Only Murders In The Building Season 4 Review – A Wedding And 4 Funerals

I’m truly indebted to the who or how I learned about Only Murders In The Building. This show has been a bright spot for me ever since I started watching it. Even its down season (which for me was Season 3, as my review notes) wasn’t enough to sour me on how much I love this show. It’s inspired me in many ways, and as I publish this review (on my birthday, which is an unexpected treat), I’m happy to say that my Only Murders In The Building Season 4 Review won’t just be positive…I’ll note how this is my favorite season of the series!

So, a quick recap of Season 3. After figuring out the murder of Ben Gilroy and seemingly having a “Broadway Hit,” the crew go and live it up with the others, only to not realize that Sazz was shot in Charles’ room. What was to follow was a gripping storyline from nearly start to finish, with so many twists and turns that you might have been confused in a good way. After all, that meant you didn’t know what was coming, and I certainly didn’t at times.

I absolutely must start the main part of this review by praising the opening few episodes and how they subverted expectations many times over. For example, the first episode focuses on the trio not learning about Sazz’s murder until the very end! The tension that was built up around it and the small clues that teased the discovery (a theme of this season) was great, and it made me wonder what would happen next as the next episodes rolled out. I’m truly glad I binged the season (like I have done in the past) because I get to see the whole narrative unfold at once, and because of that, I can say that the cliffhangers from episode to episode were easily the best the series had ever done.

In fact, many of the criticisms I had from Season 3 were fixed for Season 4. I didn’t like how many of the cliffhangers last season were “obvious fakeouts” and not really the killer. This season didn’t have that, and I’m grateful. Another key fix that we had was for one Charles Haiden Savage. His arc was easily the best in many ways, as he had to come to terms with the loss of Sazz, what that truly meant, how to avenge her, and how to deal with all the “complex feelings” that came through it. For example, he almost went postal in the season finale, and you had to wonder at moments if he would end the killer himself.

I truly appreciated how they fleshed out the Charles/Sazz “relationship” in this one and showed that it was much different than the dynamic we thought we knew in Season 1. After all, when we met Sazz there, she was the “stalking stuntman” who had stolen Charles’ partner. Here, though, we saw that she truly valued Charles, even if he didn’t realize it. He was her “No.1,” the person she’d always go to bat for with her stunts. She was easily one of the best victims of the series alongside Tim Kono, and her “goodbye” with Charles was really well handled.

Oh, yeah, this season had a huge Hollywood twist! When I saw that the plot for Season 4 would involve not only a movie adaptation but actual A-List actors coming in to play Charles, Mabel, and Oliver, I was legit skeptical they could pull it off without being weird or even more on-the-nose than the show has been in the past. However, it worked beautifully because they poked fun at both the actors and Hollywood itself.

With Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, and Zach Galifianakis, we saw three very different sides of “Hollywood Actor.” We saw the “appreciative one” in Levy, who just wanted to do “right by Charles.” Then, with Eva, she was a bit TOO hands-on and wasn’t afraid to flex her “branding muscles.” Finally, with Zach, he was in it for the money and to greenlight his “dream project,” only to eventually fall in love with the “character” that Oliver was. That last one is particularly hilarious if you read what the “real deal” was with Sydney Sweeney and the Madame Web movie. Seriously, look it up. It’s hilarious.

Just as hilarious and clever was how they used the various genres and tropes that Hollywood is known for and used it to enrich the episodes. For example, Episode 1 highlighted the movie “Once Upon A Time In The West” and used its lack of dialogue to emphasize a key revelation. Or how they used Hollywood’s recent love of crime documentaries (with a timely reference to the Jeffrey Dahmer one) to give “Blow-Up” a unique look and feel. Not to mention, a certain professor’s love of film is used to make a confession and apology in “one take.” That doesn’t even talk about Bev Melon and how she expressed the insane and complicated nature of Hollywood through her actions and comedic moments. It all worked, and I was in awe of how it all came together at times.

Admittedly, the stories behind Oliver and Mabel in this season weren’t as fleshed out, but I won’t punish them too harshly because, unlike last season with Charles, it didn’t weigh things down. In fact, I feel it was intentionally done in certain ways to build toward Season 5, which rumor says will be the last of the series. If so, I’m very sad, but all good things must come to an end.

One of the reasons I note this is because of Mabel, who is still homeless after last season and uses “squatter’s rights” to try and flesh out the killer, only to find herself wondering even more about who she is. When the Hollywood deal gives her a LOT of money for her future, she starts to think about what she is. The “I’m A Podcast Producer” scene really hit for me because that is something Mabel is, and it’s something she can build off of. Even at the end, when she says, “I don’t think I’m a fit for this industry,” that’s not a bad thing. It’s her coming to terms with what she wants to do versus what she feels she HAS to do.

As for Oliver, his main storyline was about Loretta, once again played magnificently by Merryl Streep. Seriously, she and Martin Short have such great chemistry together! I’m just sad that after that big buildup to their relationship in Season 3, we had the typical “romantic friction” in Season 4. In fact, one of my criticisms in this Only Murders In The Building Season 4 Review revolves around a character brought up in this storyline; more on her in a bit. Still, when we did get the wedding scene at the end, it was beautiful. Having Loretta’s son and Oliver’s son walk her down the aisle was a magnificent touch that I can’t praise enough. Oh, and thank goodness they didn’t kill her! That would’ve broke my heart.

Before I get to the negative stuff, I also want to talk about the season’s flow. As noted before, the season did a great job of building up the mystery, and the cliffhangers were great. However, it was more than that, and that was personified by the “Westies” of the Arconium and the various teases throughout the season that pointed you in various directions, and even when you didn’t get the answers you were expecting, you were hooked. Plus, some minor mysteries remain that definitely have to get picked up in Season 5!

The “Westies,’ had an intricate plot revolving around them that you thought would turn a certain way, only for it to be revealed that they were Charles, Mabel, and Oliver before those three had ever met. Mabel noting that and refusing to air the truth about their illegal room scheme was beautiful, and I was honestly thrilled that they didn’t kill the professor or Sazz. Sometimes…people are weird, and that’s not a crime. They just need the right people around them.

That’s a perfect segue to our killer, Rex Bailey, aka “Marshall Pope.” The “Writer” of the movie adaptation was someone who was not only a unique killer but was someone that many would likely sympathize with. As a writer myself, I often deal with Imposter Syndrome, even though I’ve published things and done cool stuff with my works. As Rex noted in his monologue, “The voice never goes away.” Plus, who hasn’t had the temptation to “take something that wasn’t yours and pass it off as your own?” That’s inherently Hollywood, and him calling the system “broken” is on the nose in the right way because the system IS very broken for young writers who just “want their big break to prove how good they are.” Obviously, his killing of Sazz and others wasn’t excusable in the slightest, but he made you understand why he did it.

And when you look back at the season as a whole, you see the various teases to the “next big plot point” while also teasing that Rex was the killer (such as the “script getting worse with each rewrite” line), you truly appreciate how intricate they got with Season 4.

Sadly, and I do mean “sadly,” I must get to the part of my Only Murders In The Building Season 4 Review where I must criticize things. I truly hate doing this because I LOVED this season! However, some things did stand out in a bad way, and it honestly had to do with two new characters and one big recurring idiot named Howard.

I’ll start with the new characters. First, we had Charles’ sister, Doreen. Meeting Charles’ family was a nice touch, especially since we know about Mabel’s and Oliver’s, but she was just…way too much. It was already “enough” when she was the “crazy doll lady” who had a bad husband. BUT THEN…she started flirting with Oliver, and that got REALLY weird, REALLY fast!!! Yes, Loretta saved the day (after a surprisingly intense fight scene that had Eva Longoria as a coach and cheerleader), but it was way too much for very little payoff.

Then, there was the return of Paul Rudd, but not as Ben Gilroy, but as Glen Stubbins…his stunt double. His character was just…ugh. And, much like Ben, I didn’t really care when he died. He was just that annoying to me.

As for Howard, I seriously don’t get his appeal. He did ONE good thing this season with the signature/security footage thing, and that’s it. He wasn’t even in much of the back half (thank goodness) while being incredibly oversaturated in the first half. Go. Away. HOWARD!

Remember when I said it wasn’t a “crime to be weird?” It’s not! However, when shows “push the weird” to insane lengths to try and be funny? Like with Doreen, Glen, and Howard? That’s just stupid, and it ruins things. “Valley of the Dolls” was the worst episode of the season for me because of everything involving Doreen, and Glen brought down the episodes he was heavily featured in. …and I just don’t like Howard.

However, the twist with this Only Murders In The Building Season 4 Review ending is that, unlike with Season 3, the flaws don’t overshadow the greatness too much. I would’ve loved to have given this season a perfect score, but I can’t ignore them. Yet, I can put those flaws (and some of the really forced comedy elements in the dialogue) to the side to appreciate this really fun season.

It had a gripping mystery, some really fun character reveals and developments, a series of shocking twists, and an appreciation for Hollywood that can’t help but be adored. I love this show, and I will wait with bated breath for Season 5 to arrive.

“The End.”