that was NOT 35th/Broadway, the exteriors of the Snitch N Stitch shop was clearly somewhere in Queens or Brooklyn.

Cherien is a real live person.

"YOU'RE THE FIVE WHORES?!?!?!?!?"

R289, he hasn’t been in all eps this season. And most he’s barely in.

R299, I'm afraid you're mistaken. He's only had one or two lines in a few eps, mainly the early ones, but he's been in each of them. (That said, I agree that including him in the opening credits is odd, given that his role barely even qualifies as a supporting character, aside from the few that have shown him doing actual sleuthing.)

[quote]However, since the murderers in the previous seasons have been women, I’m still convinced Tobert is behind the poisoning AND fatal fall.

Fair point, but who else aside from Donna would've been sent the early review that she shredded? Or have direct access to rat poison? Or known that the attic in question existed in the first place? Also, unless it's a false memory of some sort, Donna was the only one in possession of the poisoned cookie. It's possible that Cliff did the poisoning, but Tobert seems like a stretch.

That said, we have no way of knowing whether the same person (or persons) both poisoned him AND killed him. I'm thinking the penultimate episode was accurate in terms of the flashbacks showing the half-hour before showtime – meaning Donna did poison him – but the twist will be his actual killer at the Arconia.

Since it's DL, I assume you bitches wouldn't be the least bit surprised to discover that Ben was a Confirmed (but closeted) Homosexual, ensconced in a torrid romance with Tobert. (Remember all the closeted actors IRL who always claimed their gay lovers were their "assistant" or "personal trainer"? Personal videographer seems like a reasonable extension.) Maybe Tobert's actually straight – he did hook up with Mabel, after all – but Ben had something on him? (Think along the lines of last season's "White Lotus": the hot British chav was straight but somehow coerced into fucking his "uncle," presumably via threat of death of some sort.) Have they had even a SINGLE mention of Ben (definitely around Paul Rudd's real-life early-50s age) even *dating* anyone? How many well-known celebs have ZERO known dating history at that age?

Anyway, I thought the penultimate episode was one of the better ones – having *two* back-to-back sans Meryl was ridiculous – though Oliver's heart attack was a stupid idea for a subplot (albeit not as bad as Charles's "white room" hallucinations or him getting stuck in a toilet-equipped theatre closet with a fish). I'm actually most curious if they'll use the finale to set up S4, like they did last year with the time jump & Ben's murder, and how they specifically do it. The biggest mystery to me is how the fuck Mabel can stay at the Arconia; crashing with Theo is just a short-term thing, and I sure as fuck hope they devise a clever way of keeping her in the building.

Or maybe they'll say fuck it, change the title to "Only Murders in the Borough," and spread everything throughout Manhattan.

Ep 5 he was credited only. Check IMDb.

[...]

Meryl really added a lot this season too

We loved the latest episode, and I’ve been conflicted about the season to date (love Meryl and get a kick out of players like Jackie Hoffman, but some has been corny and the mystery dragged for a bit, while I’m not feeling the Jessie Williams character).

Tobert has to end up being shady. Maybe he watched Ben fall down the elevator shaft and did nothing like he did nothing to help the baby elephant when it was in trouble. Remember that story he told Mabel?

R305 I thought that story was a metaphor for how he witnessed Ben's issues (as his documentarian), but did nothing to help him out of the mire until it was too late.

Anyone watch the season finale (no spoilers!)

Just wondering if it was a good ending

I just watched it. It was okay but not as good as the first few finales.

Renewed for a 4th season!

I did appreciate Tobert being put in the same class as Liam Neeson.

Great finale.

Assuming the Tobert character pays off in season four.

So M killed yet another series? She’s the new Ted McGinley.

I liked it better than season 2's finale.

That’s exactly how a Nova Scotian constable would run!

It was shiny.

The finale was decent, but it was dumb to have Mabel on-stage to take a bow with the rest of the main cast and producers.

[...]

[...]

It was exactly who I said it would be in the first episode of the season.

What a shocker.

R317 maybe she’ll just be in a season long coma and that is good enough for the podcast.

[...]

Was Meryl the killer?

[...]

R323 thanks, did she have some good scenes in the finale?

[...]

The writing room will be starting work immediately, so I assume they’re looking to run the season around the same time of year.

I've seen trailers for this show but never watched it. Is it worth it? Do they explain why a 30-year-old woman is hanging out with two 80-year-old men?

Meryl sealed her Emmy win

R327 they live in the same building and bonded over true crime podcasts. Now they are friends. It’s cute.

R319, you seriously predicted at the beginning that Ben was originally poisoned on the fly by Donna, and then subsequently murdered at the Arconia by her son? Kudos if so, but for now I'M the only one who got it right! (albeit not until a week ago)

"Also, unless it's a false memory of some sort, Donna was the only one in possession of the poisoned cookie. It's possible that Cliff did the poisoning, but Tobert seems like a stretch.

That said, we have no way of knowing whether the same person (or persons) both poisoned him AND killed him. I'm thinking the penultimate episode was accurate in terms of the flashbacks showing the half-hour before showtime – meaning Donna did poison him – but the twist will be his actual killer at the Arconia."

R319 From the first scene featuring the killer(s), it was obvious they would have something nefarious going on.

The first season killer was the most surprising and random. The second season was a little less so. This season's solution was obvious to me in two minutes. Hacky actor jeopardizes a risky Broadway show and then winds up dead? Who could POSSIBLY have a motive for killing him and recasting the role? Who has the most to lose, financially?

And watch it with the spoilers, honey bear. Some of the Elders won't be able to catch the finale until they get the last of the dried pudding off the TV screen.

Meryl really latched on to a great little role

[quote]She was going to confess that she murdered Ben (Paul Rudd) to protect her son from going to jail because he was going to get arrested for Ben's death.

If anything, this occurrence was the biggest clue that Cliff did it. Dickie would've been much too obvious. Donna's voiceover in the first scene sealed it.

While I obviously get that TV shows are fiction, this season *really* pushed the bounds of plausibility – and no, not just by depicting Meryl as an actor whose brilliance was entirely overlooked until her 70s. The writers went to considerable pains to avoid naming the publication Maxine wrote for, but it was obviously supposed to be the NYT – leading to my question for our resident Broadway queens: is there ANY chance whatsoever that a Times critic would simply hand over a pre-release copy of a review to the show's own *producer*?? While obviously something like this wouldn't *generally* result in a homicide, it seems like a definite journalistic no-no. This is nitpicky, yes, but also the one event the entire season *hinged* upon.

Finally, while I'm glad they concocted a way to return to only murders in the building, next season will by necessity need to start with how a LITERAL SHARPSHOOTER killed Sazz, in an apartment solely facing an interior courtyard. (You need military-grade training & hardware for that kind of shit, and even in Gun Happy 'Murica, THAT level of extreme firearms is thankfully rare.) I can already guess that the twist could very well be that the killer was, in fact, aiming for Sazz, not Charles, though explaining why they did so in the dark in Charles's apartment will obviously be a stretch. (And I really wish they'd clarified Mabel's living situation instead of leaving a dangling thread for a fourth season that we may not see till 2025, depending on how long the SAG strike continues.)

OTOH if Sazz turns out to be an alter ego of the actual Sue Sylvester, and Rachel Berry is the one who kills her, I'd fully support this turn of events.

Cliff's actor is as gay as a picnic basket, and is apparently operating on the fringes of New York theater society.

He played a mince in this series, and a mince in "Difficult People." I guess he stays true to life.

Meryl was so magical in this role.

She’s been so praised to the nines that there is an inevitable backlash.

But, boy, this was a lovely little role but not awards bait by a long shot.

She elevated it like nobody’s business. I was charmed every moment she was on screen.

I enjoyed Meryl, but seeing her and Martin Short kiss was revolting. 🤢

R331=Max Bialystock.

R333 is under the delusion that the NYT has any remaining journalistic ethics at all. Honey, not for years, maybe a decade.

R338, you’re visiting from MAGALAND?

No, R339. From sane and rational land that doesn't like to see MAGA propaganda pushed any more than I like to see anti-Dem Left-Populist bullshit pushed.

I have my gripes with the NYT but when you say they have no journalistic ethics at all you’ve lost the argument. They have a higher ethical bar than almost every major outlet.

No, R341, and that you think so proves you haven't paid any attention to the last few years, but especially this past year. From blindly and mindlessly parroting the false reports from a terrorist group that Israel bombed a hospital killing 500 (above the fold front page), to the constant trashing of Biden, and carrying water for and normalizing Trump. They have no ethical bar anymore.

You’re insane. Literally.

You're willfully blind and living in denial. Literally.

Any newspaper that continues to employ Maggie Haberman has no journalistic ethics at all.

Another example of the utter lack of any journalistic integrity in the NYT:

Um...I dunno about all THAT, but I personally love this show. And to love means you don't nit pick. So I take it in, and appreciate it at face value without having to compulsively find fault with every little thing.

To say that Martin Short is exasperating is to not understand him or get him at all. He is who he is, who he has always been. And either you get it and you like it, or you don't.

I loved the White Room episode. I love when Steve Martin starts singing the song and it morphs into "shit! Fuck! Shit! Fuck!" and he loses his mind. That was great.

I love that Oliver has a fucking STAGE in his apartment. I want his apartment. I have some renovations coming up and I now intend to find a place to build a little stage, maybe in my living room nook. I am creatively inspired by the sets. And yes, the fucking WALLPAPERS are scene stealers, but in the best way possible.

I liked Cara Delevinge's acting and her character. But again, I'm not a cranky eldergay who hasn't been to an art opening in forty years. That storyline was interesting and engaging to me, especially when she was staging scenes from Mabel's trauma, which was shocking and disturbing and inspired.

The card game, too, was brilliant. I mean, just brilliant. I wish I had such a creative mind to come up with this shit, and they way they wove the card game and the idea of "tells" throughout the entire season was just so clever.

I loved his whole physical comedy thing in Season One after the bassoonist poisons him and he's crawling around to the elevator. The guy is almost 80 and he's doing physical comedy of this calibur? It's incredible and we are lucky to have this.

I thought Selena was and is great in her role. Again, either you get it, or you don't. Doesn't make the show or her character or her acting wrong. It's perfect for who her character is and what she's been through.

I think Theo is the cutest thing I have ever seen and I wish he was my boyfriend.

I thought the Andrea Martin character was superfluous and there was no reason for her to be in the show except to set things up for that wedding dress situation. Maybe that's all it was.

Meryl was amazing.

Howard is the gift that keeps on giving.

The sets, the apartments, are just stunning. The whole thing in Season Two with the secret corridors made the building a character and I was enraptured with it and loved spending time in that world.

I'm excited for Season Four! I just turned on a friend to this show so I will be rewatching from the beginning to keep up with my friend so we can dish about the events together as they unfold.

Haven't watched since season 1. Selena gomez disney channel acting made not want to watch further. I wish they cast someone who can actually act and has comedic timing.

No one has mentioned how hilarious the song "Angel in Flip Flops" was or how funny it was as Steve Martin's character's ring tone, popping up at awkward times. That shit was funny!

R347 Her acting was fine. She's a disaffected traumatized aging hipster who has trust issues, and she does have somewhat of an arc. And her timing is great, especially as it goes along. You know, three seasons and all. You just don't have the patience or the wisdom to give things a chance. Sad, you're the one missing out. it's a great show.