DISCLAIMER: This recap of Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 2, “The Beat Goes On,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Welcome back, Arconiacs! “The Beat Goes On” showcases some of Martin Short‘s show-best work. Seriously, he’s a compelling presence here. Short deftly dissects the nuances of Oliver Putnam while our fave theater director experiences a major health event: a heart attack. Short’s performance is as introspective as it is funny and poignant.
There’s a tonal shift this season. It’s not quite as lighthearted and boisterous as the past two seasons. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s an adjustment. Season 3’s new melancholic tone allows for more character depth and examination. Oliver isn’t the only one to experience that in “The Beat Goes On.” Mabel struggles to find her place in the world, which I strongly relate to as a 30-something. But, as Ben says, late bloomers make the world go round.
Ready to delve into “The Beat Goes On”? Let’s get to it.
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We open with Ben (Paul Rudd) providing narration, rattling off a monologue about listening to your heartbeat before you die. We see him falling through the elevator shaft. Then, we flashback to three months earlier, wherein Ben is rehearsing a scene for Death Rattle in his trailer while Oliver (Short) coaches him. Ben can’t wrap his mind around the heartbeat monologue, which is for the show (and aptly fits his impending death). Ben works with a mannequin of a woman who has a rattle lodged into her plastic mouth.
Later, that mannequin reemerges as it’s being carried out of the theater. Oliver stops the stage manager and tries to dissuade her from striking his set. She tells him that it’s over now. He discovers that Donna and Cliff are evading his calls. Then, he yanks the dummy out of the stage manager’s arms and storms off in typical Oliver dramatic fashion. I love him.
Then, we see Mabel (Selena Gomez) watching an episode of Girl Cop, the show that launched Ben’s career. She closes her laptop and looks at the photos she snapped of Ben’s corpse in the elevator that night. He appears next to her in his Girl Cop garb and early 2000s frosted tips. Obviously, he’s a ghost. She discloses her massive crush on him. I mean, he’s Paul Rudd. We’re all crushing on him. Mabel also reveals how lost and directionless she feels. Ben dispenses sage wisdom, stating that late bloomers like them make the world go round. Oof. I needed to hear that.
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Next, Charles (Steve Martin) reads Ben’s note from opening night. Ben gave the cast and crew hankies with little red rattles on them. Despite Ben’s hatred of Charles, he was no exception. Oliver barges into his apartment. We learn they’re attending Ben’s funeral. Mabel also winds up on Charles’ doorstep, and our intrepid trio attends it together. When they arrive, they learn they’re not on the top level of the church with all the A-listers and Hollywood movers and shakers, but on the third level. That’s where the funeral’s being televised. Oliver wanted to network!
Additionally, we see Kimber (Ashley Park), Ty (Gerald Caesar) and Bobo (Don Darryl Rivera) on the third level, so apparently, Ben harbored no love for his Death Rattle co-stars and crew. Mabel sidles next to Greg (Adrian Martinez), Ben’s bodyguard. Ben reveals he’s actively trying to solve Ben’s murder, just like our girl. Oliver calls Charles’ phone to get his attention, which blares out “Angel in Flip-Flops” at full volume for the ringtone. Pitter-patter, y’all.
Mabel informs Charles that Greg might have intel, so she’s heading to his place. Charles accompanies her. They notice a ton of memorabilia from Ben’s prolific filmography at Greg’s place. I’d expect nothing less of a CoBro. As a Ben Glenroy fan, Mabel is in awe of Greg’s extensive collection. However, while Greg is out, they notice something strange. All of Ben and Greg’s pics are photoshopped — as in, Greg inserted himself in them. Greg is not who he says he is. He knocks Mabel and Charles unconscious.
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Meanwhile, Oliver pulls aside Maxine (Noma Dumezweni), a theater critic, and asks her to publish her review. She saw the play before opening night when it was at its best. He believes she was going to pen a glowing write-up of the production. She sits down with Oliver and lays bare everything she found wrong with Death Rattle, from Ben’s performance to the staging. He should be glad her review will never see the light of day now. Although, it certainly would’ve been her most vitriolic piece yet. Maxine encourages Oliver never to hold back before departing the funeral.
We see another flashback to that same rehearsal session with Ben and Oliver. Oliver asks Ben what’s holding him back. Why is he struggling to say his lines? Ben wonders if, after a career of being these larger-than-life characters on film, he can’t be himself onstage. Oliver offers encouragement to his leading man. Meanwhile, at the funeral, Oliver appears to have a heart attack. We see this play out as Ben recites the monologue from the opening scene again. Oh, no!
Next, Mabel and Charles wake up in a basement. They’re chained together. Mabel gets to sit on a toilet, which will surely come in handy later. Charles and Mabel talk about Ben. She apologizes for leading him here. Then, she tells him why she loves Ben. After her father died, Mabel’s mom wouldn’t leave her room for six months. Mabel would spend every week watching Girl Cop by herself until one day; she heard her mom laughing at the show from the other room. That’s how they reconnected and what ultimately reinvigorated her mama — watching Ben’s TV series. How sweet.
Charles reveals he wasn’t very nice to Ben. We see a flashback of the aftermath of Oliver and Ben’s rehearsal session. Charles pops into Ben’s trailer to congratulate him on his great work. Ben mocks him. He reminds Charles of his guest-starring role as a child on Brazzos and how Charles got him fired. Unfortunately, Charles doesn’t remember that. Ben vows to make Charles feel as unwelcome as Ben felt on that set.
Meanwhile, Greg emerges with his tools of torture. He plans to get a murder confession out of them, one way or another. While Mabel and Charles assume Greg killed Ben, given his obsessive behavior, Greg feels the opposite. He believes our duo (plus Oliver) murdered Ben. Thankfully, before Greg can administer the torture, the police arrive. Detective Biswas (Gerrard Lobo) introduces himself, revealing he knows all about them from Detective Williams. She told him they were a pain in the ass. He also states they’ve been following Greg for a few days now. He’s obviously not Ben’s bodyguard but an obsessed super fan stalking Ben for years.
Later, we see Oliver back at his apartment, with a doctor and Will (Ryan Broussard) watching over him. He had a minor heart attack. The doctor suggests he make drastic changes to his lifestyle, including his diet (No dips!) and managing his stress. He must take medication and wear a monitor to check his heartbeats. Now, it’s about ensuring he doesn’t have another one that isn’t so minor. Oliver jokes about Bob Fosse having five heart attacks. Well, it eventually killed him, so there’s that.
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Next, Mabel and Charles return to the Arconia. Mabel reveals she snapped photos of Ben’s body after he crashed through the elevator ceiling. If Greg supposedly had Ben’s hankie, which the former admitted to when they were tied up, then whose hankie did Ben have in his hand when he died? We see a replay of Ben falling into the elevator, with our pair highlighting different scenarios. Ben could’ve grabbed it from someone’s neck, hand or pocket before he fell. This sends the investigation into a whole new direction.
Then, Oliver wakes up on his couch to a musical performance in his living room. Charles, Mabel and Will boast black sequinned outfits and bowler hats. They perform a number with Fosse-style choreography while Mabel recites verse about Oliver not continuing with Death Rattle because it will give him too much stress. “The show can’t go on,” she says. It’s such a fun little choreographed moment.
Oliver bursts into Charles’ apartment with news. Death Rattle can’t continue in its current form, but he plans to morph it into a musical. Death Rattle Dazzle, that is. The show can go on … with song and dance. He doesn’t tell them about his minor heart attack, which means it’ll come up later when Oliver’s life ostensibly dangles in the balance. Mabel and Charles reveal some different news — one member of Oliver’s cast killed Ben. Uh-oh. They might have to restage the show simply to find his killer. This also means the podcast is officially back for Season 3. Huzzah!
RELATED: Catch up on the Arconia antics with our Only Murders in the Building recaps!
“The Beat Goes On” is an exciting, action-packed installment with a few plot twists in its arsenal. Again, it’s light on the laughs (although Short and Rudd get in a few jokes), but our core trio, ultimately the heart of this show, still ensures the emotional center remains. It wouldn’t have panned out if the writers had attempted to execute a tonal shift in Season 2. However, a big creative swing like this works since we know these characters inside and out. We’ll see how it fares in future episodes.
Do you like this narrative change? Will Oliver successfully stage his musical without complications? Did someone in the cast murder Ben? Only time (and more episodes) will tell.
Only Murders in the Building streams new episodes every Tuesday on Hulu.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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