Only Murders In The Building season 4 comes to a close with a thrilling, but rushed finale. Here’s our episode 10 review.
Spoiler warning! This review is spoiler-free for the episode in question, but discusses previous episodes of the season in detail. Consider yourself warned!
After 10 weeks, we’ve reached the conclusion of Only Murders In The Building season 4. This season has taken us to Hollywood and back, but naturally, the finale comes to a close right in the heart of the Arconia.
Last week’s episode ended on a cliffhanger as Mabel was stuck in the Dudenoff apartment with the OMIB movie writer Marshall (Jin Ha), who was, in fact, Sazz’s protege and her killer. It was also revealed that Sazz was the true writer of the film’s script and that Marshall, a failed writer and a failed stuntman, stole it in order to fulfil his dream of becoming a Hollywood scribe.
The finale gives us a little more insight into why Marshall was so desperate to begin with. His father trained him as a hunter and scoffed at Marshall’s dreams of writing scripts. Marshall gave writing his best shot, only to find Hollywood a pretty merciless place, so when Sazz’s script turns out to be a winner, Marshall is devastated, leading him to utilise his hunter training to kill Sazz.
It’s not exactly the most original backstory, but the flashback scenes between Jin Ha and Jane Lynch are excellent. The scenes in the Dudenoff apartment feel a little rushed and there’s a lot of heavy exposition until the whole thing just kind of ends very suddenly. It feels almost too easy. However, there’s a hefty dose of humour in the episode as Charles opts to defend himself with Eva Longoria’s multitool, which includes a vibrator function. Who doesn’t want a sex toy with their nail gun?
Overall, season 4 of Only Murders In The Building has been a little uneven and our ability to suspend disbelief has been tried and tested. This season was certainly better than season 3, but both seasons prove that more Hollywood stars doesn’t necessarily mean better episodes. Season 4 felt a little too busy with too many subplots that went nowhere, and while Sazz had the potential to be one of the best victims with the most affecting backstory, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed in her arc.
Our podcasting trio also felt somewhat neglected. The season started as a rumination on loneliness, but all character development slowly faded away to make room for more outlandish characters. In the end, did Eva Longoria, Zach Galifianakis and Eugene Levy provide anything more than a couple of empty laughs? Did we need Paul Rudd back as an Irish stuntman?
Yet, this season was a lot of fun. It was flawed for sure, but I can’t pretend I didn’t have a great time with it. Meryl Streep and Melissa McCarthy in a fist fight? An episode almost completely shot in found-footage/mockumentary style? These moments proved that Only Murders In The Building still has fresh ideas, even though the format is starting to lose its effectiveness.
As we already know, Only Murders In The Building has been renewed for another season, so it’s not exactly a spoiler to say that the season ends with another murder. As with previous season finales, the trio finds another body in the building just before the credits roll. And reader, this one hurt. We can’t wait for Only Murders In The Building season 5.
All episodes of Only Murders In The Building are now streaming on Disney+.
