Critic’s Rating: 1 / 5.0
1
The best way to describe Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 8 is simply a snoozefest, a disjointed, monotonous mess that had me counting down the minutes until it was over.
Although it was just 37 minutes, it somehow felt much longer, as the usual charm and intrigue were sorely missing.
The episode was filled with distractions, like Christmas Tree Guy’s entire A Few Good Men monologue. Though edited, it was still entirely excruciatingly boring.
Though it may have been his audition piece for Dudenoff at a bus stop, it did nothing to move the story forward and felt like a forced attempt at humor that missed the mark.
Then came Helga’s reappearance, after first being introduced over the ham radio in earlier episodes.
This time, she showed up to reveal the truth she believed about the Westies, convinced they were the ones responsible for Dudenoff’s murder.
Her information, while critical in shifting the focus of the investigation, didn’t provide the intrigue or excitement that one would expect from such a pivotal moment.
Instead, we were left with a suggestion that Paul Rudd’s character, Stubbins (aka Sazz’s double), might be the murderer — a twist that fell flat and lacked the punch needed to elevate the episode.
Despite the importance of these revelations, the execution felt lackluster, making the episode drag rather than building any tension or suspense.
What should have been a major turning point in the murder investigation came across as another filler moment, bogged down by tedious pacing and uninspired storytelling.
Overall, it’s hard not to feel disappointed by an episode that seemed to introduce important plot points but failed to make them truly engaging.
Instead of pulling us deeper into the mystery, it felt like a detour that left us wandering in circles without any real sense of progress or intrigue.
But alas, the show must go on — so here we are, plodding forward with this review. Let’s dive into the details and hope there’s a little more excitement along the way… but don’t hold your breath.
No Lifeboats Here
Only Murders in the Building loves to reference classic films, and this time, they nodded to Hitchcock’s Lifeboat.
But if they were trying to recreate its suspense through the cramped confines of Oliver’s apartment and the movie set, they completely missed the mark.
Honestly, I can’t help but wonder — did the creators actually celebrate after finishing this episode, or were they secretly laughing at the fact that we, the audience, would slog through it?
One of the few interesting moments came when Oliver revealed that he and Loretta were getting married just days after their engagement.
In a rare moment of sincerity, Zach Galifianakis (whom Oliver amusingly calls “Zachly”) booked the Empire State Building for their wedding, thinking Oliver had no sense of romance.
But, in true Oliver fashion, he planned to hold the wedding at the Arconia, a place central to both his relationship with Loretta and the show itself.
Yet, ever since Meryl Streep entered the picture back on Only Murders in the Building Season 3, it feels like the show has lost its way.
I’m not bashing Streep here, but it seems like her involvement has overshadowed the tone and charm we loved in earlier seasons.
Now that Oliver’s love life is taking center stage, the show has shifted, and the focus on mystery has taken a back seat.
Are we really headed for an entire episode dedicated to Oliver’s wedding when we’re supposed to be solving murders?
Speaking of which, what’s the deal with Paul Rudd’s alternate character now being a suspect in Sazz’s murder? He was the victim back in the dreadful Season 3, and now we’re recycling him as a potential murderer?
It feels like the writers are running out of ideas. The only thing missing is another musical.
But who knows? Maybe we will get a musical at Oliver’s wedding — the musical of all musicals that will blow Only Murders in the Building Season 3 away.
Imagine more unfun, awkward song renditions from Charles, Oliver, Loretta, Rudd, and whoever else decides to join in on the “fun. Melissa McCarthy? Eugene Levy? Molly Shannon? Take your pick.
I can hardly wait.
Heck, maybe Matthew Broderick will pop back in for more of those painfully dull auditions.
Oh, wait — he did, sort of. Christmas Tree Guy swooped in to recreate that “iconic” Broderick scene from Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Episode 7, and it was just as cringeworthy.
A Murder and a Non-Murder
But I digress. Let’s talk about this season’s mystery: Sazz’s murder and Dudenoff’s insignificant non-murder.
I have to admit, I’m not even sure if the Westies actually followed through on Dudenoff’s request to be put in the incinerator. Maybe I zoned out when that part was explained.
Either way, the point is there’s no second murder — just Sazz’s.
After the team and their movie counterparts came up with a plan to get the Westies to talk, which led to a somewhat intriguing entrance by the “deadly” Westies (that went nowhere), we learned the truth about Dudenoff.
So now, we’re left solely with the mystery of Sazz’s murder, with Helga hinting that Rudd’s character, Stubbins, might be responsible.
However, it seems like the team conveniently forgot a key detail from Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 7 — that the murderer is the same person who wants to kill our trio.
As their movie counterparts pointed out, the suspect has been with the trio since Only Murders in the Building Season 1.
This brings me back to Howard, who Helga mentioned (albeit briefly). Howard has been with the team since Season 1, so who knows? Maybe he’s involved, maybe not.
Another interesting point is Mabel’s decision to protect the Westies. She didn’t want Eva to hand over the recording of their crimes to the police — mainly because she’s living in the apartment now and doesn’t want to lose it.
But where does that leave Helga? The Westies invited her back. Where will she live, and does it even matter?
What really matters is Mabel herself. She could very well be the killer. It would be a wild twist leading into Only Murders in the Building Season 5.
After all, Mabel has been around since Season 1, and she’s the only one of the trio who the mystery stalker hasn’t targeted.
Why would she have it out for Oliver or Charles? Maybe she’s always had violent tendencies. Maybe she really did kill Bunny because she didn’t want to get kicked out of her apartment.
It’s not such a stretch, and it would definitely make for interesting TV.
But we’ll just have to wait and see if the writers surprise us — or if we’re in for more disappointment in the last two episodes of Only Murders in the Building Season 4.
Over to you, Fanatics! Am I off base? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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