DISCLAIMER: This recap of Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 4, “The White Room,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Welcome back, Arconiacs! “The White Room” boasts some fun Charles moments, with Steve Martin stealing the show. He’s still funny as hell, y’all. I love the callbacks to Charles’ Season 1 behavior, i.e., making his world-famous omelettes and picking locks, which is how he bonded with Mabel. It’s a solid outing packed with fun jokes, delightful character beats and propulsive narrative choices.
Now, while those choices take the heat off Kimber and move the investigation in a new direction, I really hope they don’t make Joy the killer. I don’t think the writers would, especially since Charles has already dated a murderer. This Joy angle has to be a red herring. Fingers crossed, it is.
Ready to delve into “The White Room”? Let’s get to it.
We open with Mabel (Selena Gomez) checking out a new apartment while Cinda Canning (Tina Fey) provides narration. Said new apartment looks very, very white. Also, the price per square footage is NYC in a nutshell. We see Cinda is now a blonde while she sits in her redecorated studio. She’s still furious about Poppy, and rightfully so. Cinda took a year off after the Poppy scandal to recharge and take time for self-care. She’s all about essential oils and breathwork now. Mabel thoroughly examines the apartment. A mysterious number sends her a text, claiming they need to talk. She rejects them.
In her recording, Cinda mentions how sometimes a routine can morph into an unhealthy obsession. As Mabel leaves the apartment, she informs the real estate agent that she’s not taking it. Speaking of apartments, we see Joy (Andrea Martin) in Charles’ (Martin) place. She’s moved into his home with her fish tank, which consists of 62 fishies. Holy moly. Joy asks Charles if he’s sure about them taking this next step in their relationship. Charles insists it’s all gravy. He’s spent so much time alone, so this is the logical move.
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 3 Episode 4, “The White Room.” Photo credit: Patrick Harbron/Hulu.
Later, Charles reunites with Mabel and Oliver (Martin Short) before rehearsal. There are dips aplenty because they’re in Oliver’s apartment. Oliver gushes about his burgeoning romance with Loretta, even though they aren’t officially dating yet. Mabel wants to chat about the case. Somebody in the cast of Death Rattle Dazzle murdered Ben Glenroy. Kimber is their prime suspect because she doesn’t have her hanky. Oliver, however, doesn’t like this selection. Kimber is one of his best singers!
RELATED: Gift Guide for True Crime Lovers
Mabel shows Charles and Oliver Kimber’s TikTok, where she’s amassed two million followers. She showcases her anti-aging serum, which Ben endorsed before his death. Clever, Only Murders in the Building writers. Paul Rudd is a bona fide vampire. Mabel wonders if Kimber administered poison via the anti-aging serum, which didn’t take. Then, she shoved Ben down the elevator shaft at the Arconia.
Kimber (Ashley Park), Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton), Jonathan (Jason Veasey), Ty (Gerald Caesar) and Bobo (Don Darryl Rivera) arrive for rehearsal. Time to put the murder investigation talk to bed for now. Charles rehearses his patter song, which is what they give to actors who can’t sing (Charles’ words). This feels like an Oliver move. Charles has been struggling to get it down pat. Suddenly, while performing, Charles is transported to The White Room. He boasts a white suit with a white bowler hat while holding a white paint roller. He dances around gleefully.
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 3 Episode 4, “The White Room.” Photo credit: Patrick Harbron/Hulu.
When Charles returns to Earth, we see he’s sitting in one of the baby cradles, pantsless, with a shoe in one hand and a baby doll in the other. The audience looks shocked. Howard asks if he can call his therapist, which Oliver allows. Kimber, Jonathan, Bobo and Ty explain that Charles went to “The White Room,” where you go to onstage when you’re so nervous you blackout. Charles is primarily a screen actor, and you at least get more than one take in TV. When in theater, that’s it.
RELATED: The Best True Crime Shows on Netflix
Oliver breaks rehearsal early to allow his actors to recover from Charles’ traumatic performance. Mabel believes they need access to the theater’s backstage to find Ben’s anti-aging serum to test it for poison. Only Howard has the key, so they need to go through him. Mabel appeals to his love for sweaters, claiming one of hers is still in the theater. He grants them ingress. Mabel does have the best sweaters, y’all. Later, Joy encourages Charles to make one of his famous omelettes to calm his nerves. While cooking, Charles recites the lyrics to his patter song with zero errors. He realizes making omelettes is his happy place. Perhaps that’s where he needs to go while performing instead of The White Room.
Joy mentions how she’s glad they’re living together. She talks smack about Ben for treating Charles like crap and how she wouldn’t let anything happen to him. Hmm. That’s not suspicious or anything. She orders Charles back to the bedroom to practice a few moves from the Kama Sutra. Meanwhile, at the theater, Mabel and Oliver run into Kimber, who’s inexplicably in her dressing room.
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 3 Episode 4, “The White Room.” Photo credit: Patrick Harbron/Hulu.
She reveals she runs her beauty empire from her dressing room. Kimber shows them her anti-aging serum and tries to sell our duo some products. Charles barges into the theater and pulls Mabel and Oliver aside. Mabel suggests she stay with Kimber to question her while Charles and Oliver search Ben’s dressing room. Oliver reveals it’s locked, but Charles brought his lock-picking kit. He’s a pro, after all. Kimber pops into the hallway to check on the trio. Mabel puts on her best “contemporary young woman” vernacular, which Kimber strangely buys. Charles is right — Mabel really does have “old lady energy.” As do I.
Next, Mabel asks Kimber questions about her relationship with Ben. Kimber discloses that she wasn’t dating Ben. She wanted Ben’s endorsement, and he agreed to use her anti-aging serum. She’s now selling more serums than she knows what to do with since his death. Oh, and she sold her hanky on eBay, thinking she’d get decent money for it. However, she feels guilty about that since it was the only thing from Ben she had. Sure, they had ups and downs, but Ben could be sweet. Mabel realizes Kimber isn’t the murderer.
Then, Charles picks the lock to Ben’s dressing room. He and Oliver stumble upon something quite shocking, which we don’t see yet. Kimber tells Mabel that Ben had a facial wound on opening night, but his makeup artist fixed it. They covered it well. Mabel wonders if his makeup artist was in the trailer with him in that footage she watched with Tobert. Mabel reunites with Charles and Oliver in Ben’s dressing room. They see the words “F*cking pig” with a pig face written in lipstick on Ben’s mirror. Mabel pockets the lipstick for analysis.
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 3 Episode 4, “The White Room.” Photo credit: Patrick Harbron/Hulu.
Charles heads home because Joy might have a fish-purchasing problem. Mabel texts the mystery number, who won’t stop pestering her, that she’ll meet them. We see it’s none other than Cinda Canning. Charles practices his patter song again. He pretends he’s making omelettes, which helps him relax. Oliver puts the kibosh on that, though. Because of this, Charles returns to The White Room. This time, he spots an orange Statue of Liberty outside the window. When he returns to Earth, Oliver exclaims he’s never heard someone spout such filth in his life.
RELATED: Top 10 British TV Comedies
Oliver and Charles share a drink in the former’s office. Oliver believes Charles is anxious about Joy moving in. He’s spent most of his life alone, with temporary blips of cohabitation along the way. Perhaps Charles has deeply embedded feelings of nervousness about the ordeal manifesting as The White Room episodes. Oliver suggests Charles talk to Joy about moving out. Charles urges Oliver to text Loretta about going out for dinner, which he does.
Cinda has a proposition for Mabel. She thinks they should work together. A “Bloody Mabel” podcast show. Mabel admits that, yes, her guys are busy, but they’re her guys. She only works with them. Cinda tries to persuade Mabel with a check with some extra zeroes; however, our Mabel is resolute in her choice.
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 3 Episode 4, “The White Room.” Photo credit: Patrick Harbron/Hulu.
Charles attempts to chat with Joy about disrupting their cohabitation. Disbanding, if you will. But Charles automatically whisks himself away to The White Room. We see Joy’s giant fish swimming outside his window. All is well in The White Room until he returns to reality. He realizes he’s on one knee, with Joy accepting his inadvertent marriage proposal. Mabel and Oliver arrive at that moment, bearing witness to Charles’ accidental proposal. Mabel has the lipstick she found in Ben’s dressing room in her hand, which Joy notices. Joy reveals it’s her lipstick. She thanks Mabel for finding it. Uh-oh. Somebody’s made their way to the suspect list.
RELATED: Catch up on the Arconia antics with our Only Murders in the Building recaps!
Do you think Joy is the killer? Who else is on your suspect list? Will Mabel change her mind and take Cinda up on her offer? Only time (and more episodes) will tell.
Only Murders in the Building streams new episodes every Tuesday on Hulu.
Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: MABEL MORA
Melody.McCune@geekgirlauthority.com
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.
- DOCTOR WHO Recap: (S01E03) Boom - May 17, 2024
- 15 Song Covers We Want to Hear on BRIDGERTON - May 17, 2024
- BRIDGERTON Season 3 Part 1 Finale Recap: (S03E04) Old Friends - May 16, 2024
