Only Murders in the Building Episode 8 will have you so close to the edge of your seat that by the last minute, you may just end up on the floor. Your jaw will, at least. ‘Sitzprobe’ will make you wish next Tuesday could come faster, because it’s the perfect set up for the rest of the season.
We start off by finally learning more about Loretta, played by Meryl Streep. It was always hard to figure her out, but with this new information, things have started to get clearer. There are spoilers ahead, so keep that in mind!
It turns out that before Loretta’s acting dreams came to fruition, she got pregnant. Choosing her career, Loretta gave up her son to a family who couldn’t conceive. Only, they did, years later. Does this story sound familiar?
It’s because it’s the story of Ben (Paul Rudd, Ant-Man) and Dickie’s (Jeremy Shamos, Better Call Saul) family. Now, that little Ben book that Loretta has might not be because she murdered him – but because of longing for her son. Upon closer inspection, Dickie is in the photos she saved, and he was the driving force for Loretta to star in Oliver’s play.
But there is much more going on in this episode. The cast is in the theater for their sitzprobe, a term used in musical theater to describe the rehearsal where singers perform alongside the orchestra, where the two groups try to come together. Of course, Mabel is doing her regular snooping, and Charles and Oliver are upset because she left them out of the podcast.
In her defense, they weren’t very interested in it, but it’s so good to see them finally get involved in the investigation. Detective Williams (Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Lost City) is back and ready to find the real murderer, now that Ben’s stalker was revealed to be innocent. While she investigates the crew, and Charles and Oliver try to listen in, Mabel works with Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) to put together shredded pieces of paper in the room that Ben was poisoned in.
Somehow, Oliver and Charles manage to pull off their scheme against Detective Williams – who’s a giant theater nerd – and set up a camera to record the interrogations. Howard continues working on the shredded papers, while Mabel reunites with the guys. The trio finally makes up, putting their hands in and committing to the podcast at last. We are so back, everyone!
As far as the events that happen in the theater, apart from the investigation, Loretta realizes Mabel suspects Dickie, and that Oliver stole the book from her place. She also believes Dickie did it, as the cops are also suspicious of him and Dickie tells her that when Ben was dead, he felt free…and then when he came back to life, he couldn’t take it anymore.
Loretta clearly has a lot on her mind, also because she thinks Oliver doesn’t trust her. Until he confesses his love before she goes on stage for her last number. As she’s performing, Mabel and Charles look through her bag and find not only the book with Dickie’s photos, but also the letter Loretta wrote to him, telling the truth about the fact that she’s his mother.
In this episode, the sitzprobe serves as the perfect background as both Charles and Loretta put on solo music performances that match the mood. Charles successfully pulls off his patter song as everyone digs around for clues, and Loretta’s song about doing anything to save her child is very on the nose; during the song, she confesses to Ben’s murder in an attempt to save Dickie.
Do we think Loretta did it? If she had, she wouldn’t believe Dickie did, though there’s still time to really uncover the truth. And it was very clear that in this episode, at some point, she would take the fall for Dickie, but the moment is actually very heartbreaking to watch. This is definitely the most tear-jerking episode this whole season, as it will not only leave you with an intense cliffhanger, but a heavy heart.
Beyond Loretta’s confession, Oliver’s stress levels also go up and cause him to collapse to the ground, making everyone panic. This musical is definitely riddled with scandals and struggles. Even though the music in this episode is superb and our true crime trio is back together, it will also leave you with a million questions and a sinking feeling in your chest at what’s to come.
Only Murders in the Building Episode 8, ‘Sitzprobe’ is now streaming on Hulu.
