(Oblique spoilers follow!)
A little under six months ago, I wrote an article titled “Five Things to Hope for in Only Murders in the Building Season Four.” The fourth season just wrapped up, and it’s another good one. This season revolved around the shooting of a likable character who appeared in all of the first three seasons. Was this person the intended victim, or was another prominent character the actual target? Is the supposed victim even really dead? As in the first three seasons, the search for answers is a delight.
This series is not designed for new viewers to jump into at any point. If one hasn’t seen the earlier seasons, one should not start with season four– one’s viewership has to begin at the beginning. The fourth season relies heavily on the events of previous seasons, and it’s hinted that supposed loose threads and plot holes will be pivotal to the narratives of future seasons. Most of the five things I hoped to see in the fourth season of OMITB did indeed come to pass.
The first item on my wish list was “Another Solvable Mystery.” For the most part, the show delivers, with a subplot death being resolved quickly in the middle of the season. The clueing is steady and strong, and the suspects are wacky enough to be both engaging and surreally realistic in the context of the show. This season, the mystery is designed to be nearly solvable in two ways, both in terms of the clues spread throughout the show and the study of the genre’s tropes.
A word of warning– For viewers who wish to pause and review all the clues before pointing a finger at a suspect, just like in season one, the reveal of the killer comes at the very end of episode nine, unlike seasons two and three, where the solution comes in the late scenes of episode ten.
This season’s mystery faces the same plotting problem the previous seasons do in trying to create a “surprise” ending. Like in many mysteries, especially long-form crime dramas, to get a shock reveal, the murderer turns out to be a character who is never seriously suspected over the course of the previous episodes. So as one suspect after another becomes the Chief Suspect of the Week, they can be crossed off the list. By the end of Episode Eight, there are two main potential suspects (that is to say, characters with a consequential role in the mystery), that not only fit all of the clues pointing towards the killer’s identity, but who also are never seriously pushed as potential murderers. By the end of episode eight, when one of the two moves to the top of the suspect list, it’s fairly certain to veteran armchair sleuths who the killer has to be.
The second item on my list was “Great New Supporting Characters… As Well As Familiar Faces.” The fourth season certainly achieves this. In season four, Hollywood is making a movie based on the events of the first season, and the show does a great job parodying the glitz and shallowness of the entertainment industry. The standouts are Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria playing versions of themselves playing the central trio, and Molly Shannon’s exuberantly nutty production boss. Other new suspects include the residents of apartments living across the street, with Richard Kind being particularly entertaining. Of the recurring characters, Meryl Streep’s Loretta Durkin continues to have terrific chemistry with Martin Short’s Oliver Putnam as their relationship develops, but a lot of the heart and pathos of this season comes from the friendship of Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin) and Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch). Da’Vine Joy Randolph has a handful of very funny, too-brief appearances as Detective Donna Williams, Amy Ryan’s return as Jan Bellows adds a solid twist, and Michael Cyril Creighton continues to add laughs as the trio’s quasi-official assistant, Howard Morris. Another standout guest appearance comes from Melissa McCarthy as Charles’ semi-estranged sister.
But there’s one problem with a rapidly expanding cast, and that’s the fact that a lot of characters who were introduced earlier, and who have dangling plotlines with them, are missing in action. In some cases, this isn’t a big problem, such as how Mabel Mora’s (Selena Gomez) relationship from last season is dropped without explanation, but the absence of Teddy and Theo Dimas (Nathan Lane and James Caverly) is felt, though it seems likely they’ll return in a future season. Tina Fey’s riff on Sarah Koening also fails to make an appearance, as do a quartet of superfans, and aside from Streep, a quick cameo by one other character, and a familiar face in a different role, none of the suspects from Season Three come back. Jackie Hoffman continues to crack me up as the perpetually grumpy Uma Heller, and Teddy Coluca makes a pleasant return as the doorman Lester, but both of them have minimal screen time. As the show has a nice habit of further developing minor characters, I look forward to seeing if all of the aforementioned will be brought back and given great storylines to shine in, much like this season’s main victim is.
The third item on my list, “Redemption Arcs,” is only partially achieved. This season’s villain is highly unlikely to achieve rehabilitation, but the redemption arc that really has pathos and weight comes from Steve Martin, who provides understated yet powerful moments as a man who is trying to do justice to someone he cares about that he feels he let down badly.
The fourth item, “Exploration of the Dark Side of True Crime,” is covered in a light but insightful manner, as the ways that the entertainment industry exploits actual tragedies, and the ways that ambitious people put exploitative careers over people, is central to the narrative.
The fifth item, “Mabel’s Aunt,” is not addressed. The questions raised by the absence of Mabel’s long-absent relative remain unanswered, but what’s notable is that a lot of unanswered questions from season one are asked again this season, and though they’re re-raised but not answered, it’s telegraphed that they’ll be crucial to the plot of the next season.
One of the reasons why the show works so well is that it has obvious affection for its characters, and the character arcs, particularly those of the main trio, are all about how they begin as isolated people and gradually build more and stronger relationships with those around them.
As is now traditional, the final moments of this season set the stage for the next mystery, and it’s hinted that the secret history of the Arconia, raised in the first two seasons and sidelined for the last two, will be explored. Though a fifth season is scheduled, it’s unclear if the show will continue past that point. Based on the continued quality of OMITB, hopefully the crime spree at the Arconia isn’t over yet.
Only Murders in the Building– Season Four
Hulu
2024
