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The third season of “Only Murders in the Building” has come to a close, finally revealing the mystery of who killed Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd). Our team at Mashable correctly identified some aspects of the case, but also made some incorrect deductions and fell for a major red herring.
Who killed Ben? The truth was revealed!
In episode 7 of Season 3, titled “CoBro,” there was significant drama unfolding, with Charles quitting “Death Rattle Dazzle” due to a challenging patter song. This led to Oliver recasting the role with Broadway legend Matthew Broderick, who made a cameo appearance along with playwright/lyricist Mel Brooks from the musical “The Producers.” Speculation arose that the producers of “Death Rattle Dazzle,” Donna and Cliff DeMeo, could be involved in Ben’s murder. It turns out they were indeed responsible for his death, but not for the reasons initially thought.
Why did Donna and Cliff kill Ben?
In the penultimate episode, “Thirty,” Mabel, Charles, and Oliver discovered that Donna poisoned Ben with a cookie laced with rat poison after seeing a negative review that would have killed the show. Donna’s intention was not to kill Ben but to sabotage him temporarily. However, Ben eventually died after leaving Oliver’s party to take a phone call where he learned he had been poisoned.
How did the handkerchief factor in as evidence in Ben Glenroy’s murder?
The white handkerchief with red rattles, a gift from Ben, played a crucial role in the murder investigation. Mabel and Charles initially believed Ben had grabbed it as he fell, leading to further revelations about the case.
Revealing the True Culprit in Only Murders in the Building
In episode 7 “CoBro,” Uma Heller (Jackie Hoffman) revealed she’d shoplifted the bloody memento and sold it to someone she assumed was a CoBro fan. But it was Ben’s brother Dickie (Jeremy Shamos), who bought it because he thought he was protecting Loretta (Meryl Streep) — with whom he had a connection that could not yet be explained. In “Opening Night,” Loretta revealed he’d given her the hankie, and when she shared this with the OMitB trio, they spotted Donna’s lipstick amid the blood stains. However, a minor ritual on opening night revealed the handkerchief’s true owner.
Before the show began, Donna took Cliff’s hankie from his breast pocket, blotted her lipstick, and then put it back. “One for the lips,” she said, kissing his face. “And one on your heart.” This is how Mabel realized it was Cliff, not Donna, who ultimately killed Ben. Donna’s lipstick — but Cliff’s kerchief!
Curiously, a tale of mother and child being fiercely protective played out over and over this season. Loretta falsely confessed in “Sitzprobe” to save her secret son Dickie from suspicion. Donna poisoned Ben to save Cliff from bad reviews. Dickie hid evidence to protect his birth mother, Loretta. Cliff killed Ben to save his mother from prosecution. Even in Death Rattle Dazzle, the nanny (played by Loretta) kills the detective (played by Ben and Oliver) to protect the Pickwick triplets. And she does it by pitching him off the lighthouse! (How eerily prophetic!)
The Innocence of Tobert
Okay, so Tobert the lying documentarian with true-crime interests was a red herring. His crush on Mabel and wedging himself into the case may have been sincere (or a bit of career ambition), but it wasn’t to cover up some murderous secret. His handwriting — which seemed like it would be a clue — meant nothing. On one hand, he was a great suspect. On the other hand, Only Murders in the Building already had a love interest who proved to be the killer with Season 1. So, maybe it’s best they didn’t retrace that step.
However, Tobert could well factor into the newly announced Season 4. After all, he was at the Arconia when another murder was committed in the building….
How to watch: Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building is now streaming on Hulu.
