#omitb meta

[anxiouspotatorants]

"I can't figure her out either."

He can't figure out why she does what she does. Why she would spend years renovating an apartment in the building where two of her childhood friends brutally died.

He can't figure out why she's simultaneously so respectful of the dead while passionate about murder and making a podcast with two elderly b-listers.

He can't figure out why she would ever be friends with him. The guy who did his father's literal dirty work for years. The guy who had her tied and pushed into his van with one of the b-listers. The guy who is responsible for her friend's death and for putting an innocent man in prison for ten years.

He can't figure out how she could ever forgive him. How she could show him respect. How she could show him kindness. How she could decide to spend time with him. How she could decide to learn an entire language just to communicate with him. After everything he's done. How she could like and maybe even want his company.

He can't figure out how they got to this point. To her asking him to help her pack up and move out, with every intention of staying close with him.

[wowbright]

When Mabel turns away from Theo while talking to him, even I (a hearing person) can't follow what she's saying. I'm distracted by what an insufferable idiot (affectionate mostly but not in this case) she is like her old guys. Is that intentional? That she's so obsessed with herself/solving murders that she's rude as fuck? (I mean yeah I already knew that but I don't usually have such a visceral reaction to it. Usually I think it's funny.)

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

Ferris Bueller's Day Off | OMITB 3x7

[potterandpromises]

I want to talk about the evolution of Theo's appearance.

I mean, look at that glow up! That doesn't even look like the same actor, let alone character.

In season 1 he looks a lot like his teenage self: kind of greasy.

Mabel, Tim, and Oscar looked younger in their flashbacks. And to me at least, Theo really didn't. Out of all of them, he's been given the least opportunity to change, to grow up.

Then in season 2 (really just 2x07; in 2x04 when he's talking to his father he looks like his season 1 self) he looks more mature and put together. He's less awkward, more free.

In season 3, the trend continues and it's no longer subtle. He looks quite different, older for sure. He's more relaxed. We see him engage with his friend and his interests, have more fun.

He looks a lot like his dad, while Teddy is just a painting in the back of Uma's closet nowhere to be seen.

I'm obsessed with how the farther removed Theo is from Teddy the more grown up and well he looks, and I'm obsessed with how he looks so much more like his dad in a season where we don't even hear about them interacting.

(I'm also curious if, upon interacting more with his dad, Theo will look more disheveled, to show backsliding.)

I'm obsessed with how he suddenly looks a lot more like Will.

To be clear I don't think whatever symbolism is there in the glasses + beard addition (on some level we can't help but become our parents no matter how hard we try?) is necessarily intentional— I'd have to see season 4 before forming an opinion for sure, but I do think it's more likely that it's just a normal look for James Caverly and the time skip between seasons meant that it wouldn't be weird for Theo to look pretty different. Plus, they've now set him up as a potential love interest for Mabel, so he should probably look as attractive as possible.

But still, in a show that has an ongoing theme of family, it's all very interesting. I think season 4 will have a siblings theme of sorts (posts about why). I'm hopeful that Teddy will return and we'll finally see Theo and Will interact. (Note: as far as I know, Nathen Lane's absence and Ryan Broussard's low screen time were more so due to scheduling conflicts then creative decisions.) I'm also hopeful that we'll see a little more of Will's feelings about Oliver's heart attack and the circumstances leading up to it— because once again, Oliver prioritized the theater over his family, which is, ya'know, the root of all their issues.

And speaking of conflict, we've seen a plotline about how DNA doesn't matter (Oliver and Will,) and one about connecting with biological family after a long and painful separation (Loretta and Dickie.) I wonder if season 4 will have something of a push-pull between the two. Considering the actors' chemistry, it's hard not to imagine Theo and Will connecting if given the chance. (And I do think they'll get a chance at some point, or they wouldn't let the actors talk about it in the aftershows.) Given Teddy Dimas, it's hard not to imagine them having complicated feelings about that. Rounding back to the potential symbolism of Theo's new look re: (fear of; you can't help) becoming like one's father, Will experienced that in season 2 with his son's play. It's also been a theme/fear in Charles' life, so very much in these writers' wheelhouse.

There's no ending to this post, it's just a part of Theo's character arc I really enjoy, and I'm excited to see it continue.

[duelbraids]

Death Rattle Dazzle Plot EXPLAINED (not clickbait)

Other title ideas: So None of the Picwick Triplets Did It?, Theatre Professional Unravels the Plot of In-Universe Musical for No Reason.

This is a list of my thoughts about the plot of the in universe musical Death Rattle Dazzle from Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. This will contain no spoilers for the plot of the show proper, or the mystery, but will spoil all the songs written and theorize about their placement in an actual, two act musical. It'll also reference a few of the gags from the final episode, and this metafiction article by Playbill, which was done in collaboration with OMITB. Maxine's in universe review is bloody funny, and it contains a Playbill, which reveals some plot details about the original play. This practically is fan fiction, I will admit, but its fun, damn it, and I did my research!

Death Rattle Dazzle has the distinction of being the adaption of what is called a "classic play" by Oliver (who, despite his kookiness, is clearly well versed in theatre.) Maxine's review says that "Anyone with more culture than a vanilla yogurt has probably encountered the play in some form—if not by starring in it at the local elementary school, then in the form of a spoof on television, in film, or by Cate Blanchett opening the Tonys in 2012." This is hilarious, basically making the play a straight play version of Little Shop of Horrors. Everyone's done it, especially regional or amateur companies.*

*By amateur, I do not mean bad or unpolished. Many local, amateur companies put on fantastic plays. I simply mean the definition of amateur used in theatre: unpaid.

To me, that means Death Rattle must be old enough to be in the public domain, or was willed to be public domain after the playwright's death, et cetera. We also meet the original director of the play in 3.10, though all we know is that his version was "Weirder." This adaptation element mostly comes up in the aesthetic changes from straight play to musical, because we do not see much of the original play. However it's clear to me that Oliver knows his chops, and knows how to reference original material (keeping 'Creature of the Night' as Act One's opener to replace the opening monologue, for instance.)

Now, I want to write a mock up of the plot, and then justify my decisions. I also had the idea to name random songs to fill out a 12 song tracklist - pretty short for a 2 Act Play, but I'm just doing this part for fun. Maybe they're the songs on the cast album. Made up songs are going to marked in Red.

Players The Detective The Nanny The Constable The Godmother The Father The Boatman The Pickwick Triplets Chorus

Act One

The Detective introduces the audience to the situation at hand - a murder that is driving him to madness. (Creature of the Night) The plot follows the Detective as he and the Constable begin to try and unravel the crime. The Constable admits he has had trouble keeping law and order, thus calling in the Detective. (Private Dick) The Chorus has a song about their own suspicions, including wondering about the parentage of the children (Is It You?) The investigative duo, along with the Chorus, lay out the details of the crime, woman murdered, only her triplets in the room, found tossed from the cliff with a rattle down her throat. (Death Rattle, DAZZLE!) We see more into the mental state of the Detective, who clearly is manic about this case. They go to interview The Godmother, who tells them about her final day with her best friend, casting blame on the "Children's Father," then the Nanny (Last Light / Only Duty) This leads into the Nanny at the top of the lighthouse, closing out the act as she expresses her devotion to the triplets. (Look for the Light)

Act Two

The Chorus brings us back in, summarizing the events of Act One using crab mating as a metaphor (Entr'acte / Nova Scotia Nightfall) The Father is questioned by the Detective, who reveals he knows the children are not his own, because he had been sleeping with the Godmother, not his own wife. However, he could not have killed her, as he was at his post all night, and his wife was inside. (Private Dick Reprise) The Boatman, who had been lurking since the beginning, is finally cornered by the Constable, and reveals that he not only ferried someone over the night of the murder, but couldn't see their face. (Deadest Night) Then, the Boatman tells the Constable that he saw no one enter or leave the lighthouse, which is where the Mother was killed. This leads to the Constable realizing he may have to charge one of the Pickwick Triplets to restore order to his island. He locks himself in the lighthouse, and tries to solve the crime. (Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?) As the Detective enters with a copied key, the Constable realizes it must be he who murdered the Mother. The Detective admits this, though doesn't reveal why. (Confrontation, Dear Constable) The Nanny finds the Constable dead against the rocks, and challenges the Detective. He reveals that he is the father of the children, as well as confessing his guilt. The Nanny pushes him to his death, in order to protect herself. (For The Sake of a Child)

Okay, Justification Time.

The original play is described as "Agatha Christie" like, so casting suspicion on every character is basically a must. The actual placement of songs is based on how they were shown in the show, along with my own knowledge of theatre. Creature of the Night is a quintessential opening number: we start with our main character, before introducing every major character as they enter the stage. Look for the Light is a clear reference to Memory. A lullaby-like song to end the first act, the emotional core of the musical. Thus, similar to Cats, I structured the show to be mostly ensemble, framed by the two investigators. Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It? made me immediately think of plot twist patter songs ( ala Your Fault ) that come in at the 11th hour. And, of course, ending on that spoken For the Sake of a Child is the right level of dramatic.

While some of the plot in between the lines is inferred from the show, a lot of it comes from that metafiction article I mentioned - there's a Playbill with descriptions of the characters, and dear god, did it give me a goldmine of ideas. Seriously, I highly recommend that article. Marketing that's actually fun and engages the viewer in the show? Wow, who could've thunk it.

My original mock up included more people dying, but decided to cut that, since we have no evidence for that aside from the Nanny referring to the Detective "Serial Killing" which could have been about him killing the Constable, since we know he dies. If you want to know, they would've been: The Godmother murdered at the end of Act One, then the Father murdered in Private Dick Reprise, though not revealed until Confrontation, Dear Constable. BTW, that song is basically the only one with any basis in the show's script, as we hear a confrontation between the Detective and the Constable as cross talk near the end of 3.10.

Some scattered thoughts:

Both Private Dick and Only Duty are songs that I expect would have Ironic Echoes later in the show. Private Dick originally introducing the charming Detective in a mostly positive light, and then in the second act, used to insinuate that the Father knows the Detective used his, uh, private dick elsewhere. Only Duty, meanwhile, would be used by the Godmother to say that a Nanny's love is only because it's her paid duty, as opposed to the Mother or Godmother, and of course, later we have A nanny's only duty is to the children.

Finally, I had to include a reference that crab people breeding bit they couldn't drop in the show, lol. In my head it's a dream ballet during the entr'acte, each of the crabs wearing the character's they represent headpiece, and of course, three eggs.

EDIT: I can't believe I didn't mention this, but I believe the motive of the Detective to be a simple matter of custody; he wants the triplets, and got into a fight with the Mother when he tried to take them, leading to him murdering her. Then, he returns to the island when called by the Constable, and plans to either kill everyone in his way of getting the triplets, or to accuse someone other than him, to get out of trouble.

[notmoreflippingelves]

Personally I feel Kristoph just regrets having killed Zak so suddenly on an impulse. Reminder that the locks appeared when asked why he killed Zak specifically. He hated him for turning him down and probably never saw himself capable of murder. Once he killed him he probably felt glad he got revenge and didn't get exposed, but then had that sudden clarity of "oh shit, I actually killed someone", which combined with his paranoia, stressed him out immensely. He tragically traumatized himself.

Zak's murder has always screamed unplanned, desperate "crime of passion" to me, given how dramatically different to the other murder we know Kristoph committed (and set in motion 7 years earlier). Criminology-wise, it's already very unusual for a criminal to change their modus operandi so dramatically without a good reason. And it becomes immediately more striking when we look at the weapons: blunt object in Zak's case vs. poison for the Mishams'.

Poison has long held the stereotype of being a "woman's weapon" rather than a man's. Which yeah, it is a pretty unnecessarily gendered and heteronormative way to look at it. But like what the stereotype is actually saying by this is that poison--regardless of the gender(s) of the person using it--is almost always the method preferred by people who would prefer not to use psychical forms of violence even once they have determined that they "need" to enact violent ends.

These sorts of killers may lack the physical strength or athletic skill to wield a gun/sword/bat/spear,/blunt instrument, they may not be able to summon the adequate aggression to do so, they may want to avoid a bigger "mess" w/ more pieces of evidence, or they may just lack the "sadistic urge" to directly use their hands to enact another's pain. All of the above seem that they could apply to Kristoph given what we know of him.

Even though he has determined that he's going to go through with the murder plot, Kristoph vastly prefers a more detached, less messy, and (in his mind) quicker and less cruel method. Because his heart may not really be in it in the long run. Like do you really think he'd want to get actual blood on his pretty little nails if he didn't have to? He's not killing for the fun of it like some of the other AA killers; he's killing because he's convinced himself he has to.

(Unlike a lot of other fans, I tend to hc that Zak and Drew were actually the *only* deaths that Kristoph was responsible for. Because I maintain that that there was something much more specific and important about the Gramarye case to Kris than simply "wah, I was fired from my first big case and now I'm gonna be petty af about it." No like, this case in particular--besides just "an important case that could make my career"-- was personal to Kris for reasons we may never know).

Even though he knew that this could very well come back to bite him in the derriere, Kristoph was probably secretly relieved that the poison didn't work right away for the Mishams--or that if it had worked, he wouldn't have to find out about it. Out of sight, out of mind and he wouldn't have to face his conscience. And in the worst case scenario, the murder plan was still in place should Kristoph need to enact it later. (Which he did by writing to Drew *during* (and not before) Kristoph's incarceration following Zak's murder.)

So with all that in mind, Kristoph's murder of Zak just seems more and more of a desperate, impulsive act. It's not his style at all, and yet he did it. He saw Zak, realized he was at risk, and panicked.

And yeah, I would imagine that even if we assume he had no regrets/second thoughts about Drew Misham's murder, Zak's murder would psychologically feel really really different to Kris. And I imagine that it could potentially prove even more psychologically damaging to him.

Because braining "Shadi Smith" with a grape juice bottle is an act that is sudden, violent, impulsive and totally out-of-character for Kristoph Gavin--coolest defense in the West ,whose intellect is his weapon of choice and who prefers to keep his pretty nails (if not his soul) clean.

[quant-um-fizzx]

Only Murders in the Building theory/meta/whatever

I realize this breaks a cardinal rule in entertainment, but I genuinely wish Scott Bakula - real, live famous person - would be involved season 4’s murder. Murderer or intended victim, either one.

LOOK how much sense it makes:

- Scott has been mentioned regularly since episode 1

- long-running association with Charles

- Sazz was his body double

- dating Charles’ ex, Joy

- omitb Scott dresses like Sazz who dresses like Charles who dresses like Scott who dresses like…

- the misdirection that Sazz might have be killed because she was mistaken for Charles, so Charles must be the intended victim…maybe Scott was the intended victim (yes, I really stretched there since it’s in Charles’ apartment.)

- Scott has ZERO reason to be skulking about the omitb movie party (this is The Fishiest Bit)

- weirdly mentioned “white-haired white-guy” and the only thing we can see in the scratched out photograph of the Westies is white hair

- he might know about the passages into Charles’ apartment from Joy

I’m not sure what the upside down numbers that really spelled “oh hell” are about, but it made me think “Oh, boy!” his Quantum Leap catchphrase. (Again, admittedly, a stretch.)

I have no idea what’s up with all the ham. Unless it’s a ham smuggling operation and the first pig was called Dr. Ham Beckett.

[ozziesdisco]

There's just something oddly meta about the actress for Holly playing a psychopath caller Jan in OMITB

[samantitheos]

Weekly Tag Wednesday

Fandom This or That!

Thank you for all the tags lovely folks.

@mybrainismelted @deedala @burninface @sickness-health-all-that-shit

@francesrose3 @blue-disco-lights

I feel loved today. 🖤

Name:  Sam Location:  On the couch catching up on OMITB

Fanfic Tropes:

Canon Compliant OR Canon Divergent Only One Bed OR Fake Dating [but why not both?] Coffee Shop AU  OR  Historical AU [NTW i am looking directly at you] Omegaverse OR Soulmates [this one almost killed me, but my tastes are very specific when it comes to omegaverse and it has to be written so, so well, so soulmates edges it out just slightly] Fluff OR Angst [but only with a happy ending] Fix-It OR Post-Canon Slow Burn OR Established Relationship High School AU  OR  Fake Relationship College AU OR  Dystopian Future

Shameless Characters:

Date Night with Ian OR Netflix and Chill with Mickey Clubbing with Fiona  OR  Bike Racing with Lip Pub Night with Debbie OR Video Games with Carl and Liam Wandering the streets with Frank  OR  The Alibi w/ Tommy & Kermit Training at KevFit  OR Girl's Night with Veronica

General:

Reading Fics OR Watching Video Edits GIFS  OR  Memes Headcanons OR Meta Incorrect Quotes OR Text Post

Tags under the cut.

Calling anyone who wants to play to join! And saying hi to some folks. ✨

@annarowyn @mickey-milkovichs @vintagelacerosette @wehangout @sam-loves-seb

@gallavichsuperfan @gallawitch1 @iheartmoons @doshiart @palepinkgoat

@loftec @energievie @mmmichyyy @pookiebearmick

[careless-with-your-heart]

And now Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick have both been in OMITB, and they straight talked to Mel Brooks about The Producers. So fucking meta. I love this show. Cry emoji.

[wikiangela]

look, I fucking love meta jokes so much

but omitb is kinda overdoing it (like, it work bc of the podcast and all, but it causes me to just sigh and roll my eyes every time Oliver says anything even remotely "meta" 🙄 maybe that's just because I find him annoying tho idk 😂)

[anxiouspotatorants]

So I’m rebinging season 1 and there is so much angst packed in the ship that is Mabel and Theo:

Theo saw Mabel and the Hardy Boys sneaking around as a teen and presumably never interacted or tried to join ;-;

When Teddy threatened Tim with potentially harming him or Mabel, it was Theo who spelled out her name

When Theo looks at Mabel in season 1 he gets flashbacks to Zoe’s death

Mabel sneaks around and finds out Theo is a grave robber and then gets blindfolded and tied up and put in a van alongside Oliver for it (is this enemies to lovers? Is this what y’all have been talking about??)

The podcast, including Mabel, accuse and genuinely assume Theo murdered Tim to cover up his past crimes for about 24 hours

They have a couple shots in episode 7 where they just stop and stare at the other person?? I know it’s more about recognizing each other’s presence and triggering flashbacks but still like the tension??

Also each Theo-heavy episode has been the 7th of the season. Is that something to expect for the future?

[devouringyourson]

omitb is lovely and has great coincidental rep with a bi female character but they're still stuck in that wink wink nudge nudge gay jokes about the male main characters like oliver putnam is camp and silly and im all for loving little meta jokes about queer coding but if they were brave theyd just make that silly old man bi rather than doing such a weird 'oh he acts gay but isn't, he's a loving father its actually progressive to have a metrosexual straight man' thing

[potterandpromises]

There are certain echos of Mabel and Theo's friendship in season 3.

The fact that she didn't hold Gregg kidnapping her and Charles against him, even pointing to Gregg's picture and saying: "[let's] get you out," (because kidnapping and attempted murder is, I assume, a misdemeanor in this universe.)

While the parallels between Ben and Zoe's deaths are not directly acknowledged (sobs about it,) she readily offers Cliff possible defenses for his actions: "Cliff, you can justify it, say it was for your mom or that it was an accident or—" This must have come easily to her because she was familiar with Theo's case; it was an accident, and he did it for his dad.

[potterandpromises]

The organizing principle in my mind for the tone and the comedy in [Only Murders in the Building] is “New York City.” New York holds it all: You can have something hugely dramatic happening when you step outside of your building in New York that’s upsetting and deeply concerning, and you have people grabbing onto each other that you never even knew before who are experiencing something as a unit. Once we squared on the tone of the show as New York City, you could have your cake and eat it too with these comedic geniuses. What if the cat is in the freezer? You can play a scene with Steve Martin discovering a cat in the freezer and having to pull it out and one of the legs snaps off and now he’s putting it in his pocket. But that scene has to be married with something deeply grounding: He then encounters Oliver in a very low moment where he’s going to sell the valuable poster of his hugest failure on Broadway. It’s absurdist, but both things are being held at once. It all has to be in good measure and give the audience what they want, but it has to be organically true to the narrative we’re building. That’s the joy of this show: It can go a lot of different directions, and you never know where it’s going to go from one moment to the next.

John Hoffman, 'Only Murders in the Building' Showrunner Explains How He and Steve Martin Found Humor in the Murder Mystery

[potterandpromises]

the LA plot for omitb has the trio in hollywood bc a movie is being made about them and based on the onset pic with their actor counterparts (they were wearing what the trio was wearing in the pilot ep), part of the movie theyre making is set during s1 which theo is an integral part of so most likely there might be a character based on him in the movie too. do you think they'd have theo in s4 in any capacity? id honestly be upset if theyd drop theo the way they dropped oscar

*Spoilers*

I am at least 95% certain Theo will be in at least one episode of season 4. Mostly because they wouldn't have brought him back in season 2, fleshed him out, then brought him back and fleshed him out again in season 3 if they didn't want him around for the long haul. They especially would not have had Mabel move in with him. In other words, the writers seem more invested in his character then they ever were in Oscar's or Lucy's.

The ≈5% is in case there was a scheduling conflict/other issue with James Caverly (which I think is unlikely, just based off of interviews and what I know of his career.) My understanding is that they wrote Oscar out at least in part because of a scheduling conflict, though I'm not actually sure. Or I could maybe see Theo skipping a season if they star-packed the cast so tightly they decided they didn't have time for him. But season 3 had a similar set up with a bunch of new faces and they still made time to have him come in, help out the with case, sweep Mabel off to his apartment and then peace out, so I'm expecting season 4 will likely be similar in that regard.

Side note: I don't think we'll get a Theo and Will story line this season, because of the aforementioned star-packing. Which is too bad! I'm predicting James Caverly and Ryan Broussard will be in another One Killer Question together where they'll talk about being brothers and I will have to silently scream about how we're deprived of seeing them together in the show. One day!

Anyway, as to whether Theo will get a doppelganger, I'm agnostic. He is an important character in season 1, but I don't know that the in-universe OMITB movie will end up getting made, and thus get to the point of the story where Theo would need to be cast/shown (wow, this is getting too meta, I don't know how to write that sentence.) The script leak I saw indicates that the counter-trio will be following our trio to New York, for research, I'd assume. In real life, many adaptations start pre-production and don't end up getting made, so we won't definitely be seeing that adaptation. It's also possible the plot will diverge significantly from the podcast, like the Brozzos reboot, and he won't even be a character. Though the clothing and method acting would suggest that's probably not the case, at least not at first. Again, I'm agnostic as to where that whole thing will end up.

I'm expecting lots of meta comments on Hollywood and writing. Like aging-up Mabel's character so there isn't such an age gap between her and the guys (because audiences "won't believe" their friendship otherwise? for romantic possibilities?) but still not casting an old women, because misogyny. If they do have a Theo in the movie, I wonder if they'll address disability erasure when it's seen as too difficult or not narratively interesting, or the issue of casting abled actors as disabled characters.

Also, and this is a side note to the side note: Selena was seen filming as Mabel in the courtyard while the wedding set was up, wearing a baby blue sweater and mini skirt similar to the one she worn in 2x07. Mabel only wears blue in (or directly before/after) episodes where she's with Theo. Climatically it's about matching his color scheme/apartment, emotionally it's about getting closer to him. Now, this could be a stretch. I've tried to think of ways it could be stretch, like it could be to match someone else's color scheme, I guess. But the pattern is real. So that might put your mind at ease a bit, too.

The too-long-didn't-read of it is that while I think we had real reasons to worry last season, the writers keep committing to keeping him around and Theo has multiple storylines set up for the future. So I wouldn't worry. As for an OMITB movie counterpart, I have no idea, but wouldn't hold my breath.