The Marlow Murder Club Season 3 Episode 3 Review: A Murder at a Murder Mystery Game

A group of friends including Becks reunites on The Marlow Murder Club Season 3 Episode 3, “Murder in the Dark, Part 1.” In the middle of their games, one of them drops dead with a real knife in his back.

Una organized the night to include Becks, our victim Freddy, Ryan, Oscar, and Jessica. Judith, Susie, and Tanika and her squad join this already packed lineup with the DI warning our heroines that they can’t talk with each other as usual.

The first clues are sparse. Earlier in the night, Oscar yells at Freddy, but the confrontation seems to fizzle out. Una tells Becks that Jessica, who claims she hasn’t seen Freddy in years, is lying. Photos seem to back this up.

Then there are the noises Una hears in the attic. A cursory police inspection reveals nothing, but when Susie and Judith enter another hidden doorway, they find an entire secret wing of the house—and live security camera footage.

Meanwhile, Susie joins Judith in the dating world with considerably less success than her friend has with Darius. She decides to try speed dating, which is plenty awkward even before she happens to be paired with (Tanika’s colleague) Brendan.

While this is definitely an ensemble show, Judith is still the main character by most accounts and has until now been at the center of most case-related drama. It’s nice (in an unpleasant way) to see Becks step into that spotlight.

Even with her newfound role as a crime solver, I wouldn’t necessarily have pinned her as someone who would have fun playing a murder mystery game, but she plays the part very well, even and especially when things get serious.

We have only a few moments with everyone inside the house before it becomes a crime scene, which isn’t really enough time to relate to any of them. And, at least for the moment, there are too many mized messages for a suspect to stand out.

Still, while this has previously led to jumbled confusion, here it feels more like Clue, intentionally chaotic and a bit absurd. It’d almost be fun if not for the innocent dead man and the traumatized friends (and one killer) who find him.

We do of course also feel bad for Becks, especially when her contact with her friends is limited. Hopefully once everything is wrapped up, they’ll be able to help her process the stress of being both a witness and a possible suspect.

For now, the case is one of the more intriguing ones we’ve seen, particularly with the reveal of the hidden “room” that’s actually several. As Judith says, they aren’t alone, and a murder could be hiding in dozens of places.

Finally, despite the second-hand embarrassment, poor Susie’s adventures in dating are hilarious. Yes, the men she meets are comically over-the-top and the run-in with Brendan is painfully awkward, but it’s great comic relief.

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The Marlow Murder Club airs Sundays at 8/7c on PBS.

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