DISCLAIMER: This recap of Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 3, “Grab Your Hankies,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Welcome back, Arconiacs! “Grab Your Hankies” is a solid outing that pushes the narrative forward (and investigation, for that matter) in an exciting direction. Of course, I don’t think Kimber is the killer. The first suspect is seldom the actual murderer. However, this is how our sleuthing trio (well, duo in this episode) operates: they check a few fakes off the list before they get to the real McCoy.
This episode keeps a steady pace throughout while shining the spotlight on the new faces in our crew. We get to know Tobert and Kimber more. We’re also blessed with that stunning lullaby (And those ethereal voices!). I hope we’re gifted more incredible musical numbers this season.
Ready to delve into “Grab Your Hankies”? Let’s get to it.
RELATED: Check out our recap for Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 2, “The Beat Goes On”
We open with Oliver (Martin Short) conducting his musical masterpiece, Death Rattle Dazzle. Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) and Jonathan (Jason Veasey) sit on Oliver’s couch, providing notes for Oliver’s creations when necessary. Oliver must craft a showstopping number to impress Donna and Clifford, so they’ll fund the musical. He’s been at it all night long (all niiight, all niiight). Meanwhile, Charles (Steve Martin) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) stare at their murder board while trying to decipher the mystery. They’re also recording footage for new podcast episodes. Charles urges Mabel to criticize him for his work as Oliver does. Aw. He misses his oldie bestie.
Then, Oliver meets with Donna (Linda Emond) and Clifford (Wesley Taylor) to present his concept for Death Rattle Dazzle. Donna hates it. Plus, their leading man was just murdered. That tends to put a damper on things. Clifford tries to voice his opinion separately from his mama, but she overpowers him. Emond is hilarious in this scene.
Mabel and Charles surmise that whoever in the cast doesn’t have their hanky is the one who killed Ben Glenroy. After all, the late actor did give hankies to the cast and crew of Death Rattle as an opening night gift. Charles decides to bond with his cast and persuade them to present their hankies. How? Like the smooth-as-butter, super cool cat he is — with zero social inhibitions.
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Sure enough, when Charles reunites with Kimber (Ashley Park), Ty (Gerald Caesar), Jonathan and Bobo (Don Darryl Rivera), he tries to convince them to bring their hankies to their next rehearsal so they can craft a quilt in Ben’s honor. Oliver bans Mabel from his apartment because he doesn’t want her openly investigating the murder during rehearsals. How rude.
Next, Oliver starts rehearsal for the musical number he wrote. He hopes to stage it and invite Donna and Clifford back to his apartment for a show. Perhaps this will impress them. They decide not to wait for Loretta, who’s late, and to get started. Meanwhile, Mabel runs into Tobert (Jesse Williams) in an elevator. Both are en route to Ben’s apartment. Of course, Mabel’s conducting her investigation, but Mr. “Robert with a ‘T'” doesn’t need to know that. Mabel makes up an excuse for seeing Ben’s place. She claims he left a headshot for her there.
While rehearsing, Loretta (Meryl Streep) makes her grand entrance. She excitedly informs Oliver that Dickie, Ben’s brother, is now her manager. He’s getting her some important auditions, including one for a Grey’s Anatomy spinoff in New Orleans. He clearly looks fearful he might lose her. Side note: this is a fun nod to Jesse Williams’ role in Grey’s Anatomy. Loretta also tells Oliver an anecdote about starring in Little Shop of Horrors before its Broadway run, which is a reference to Steve Martin appearing in the 1986 film of the same name.
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At Ben’s swanky pad (previously owned by Amy Schumer), Tobert pretends to look for a missing camera piece while Mabel fakes her search for a headshot. Tobert believes they should both come clean. Suddenly, Dickie (Jeremy Shamos) arrives, sending Mabel and Tobert fleeing for a cupboard. Uh-oh. This looks suspiciously romantic.
Once inside said cupboard, Tobert declares he knows why Mabel is there — she’s investigating Ben’s murder and hunting for clues. Initially, he slaps the “cute” label on her podcast, but he backtracks and admits he loves it. Then, he launches into a story about how he spent time filming animals in Africa. One day, he saw a baby elephant get caught in a stream as he was perched in a tree. However, he doesn’t finish the tale. Mabel discovers Tobert’s looking for his camera, which Ben yanked out of his hands the night he died. Ben did this while the camera was still filming. Perhaps it caught something vital in his dressing room.
Next, Mabel and Tobert share a sizzling moment after Dickie departs. They clamber out of the cupboard together. Before parting ways, they even get each other’s names right. This is barreling down Romance Lane, y’all. I’m okay with it. Meanwhile, Charles invites the Death Rattle cast to his apartment for wine. Once again, he tries to rally them together on the hanky front. Episode two belonged to Martin Short; however, this one goes to Steve Martin. He’s hysterical and still comedically sharp as ever.
Kimber and the others want Charles to persuade Oliver to put the musical to bed. None of them wants to work on it. Plus, it’s made Oliver unbearable. Charles reluctantly agrees to talk to his buddy about it. Thankfully, Kimber, Ty, Jonathan and Bobo all vow to bring their hankies to the next rehearsal.
At Oliver’s apartment, we see him practicing a beautiful lullaby with Loretta on the piano. It’s meant for the nanny to sing in the show. He admits that Loretta is the only one who understands his vision. They almost share a kiss (again) when Dickie interrupts the proceedings to reveal that Loretta got the part on the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff. Eek!
Oliver looks less than enthused. He learns Loretta must leave ASAP to film. It’ll conflict with Death Rattle Dazzle. Oliver puts his foot down and refuses to let Loretta go. He claims it’s a breach of contract. Loretta storms out. Damn, dude. Be cool! Meanwhile, Mabel brings Tobert his drive to a coffee shop. She demands to know the password so she can access the footage. It’ll reveal what happened to Ben before he collapsed onstage.
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Tobert finishes the elephant story from earlier. He admits he never got out of the tree to help the baby elephant, but he kept filming. Thankfully, the baby’s mama returned to save her child. He doesn’t want to sit on the sidelines anymore. Tobert offers to assist Mabel with her investigation. Charles addresses the cast’s concerns to Oliver, revealing they don’t want to do the musical. Loretta returns to Oliver’s apartment with Dickie. Oliver immediately apologizes for being a jackass. Good, as he should. He asks her to sing the nanny’s lullaby for Donna and Clifford. We see the producers arrive, along with the rest of the cast.
Loretta takes to the makeshift stage and begins performing the gorgeous number. Inspired and moved by Loretta’s performance, Kimber joins her onstage, singing the harmonies. This moment gave me goosebumps. During this song, Mabel and Tobert watch the video footage from Ben’s (Paul Rudd) dressing room on opening night. He’s addressing someone off-camera. He claims he must resist whoever this is, but he can’t.
After Loretta and Kimber’s performance, which brings some of the audience to tears, Donna states her thoughts. She thinks it’s a lovely tune but not a showstopper. She declines to produce the musical. However, Clifford is on board. He claims he’ll fund it as his first solo producing endeavor. Donna is proud.
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Oliver delivers the good news to Loretta. The show is back on in a new form! Loretta decides to stay in New York and work on Death Rattle Dazzle. She and Oliver finally smooch. Aw. Charles compliments Kimber on her performance. He asks her for her hanky. Kimber claims she must have lost it or “donated it to a good cause.” Uh-oh. He texts Mabel, informing her that Kimber doesn’t have her hanky.
Well, it might make sense. After all, it seems like Kimber and Ben had an affair. A jilted lover is always a motive for murder … especially ones in the building. Dun, dun, dun!
RELATED: Catch up on the Arconia antics with our Only Murders in the Building recaps!
Martin Short and Meryl Streep have easygoing, natural onscreen chemistry that sizzles, y’all. I love these two together. We need more projects with them. Streep seems to be having a blast on this show, too, and it translates well in her pitch-perfect performance. I mean, she’s Meryl f*cking Streep. Of course she was gonna knock this one out of the park. Side note: at some point, I’m gonna need Loretta to say, “Well, it’s a real Sophie’s choice.” Get it? Because Streep starred in Sophie’s Choice? Tough crowd.
Ashley Park delivers intriguing work in “Grab Your Hankies” as the enigmatic ingenue Kimber. There’s clearly more beneath her surface that’ll be fun to explore. As someone who’s worked in the acting field, I’ve met plenty of ingenues like Kimber — competitive as all get-out.
Do you think Kimber is the killer? Who else is high on your suspect list? Will Oliver chew Charles and Mabel out for investigating the case while he stages his musical? 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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