Posted in: Hulu, Review, TV | Tagged: hulu, martin short, OMITB, Only Murders in the Building, paul rudd, season 3, selena gomez, steve martin

Only Murders In The Building S03E04 Review: These Babies Are Homicidal

Charles experiences the "white room" as the search for Ben Gilroy's killer goes on in episode four of Only Murders in the Building Season 3.

Charles (Steve Martin) finds himself in an anxiety-induced void, Mabel (Selena Gomez) searches for connections, and Oliver (Martin Short) attempts to pull off an absurd musical number in Hulu's Only Murders in the Building season three, episode four "The White Room." The Hulu series dives into personal relationships, both old and new, in this episode. There were plenty of hilarious moments to be found, but still some concern left when it comes to suspects and the series' path forward. Fair warning! Potential spoilers and more are ahead for this episode. Make sure to watch it all on Hulu if you don't wish for things to be spoiled!

Only Murders in the Building went to some brilliant places with its meta-commentary and subtle parody skills in this episode. It's evident that Tina Fey's character, Cinda, returning to the podcasting world as a self-help guru is a take on Gwyneth Paltrow building a similar empire (Yoni steaming therapy and white privilege included). This was a perfect way to bring back this character, and her interaction with Mabel, both in a scene together and through narration, was excellent. Having Mabel look through tiny NYC apartments as Cinda speaks into a microphone in her plush audio booth was the best way to examine both characters and their interests/lives. These narrations continue to be a great way to introduce the episodes for this season in particular. The themes and players are set up in a way that becomes perfectly executed in the episode involved.

Charles experiencing these dissociative states, going into his "white room," was comedy gold. The right level of absurdity took place at the best times for him and the story. As previously mentioned, the meta-commentary lifted this episode, especially with Howard's (Michael Cyril Creighton) dialogue with Mabel about her sweaters. This directly relates to the love online for Gomez's character and her fashion choices. Costume work on this series continues to be fantastic, and it's great seeing the awareness of that skill in these Only Murders in the Building episodes.

The investigation that took place with Kimber (Ashley Park) was a great way to go for the misdirection of a potential suspect, but the current direction concerns me. Joy (Andrea Martin) is a character that has some odd qualities, which I find myself loving her for, but the way her personality has opened up is confusing. Potentially she hasn't been fully herself around Charles before they got together. Her moving in was fast, but for Charles's character wanting to be with someone, it makes some sense. However, Only Murders in the Building could be going down the wrong path when it comes to Joy's character. I hope I'm wrong (and I'm guessing I am), but Joy revealing that the lipstick belongs to her may be a misdirection, just like the one with Kimber. If that's the case then I'm all for it, and it would make sense for a series that has been so clever in the past.

Only Murders in the Building did do a truly decent job of acknowledging how big of a change this would be for Charles. His discussions with her, concerns shared with Oliver, and other parts of the episode spoke of something very real for him, and that's his fear and acceptance of being alone. The weaving experiences of characters facing loneliness or disconnecting from others are so interesting to witness this season. This episode does a great job of examining this hurtle for characters without shoving it in the face of audiences. A hilarious and heartfelt half-hour, this episode was almost perfect, but the next episode will show us whether or not the series made the right or wrong choice regarding Joy.

Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 4

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Review by Brittney Bender

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8.5/10

Hulu's Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Ep. 4 "The White Room" was a great exploration of loneliness and the dread that comes with important conversations. The mystery and investigation was alive and well, but the direction of suspects left some concern in the air regarding the season's future.

Credits

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Production

Hulu

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