When it comes to Only Murders in the Building, the biggest draw isn’t its star-studded cast or the surprising finale reveals—it’s all about the character dynamics.
The biggest draw to the murder mystery series is that all of its characters—including its main, supporting, and outer cast—have such distinct personalities. From the foul-mouthed thief to the outlier who wanted a boyfriend with cat allergies despite owning a cat, Only Murders in the Building is always ready to give everyone a spotlight.
So, it wasn’t that surprising to learn that the killer of season 3 not only happened to be a patron of the theatre, but also someone close to Oliver’s production.
Spoilers ahead for the Only Murders in the Building season 3 finale!
The final moments of Only Murders in the Building season 3 revealed that Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) was murdered by none other than Cliff Demeo (Wesley Taylor), the producer of Oliver’s show.
If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Cliff is one of the recurring cast members in season 3. From the very beginning, Cliff and his overbearing mother Donna rubbed audiences the wrong way. Between kissing one another on the lips and often talking about how they would do anything for each other, they were the closest theatre producers—in more ways than one.
So it wasn’t much of a stretch to believe that Cliff would kill Ben, especially when it was revealed that Donna actually poisoned Ben because she was afraid that he would tank Cliff’s Broadway producing debut.
After Donna poisoned Ben, he collapsed on stage and seemed to die thanks to his slowing heartbeat, but in the season 3 finale, Ben revealed that his “leading man cocktail” of several uppers, including Viagra, saved his life. Once Ben was alerted to the poisoning by his hospital lab results, he was ready to expose Donna while also mocking Cliff and Donna’s close relationship and making it known that they would have to continue their bond through a prison cell.
Following some heavy mocking and bad behavior from Ben, Cliff finally snapped and pushed him down the elevator shaft, resulting in his death. In a very unique twist for Only Murders in the Building, the trio had to reckon with the ultimate mother-son murder duo.
Cliff was taken into custody quietly while Donna admitted to her poisoning earlier in the episode, but that’s not to say that Charles, Oliver, or Mabel are safe from their wrath. After all, Donna has a lot of connections, being a nine-time Tony Award-winner, and Cliff has shown that he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty for his mother. Could they return in season 4 of Only Murders in the Building?
(featured image: Hulu)
