After a murder is solved, everyone could use a good debrief. And Only Murders in the Building reveals who killed Ben, for real, in the final episode of season 3. Mabel also says goodbye to Tobert, Dickie learns Loretta is his biological mother, and wouldn't you know it... someone else ends up dead. And this time—kind of for the first time—it's a character we know and love! Once one murder board is cleared, another is set up.
Here's what happens in the Only Murders season 3 finale.
Break a leg, it's opening night!
Despite all odds, Death Rattle Dazzle is kind of a hit! Loretta Durkin is juggling offers to star in a variety of projects, like the animated turkey movie Hedda Gobbler. (She knows successful musicals run for more than one night, right?) Loretta also produces the lipstick-stained handkerchief Ben was holding when he died.
The gang confronts Donna about poisoning Ben
And she confesses to spiking the Schmackary's cookie. However, she maintains she did not intend to kill him and is not his killer. That is, until she sees the handkerchief with her lipstick. Then she confesses to pushing him down the elevator shaft to his death.
Charles and Oliver are satisfied, if not a little surprised with how easily she gave herself up. They go on to perform in the play–yes, both of them. Oliver steps in for the detective role.
But Mabel learns there is more to the story
Having just seen Donna kiss a little lipstick on her son's handkerchief, Mabel realizes it was really Cliff, Donna's son, who must have pushed Ben. She and Donna realize at the same time, actually. Donna confesses, and Mabel gets quiet.
During the show, she goes to find him and in a flashback, we see what happened at the Arconia; Ben got a phone call from his doctor, who told him he ingested rat poison. When he ran into Cliff, he put together that his cookies were poisoned and one of the producers was behind it. Cliff and Ben fought, verbally and physically, until Cliff pushed Ben into the open elevator.
Cliff–who is so guilty, he starts seeing Ben on stage–threatens to jump from the rafters to the stage, a fall that would kill him just like Ben. Charles and Oliver run up to help Mabel stop him. But in the end, it's his mother who saves the day and her son's life. And now we know who really killed Ben: Donna the "first time," and Cliff the second. (Not to brag but, I totally called that it was the producers, BTW. You're welcome! Can I join the Arconia now?)
Is there another murder??
Of course, the season ends with a cliffhanger and another murder (in the building) for the trio to solve. The victim? Sazz (played by Jane Lynch), Charles' body double and bestie who always knows what Charles is going to wear.
Sazz arrived at the party with "sensitive" news to share and is shot in the chest while grabbing a bottle of wine from Charles' apartment. Did the murderer intend to shoot her or Charles? Did the "Scott Bakula says hi" text Charles got from Joy have anything to do with it? What was Sazz writing in blood as she died? We'll have to wait for the recently-confirmed season 4 to find out.
