Howard begins as the narrator for this episode, and he recants a story about Gideon Gooseberry, a man who died onstage from a sandbag falling on him. He believes Gideon is haunting the production of Death Rattle. Howard confesses to the gang that he killed Ben Glenroy, though that is quickly put to rest whenever he admits it is because he failed to sweep the floor and jinxed the production. Howard was unable to procure the broom from KT’s office because it was locked, and she is an unpleasant person, so he did not ask for the keys. When Howard was sweeping the stage earlier, he heard a noise and saw a suspicious figure in the back of the theatre.

Tobert comes to the living room from Mabel’s bedroom in a towel and offers his own insight on the ghost killer situation. When he and Mabel begin to theorize together, Charles and Oliver get jealous and push back on the idea that Jonathan, Howard’s boyfriend/Ben’s understudy, might have a strong motive. Charles admits he has been distracted by his Joy situation and confessed that she has moved out. This is when Oliver offers to go to the theater alone to make up for his lack of interest in the investigation, but, in reality, he wants to figure out alone if Loretta is a viable suspect. Mabel and Charles insist on going, and Mabel is so excited their group is back investigating together like before.

The trio and Howard get to the theater, and Charles shows off his pet fish (President McKinley) he brought with him. He is almost killed by falling sandbags, just like Gideon Gooseberry was, which only heightens Howard’s resolve that Ben’s death is ghost-related. They head to KT’s office, though she leaves quickly with Howard to check the ropes. The trio finds a sign-in sheet in the office that they can use to cross-examine the lipstick writing on Ben’s dressing room. Oliver gets defensive, and Charles gets jealous about Mabel working with Tobert. This is when the three of them split up.

Oliver finds his old friend Jerry Blau (Peter Bartlett) squatting in a closet in the theater. Charles accidentally gets trapped in the prop room after placing his fish in a toilet because the bag leaked. Mabel runs into Tobert, who is trailing Jonathan. Also, Howard and KT are onstage checking the equipment. She tells him that sweeping was never the key to fighting the negative spirits in the theater. This is also when she admits that her office door is never locked, which is an interesting tidbit to throw in there. After that, KT takes Howard onstage and instructs him on how to deal with the ghost. Howard must call for Gideon and act through a monologue as KT directs him. They successfully get the ghost light back on and subdue Gideon.

Charles has a mental breakdown as he waits in the room, hoping someone is coming to save him. He recognizes that he might be the cause of his relationship issues. Charles accidentally flushes after relieving his bladder, and he has another breakdown, though he saves President McKinley. After accidentally setting off a smoke machine, he remembers his Jimmy keys, which he uses to escape, and runs into Mabel and Tobert.

Oliver’s friend admits he was the one who dropped a few sandbags and scared Howard. If everyone believed Gideon was real, then Jerry could stay at the theater longer with less chance of anyone finding out about him. He also admitted he couldn’t pay his mortgage after being fired from the production a year prior. Though he may be weird, he doesn’t have a strong enough cause to kill Ben Glenroy. He drops the information that Loretta has a violent temper, and he uses popsicle puppets to explain what he saw, which is the fight where Charles punches Ben for Loretta. Jerry tells Oliver a piece of information that was once bestowed upon him by Oliver himself: inaction is the only wrong decision. He must choose where his priorities lie, which he does moments later.

Mabel and Tobert confront Jonathan outside his dressing room. He admits he has been feeling anxious about taking over Ben’s part, so he asked Ben’s doctor for something to help. He was given a concoction that included beta-blockers, HGH, and methamphetamine, which Ben also used. Mabel remembers that meth never popped up on the tox screen from Ben’s autopsy. They run into Charles, and the pair follow Oliver’s running figure back to Ben’s dressing room.

Oliver has chosen Loretta, and he wipes the lipstick off the mirror. When Charles and Mabel try to stop him, he throws out that the investigation is actually over and this isn’t a crime scene because the police arrested the stalker long ago. He was never particularly helpful in this investigation, but actively destroying evidence is low. Also, Charles admits he didn’t say anything about punching Ben opening night because he knew Oliver was interested in Loretta and didn’t want to put the target on her. The two bicker back and forth about who is more problematic and who did the other the bigger favor by working on Death Rattle together.

Oliver doesn’t care if the police have caught the wrong person as long as it doesn’t affect his girlfriend or his production. He slams Mabel for her lack of a job and her desire to continue with the investigation. He is selfish and vindictive toward her to the point where even Charles is taken aback. This is where she admits Cinda Canning offered her a real job, like the one Oliver clowned her about lacking, but chose not to pursue it out of her friendship with them. She also genuinely loves Ben since he was an important part of her childhood. I’m interested to see how the show will turn Oliver around because he has become an unlikeable character. How can viewers not want Mabel to partner with Tobert and work with Cinda? Even if Loretta isn’t the killer, which I don’t think she will be, Oliver’s behavior is enough to want to see Mabel be free from the negativity.