Mark My Words, Meryl Streep Is The Murderer In ‘Only Murders In The Building’
Only Murders In The Building has returned for a merrily murderous third season. This time round, Paul Rudd’s bloodied body has shown up in the Arconia and I believe in my heart of hearts that Meryl Streep is the one who put it there.
Everyone’s favourite Emmy-nominated whodunnit is back and so is its iconic intergenerational trio of true crime podcasters: Charles Hayden Savage (Steve Martin), Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) and Oliver Putnam (Martin Short). After solving the murder of their neighbour and landlord, the three besties have been thrown into a fresh mystery now that famous actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) is discovered dead in their beloved Arconia building.
The three true crime enthusiasts decide their titular podcast has found its next subject. But who is Ben Glenroy? Well, at the end of last season, Oliver was invited to direct a stage production of Death Rattle. The play is, of course, a murder mystery — as if Only Murders needed to be more deliciously meta — where someone is murdered in a lighthouse and the only witness is a baby. Ben Glenroy is the TV star billed to play Death Rattle’s detective protagonist, but, in a twist of irony, he is murdered on opening night.
We’re introduced to Oliver’s ramshackle Death Rattle cast. All of who, like any whodunnit worth its salt, have quantifiable beef with the victim. From scorned affairs to varied stolen limelights, Ben Glenroy was majorly hated before splattering across the Arconia’s out of order elevator. You’ll need a spoon for that huge dollop of irony, too, when you realise he’s being portrayed by the most beloved Paul Rudd.
Most notably in Death Rattle’s cast is record-breaking Oscar winner Meryl Streep playing undiscovered and under-talented actor Loretta. Yes, it seems Only Murders In The Building has provided Streep with the ultimate challenge: convincing us she’s bad at acting. Can she do it? More importantly, did she do it?
The answer to both these questions, in my humble sleuthing opinion, is yes. Of course. Perhaps even, duh! I’ll happily eat my proverbial hat if I’m wrong, but Only Murders (in case you missed it) loves a big morsel of meta. What’s more meta than asking Meryl Streep to play a bad actor? I’ll tell you: asking Streep to play a great actor pretending to be a bad actor to hide that she’s a murderer.
I’ll wager we’re in for a classic Meryl mask off moment where her bad actor façade fades to that of a confident killer’s. Motives are yet to be discovered. But given stolen valour is a major theme this season — what with Oliver’s failed opening night, Ben’s childhood beef with Charles, etc — maybe Ben beat her out for a part? Perhaps she was his understudy? Maybe he discovered she was lying about her identity and she killed him because maybe, just maybe, Ben wasn’t her true target. Who’s to say? One thing is for sure though, Only Murders In The Building is back, baby.
Watch Only Murders In The Building on Disney+.
Editor’s Note: Junkee acknowledges that actors, writers, and other creatives who work on Only Murders In The Building may be on strike due to the industrial action currently being taken by SAG-AFTRA and WGA. Read more about the strikes here.
Image credit: Only Murders In The Building, Disney