Another opening, another… murder?! The theatrical third season of Only Murders in the Building is ramping up, and I still have no idea who did it. But that doesn’t stop me from thinking about it; I have a lot of theories about who killed Ben Glenroy on Only Murders in the Building.
What do we know so far? Ben, the actor played by Paul Rudd on the show, was murdered in the Arconia (true to the show’s title three seasons in) after collapsing on stage during a performance of Oliver’s play Death Rattle. He was seemingly poisoned, recovered, and then his body tumbled down an elevator shaft. There was even a threatening message on his dressing room mirror in lipstick. Who did it and why? Here are my theories.
Loretta Durkin: a star (and a killer) is born
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The most obvious suspect is Meryl Streep’s character. She fought with Ben on opening night, does not hide how much she hated him, and has only benefitted from his death both in her professional and romantic life. They had some kind of feud while working on the play, and Oliver discovered she had an obsession with him before the play. She also admitted to calling him a “fucking pig,” the phrase written on his dressing room mirror. Since Loretta is played by the A-Lister to end all A-Listers, her being the killer also follows the Law & Order rule: the biggest guest star did it.
But while I don’t think we should rule Loretta out completely, I think the abundance of clues that center her early on in the season means there’s more to the story.
Kimber Min: an influencer scorned
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The crew seems convinced Kimber is a red herring, and I kind of agree. I don’t even think she was having an affair with Ben. Remember how he said “I want you so fucking bad” in the footage from opening night, leading the trio to wonder if he had a secret lover? I think he was talking to a box of Schmackary’s cookies tempting him. (Maybe the cookies were poisoned? TBD.) But Kimber also hasn’t shown up for the last couple of episodes. I know Ashley Park was busy with Emily in Paris and Joy Ride, but perhaps her character is missing on purpose and poised for a surprise murder reveal/return.
Tobert: documenting his own dirty work
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First of all, Kimber and Tobert? The writing staff had way too much fun naming characters this season. Anyway, I think Jesse Williams is a suspect worth investigating. Maybe he’s trying to make a true crime documentary, the way last season’s killer was hoping to instigate their own podcast. Maybe when Charles and Oliver agreed it would feel played out if the killer was a woman, especially one who cozied up to either of them, it was foreshadowing that the killer is a man who cozied up to Mabel? I think it’s possible he’s trying to frame Jonathan.
Cliff DeMeo: springtime for the producer
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Walk with me here. I happen to know that both Mel Brooks and Matthew Broderick are guest stars this season… and it has me thinking about The Producers. Matthew starred in the Broadway adaptation of Mel’s’ film The Producers alongside Nathan Lane, another Only Murders in the Building alum. What if it’s a meta clue? The classic comedy is about two Broadway producers who try to scam investors by deliberately tanking a musical. What if the person who killed Ben did it to deliberately tank the show? What if it was the producer, Cliff? Even Cinda knows that Death Rattle Dazzle is going to be a flop.
My theory is that Cliff killed Ben so the show wouldn’t succeed, and then realized the musical was going to be so bad it would fail anyway. Like Kimber, Cliff has been suspiciously absent… maybe he will return just in time to get caught!
Or maybe there were *multiple* killers
Since there were two murder attempts on Ben Gilroy, it’s possible the killer came back to finish the job. But it’s equally possible that two different people tried to kill Ben. Maybe the first killer was Loretta, and since she knows her murder attempt was unsuccessful she feels free to be open about her disdain for the deceased. Maybe it was Cliff first and Tobert second. Maybe one of the killers was Charles himself. One of the Arconia trio is bound to become a killer eventually, don’t you think? The third season is so deliciously complicated that I wouldn’t be surprised if there were multiple killers.
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Leah Marilla Thomas is an entertainment writer, UNC alum, and former Hasbro Toy Tester (yes, that’s a real thing) who loves The Good Place and Love Island equally. In her alleged spare time, she’s probably either at the theater, in a park, or watching basketball.