'Only Murders in the Building' Season 4 Finale Recap - Writer's Glock

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Only Murders In The Building

Editor's note: The below recap contains spoilers for the Only Murders in the Building Season 4 finale.

Season 4 of Only Murders in the Building has come to a close. After a plot chock-full of twists, turns, and celebrity cameos, it’s finally time to learn what exactly happened to Sazz (Jane Lynch), and why she was murdered in the first place. It was revealed in last week’s penultimate episode that Marshall (Jin Ha) was the murderer, and that he was also the elusive protégé she had spoken of. Having gone relatively under the radar for the majority of the season, his motives have been of much speculation, and Only Murders in the Building’s Season 4 finale answers all questions and also sets the stage for a brand-new mystery that hits just as close to home.

Charles and Oliver Are On a Rescue Mission in the ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4 Finale

Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short) stand in front of a bunch of a clue board in 'Only Murders in the Building.'

Episode 9 ended on a cliffhanger as Mabel (Selena Gomez) pulled out a script of the Only Murders movie with Sazz’s name on it. She confronts Marshall about it, just as a text comes through from Charles (Steve Martin) warning her that Marshall is Sazz’s protégé — and the killer. The episode ends with Mabel and Marshall inside her apartment, and with Charles and Oliver (Martin Short) unknowingly having put her in danger. The finale picks up with Charles and Oliver as they discuss whether Mabel received their text about Marshall, but they get their answer soon enough when they get a text back from Marshall through Mabel’s phone, telling them that if they come near the door or call the police he will kill her. Knowing what they know about Marshall, Oliver and Charles refuse to do nothing and come up with a plan to save Mabel. Charles realizes that since Marshall was a stuntman, he likely scaled the ledge of the building to get to Charles’s apartment and kill Sazz. He’s apprehensive about doing it himself, but he reasons that while he was unable to save Sazz, he can save Mabel.

Oliver suggests that if Charles is really going to go through with this, he should start from Vince’s (Richard Kind) apartment as it’s right next door to Mabel’s, meaning there is less distance for him to cross, and thus slightly less risk. Charles bravely starts shimmying his way along the ledge of the building, talking aloud and asking for strength from Sazz as he does so. He tells her that he doesn’t think he can do it by himself and that now would be a great time to tap in, and then suddenly a hand does tap his shoulder. Momentarily, it seems as though it will be a ghostly vision of Sazz, as Charles has been seeing her throughout the season, but it’s actually Oliver joining him on the ledge for moral support. Together, they make their way to Mabel’s apartment, where she has skillfully managed to distract Marshall by telling him that his script is all wrong, and since he’s obsessed with becoming a writer and making it in the business, he accepts her help and says he’ll just kill her afterward. With a little added distraction from Vince and Rudy (Kumail Nanjiani), Charles and Oliver are able to slip into Mabel’s apartment and save the day.

Why Did Marshall Kill Sazz?

Marshall sitting on Mabel's bed in only murders in the building

After managing to sneak in the window unnoticed by Marshall, Charles uses Eva Longoria’s invention of a 19-in-one tool to wrestle Marshall’s gun away. It ends up in the hands of Oliver, giving the trio the upper hand and allowing them to put the questions to Marshall. He explains that after the Ron Howard incident, Sazz told him that he could focus primarily on his writing, and even offered to read his latest work. Apparently, Marshall's work inspired Sazz so much that she even tried her hand at writing her own script and offered to let him read the only copy she had. He agreed but didn’t have any expectations; after all, Sazz was a stuntperson with no writing experience, so surely her script wouldn’t be anything special. But it was remarkable, better than anything he had ever written before. So when she asked him for his opinion, he lied and offered to make a copy of it to give edits. Those edits ended up being plentiful, ultimately the writer's name from Sazz Pataki to Marshall P. Pope.

As Marshall sent the script around, it ended up in the hands of Bev Melon (Molly Shannon), who loved it and immediately wanted to make it into a movie. This got back to Sazz though, who was not happy about Marshall's lie, especially after she had taken him under her wing and tried to help him out. She was especially mad because she'd never had the chance to ask Charles for his permission to try and sell the script. Sazz then told him that she was planning to fly to New York the next day to see Charles in his Broadway debut and tell him about the script. Unable to bear the thought of his big break being yanked out from underneath him, Marshall booked a red eye and went to New York as well. Thanks to Sazz’s script, he knew about the Dudenoff apartment and the code to access it, which gave him the perfect opportunity to shoot Sazz when she entered Charles’s apartment that evening. But Sazz didn't die immediately, and so, as Charles had predicted, he scaled the ledge of the building and made it to Charles’s apartment. Marshall ultimately asked Sazz where her original script was, but she used her dying words to tell him that her “number one” was going to get him.

Selena Gomez in Only Murders in the Building

Amy Ryan standing in a closet in Only Murders in the Building Season 4

After Marshall spells out the sequence of events the night of Sazz’s murder, Charles becomes furious and throws the multitool at him. Unfortunately, he misses, and in the chaos, Marshall is able to get his gun back. He then holds the trio at gunpoint and menacingly tells them, “Welcome to the end of your movie.” But he never shoots; instead, he’s taken down by an unseen assailant. That assailant? Jan Bellows (Amy Ryan), of course. As it turns out, Jan never actually left Charles’s apartment. She’s just been hiding out in his closet and the walls of the Arconia for three weeks.

Despite the entire mess that was the Only Murders movie, Charles, Mabel, and Oliver decide to go forward with it, this time using Sazz’s original script. We see the Hollywood crew rehearsing a scene using much more authentic dialogue and, in general, the project feels much more in tune with the trio we know and love. Charles gets one final visit from Sazz’s ghost on the set where he tells her that he’s sorry she’s missing all of it. He then offers her the writer’s chair, because it’s her rightful place to sit. They tip their hats to one another as a final farewell, and it’s a bittersweet bid to their decades-long friendship.

'Only Murders in the Building' Season 4 Wraps Up With a Wedding and a Soon-To-Be Funeral

Loretta and Oliver sitting at a piano in Only Murders in the Building.

After the heaviness of the episode, it’s only right that the season ends on a happy note, and what could be happier than a wedding? Well, maybe a wedding at the Arconia isn’t the greatest idea, but for the most part, things go well. Oliver has been panicking all episode because he thought Charles was insinuating that Loretta (Meryl Streep) may be the next victim now that they've wrapped up their latest investigation. Luckily, that is not the case, even if the show does try to fake us out for a moment when Loretta doesn’t immediately walk down the aisle. Oliver is escorted down the aisle by Charles and Mabel, and he and Loretta share their vows and exchange rings. The only “drama” to be had is when Loretta tells Oliver that he shouldn’t move to New Zealand with her, and it’s not because she doesn’t want him to, but simply because she knows he needs to be with Mabel and Charles.

After the wedding, the show starts setting up for Season 5. To begin, a woman walks off the elevator and confronts Charles and Mabel. She explains that she’d like them to find her husband, Nicky Caccimelio. They reiterate their number one rule, the rule that is quite literally in the name of their podcast, they only investigate murders that happened in the building. The woman, who introduces herself as Sofia Caccimelio (Tea Leoni), says that what happened to her husband has everything to do with the building, and that she hopes they can do what the police have been unable to, what she can’t safely do by herself. She then gives them her card and tells them to call if they change their minds.

At first, it seems like this is going to be the big mystery of Season 5. But the next morning, as Charles and Mabel are wrapping up their podcast, they muse that they made it through an entire wedding day without a body, only to then come across the body of beloved doorman Lester (Teddy Coluca) in the fountain. Now that is certainly a murder in the building, and judging by Mabel and Charles' horrified reactions, this is going to be one heck of a murder investigation.

Only Murders in the Building Season 4 is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

Only Murders In the Building Season 3 Poster

Sazz's murders is solved just as a new victim is found at the Arconia in the Only Murders in the Building Season 4 finale.

Pros

Sazz gets the justice she deserves.
Loretta and Oliver earn a happy ending.
The finale offers an enticing setup for Season 5's mysteries.

Three strangers in a New York City apartment building bond over their shared interest in true crime and form an unlikely team to investigate a suspicious death in their complex. Their amateur sleuthing quickly evolves into a thrilling quest as they navigate secrets, lies, and unexpected twists.

Release Date August 31, 2021

Creator

Seasons 4

Story By steve martin

Streaming Service(s) Hulu , Disney+

Directors Cherien Dabis

Where To Watch Hulu

WATCH ON HULU

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