Celeb cameos slow down this week's Only Murders In The Building

With season four’s second outing, Only Murders In The Building does more table setting in the vein of its glossy premiere. I know, it’s still too early to expect anything grander, and laying down a basic foundation for the rest of the episodes is necessary, but “Gates Of Heaven” is often a less interesting companion piece to “Once Upon A Time In The West.” Maybe they should’ve launched as a two-parter because both half hours primarily introduce a carousal of new, potentially important characters played by famous people. 

After episode one brought us Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, Zach Galifianakis, and Molly Shannon, OMITB now adds some excellent character actors to its slate. Before we examine “The Westies,” as these fresh additions are dubbed, I’d rather dwell on the emotional beats that make “Gates Of Heaven” work. The writing takes a familiar yet impressive approach to Charles’ internal dilemma, giving Steve Martin another opportunity to ground the show’s theatrics. Unable to cope with Sazz Pataki’s murder (if she’s even dead because there’s still no body!), Charles conjures up visions of his “oldest best friend” to say thank you and goodbye. (“You found me friends…you took care of me,” he tearfully tells her about their time working together on Brazzos. It’s so sweet. Way to go, Martin and Lynch). 

It also tracks that Charles’ brain manifests Sazz right away. When he lost touch with Lucy (Zoe Colletti), his ex-girlfriend’s daughter, he fixated on making the kid’s favorite breakfast each morning. Now, he’s fixated on talking to a vision of Sazz who is mostly around for some wisecracking. Clearly, Charles has trouble moving on, and it’s justified in this case. He also feels guilty. What if he’s the reason someone shot her to death? Sazz could’ve been mistaken for Charles considering she was his prolific stunt double. This type of work was in her blood, and her father (wonderfully named Slim Pataki) taught her at a young age to pass on the family legacy.  

Oliver and Mabel also think Charles is the target. Hmm, interestingly, in season three, didn’t Sazz float a similar theory when Charles’ Death Rattle Dazzle co-star Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) died? She briefly thought the killer meant to take him out instead. How long had she assumed he was in danger and how long had she been trying to talk to him about “something important”? Not to mention, we finally learn what she wrote on the floor with her blood in her dying moments: “Tap In.” It’s the phrase she used when they would film together to indicate he can resume his performance. And it confirms that Charles is being hunted and now he has to live with an uncontrollable culpability in her death (or disappearance). 

There are several suspects already. Charles quickly proclaims it’s Jan (Amy Ryan), his batshit-crazy ex who then dated Sazz. But how could she have done it if she was trapped in prison for the crimes she committed in season one, Mabel and Oliver wonder. Jan breaks out with the help of “parkour and psychosexual manipulation” (she also killed a guard whose brains are splattered all over her) and sneaks into Charles’ apartment. Jan escaped because she was worried about Sazz after not hearing from her all week. Charles tells her everything, so, to avoid being blamed, Jan runs off the same way she broke in: through the secret passageways in the Arconia. I’m glad the writers haven’t forgotten this wild detail from season two. With Jan seemingly eliminated as a suspect, who else does Charles think might want to harm him? Enter, The Westies. 

Look, I’m a sucker for a good celebrity cameo. OMITB can go either way when executing them either as guests or recurring stars. We’ve had highs (Tina Fey, Shirley MacLaine, Meryl Streep) and lows (Cara Delevingne, Michael Rapaport, Amy Schumer). So far, season four has given us cool, self-deprecating ones. Now, we’re treated to exaggerated performances from those living in the as-yet-unexplored west wing of the Arconia who Charles calls “an odd bunch—weirdos, and loners.” Oliver has an even shorter description: “renters.” Classy, my dude. 

To investigate more, Oliver and Mabel hop across the buildings to inspect four apartments on the floor, starting with Vince Fish’s (Richard Kind). He suffers from pink eye, is overly friendly, and the camera loves to zoom in on his wide smile to creep us out. It’s honestly surprising that Kind hasn’t made it to OMITB yet. (As Girls5eva proudly proclaimed, if there’s a TV show set in New York City, he’s there. Most recently, he showed up as a murderous Manhattan judge in Evil season four.) The actor is a welcome face here. Vince’s neighbors are a married couple, Inez (Daphne Rubin-Vega) and Alfonso (Desmin Borges), and their daughter, Ana (Lilian Rebelo). They seem close enough to cook, play cards, and vent their frustrations on a ham. Are they all overacting like typical, kooky  NYC caricatures? Yes. Is it delightful anyway? Also yes, if it’s in small doses. Kumail Nanjiani briefly debuts as another neighbor, the “Christmas-all-the-time guy” who loves working out, and it feels like OMITB is saving him for later.  

Instead of going to him, Mabel and Oliver enter the empty apartment on the floor that belongs to a certain Dudenoff, a name also scribbled in the messy notes the trio found on Sazz’s desk, along with the passcode to his lockbox. How long has Sazz been investigating the Arconia’s mysterious inhabitant? His place is pretty damn dirty, has a ham radio, and the killer was definitely there. At least that’s what Mabel and Oliver deduce after spotting a footprint on the dusty radiator near the window along with loose tinsel, a common Christmas decoration. (There will be more Nanjiani next week, right?) 

Overall, “Gates Of Heaven” isn’t a bad OMITB episode, but it did leave me wanting more, especially in terms of comedy. Yeah, there are one-liners, and no one does a humorous grunt quite like Martin Short, but I miss the show’s lighthearted yet snappy style. Hopefully, that is retained in the remaining eight episodes in the same way the Hulu comedy retains everyone’s spiffy coats. 

Stray observations

• • Are we supposed to assume Mabel is crashing with Oliver or Charles while she finds her place? Where is she living?  
• • I’m sorry to say but I laughed out loud at Oliver’s joke about Charles having “Sazz hands” when he’s got her supposed ashes all over him. Don’t worry, he put her in a respectable mason jar. 
• • Charles: “I was People magazine’s eighth most beloved fictional cop.”
  Oliver: “In 1989.”
  Charles: “In 1991.”
• • The residents of Arconia, at least “The Easties,” aren’t happy about a movie being shot on the premises. 
• • “Yeah, boomer, not everyone was alive when an apartment cost a bag of beans,” Mabel tells Oliver when he makes fun of renters. I felt Mabel’s words in my bones. 
• • There’s a great comedic bit from Martin when Jan is leaving in a hurry, exclaiming she’s sad they didn’t get to have sex one last time, and he starts to say, “Well, there’s some time left…”
• • Another note on Sazz’s desk includes the words “Sick Pup.” Was she being literal and did she have an ill pet? I ask because in Dudenoff’s bathroom was a random pig that escaped. What is up with that? 
• • Welcome back, Da’Vine Joy Randolph. Along with seeing Amy Ryan, I squealed when she showed up because they’re both excellent reminders of OMITB’s precious season one. I hope Randolph’s Detective Williams is here for the long haul.
• • Now that Jan and Det. Williams are here, and I’ve mentioned Lucy in this recap, what are the chances some of the former OMITB players show up? I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Fey’s Cinda Canning and James Caverly’s Theo Dimas.