DISCLAIMER: This recap of Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 5, “Ah, Love!” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Welcome back, Arconiacs! It’s hard to believe we’ve reached the halfway point in Season 3. As usual, the plot twists and truth bombs presented in this outing have sent this investigation into a whole new direction. (I’m sorry, I’ll never stop quoting Brazzos. Can’t stop, won’t stop.)
“Ah, Love!” is a fun, breezy episode that’s less action-packed but filled to the brim with delightful character moments, intriguing conversations and the shining star that is Meryl Streep. She’s so effortlessly brilliant in everything; this season is no exception. Siddhartha Khosla has produced one of my all-time favorite TV scores. His music elevates every aspect of this show.
We’ve got a handful of presumed red herrings to sift through now, with Joy off the suspect list. Such is the nature of this series and any murder mystery worth its salt. Bring it on.
Ready to delve into “Ah, Love!” Let’s get to it.
RELATED: Check out our recap for Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 4, “The White Room”
We open with narration from Joy (Andrea Martin), who gushes about love and being in love over imagery of couples in New York City. Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Oliver (Martin Short) eavesdrop outside Charles’ (Steve Martin) apartment. Of course, Joy is now at the top of their suspect list after they found her lipstick in Ben Glenroy’s dressing room. Unfortunately, while trying to ask Joy to move out of his apartment, Charles travels to “The White Room” and blacks out. He inadvertently asks Joy to marry him instead.
Charles reunites with his sleuthing pals outside his place. They urge him to ask Joy about the “F*cking Pig” message written in her lipstick on Ben’s dressing room mirror. Charles reassures them that he’s handling the situation. Oliver asks Mabel for fashion advice because he’s going on his first date with Loretta that night. Then, the guys wonder why Mabel’s all dressed to the nines. She insists she’s going on a stakeout with Tobert at a restaurant, but it looks awfully like date night attire.
Next, Charles attempts to ask Joy why her lipstick was in Ben’s dressing room. She urges him, or rather, Brazzos, to “hang up his badge” and avoids answering the question. Charles finds her scolding one of her 60-plus fish, President McKinley, for being an asshole. Unexpectedly, Charles doesn’t let up. He asks her again, revealing that a message was written on Ben’s dressing room mirror. Joy can’t believe Charles would think she’s a potential suspect. She looks shocked. However, before she can elaborate, Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch) appears on their doorstep with a large wedding package.
RELATED: Gift Guide for True Crime Lovers
Joy decides to taste test wedding cake samples herself, leaving Charles with Sazz. She’s irritated with her fiancé. Sazz senses something’s amiss, so she asks the man she stunt doubles for (except in Death Rattle Dazzle) the million-dollar question: What’s wrong? Meanwhile, Oliver arrives for their date at Loretta’s (Streep) apartment. She’s cooking dinner. Her oven is on the fritz, but she’s forging ahead with the pork chops anyway. Oliver accidentally pulls out Loretta’s bed, which is technically in her living room. Hey, someone’s moving too quickly.
Later, Mabel meets Tobert (Jesse Williams) at the restaurant for their stakeout. She discovers he lured her there for a date disguised as a stakeout, even though he’s genuinely keeping an eye on Jonathan (Jason Veasey), who performs here every week. Someone thinks he’s smooth. At Charles’ apartment, Charles dumps his girlfriend troubles into Sazz’s lap. Sazz also has news to reveal: She’s still dating Jan. Yes, Charles’ ex-girlfriend, the bassoonist who murdered Tim Kono and is serving time behind bars. Hey, Sazz goes wild for blondes.
Sazz declares that Charles suffers from MGDS — Murderous Girlfriend Derangement Syndrome. It’s making him think whoever he dates is a murderer. Sazz decides they should play a game to relax an increasingly tense Charles. On the Oliver-Loretta front, our lovebirds sit down for dinner. Oliver takes a bite of his tough pork chop, causing his tooth to fall out. We see it embedded in his meat. Loretta is mortified, but Oliver laughs, defusing the situation. Loretta soon joins him in laughter. I think Oliver pulls off the toothless look. He remarks on an earlier comment she made about Ben. She called him a “f*cking pig,” just like what was written on Ben’s mirror.
RELATED: The Best True Crime Shows on Netflix
Loretta doubles down on what she said, stating that he was a f*cking pig. Since dinner is a bust, Loretta takes the reins of their date, deciding they should go out instead. The wheels are turning in Oliver’s head. Could Loretta be Ben’s murderer? Meanwhile, Mabel and Tobert are having fun together. They seem to have forgotten to monitor Jonathan. Initially, Tobert thought Jonathan could be the killer because of a strong motive. He was Ben’s understudy, after all. Anyway, the pair talks about how difficult it is to make friends and keep them in this city.
Sazz launches into game show mode, digging deep into Charles’ fears. She reveals that Charles isn’t afraid of “uppercase ‘J’ Joy; he’s afraid of lowercase ‘j’ joy.” That’s such a great line. It’s true — Charles never allows himself happiness and joy. Loretta takes Oliver on the ferry, a fun date night activity. She whips out some weed she’s had since the ’70s, and she and Oliver light up. They talk about their past and their career adventures. Loretta has always been so close to stardom, dancing in its periphery. They realize they’ve crossed paths many times over the decades. Loretta has wanted to work with Oliver for years.
Finally, something happens at the restaurant. After Jonathan’s performance, he sits with a man in a red jacket and cap at a table. He looks like a limo driver. Jonathan gives him an envelope. The other guy hands Jonathan a slip of paper. Weird. Mabel and Tobert wind up on the floor in a stereotypical rom-com restaurant moment as they avoid detection from Jonathan. Unfortunately, he spots them. Jonathan doesn’t approach them; he simply departs. Tobert tells Mabel he knows the man with Jonathan.
Later, Loretta elaborates on her “f*cking pig” statement regarding Ben. As she and Oliver are in a Mary Jane haze, Loretta reveals Ben (Paul Rudd) attacked her on opening night. Loretta says Ben claimed she was “obsessed” with him and she had “wormed her way” into the show. He didn’t want to share the stage with a “no-name” like her. She called him a f*cking pig that night. Loretta regrets that that was the last thing she said to him before he collapsed onstage. Oliver apologizes for her experiencing such a harrowing event on his set. He lifts her spirits, reassuring her that she snagged a role in Death Rattle because of her talent.
Loretta spots a bridge ahead and excitedly informs Oliver of a family tradition when she grew up on the Mississippi River. Whenever she lost a tooth, her mother took her on the ferry. They’d throw the tooth overboard whenever they went under a bridge and make a wish. It takes Oliver a hot minute to get it — “ferry,” “fairy” — but when he does, he tosses his tooth. Loretta asks him what he wished for; however, he leans in and kisses her. It’s super sweet.
At the restaurant, Tobert informs Mabel that they spotted Jonathan with Ben’s private a doctor, a celebrity concierge of sorts. He can get you whatever you want. Tobert knows this man has seen Ben a handful of times over the past year. However, Tobert wasn’t allowed in the room to see what Ben requested. They call the man “Dr. C.” Meanwhile, Joy barges into the apartment with a stack of boxes, all with cake samples. Charles apologizes for giving Joy a hard time about the lipstick.
RELATED: Top 10 British TV Comedies
Then, Joy reveals why she was in Ben’s dressing room. Ben had a sizable shiner on his face that needed covering up. Joy utilized her makeup magic to do just that. She didn’t write on his mirror. Charles admits something he hasn’t disclosed to anyone before … he hit Ben that night. Ben ordered him to stay out of it after Loretta told Charles that Ben had attacked her. Charles punched Ben after the latter called him a “f*ck bag.” Interesting insult. Remember that moment in the Season 2 finale when Charles ordered Ben to “stay away from her”? Methinks the “her” is Loretta.
Joy can’t believe Charles thought she was capable of murder when he punched Ben. He also had a motive. Charles lets slip that Charles and Mabel know about Joy’s place on the suspect list. Oh, and he never meant to propose to Joy. Uh-oh. Joy breaks off their engagement, and rightfully so, but not before shoving some cake onto Charles’ chest. A mic drop moment, indeed.
Next, Mabel and Tobert stand in front of the former’s murder board in her apartment. They add Dr. C to the board. Then, they kiss. We knew it was coming. Meanwhile, Oliver and Loretta lie in bed together after getting it on. Loretta heads to the bathroom. Oliver starts looking through her photos. He finds a scrapbook full of pictures of Ben Glenroy and article clips about him. Uh-oh. That looks suspicious. Did Oliver just sleep with the murderer?
RELATED: Catch up on the Arconia antics with our Only Murders in the Building recaps!
Do you think Loretta is the murderer? What about Dr. C and his strange interaction with Jonathan? Did Joy leave Charles any of her fish? Only time (and more episodes) will tell.
Only Murders in the Building streams new episodes every Tuesday on Hulu.
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/mabel-mora-only-murders-in-the-building/
[email protected]
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.
- TEACUP Recap: (S01E02) My Little Lighthouse - October 10, 2024
- TEACUP Series Premiere Recap: (S01E01) Think About the Bubbles - October 10, 2024
- Aaron Pierre Boards DC’s LANTERNS Series in Starring Role - October 9, 2024
