Only Murders In the Building Season 3 Episode 5 Review: Ah, Love!
Denis Kimathi
at
.
Updated at
.
Ah, love! It doesn't matter what age it finds you. It's always exciting, just like the first time.
Only Murders In the Building Season 3 Episode 5 revolved around the romantic lives of the main characters as Charles dug into his lover's life. Oliver went on a first date with Loretta, while Mabel had a surprise date with Tobert.
Everything happened against the backdrop of Ben's murder and the trio's attempts to solve it, leading to unintended consequences for Charles and a shocking reveal about Loretta.
We'll do Charles the honor of beginning with him because it was unbelievable that he had fallen into the same routine twice. But however unbelievable it was, it was also possible, and we entertained that possibility in the Only Murders In the Building Season 3 Episode 4 review.
The biggest tell was Joy's apparent obsession with Charles and her admittance that she would have done anything to protect him.
All that went up in smoke when she opened up her heart about why she cared so much about him, and it made sense. They had spent decades together, and even when Charles didn't notice Joy, having him on her makeup chair was the highlight of her day.
Charles tried to get some information about the lipstick from Joy, but she was too thrilled about the upcoming nuptials to notice that he was serious. His agreeing to be the one to ask her the questions was a bad decision.
He should have at least given her the benefit of the doubt because he stood to lose a lot if his inquiry went south, and it did. Mabel and Oliver volunteered severally, but Charles was hellbent on ruining a good thing he had going.
Sazz dropped by, and isn't Jane Lynch always fun to watch as she does her thing?
Sazz was the only person who knew Charles intimately enough to be able to figure out what the problem was. Oliver had tried it, but the results were not quite as satisfactory.
It appears that insecurities never disappear, no matter how old someone gets. If they deal with one, another rises to take its place.
Charles was so insecure it hurt me to hear him talk about himself. He didn't think he deserved happiness, and Joy's radiant persona promised so much joy.
Elsewhere, Oliver was climbing walls because his first date with Loretta was coming up.
He had the typical first-date jitters and looked like a teenage boy going on their first proper date.
It would be an understatement to say it was a disaster for the first part.
Loretta wrestled with her kitchen and managed to whip up something resembling dinner. The only thing that was well made was the carrots; all she had to do was chop them up.
Loretta: I love that little snort you do.
Oliver: You do?
Loretta: Yeah, I do. You're like an adorable little piglet.
When they moved the date to the ferry after the tooth mishap, the old Loretta and Oliver came alive. There was no effort to impress. It was just fun.
Ben's murder was always lingering around, and suddenly, Oliver found himself in Charles' position with a girlfriend who might be a killer.
Loretta appears to be the apparent killer because she hated Ben, but that would be too easy.
She is pretty vocal about how much she despises him, and one would think that the killer would love to draw attention away from themselves in connection to Ben as much as possible.
Mabel found herself on a surprise date she was prepared for, and boo!
I'm not a fan of a new romantic interest every season, and in the Only Murders In the Building Season 3 Episode 3 review, I gave the reasons why. It is for those reasons that I refuse to see them as endgame.
Tobert: Honestly, it's really tough to stay in contact with anybody when you're constantly travelling. Yeah, And if you don't have a partner to ground you, put down roots...
Mabel: Is that something you want?
Tobert: I think about it.
But on their totally non-endgame date, they realized that their goals intersected. They wanted to settle down, and that was something Mabel had wrestled with at the beginning of the season.
In our killer clues, the episodes presented many candidates, from Loretta to Joy and Jonathan.
However, I'm more inclined to believe that it is still Dickie because it is a known truth that Ben was an as*hole, and no one saw that more than Dickie.
The episode was not as funny as the predecessor, but here are the top three funniest moments.
At number three was the tooth "ferry" line. It was so well incorporated one would have missed it easily. It dawned on me just as it was dawning on Oliver, and I chuckled.
Loretta: Family tradition. When I was a girl, whenever I'd lost a tooth, my mom'd take me out on the Mississippi River on the ferry boat and when we got underneath the bridge we'd throw the tooth overboard and make a wish.
Oliver: The tooth fairy can swim? Tooth fairy... tooth ferry. Yeah. OK, OK, now I get it.
Loretta: It's really corny.
The second place goes to Joy and her presidential fish. Andrea Martin as Joy has grown on me, and I love how she brings the character to life. Joy explaining why she named the fish President McKinley was quite hilarious.
I always wanted to be friends with the president, but this one's an asshole. You think I don't see what you're doing? You're slimy, thin terrorist. I do not tolerate bullies here in solitary, POTUS.
Joy
Number one is the elevator exchange between Mabel and Oliver. How could that not have been hilarious, given that it ushered in the opening sequence?
Oliver: It's been a while since I dipped my quill in a woman's ink pot. Any new rules I should know about?
Mabel: Please don't make me take the next one.
"Ah, Love!" was appropriately titled because it pivoted into the characters' romantic lives. The best thing was that they didn't forget about the murder mystery.
It was a little light on the laughs, but you can't always have it all.
As we enter the second half of the season, there needs to be an upping of the ante where the murder is concerned.
Oliver discovered some upsetting information hidden in Loretta's books, and it would seem she was obsessed. That was quite the shocker, and the revelation promises to be juicy.
For now, that's all on the mystery Arconiacs.
Who do you think killed Ben? Are we on the same boat with Dickie, or do you have someone else in mind?
Do you think the incident on opening night is connected to Ben's eventual death?
Let us know in the comments section.
Denis Kimathi was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.
