Yesterday in What Else?, I mentioned Martin Short’s character from Only Murders in the Building, Oliver, and his affinity for dip, and afterwards I was like, wait, there are new photos of the cast on set in New York this week, why am I not talking about this?
I watched the first two episodes of Only Murders in the Building back in late summer before its release because I was covering the junket for etalk and I liked it, a lot, but back then, in Toronto at least, we were opening up, and it was like I was a teenager again. There was no TV time, there was only socialising time.
So I ended up only going back to Only Murders over the holidays and binged it over a few days. Which actually worked out better since we were back in lockdown and, well, I needed that joy. This show is PURE JOY. As Sarah wrote in her review back in the fall, this is some of the best dialogue on television over the last year – quick and sharp and arch and HILARIOUS. Like, for sure, when you have the combination of Steve Martin and Martin Short, of course you expect funny, but I had no idea it would be trip-over-yourself funny, which is what happened to me during one episode when I was watching on the treadmill and almost fell off with Martin Short’s delivery of the line, “Where’d you get a quaalude?” If you’ve seen it, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
The two of them together is delight. And the two of them with Selena Gomez is, well, it’s nothing short of wonderful. It doesn’t just work, it pops. The three of them are magic – and for those who keep suggesting that Steve Martin and Martin Short should host the Oscars, add Selena to that and then we’re talking. That probably won’t happen, because they’re working on the second season. Which is better for us anyway. I very much can’t wait to go back to the Arconia. And if you haven’t been to the Arconia, I’m excited for you.
