Only Murders in the Building season 3 episode 6 recap & review: Ghost Light

Open Go TV / September 6, 2023 / Reviews

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Episode 6 of Only Murders in the Building season 3 follows Charles, Mabel, and Oliver as they investigate an old superstition attached to the theatre where Ben died. The episode is streaming on Hulu.

Recap:

Harold narrates the tale of Gideon Gooseberry, whose name graced the theatre where Death Rattle was running. Gideon was an actor who died on opening night in 1919 when a sandbag fell on his head mid-monologue.

Tradition states that Gideon’s spirit must be swept off the stage every night to ensure he doesn’t haunt the production and Howard admits to Mabel and the others that he’s the reason Ben died.

He didn’t sweep on opening night and Gideon’s ghost killed Ben according to him. He says that he was cleaning there that morning to prepare for their return and he came across Gideon’s ghost.

Tobert comes out from the bedroom to Charles and Oliver’s surprise and offers his take on the situation. Oliver is also worried about what he found at Loretta’s place.

The trio decides to investigate the theatre with Howard and asks Tobert to hang back. When they arrive, they notice some oddities on stage and visit KT, the stage manager.

She says she’ll check it out and Howard goes along with her. Mabel finds a sign-in sheet and wants to compare the handwriting with the message on Ben’s mirror but Oliver says he’ll do it on his own.

Charles mentions that Joy left him but insists that he’s doing alright. He makes fun of Tobert’s name and tells Mabel that they’re not ready to bring another investigator into their group.

Charles heads off to find someplace with water and ends up getting locked in the prop room. Mabel goes in search of them and finds Tobert, who is following Jonathan.

Oliver goes to the dressing room and hears noises that lead him to an attic where he runs into Jerry Blau, an old acquaintance of his who was fired from the production a year ago. Jerry says that he’s been squatting in the theatre for the past year.

Oliver mentions that he’s fallen in love with one of his cast and Jerry guesses that he’s now worried about her vicious temper. He then explains that he overheard the confrontation between her and Ben on opening night where Charles punched Ben.

Tobert and Mabel catch Jonathan with a mix of prescription medication from Dr. C. Jonathan explains that he’s been dealing with anxiety as the lead and asked Dr. C to help. He got the same cocktail that Ben was taking, which included trace elements of methamphetamine.

They rule him out as a suspect but wonder why the drugs didn’t show up in Ben’s autopsy. At that moment, Charles manages to get himself out of the prop room.

They wonder where Oliver is and find him in Ben’s dressing room rubbing the message on the mirror to cover for Loretta. The three of them get into an argument as Oliver calls out Charles for not telling them about the punch.

Oliver also criticizes Mabel for being obsessed with solving the mystery even though the police already arrested someone. Charles quits the musical and leaves the room, followed by Mabel who is hurt by his words and mentions Cinda’s approach.

Mabel chooses the focus on the case with Tobert, while Charles goes back to his apartment to live in solitude once again, while Oliver has to live with his decisions to protect the woman he loves.

Review:

Once again, it is the subtle details that make this mystery so intriguing for audiences. The slight detail of KT’s room being locked on opening night is bound to be a detail that is connected to Ben’s murder.
When Howard talks about his first foray into acting, the way the spotlight shines on him for that one moment is brilliant. It is another example of the artistic brilliance of the series.
Having the three of them separate at this point is a great story beat as it gives each of their narratives a chance progress individually and there is the caveat of them coming back together to build to.