NOTE: this post contains spoilers for Only Murders in the Building season 3 episode 8, "Sitzprobe."
Dramatic stakes are high when the cast of Death Rattle Dazzle takes to the stage for a sitzprobe rehearsal as opening night edges closer. For those not fluent in theater vernacular, in Loretta's (Meryl Streep) opening voiceover describes it as the first rehearsal with an orchestra, where "you learn if your choices have produced something harmonious or horrific… And there if there is still time to make it alright."
Oliver's (Martin Short) musical isn't the only thing tested, as a familiar face returns to question the cast and crew, while Mabel (Selena Gomez) continues her investigation. Plus, a bombshell revelation.
Loretta's choice
Being a late bloomer is one of this season's themes, and while Loretta fell in love with the stage at an early age, her big break came after decades of pounding the pavement. Flashbacks depict a Broadway director "discovering" her at high school, but he got her pregnant instead of casting her. So Loretta could pursue her dream career, a couple who could not conceive adopted her son.
They kept her updated from afar, including telling Loretta when they did conceive a child. She had given up hope of meeting her son until an announcement about a forthcoming play set a new plan in motion, and Loretta landed the part.
If you haven't guessed, her scrapbook isn't about Ben (Paul Rudd), but her son Dickie (Jeremy Shamos). She writes this in a letter and hopes to speak to Dickie after the rehearsal.
Mabel and Detective Williams investigate
When Mabel arrives, Oliver confronts her about the solo version of their podcast, whereas Charles (Steve Martin) is more concerned about where she has been sleeping (Theo's couch). With Tobert on a commercial shoot, Mabel has his GoPro to continue her investigation, with Dickie as her new lead suspect. Oliver is okay with Dickie as her current main suspect as he isn't in the cast.
This unhappy reunion is interrupted by the beginning of the rehearsal and then punctuated by Detective Williams (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) announcing the killer is still at large.
Stalker Greg (Adrian Martinez) was released from prison and the killer is someone from the Death Rattle production, as they had the ability to poison Ben at the theater and then push him down the Arconia elevator shaft. However, producers Donna (Linda Emond) and Cliff (Wesley Taylor) are more concerned that Oliver has invited theater critic Maxine (Nora Dumezweni) to watch this rehearsal.
Rather than cut this integral run-through short, Oliver convinces Williams to do the investigations at the theater.
Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) reveals he has significant information and will only share it with "the ace investigator with a closet full of cashmere." Howard realized the sound he heard inside the locked office on opening night was the document shredder. Howard explains he is an expert at word searches and jumbles and asks Mabel to find some scotch tape so he can reassemble the mountain of paper.
While Mabel accompanies Howard, her former podcasters claim they will work on Williams to help crack the case and save Oliver's show. Charles willingly gives up his dressing room and then tries to stay and listen to these conversations, though Williams throws him out.
Patter song diversion
Oliver juggles directing, the investigation and his personal life as Loretta confronts him about the scrapbook. She doesn't give him a backstory, but Oliver lets slip that Mabel thinks Dickie is the killer. Loretta then finds Mabel looking for tape and tries to provide Mabel other suspects who aren't her secret son. Sadly, she doesn't come up with anything convincing.
Meanwhile, after hearing Charles can't perform his patter song without falling apart, Detective Williams can't help but leave the dressing room to watch. By some miracle, Charles makes his way through the lyrics. During this performance, a split screen reveals Oliver heading backstage, Howard doing a terrible job with the shredder puzzle, and the police telling Dickie they must talk to him again.
Howard has a crisis of confidence that Mabel helps him conquer as he has found a document from the night of the play and needs to find more pieces.
Oliver and Charles are giddy when they see Mabel as they have managed to record the interrogations on the GoPro. They purposefully used the patter song to get Williams away from the dressing room. "Wanna make a podcast with me?" Mabel asks. The trio is back!
A mother protects
Oliver gets a compliment from Maxine, who singles out Loretta's performance as "really quite extraordinary." Loretta has one more big number and calms her nerves in the bathroom, where she runs into Donna. Donna is also anxious as it is Cliff's first big producing gig and notes that as a mother, you will "do anything to make sure they're okay."
When Loretta runs into Dickie before her song, she finds out he had a big fight with Ben before he died and that Dickie felt relieved after the poisoning. Even if he didn't do it, he has a motive and is the prime suspect. Oliver also approaches Loretta, saying he trusts her completely and professes his love.
Loretta leaves her bag in front of Mabel and Charles, who spot the scrapbook and the letter. They discover Loretta is Dickie's biological mother just as the police arrive to arrest Dickie. The actress stops singing the emotive song and confesses to the crime as an act. As she is taken away, Oliver collapses and clutches his heart. His doctor did explicitly warn him a bigger heart attack was a possibility.
The sitzprobe ends abruptly with its star in handcuffs and the director needing urgent medical attention. Will they make it to opening night?
New episodes of Only Murders in the Building season 3 release Tuesdays on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.
More on Only Murders in the Building season 3
- Only Murders in the Building season 3 episode 1 recap
- Only Murders in the Building season 3 episode 2 recap
- Only Murders in the Building season 3 episode 3 recap
- Only Murders in the Building season 3 episode 4 recap
- Only Murders in the Building season 3 episode 5 recap
- Only Murders in the Building season 3 episode 6 recap
- Only Murders in the Building season 3 episode 7 recap
- Only Murders in the Building season 3 suspects ranked
