Written by Lara Rosales
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu, 2021-Present) has done what seems impossible for most streaming shows: deliver a season a year with weekly episodes. Even though this is what network fans are used to, streaming services have yet to catch up. Only Murders in the Building (OMITB) pushes those limits and gives fans exactly what they want.
What OMITB Season 4 does is celebrate that friendship, honoring its mismatches and flaws while simultaneously proving why it works so well. It all starts with the death of a friend, and maybe if Charles hadn’t lost Sazz (Jane Lynch), he wouldn’t have realized how important his friendship with Mabel and Oliver is. Mabel and Oliver’s side of the friendship is loud and clear when they worry about Charles, but they let him have those moments in which he talks to himself as if he were talking to Sazz. They each support each other’s quirks, allowing each person to stand out as an individual while perfectly fitting into the trio.
If, at any point, the OMITB formula becomes boring, the show knows how to pull the audience back in. There are plot twists at every turn, never letting viewers put their notes away. Like the trio, we always keep track of every possible suspect that comes to the screen, scratching off those who are not suspects and highlighting the ones we know we must look at again. That is the show's beauty: we are the podcast listeners who get an extra look at what’s truly going on.
From the beginning, OMITB has had us used to the fact that every character who sets foot in that building will be portrayed by a famous actor. This makes the OMITB formula stand out even more. Who wouldn’t want to watch a show with the likes of Meryl Streep, Paul Rudd, Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, Zach Galifianakis, and so on? It is a trap that never lets you get out. Right when you thought you were ready to stop watching, another famous face pops up and entraps you again. There is beauty in that which only this show can deliver so flawlessly.
But even through those world-renowned names, friendship holds the show together. Season 4 showcases several different friendships to make it very clear that even though the show is about murder, it focuses on the bonds that make life worth living. The Westies finding each other in a world that sees them as weirdos and creating a family. The stuntmen (and women) in their bar creating a safe space from others who may not understand why they do what they do. Charles and Sazz, always being each other’s number one and “tap in” when needed. Charles making Oliver his emergency contact. Charles and Oliver walking on a ledge to save Mabel from the murderer. Mabel and Charles walking Oliver down the aisle.
While inspecting these friendships and solving a murder, the show manages to come full circle with the clues that have been popping up since Season 1. However, Jan’s (Amy Ryan) return is the most significant full circle moment. Even though she spent Season 1 trying to evade the trio from figuring out she was the murderer, she spends this season close by and eventually shoots the gun that saves their lives. In doing so, Jan gives Charles the piece of himself she stole by lying to him in the beginning. Because she is the one who shoots Sazz’s murderer, she stops him from having to take a life to avenge his friend. Jan gives him the revenge he was looking for while preserving his humanity.
Only Murders in the Building Season 4 follows the perfectly established formula the show has followed since Season 1. Even though there are times we are afraid the show might become just a repetition of what it’s done before, it immediately pulls us out of the funk to remind us that nothing is what it seems on OMITB. A surprise will always be around the corner…or in a fountain, preparing us for Season 5.
Photo credits to Disney.