S03.E01: The Show Must...

[jenrising]

Quote

Curtain up on Season 3! And Leading Man down! After Ben Glenroy’s collapse on stage, Charles, Oliver & Mabel piece together the show’s first days with a suspicious cast & crew to determine if foul play was involved. Spoiler alert…

Available August 8

[AnimeMania]

Prediction:     First Murder = Cookies       Second Murder  = ????

Let's hope this one sticks.

Edit: One Killer Question (The Aftershow) is also available for each of the Season 3 episodes, but don't expect to gain much insight from it.

Edited August 8, 2023 by AnimeMania

[thuganomics85]

Only Murders in the Building is back with might be their toughest case yet because, seriously, who wouldn't want to murder this guy?  Hell, I might even suspect (and not blame) one of the main gang if they did it!

Definitely enjoyed seeing Paul Rudd play against type and play the worst kind of obnoxious, arrogant asshole actor you can find.  Love that he apparently is a big shot because of a superhero film (where he morphs into a cobra?  Yup, that makes Ant-Man less outlandish), and this is his first attempt at theater.  Notice that in real life that can be a tough transition as well.  But that still doesn't change the fact that he is/was a dick!

Obviously way too early to really know who the killer is, but we've got a decent group of suspects so far.  The show is definitely pushing for us to assume Loretta might have done it since she clearly despised Ben (and the whole Meryl Streep factor, naturally.)  I'm also keeping an eye out on his brother since he clearly has been mistreated during their relationship and I can see him finally snapping.  An outside bet would be the cameraman since he was played by Jesse Williams and that was definitely a small role for someone with his name recognition.  But the one that really stood out was Kimber, who didn't simply just seem to hate him but was even flinching every time he got near her.  I'm kind of wondering if he wasn't just your average douchebag, but abusive as well.  Was kind of disturbing.

Uma might have only had two lines but she stole the episode with both of them!

Mabel might have to move?  Say it ain't so!

Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez still have great chemistry and rapport with one another.

Let us see where this goes!

[ofmd]

Did anyone else think Ben staged his first "death" and miraculous resurrection for the documentary?

[paigow]

All those apartments are huge... she could move in with Charles and never see him... except in the kitchen

[tennisgurl]

I was wondering how the randos were going to solve a murder outside the building, and now here we are! I'm so happy to have this show back again, this season already has a ton of promise. I'm really glad that Ben got to stick around a bit longer in the current timeline, Paul Rudd was clearly having so much fun playing such a delightful asshole. He's still using that super lovable Paul Rudd energy but with a really shitty center, I love it. The list of potential killers is going to be long, I only knew the guy for a few scenes and even I want to kill him just a bit. Of course Tim and Bunny also both seemed like jerks when we first met them only to be revealed to have a lot more to them than we thought, so maybe Ben wont be all awful after all. I already suspect that Ben faked his first "death" for the sake of drama for his documentary. 

A superhero who can turn into a snake certainly does make playing a superhero who can shrink seem a lot less silly in comparison. 

Obviously its too early to decide on a killer, even though its easy to suspect Loretta right away. Not only is she established as being willing to do anything for her big break, and Ben stood in the way of that, but she's played by Meryl Streep! There is also the camera man, Ben's brother, even the creepy mother/son duo.

The chemistry between Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez continues to make this show sparkle. 

[sjankis630]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

even the creepy mother/son duo.

I have not had a chance to watch the 2nd episode yet but wow that kissing scene was hella weird. lol

[ofmd]

Speaking of the documentary, our sleuth trio should try to get the tapes...

As for Loretta being too obvious a choice... Remember the bassoon player?

Edited August 8, 2023 by ofmd

[peeayebee]

5 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

There is also the camera man, Ben's brother, even the creepy mother/son duo.

Yes, plenty of suspects, and really too early to take a guess, BUT!... I suspect the creepy son. Don't know why. I just do.

I've so been looking for the return of this show. 

Paul Rudd is hilarious as asshole Ben. I think every single thing he said was offensive or stupid or mean. I loved when Oliver said he was going to talk to Loretta, and Ben held his hands up. It was just so douchey the way he did it.

That was a weird thing with Loretta and her earring. Certainly its importance will show up later.

Edited August 8, 2023 by peeayebee

[Snazzy Daisy]

What a fake-out! Ben Glenroy has been murdered in the Arconia.

Loretta putting on a Scottish accent and then a French-Canadian one at the table read is hilarious. 😂

A party at Oliver’s and we don’t get a glimpse of Mrs. Gambolini??? Bummer! 

My 3 favorite quotes from S03•E01:

Edited August 8, 2023 by Snazzy Daisy

[ofmd]

Yeah, the one about narcicissm was gold! I also liked Una's comment about at least having the decency to get murdered outside of the Arconia (or something like that).

[KittenPokerCheater]

I don't want Mabel to move. 

Apropos of nothing, I feel like Paul Rudd is channeling RDJ in the role of Ben.

I love the neighbor in this episode.  She was deadpan hilarious.

[Frost]

32 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

I don't want Mabel to move

I don't want her to move either!  Mabel belongs in the Arconia!  I wonder if she spent the entire 4 months she was out of Oliver and Charle's lives finishing her aunt's apartment?  She should be an interior designer!  That place was gorgeous.

I'm so happy this show is back.  

[Snazzy Daisy]

Easter egg - spotlights @ rooftop.

[phalange]

Ben is awful and everyone despises him so at this point anyone could be the killer. Or multiple people could be. I feel like Loretta is too obvious because she hates him the most and doesn't bother to hide it. Just based on vibes, I'll guess the mother and son producers for now.

As soon as Ben said that he bought the penthouse apartment, I figured that he didn't die permanently in the theater and someone would murder him at the Arconia. I guess that elevator is out of commission again. Maybe the elevators not working will come in to play later. Love Uma's reaction. She's so done with all of it.

Mabel's apartment looks beautiful! I hope she doesn't actually have to leave the building.

[shapeshifter]

On 8/8/2023 at 4:21 PM, peeayebee said:

Yes, plenty of suspects, and really too early to take a guess, BUT!... I suspect the creepy son. Don't know why. I just do

I couldn’t tell if there’s creepy history with Ben and the creepy mother-son producers, or not:

• [DONNA (the producer)] How about that? I'm so proud of my boy. [inappropriate kissing] He's gay, so I can kiss him like that. 
  …

  [BEN] Ha, Donna! My beloved producer! You and your... boy. 

  [CLIFF] It's Cliff. 

  [BEN] I know. That's what I said.

  …

  [BEN] And I'm so sorry, boy. 

  [CLIFF] Cliff. 

  [BEN] Right.

I guess not? 
But the son has enough psychopathy and animosity for it anyway.
Maybe the son had a crush on the Girl Cop character and has hated Ben ever since?

Spoiler

Or: Would it be too on the nose if Ben had fired Cliff when he was an 8-year-old like Charles is said to have done to 8-year-old Ben?

Or: Ben and the producer/mother were once lovers? If so, Cliffy may hate Ben for that.

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by Athena
added spoiler tags per request

[Haleth]

4 hours ago, phalange said:

As soon as Ben said that he bought the penthouse apartment, I figured that he didn't die permanently in the theater and someone would murder him at the Arconia. I guess that elevator is out of commission again. Maybe the elevators not working will come in to play later.

Another laugh for me was when Ben said to tell Amy Shumer she left stuff in the fridge.

What if Ben wasn't murdered?  What if he just fell into the "big, gaping hole" a la Roselind Shays?

[paigow]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

What if he just fell into the "big, gaping hole" a la Roselind Shays?

The new podcast is  Only Accidents In The Building

[Yeah No]

I'm very happy that the show is back but I feel like it needs a new twist and it knows it.  I've been wondering for months how they were going to handle a murder that didn't take place in the building, and now I know how.  But I don't know if I believe that this guy was even murdered.  The show needs to fake us out yet again - make the guy as hateworthy as possible so everyone including the audience wants to kill him, when he really committed suicide or something, and the murder hasn't even happened yet.  Something got me suspicious when Mabel Charles was right about Paul Rudd's stage collapse not being a murder.  That was right, just not in the way we thought.  Well, maybe it's STILL not a murder.  Just a hunch.

My memory is foggy but I feel like I've seen this before where there's a body on top of an elevator, and not the one in "Silence of the Lambs".  I feel like I've seen it somewhere else too.

I wonder how they're going to handle the empty apartment now.  That should be interesting.  Who will end up in it?  Mabel?  Meryl Streep?  The creepy mom and son or perhaps some new potential suspect?  The apartment always seems to go to a famous person so perhaps it will somehow go to Meryl.

Edited August 9, 2023 by Yeah No
Because it was Charles that said that, not Mabel.

[cardigirl]

11 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

 Something got me suspicious when Mabel was right about Paul Rudd's stage collapse not being a murder.  She was right, just not in the way we thought.  Well, maybe it's STILL not a murder.  Just a hunch.

I thought Mabel was the one pushing for it to be a murder. She kept asking if there was foam around the mouth, a sign of poisoning, and everyone else was thinking he had died from a catastrophic health incident, i.e., heart attack or aneurism . 

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by cardigirl

[Yeah No]

6 minutes ago, cardigirl said:

I thought Mabel was the one pushing for it to be a murder. She kept asking if there was foam around the mouth, a sign of poisoning, and everyone else was thinking he had died from a catastrophic health incident, i.e., heart attack or embolism. 

 

OK maybe I didn't remember who said it but my point is still that I think there will still be some question as to whether this was actually a murder.

And that's the main thing.

Edited August 9, 2023 by Yeah No

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, Yeah No said:

wonder how they're going to handle the empty apartment now.  That should be interesting.  Who will end up in it?  Mabel?  Meryl Streep?  The creepy mom and son or perhaps some new potential suspect?  The apartment always seems to go to a famous person so perhaps it will somehow go to Meryl.

Yes. Who might get Ben's apartment?

• Mabel?  If Ben did buy and not rent the apartment, he might have bequeathed it to Mabel as a lark on a legal form he filed because of their little fan encounter. If so, this could be permanent.
• Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep)? It does fit the show tradition of the biggest guest star getting the penthouse,* and there are various ways it could be temporary.
• Mother producer and son? Linda Emond has a lengthy list of credits, and has quite a few stage awards and nominations, but not quite the name recognition of Sting.* But mostly I just can't picture them living in the Arconia.

———————————————

*Oops.
As @chaifan pointed out below:
The penthouse resident in seasons 1 & 2 was not just played by a famous celeb, it was a famous celeb.

Edited August 9, 2023 by shapeshifter

[chaifan]

44 minutes ago, cardigirl said:

I thought Mabel was the one pushing for it to be a murder. She kept asking if there was foam around the mouth, a sign of poisoning, and everyone else was thinking he had died from a catastrophic health incident, i.e., heart attack or aneurism . 

Mabel was pushing it for to be a murder because she wanted to get the band back together.  She misses Charles and Oliver, and wants to hang out with them again.  That's why she proposed doing the podcast again.  I think that's both sweet and sort of sad, especially now that the condo's been sold.

I thought the "twist" to get the murder back in the building was going to be that Mabel was right - it was poisoning, and it was determined that he was poisoned X hours ago, when he would have been in his apartment.  So while he died outside of the Arconia, the cause of his death happened there.  But nope, I was wrong on that. 

Did I hear them right - only 4 months has passed since last season?  Doesn't it take a lot longer to put a Broadway show together?

The Penthouse...  I hope it goes to another real person celebrity, just to follow the pattern set in Seasons 1 and 2.  So it shouldn't go to Loretta, or the producers.  It would make no sense for Mabel to get it.  We've had a musician and a comedian/actor, so maybe this time it will be a sports figure?  But I do wonder what they'll do with Mabel potentially moving out.

I am just so happy that this show is back.  I love these three so much together.  As I said last season, I'd watch a show about these three characters solving the daily Wordle and getting lunch each day. 

 

[pvandal]

I'm hoping we get more accents from Meryl. Like every flashback for rehearsal the nanny is from somewhere else.

[cardigirl]

1 hour ago, chaifan said:

Did I hear them right - only 4 months has passed since last season?  Doesn't it take a lot longer to put a Broadway show together?

I thought that the events at the end of last season (opening night) occurred one year after the murderer of Bunny was revealed. In these two episodes, certain scenes were marked 4 months earlier. 

So, in my mind, it's been a year since they caught Bunny's killer, in which time, Mabel finished her aunt's apartment and it was sold, Oliver mounted a play (a year is a regular amount of time to do that), and Charles' s show got put on hiatus, and he's been seeing Joy. And he's joined the cast of Death Rattle. 

[Frost]

For me, the murder mystery is a distant second to watching Mable, Oliver, and Charles hanging out with each other.  I don't need the show to change up it's twists or murderers, as long as the trio get to run around and get into predicaments together.

[Suzn]

1 hour ago, Frost said:

For me, the murder mystery is a distant second to watching Mable, Oliver, and Charles hanging out with each other.  I don't need the show to change up it's twists or murderers, as long as the trio get to run around and get into predicaments together.

I was just thinking that the who-dun-it aspect was not very important to me.  I just want to spend time with our intrepid trio - the banter and the adventures.  I also enjoy their interactions with the other denizens of the building. I'm so glad to have them back.

[paigow]

Opening Night of Death Rattle was 1 year after S2 Finale.

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Frost said:

For me, the murder mystery is a distant second to watching Mable, Oliver, and Charles hanging out with each other.  I don't need the show to change up it's twists or murderers, as long as the trio get to run around and get into predicaments together.

3 hours ago, Suzn said:

I was just thinking that the who-dun-it aspect was not very important to me.  I just want to spend time with our intrepid trio - the banter and the adventures.  I also enjoy their interactions with the other denizens of the building. I'm so glad to have them back.

I too would be happy to watch Mabel, Charles, and Oliver playing Scrabble or even watching TV. 
But I also enjoy puzzling over the murder, in part because it makes me feel like I'm part of their world, but also because I assume the writers hope at least some of us will.

 

 

[aghst]

I missed the part where Ben was staying in the Arconia?

Why would a Hollywood star stay there, where a lot of the residents are old, people who've been there decades?

At some point, having murders occur in that one building would be too meta.  It's like a joke as to how they could have yet another murder there.

The building would gain notoriety and there would be some media coverage of this "dark" history, 3 murders in 4 years or whatever.

The podcast would have to go from detailing the individual cases to examining if the Arconia is "cursed" or being punished for some reason.

Mabel would set aside time to visit regularly with the old guys or maybe FaceTime with them regularly.  In fact it's probably better for her to move out and move on with her life, find a career and someone to occupy her time.

But sure, this kind of intergenerational bonding is suppose to be special, this trio not only solving cases but looking out for each other.

I wonder how Steve Martin and the other show creator decided to make her character so much younger.  I can't recall if there were aspects of her backstory that figured a lot into season 1 or was it season 2 when they showed a lot about her growing up and spending time in the building.

 

 

 

[Irlandesa]

33 minutes ago, aghst said:

I missed the part where Ben was staying in the Arconia?

During his first appearance, he mentioned that Amy Schumer left behind some cottage cheese in her fridge so the implication is he's staying in Amy Schumer's old apartment that is also Sting's old apartment.

Edited August 10, 2023 by Irlandesa

[Milburn Stone]

This show needed a shot in the arm and it got it! I'm delighted and looking forward to the rest of the season. (And secondarily, I'm happy for Martin Short that he's in a hit.)

[cardigirl]

11 hours ago, aghst said:

I missed the part where Ben was staying in the Arconia?

Why would a Hollywood star stay there, where a lot of the residents are old, people who've been there decades?

 

Exclusive building, very well located, and that apartment is the penthouse, so it's mega expensive.  People tend to stay where they are once they've reached the address they want to achieve. And for anyone with money, that penthouse would be desirable. Hollywood star or no.  

Charles's apartment looks a little too new to me, like it was decorated or redecorated recently (last 10 years) as opposed to Oliver's where all of his memorabilia is on display. You can see a slight decline in the overall appearance, as he's not had money, real money, for a while. 

The worst apartment we've seen was first-season Howard's apartment, it's not as fancy or as big as the others. 

But, I would dearly love to live at that address in any one of those apartments. 🤩

 

[kay1864]

23 hours ago, chaifan said:

The Penthouse...  I hope it goes to another real person celebrity, just to follow the pattern set in Seasons 1 and 2.  So it shouldn't go to Loretta, or the producers. 

I’m thinking Paul Rudd 😆

[chaifan]

2 hours ago, kay1864 said:

I’m thinking Paul Rudd 😆

They're cousins, identical cousins...  🎵

3 hours ago, cardigirl said:

Charles's apartment looks a little too new to me, like it was decorated or redecorated recently (last 10 years) as opposed to Oliver's where all of his memorabilia is on display. You can see a slight decline in the overall appearance, as he's not had money, real money, for a while. 

Speaking of Oliver and money... can someone remind me how his money woes were solved?  First season, wasn't he on the verge of getting evicted due to not paying rent?  I can't remember how he bounced back from that. 

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, chaifan said:

They're cousins, identical cousins...  🎵

Speaking of Oliver and money... can someone remind me how his money woes were solved?  First season, wasn't he on the verge of getting evicted due to not paying rent?  I can't remember how he bounced back from that. 

Oliver wasn't behind on his building fees and not rent.  He technically owns his apartment, and is also responsible for his share of the expenses for the building.  His son helped him out at the end of Season One by giving him the money to get current.  And depending on the payment schedule, he may have a few more months reprieve before he got his new job.  Of course, Oliver is the type who knows the exact amount of money he has to pay to stay "current" without paying in full and how many days after the fees are due to give the building manager that money.  She was looking the other way for months before Bunny got involved in Season One.

[AnimeMania]

6 hours ago, chaifan said:

Speaking of Oliver and money... can someone remind me how his money woes were solved?  First season, wasn't he on the verge of getting evicted due to not paying rent?  I can't remember how he bounced back from that. 

The Deli King gave Oliver quite a large sum of money to do his podcast in Season 1, which Oliver did not seem to share equally with his fellow podcasters. Who knows how much a successful podcast pays to get Oliver through Season 2. And now he is living large off of his theater gig.

[MisterGlass]

I miss Bunny walking Mrs. Gambolini in the opening credits, though it was cute to see Howard walking Sevelyn.

[Book Junkie]

My fearless prediction of the murder: Uma did it because she secretly loves the attention and drama of the podcast.

My fearless prediction for the penthouse: Mabel will move in there because her aunt bought it and Mabel is her favorite relative, so she buys the penthouse for Mabel for redoing her old apartment and she loves Mabel. You read it here first!

[paramitch]

Okay, so hear me out, but as a theatre person, I was annoyed at the scene where Loretta was doing all the silly accents for the Nanny at the first table read.

It just felt like a cheap laugh at the expense of the character, who had been established as someone terrific, talented, but overlooked, and of course as someone we could root for. Her introduction was just lovely.

I've worked in the theatre for almost 30 years on and off, and for her to immediately be THAT tone-deaf and unprofessional, right off the bat, earning the immediate hatred of the leading man, really bothered me.

There is no way someone in their first big Broadway break would do any of that. And I did not believe Loretta would do that, based on her intro.

I mean, yes, it's cute and we got to see Streep do her wonderful Streepy accent thing, but I just think it's bad writing in terms of the character and show.

(Sorry. I overthink things.)

Otherwise, enjoyed Loretta (and Streep), loved the episode, and really missed everyone. I was touched by how much Mabel seemed to miss Charles and Oliver, and hate that she's moving out of the Arconia!

I also thought Paul Rudd was hilarious, pitch-perfect, and absolutely playing a specific kind of person everyone in the show nodded and went, "Yeah, I worked with __________."

The show is like a sweet, slightly creepy, warm hug. From someone in an outdated fur coat wearing too much expensive cologne. (It's probably Oliver.)

[tkc]

A bit behind, so just catching up h… who farted?

Edited August 12, 2023 by tkc

[AnimeMania]

4 hours ago, paramitch said:

Okay, so hear me out, but as a theatre person, I was annoyed at the scene where Loretta was doing all the silly accents for the Nanny at the first table read.

It just felt like a cheap laugh at the expense of the character, who had been established as someone terrific, talented, but overlooked, and of course as someone we could root for. Her introduction was just lovely.

Maybe that is why she never got any parts, she would overthink the characters and their back story and become all hammy. The less she knows about a character the more naturally she can play them.

[paramitch]

2 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Maybe that is why she never got any parts, she would overthink the characters and their back story and become all hammy. The less she knows about a character the more naturally she can play them.

Sure, it's just that it isn't what we were shown. If she's just a nightmare who gets cast and then ruins it for herself and everyone, then her entire very poignant intro was a lie and a misdirection.

I just think it's bad writing. Which didn't ruin the episode for me -- I loved most of it. But that moment felt indulgent and cheap to me.

The show does this to me sometimes. I love it, but it's just like when they played the dead cat for laughs in season 1 (who puts their beloved pet in a freezer without even putting it in a bag? Come on) or tries for a cheap laugh at the expense of a fat, lonely, or homely character, etc.

So here, I didn't think she was funny, I was just irritated. The opening made me root for her as someone who deserved success. Then her being SO unprofessional at the table read made me feel "Nope, never mind."

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, paramitch said:

Sure, it's just that it isn't what we were shown. If she's just a nightmare who gets cast and then ruins it for herself and everyone, then her entire very poignant intro was a lie and a misdirection.

I just think it's bad writing. Which didn't ruin the episode for me -- I loved most of it. But that moment felt indulgent and cheap to me.

The show does this to me sometimes. I love it, but it's just like when they played the dead cat for laughs in season 1 (who puts their beloved pet in a freezer without even putting it in a bag? Come on) or tries for a cheap laugh at the expense of a fat, lonely, or homely character, etc.

So here, I didn't think she was funny, I was just irritated. The opening made me root for her as someone who deserved success. Then her being SO unprofessional at the table read made me feel "Nope, never mind."

I kind of had the same reaction to Loretta Durkin‘s failed table read. 
I think we were supposed to feel that way (uncomfortable, disappointed). 
Maybe they considered having a brief flashback to Oliver saying “Where have you been?” immediately followed by him quietly musing “So that’s where you’ve been,” but decided it was unnecessary and that Oliver is not ready to give up on Loretta?

Edited August 12, 2023 by shapeshifter

[peeayebee]

I agree that the scene felt a little indulgent or meta, I guess, what with Streep being known for doing accents well. But I didn't think it was bad writing. Like AnimeMania said, this might have been to show us why she didn't get significant parts. The scene also led into Ben wanting her fired -- tying into his past when Charles fired him -- and showed more bonding betw her and Oliver, and his wonderful way with dealing with actors who are having difficulty (which we also see later with him and Ben).

[Rickster]

14 hours ago, paramitch said:

Okay, so hear me out, but as a theatre person, I was annoyed at the scene where Loretta was doing all the silly accents for the Nanny at the first table read.

It just felt like a cheap laugh at the expense of the character, who had been established as someone terrific, talented, but overlooked, and of course as someone we could root for. Her introduction was just lovely.

I've worked in the theatre for almost 30 years on and off, and for her to immediately be THAT tone-deaf and unprofessional, right off the bat, earning the immediate hatred of the leading man, really bothered me.

There is no way someone in their first big Broadway break would do any of that. And I did not believe Loretta would do that, based on her intro.

I mean, yes, it's cute and we got to see Streep do her wonderful Streepy accent thing, but I just think it's bad writing in terms of the character and show.

(Sorry. I overthink things.)

 

Here's another possibility, just speculating.

At Loretta's audition, Oliver is the only person in the room. Maybe we are seeing her audition from his perspective, not objectively? Maybe he finds her attractive, maybe he's not the best judge of talent. Maybe that colors the way he sees her.

At the table read in front of a whole cast maybe we are seeing her the way she really is and why she hasn't gotten a lot of parts.

Or maybe it's just bad/cheap writing.

[Frost]

"Why did you do that?"

"Because it was funny."

Isn't that a famous (or at least semi-famous) conversation from a Peter O'Toole movie, My Favorite Year, or am I mixing it up with "Dying is Easy.  Comedy is hard."

I loved Loretta's table read.  She was so thrilled to finally get a part that she was determined to be fabulous!   So she researched her minor character beyond reason and came up with an elaborate backstory, complete with potential accents.  And it was hilarious.

 

[paramitch]

On 8/12/2023 at 4:32 AM, shapeshifter said:

I kind of had the same reaction to Loretta Durkin‘s failed table read. 
I think we were supposed to feel that way (uncomfortable, disappointed). 
Maybe they considered having a brief flashback to Oliver saying “Where have you been?” immediately followed by him quietly musing “So that’s where you’ve been,” but decided it was unnecessary and that Oliver is not ready to give up on Loretta?

(boldfaced for emphasis) LOL! See, THAT would have been funny.

22 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I agree that the scene felt a little indulgent or meta, I guess, what with Streep being known for doing accents well. But I didn't think it was bad writing. Like AnimeMania said, this might have been to show us why she didn't get significant parts. The scene also led into Ben wanting her fired -- tying into his past when Charles fired him -- and showed more bonding betw her and Oliver, and his wonderful way with dealing with actors who are having difficulty (which we also see later with him and Ben).

Sure, it could have been any or all of the above. But to me it just mostly feels like that Martin/Short thing where they went for a cheap laugh. It didn't work for me, but oh well.

21 hours ago, Frost said:

"Why did you do that?"

"Because it was funny."

Isn't that a famous (or at least semi-famous) conversation from a Peter O'Toole movie, My Favorite Year, or am I mixing it up with "Dying is Easy.  Comedy is hard."

I loved Loretta's table read.  She was so thrilled to finally get a part that she was determined to be fabulous!   So she researched her minor character beyond reason and came up with an elaborate backstory, complete with potential accents.  And it was hilarious.

I love My Favorite Year, so either way it works for me! 

See, I could have forgiven it if it was funny. I just found it tedious and stupid because no professional actor would pull that shit. Except maybe Paul Rudd's character, because he is bulletproof and unfireable.

It's not a huge deal, and I don't mean to sound like such a depressing party pooper, it just bugged me.

[cardigirl]

I think it will remain to be seen, but I didn't find Loretta's table read cringey (until she missed her line), and of course, was charmed by how Meryl played that scene. 

I think there will be reveals through the season of her abilities. It didn't take me out of the scene at all. 

We've yet to see how well the play was gelling before opening night, but Ben seems like he was going to have trouble anchoring a play. We haven't seen the other actors that were cast act in the play yet. 

 

[shapeshifter]

23 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I agree that the scene felt a little indulgent or meta, I guess, what with Streep being known for doing accents well. But I didn't think it was bad writing. Like AnimeMania said, this might have been to show us why she didn't get significant parts....

I wonder if this bit was more amusing to other actors viewing the scene.