Only Murders in the Building – Grab Your Hankies

By: Sammi Turano

The episode opens with Kimber (Ashley Park) narrating. She is talking about where great ideas come from and how hers were inspired by single sparks. Meanwhile, Oliver (Martin Short) is singing and playing the piano while his cast zones out.

Oliver is frustrated with them and tells them to focus. He tells stories about writing past plays, while Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) tries to get his two cents in. Oliver is not interested in what he has to say.

Charles (Steve Martin) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) are working on finding suspects in Ben’s death and preparing for the podcast’s return, all the while missing Oliver.

Donna (Linda Emond) and Cliff (Wesley Taylor) meet with Oliver to go over the updated play. Cliff is excited, but Donna is more interested in ordering him around and having him act the way she wants. Oliver wants to get champagne, but Howard says there isn’t any.

Donna tries to give her thoughts on why the play shouldn’t be a musical and offer her own ideas, but Cliff likes Oliver’s ideas. She tells him to be quiet again. Oliver, for his part, promises this play will be a showstopper. He gives him three days to make it happen.

Mabel and Charles continue to talk about his co-stars. He says he should have gotten to know them better, but thinks they could also have been intimidated by him since he was their idol. Mabel continues to talk about each person and they try to figure out who had motive. She wonders if Kimber was a jilted lover since she talked to Ben about things being messy.

They also think they need to focus on who has a missing hankie since Ben had one belonging to a cast member when he died. She then gets a text from Oliver about being banned from an apartment. Ignoring it, she decided to look into Ben’s penthouse while Charles goes to question the cast about their hankies.

Charles talks to his cast mates and suggests they have a memorial for him. He babbles about Hitler and hankies, confusing Kimber. Oliver then takes over and talks about his mom dying and how she taught him to keep living. This is his way of getting them to do the play again….as a musical.

Mabel goes to Ben’s and runs into Tobert (Jesse Williams), who is picking up equipment there. The two of them chat in the elevator on the way up and go inside the penthouse, which is a shrine to Ben and his career.

The cast rehearses for the musical when Loretta (Meryl Streep) shows up, saying Dickie (Jeremy Shamos) wants to be her manager. She is excited because he already got her an audition for a medical drama. As she gushes over the opportunity, Oliver makes it clear he is only interested in her opinion on the musical. She thinks it is odd and compares it to Little Shop of Horrors. She also suggests that they find the heart of the play to make it work.

Mabel searches the penthouse while Tobert looks for his boom mic, but it is clear they are both snooping. They are both onto each other when they hea someone coming in. They hide quickly and realize Dickie has entered the apartment. As they confess to snooping, they see Dickie breaking things.

Rehearsals continue. Oliver is still not satisfied and has a tantrum. After Howard checks on him, he tells them to call it a day. He thinks that they all hate him and complains to Charles, who offers to throw him under the bus. Oliver wants to go throw himself in front of one.

Tobert and Mabel bond while still hidden in the amoire. He is telling her a story about filming a baby elephant. They hear Dickie on the phone and finally leave, giving them their opportunity to leave….and flirt a bit.

The cast meets at Charles’s apartment to trash talk Oliver over drinks. Charles tells them to bring their hankies to throw at Oliver’s feet and then make a quilt. They all agree.

Kimber thinks they should do the original play to honor Ben and makes Charles tell Oliver. He unknowingly agrees.

Loretta and Oliver rehearse and bond together. They continue to get closer when Dickie comes by, telling her that she got the part in the TV show. However, she needs to go to LA and give up the play. She wants to work something out but there is no option since it is a guaranteed season pickup. Loretta tells Oliver she is going to LA, which upsets him. She tries to explain this is a major opportunity, but he says she is under contract. She and Dickie leave, upset over the situation.

Mabel confronts Tobert and demands the password of a flash drive she swapped. She wants to know who killed Ben and he tells her that  the stalker dude did it. She makes it clear she is not convinced and he tells her that his baby elephant story was exaggerated. He agrees to help her.

Charles tells Oliver about the meeting and he has a meltdown again. Loretta and Dickie also show up and she wants to talk to Oliver alone. He apologizes and tells her to go to LA, but not before she sings the lullaby from the show. …for everyone. She obliges and knocks it out of the park. As she sings, Tobert and Mabel look at footage of Ben (Paul Rudd) fighting with someone on the flash drive.

Donna is not impressed, but Cliff wants the musical to happen and convinces her they should go for it.

The flash drive has Ben saying he want someone but that person is going to ruin his career.

Oliver and Loretta share their first kiss.

Kimber tells Charles that she no longer has her hankie as everyone else falls in love with the play.

The episode ends with Kimber and Loretta singing while Kimber narrates about being competitive and snuffing out the competition.