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Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the Season 4 premiere of Only Murders in the Building.
Only Murders in the Building is back with an all-new mystery! Following the tragic murder of Sazz (Jane Lynch) at the end of Season 3, Oliver (Martin Short), Charles (Steve Martin), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) are once again tasked with solving the Arconia’s latest mystery. However, things aren’t so straightforward this time around, as the gang first has to figure out that the murder occurred. A surprising storyline leads the trio a long way from home. While the change of scenery is an exciting shake-up for the show and its characters, it paves the way for the beloved comedy’s most jarring (and gruesome) plot twist to date.
‘Only Murders in the Building’ Premiere Breaks Tradition
Back when the series premiered, Only Murders in the Buildingkicked off in a big way with the entire building evacuation following the show’s first murder. Season 2 continued the first year’s mystery and introduced the Bloody Mabel storyline, while Season 3 introduced two murderous twists within the same outing. While it can’t be said that the show’s approach to introducing new mysteries has a formula problem, Season 4 has quite a shake-up.
The previous season finale saw Oliver’s opening night on Broadway bring down not just one, but two villains. What should have been a night of celebration leads to Sazz being shot, after she makes a solo trip to Charles’ apartment. In a normal season, the gang would have discovered her body and jumped right into their next investigation. But by the time they make it up to look for Sazz, her body is gone. The brilliant change may at first seem as though it’ll hinder the episode’s suspense, but it only made it greater. Normally, the viewers and heroes are side by side as the events unfold, but letting the audience in on the secret before the trio creates a Hitchcock-ian sense of dread. While Charles is worried about his friend, there’s a further break from tradition, as there’s no time to investigate.
Leaving the Arconia Sets the Stage for a Chilling Reveal
Only Murders in the Building rarely leaves the confines of the Arconia, but when it does, it almost never leaves New York itself. The Season 4 opener, however, whisks the trio across the country to LA, as Paramount Pictures is interested in adapting their podcast as a major motion picture. While Charles continues to fear that something is wrong with Sazz, cryptic text messages from her phone temporarily reassure him as the antics of movies takes center stage. Yet, the group’s time away is anything but filler material. After visiting Sazz’s seemingly abandoned apartment, a sickening mystery begins to build. Piles of mail are left behind, and her plants are dying.
Already a tell tale sign of what’s happened, Charles points out Sazz’s Xray’s, which she keeps as memorabilia of her work. He discloses that she’s had many joints replaced by Bulgarian metal. While meant to be taken comically at first, it becomes a truly gruesome symbol when they head back to New York. After receiving a threatening text from Sazz’s phone, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel rush back to New York and start to piece together the crime scene. Their search leads them to the Arconia’s basement. There, they make a harrowing discovery: an incinerator full of ash and the only thing left is Sazz’s Bulgarian joints.
In an episode already filled with mystery and fear, this revelation still manages to be one of the show’s most horrific reveals. The series has never shied away from violence, having opened its pilot with a bloody crime scene that set-up a larger mystery, but the subtly of the discovery makes it the most sickening imagery in the show’s history. It’s a classic use of an old horror trope, where the audience doesn’t see the actual terror take place, allowing their mind to fill in the blanks. Similar to the effect in the iconic opening of Jaws, the imagination is given all the tools it needs to craft a truly harrowing end for Sazz’s remains. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Sazz’s Remains in ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Set-Up a Greater Mystery
The grotesque reveal sets up an even more intriguing mystery. There’s no obvious killer at this stage in the season, but they’ve already made quite an impact. After killing Sazz, they were careful about how and where they struck. While the Paramount Pictures team introduces a large array of potential killers, it’s too soon to start pointing fingers, but they somehow have the means to infiltrate everyone’s lives and the Arconia itself. While, as the series title states, each killing has taken place in the apartment building, the brazen murder and destruction of Sazz’s body within the bowels of the building add to the sense of anxiety and danger. While the mystery will likely be solved before the season ends, the stakes have never been higher, and the Arconia has never been more dangerous.
Only Murders in the Building is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S. New episodes premiere every Tuesday.
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