Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 8: Top Quotes from ‘Sitzprobe’
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 8, “Sitzprobe,” finds Oliver’s rehearsal once again being derailed by the investigation. The man simply cannot catch a break.
But on the bright side, the prime suspect is someone who won’t ruin his musical if they are the killer.
“Sitzprobe” delivers a near-perfect episode complete with twists, our trio back together again, and the return of everyone’s favorite detective. Only Murders in the Building has found its stride, returning to the show we all fell in love with.
Let’s take a look at some quotes as we discuss the episode.
1. Oliver and Charles Try to Mend Fences
Oliver: You released a podcast without us?
Mabel: I thought you didn’t care about this investigation.
Oliver: I don’t, but I reserve the right to be hurt when I’m excluded from things.
Charles and Oliver don’t exactly deliver the apologies they had rehearsed to Mabel, but Charles trying to win his back into her good graces with a bit of investigative work will do.
Our trio’s broken friendship/partnership is at the heart of this episode, even though for most of it, they are separated.
Strangely enough, the separation works.
This is because they are all working on the case again. It’s not simply Mabel investigating while Charles and Oliver are focused on the musical and their personal lives. Charles, Mabel, and Oliver are all tackling the investigation from different angles.
2. The Return of Detective Williams
Oliver: And cue the Nanny.
Loretta: Who goes there?
Detective Williams: NYPD motherfuckers!
Detective Williams knows how to make an entrance.
Her return is so much fun for a variety of reasons. The obvious one is we get to watch her banter with our trio, both as a unit and with Charles and Oliver individually. She doesn’t put up with any of their nonsense, and she knows them well enough to be blunt about it without coming off as cruel.
Detective Williams also raises the stakes of the episode. She and the officers working with her create a bit of tension, mainly for Loretta, as they go about their investigation.
Usually, the person who does the voiceover of the episode will be featured a bit more prominently than normal, but with “Sitzprobe,” Loretta takes center stage. We watch her grapple with telling Dickie the truth about their relationship and protecting him.
It’s hard not to feel for her throughout this episode. Neither she nor Dickie are the most lovable of characters, which makes it all the more impressive that Only Murders in the Building manages to keep us so invested in their storyline.
3. A Stellar Performance
Mabel: So, I’m assuming no luck with Williams.
Charles: Funny isn’t it? The way she doubts us.
Oliver: Oh, she thinks we’re fools.
Charles: That’s only because we’re so skilled at playing them.
Charles performing the entire Pitwick Triplets song in and of itself is wonderful. Steve Martin can sing for us anytime he wants. Then, there’s the added delight of this performance being used over a montage.
The montage is used perfectly. As viewers, we also want to know if Charles will ever make it through the song without slipping into the White Room, but Only Murders in the Building realizes that it can’t simply have us watch Charles perform the song.
So, it smartly uses a montage. We get the satisfaction of watching Charles perform the entire song — along with watching everyone’s reactions to it — while also moving the plot along, checking in with other characters.
To top it all off, Charles’ performance is a key part of his and Oliver’s plan to deceive Detective Williams, thus winning over Mabel. They get to brag about their acting chops and be adorable in the process too.
4. Anything for Her Kid
Dickie: I just knew the next morning, he’d rope me back in. When he was gone, for those few brief moments, I just, I felt free.
Loretta: And then he was back.
Dickie: I was trapped, again. I couldn’t take it anymore
Talk about an ending. We’re still two episodes away from the finale, and anything can happen, but that confession seems to strongly suggest that Dickie killed (or attempted to kill) Ben. I’m still sticking with my theory that two separate people tried to kill Ben, so perhaps we only have half of the puzzle figured out.
As much as I’ve been wanting Oliver’s heart attack to be brought up again, this is not how I wanted it to go down.
Loretta and Oliver’s relationship is one of the weaker aspects of the season, and part of the reason is that the initial part of their romance occurred off-screen. We never saw the sparks between them.
Aside from one good date (partially ruined by Oliver discovering her scrapbook), we haven’t been given a chance to fall for them.
So Oliver declaring that he loves her and then having a heart attack due to the stress of witnessing her confess to murder doesn’t quite land the way it could have if we were completely invested in them.
It’s disappointing.
—
What did you think of this episode of Only Murders in the Building? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
New episodes of Only Murders in the Building premiere Tuesdays on Hulu.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Allison Nichols
Allison is in a love affair with television that doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Slightly damaged fictional characters are her weakness. She loves to spend her free time curled up with a cat and a show to binge-watch. Allison is a Tomatometer-approved critic (Rotten Tomatoes).