Only Mothers in the Building

[setsuled]

The final episode of Only Murders in the Building season three aired last night, a solid finale with good moments, though I found myself more intrigued by the setup for season four.

Last night's episode was directed by veteran TV director Jamie Babbit (she also directed several episodes of the first two seasons) and was well constructed. Oliver rushing off stage and declaring he felt like he was 58 again was nicely treated as an aside while focus remained on Mabel exploring her doubt about the killer's identity.



It turns out the season had an overarching theme about self-sacrificing motherhood, mirrored by the Death Rattle Dazzle musical. It made the actual killer's identity the more obvious when Oliver, Charles, and Mabel confronted their prime suspect. The theme gave several actresses moments to shine this season, particularly Meryl Streep.



There were hints she might appear in season four and so might Tobart, Mabel's boyfriend. I'm still not too keen on the latter. But I haven't really liked any of Mabel's love interests. Somehow, they all seem very cold. Meanwhile, Oliver and Loretta suffer from being a little too comfortable. But it is a delight seeing Martin Short and Meryl Streep together.

Only Murders in the Building is available on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in most countries (Japan, for example).