Only Murders In The Building recap: Meryl Streep delivers a musical showstopper

Who had Meryl Streep beautifully singing and then sharing a passionate kiss with Martin Short on their Only Murders In The Building bingo card? Because the Hulu comedy doesn’t waste time bringing love birds Oliver and Loretta together. By the end of this episode, they have their first fight, make a showstopping musical number, and exchange a sweet smooch. They easily form the most interesting subplot, leaving Mabel and Charles’ arcs in “Grab Your Hankies” behind. It’s odd because the latter two are actually investigating Ben’s death. But we can’t blame Oliver for focusing on his big Broadway break and a blooming romance instead of hunting for clues.

OMITB’s entertaining two-part premiere last week was also super busy. It established a central mystery (RIP, Ben) and introduced potential new suspects, ensuring Charles, Mabel, and Oliver can kick off another round of their podcast. There’s not a lot of taping going on for now. “Grab Your Hankies” is a breather, the tepid aftermath of an amusing beginning. I didn’t mind a meandering episode this early on because it’s used to flesh out some of the characters. And it’s necessary to get invested in Kimber (Ashley Park), Loretta, Tobert (Jesse Williams), and whatever drama they bring. The half-hour is slow and lacks Rudd’s over-the-top performance. But it’s not mere filler. It simply takes time to get to the meat of the story: Loretta’s sentimental musical act, which plants hints of Kimber’s jealousy and convinces mother-son duo Cliff (Wesley Taylor) and Donna Demeo (Linda Emond)—who share another creepy peck, if you’re keeping count—to invest in Death Rattle Dazzle.

I know, I know. It means Charles, Mabel, and Oliver aren’t the real crux. OMITB always feels amiss if Short, Gomez, and Martin don’t exchange ridiculous banter, poke fun at each other, or galavant around the Arconia. So this episode falls short in that regard. It splits them up by giving them individual tasks. Again, it’s a necessary step so OMITB can expand on new dynamics. It means Mabel forms a hopeful new connection, Charles bonds with his Broadway castmates, and Oliver works with Loretta and Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) to turn his murder mystery into a song-and-dance show. The result is a mixed bag that’s nevertheless fun to watch.

Since the episode divides the trio, let’s do the same to unpack their subplots from least to most fascinating. Charles, I’m sorry to say, draws the weakest card. His mission is to figure out which Death Rattle Dazzle star doesn’t have the handkerchief Ben gave them as an opening night gift. (Reminder: Mabel spotted a hanky in Ben’s cold, dead hand after his body fell, indicating he grabbed it off of his killer in his final moments. His own was stolen by his imprisoned stalker.) Admittedly, Charles rambling on and on to them about wanting the hankies is funny; Steve Martin is great here. It’s nice that Kimber, Jonathan (Jason Veasey), and the rest get some proper dialogue. But it was still a dragged-out way to reveal Kimber doesn’t have her hanky. (Park narrating the episode should’ve been a sign, anyway.)

Meanwhile, Mabel’s mission separates her from Charles and Oliver. She doesn’t get screen time with them except for a brief scene with Martin in the beginning. (Gomez busts out her best Short impression here because they’re missing Oliver. Aww!) And then she is off to snoop around Ben’s penthouse before it’s emptied. She finds an unexpected companion in Tobert, Ben’s documentary cameraman. The two lie about what they’re looking for before being trapped in a closet to avoid Dickie (Jeremy Shamos). So, clearly, OMITB is launching a third potential partner for Mabel. After Oscar (Aaron Dominguez) and Alice (Cara Delevingne), sparks are flying with Tobert. There’s some chemistry, no doubt, but I’d hate for Mabel’s emotional stakes to rely on one more romantic narrative. It could get tiresome.

On the plus side, Tobert admits he’s searching for the footage from Ben’s green room that recorded whatever went on inside before he dropped dead onstage. Sick of being the non-participant—the dude didn’t even try to help a drowning baby elephant in Botswana while filming a nature documentary—Tobert decides to assist Mabel with her “cute” podcast and crime-solving. Part of my brain is wondering if he has an ulterior motive (he probably does), and part of it is happy to see Williams again as an OG Grey’s Anatomy viewer. The recorded footage reveals Ben was yelling at someone, potentially hooking up with them later. Could it be Kimber or perhaps even Loretta? Or maybe it’s someone who will surprise us all?

Let’s move to Oliver, whose well-rounded narrative shines a light on his vulnerabilities, which reside under his bombastic side, as Loretta lovingly tells him. His heart attack is still a secret as he rushes to create new songs for Death Rattle Dazzle in a week. Everyone’s perturbed—no one wants to sing in a play they don’t understand anymore, not even Charles, who is simply happy to act in his friend’s musical without questioning the script (as his TV acting background taught him). Loretta is the only one on board. She gets it in a way no one gets Oliver—so much so that she decides not to move to L.A. for a role she booked in Family Burn Unit, the offshoot (of an offshoot) of a Grey’s spin-off, in favor of the musical. She could never ditch the man who discovered her true talent.

I think it’s lovely that Oliver found someone as weird and zany as him. For his sake, I hope it lasts (unlike Jan and Charles) even though I don’t think Loretta is just a shy, simple gal. Her vibes are suspicious—you don’t cast Streep and not give her meaty material. And god, she makes good use of said material at the end when she soothingly performs Oliver’s song in front of everyone. She does such a magical job, and everyone’s elated about Death Rattle Dazzle now, especially Cliff and Kimber. The latter gets up on stage to perform with Loretta. After supporting roles in Emily In Paris, Girls5eva, and Beef—displaying her vast range—it’s lovely to see Park ace a performance opposite Streep as well.

It’s a good thing, too, because we’re definitely getting more Kimber next week. She climbs atop the suspect list now. She’s missing Ben’s gift, is envious of Loretta’s newfound fame, and had the most interesting moment with Ben at the afterparty. How exactly did he mess things up for this Broadway ingenue? I hope OMITB continues digging into its supporting characters without sacrificing the unlikely friendship between Charles, Mabel, and Oliver. The episode was fine and fun, but it’s not the same if they’re not laughing at each other (or making us laugh in the process).

Stray observations

• According to OMITB lore, Norman Mailer once slapped Oliver Putnam. I just feel like this is a great piece of history.
• I enjoyed the two sporadic dialogues about Oliver’s storytelling ability:
  Oliver (to Howard): “Have you noticed when I tell a story, it has recognizable names and a point?”
  Loretta (to Oliver): “I love how all your stories end miles from where you start.”
• Hmm, who else raised their eyebrows upon learning how quickly Dickie signs Loretta as a client after Ben’s death?
• According to Donna, here’s what a perfect track should sound like so theatergoers keep buying tickets: “A song so irresistible, it’s a like a 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 a girls night out.”
• It’s very funny of the writers to properly introduce Jesse Williams’ Tobert in the same episode where they make a Grey’s Anatomy joke.
• Was Ben a secret Swiftie? He’s got a giant snake in his penthouse, and the Andy Warhol-style photos of himself look a little bit like the Eras tour poster, right?
• Someone make a video of Charles pronouncing “meme” on a loop, please.
• The musical number is called “Look For The Light,” and is courtesy of songwriters Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Sara Bareilles. Here’s more information about it, if you were wondering.
• For a totally delightful Ashley Park role, I highly recommend checking out this summer’s raunchy comedy Joy Ride.