In Only Murders In The Building, Hollywood descends on the Arconia

What does it take to build a character? Only Murders In The Building poses this question via Zach Galifianakis’ voiceover as season four’s third episode opens. “You have to do it piece by piece,” he says, adding that it requires establishing special skills, physical qualities, and motivations until “there’s only one person in the whole world who fits that description: your character.” He compares this precise structure to how a detective zeroes in on a killer. In “Two For The Road,” OMITB tries to mesh these two concepts as Galifianakis, Eva Longoria, and Eugene Levy shadow Oliver, Mabel, and Charles for the movie’s prep as the podcasting trio continues to hunt for Sazz’s murderer. 

This is fascinating because the main reason OMITB thrives is because it minutely fleshing out its three leads. Hulu’s comedy doesn’t work because it’s a particularly novel murder mystery that still offers a sharp satire of true crime. If anything, the cases and investigations get ridiculous as the scope of the show expands, but the urge to stick with it is strong because of Charles, Oliver, and Mabel (no matter how many other celebrities appear). Piece by piece, the writers have hilariously constructed distinct individual traits and a unique, appealing dynamic. Who knew two boomers and a millennial with an old soul would make for an ideal, amusing crime-solving team?

But what happens when the notion of who they are gets an outside perspective? Are their skills and motivations what they believe them to be, or is a character study about to make them rethink their methods? That’s what “Two For The Road” finds out as Hollywood descends on the Arconia. To understand the people they’re playing better, Eva, Zach, and Eugene tag team with Mabel, Oliver, and Charles, respectively, to varyingly effective degrees. 

That’s not before Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s Detective Williams arrives to give crucial updates about Sazz. In her Olivia Benson monologue moment, she tells the OMITB trio that the Feds have taken over the case and the number-one suspect is a missing Jan, who they think fled to Florida because the state has a lot of orchestras (is that true?) and sex-toy shops (that sounds true). Det. Williams also confirms that the apartment across from Charles is where the shooter was, and the place belongs to retired professor M. Dudenoff, who’s currently in Portugal. His neighbors, a.k.a. the “Westies” we met last week, were busy playing cards and heard nothing when the gun went off. But there’s one suspect they haven’t met yet: Christmas-obsessed gym bro Rudy, played by Kumail Nanjiani. 

The trio quickly makes a plan of action: Mabel will interrogate Rudy because of the tinsel she found near Dudenoff’s window; Charles will investigate Vince (Richard Kind), whose niceness and conjunctivitis he doesn’t trust; and Oliver will monitor the ham radio in case anyone reaches out. Off they go with their designated actor, essentially giving them a crash course on crime-solving and letting them do this character study. Ideally, Eva hopes they discover the killer’s identity before 6 p.m. so she can get to her dinner with Michelle Obama, Anderson Cooper, Roger Federer, and Barb from Shark Tank. Chop chop!

So let’s break down their adventures from my least to most favorite:  

Coming in last is whatever Charles gets up to with Vince. Look, I’m not bemoaning the comedic scenes with Steve Martin, Eugene Levy, and Richard Kind. What a team! Their talent saves a completely meandering subplot in which Charles struggles to find out if Vince truly has a pink eye with the help of the Schitt’s Creek star and a fake story about eye drops. At least their shenanigans make Charles introspect some more. After learning he might be a target because someone—gasps—hates him, he’s already pretty upset. Not to mention, he’s mourning a dead friend. His biggest worry right now is whether his life has a purpose. So it’s nice that Eugene motivates him by complimenting Charles’ “fearlessness” and “complexity.” And hey, he’s even seen every episode of Brazzos! 

“I’ve only played the dullest pencils in the drawer,” Eugene tells Charles at one point, and apparently Charles is the opposite of that. Of course, by the end of the episode, after they’ve formed a weird bond with Vince, Eugene sees Charles for who he is: A simple guy looking for meaning and avoiding danger as best he can, despite everything he’s been through since the show began. Or, as Eugene says, “You’re chickenshit,” which makes the actor think he can pull off playing Charles. They also find a framed photo in Vince’s apartment of the Westies standing with someone else, probably Dudenoff, whose face is crossed out. 

Meanwhile, Oliver is upset because Zach doesn’t give a damn about him. It feels like The Hangover star hates everything about the guy he’s supposed to play—his style, diction, humor, and endless stories. He sees Oliver as nothing more than “a pocket-sized Willy Wonka” and “one-dimensional narcissist.” Oof, that’s harsh. But I can understand why Oliver would come across that way to a stranger. Oliver, a former Broadway director, is obsessed with retaining his fame. When the opportunity for a movie about his life comes along, he grasps it as if it’s his beloved scarf. As we find out, it’s not all about popularity for him. Oliver wishes to live a life worth immortalizing, and through the podcast and solving murders with his friends, that’s what he’s doing. 

Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) steps in to defend his friend by letting Zach know about Oliver’s long-distance relationship with Loretta (Meryl Streep). Howard generously gives it six months, but this writer is rooting for them because I need more Short and Streep on my screen. Anyway, Howard’s speech about Oliver’s inability to give up after many, many, many failures (“Any other man with a shred of dignity would be destroyed”) convinces Zach that this could be a meaty part. It also gives me a newfound appreciation for everything Martin Short brings to this seemingly superficial role.  

At last, we have Mabel and Eva—or should I say Mabel and “Maa-bell,” as Eva refers to the character? (FYI, her version of Mabel drinks at 10 in the morning and has a ton of vices.) They land up at Rudy’s house but both women have very different ways of handling the questioning process. While our Mabel takes a friendly, small-talk approach, Eva doesn’t hold back. After boring chit-chat about Christmas decor, Eva has had enough. She picks up a rifle on display and threatens to fire at Rudy unless he confesses. He looks aghast as he says, “Eva Longoria is unhinged!” in a line delivery from Nanjiani that made me cackle. 

Let’s face it: This whole bit works because of Longoria’s commitment to be self-deprecating. She might be my favorite addition of the season. (Unrelated, but I’d kill to see Longoria and Nanjiani in a rom-com based on their interactions here.) Eventually, Rudy reveals he’s pretending to be a holiday-season freak so his workout videos keep going viral, even if it means he’s a disappointment to his parents. Rudy also confirms the silver strand Mabel found at Dudenoff’s isn’t tinsel because it didn’t burn. This piece of evidence better be important or else I’m going to be mad. 

“Two For The Road” ends with Mabel taking inspiration from Eva’s creation of her character. Instead of wasting time pondering her next steps, she takes charge and decides to squat in Dudenoff’s apartment, hoping he’ll show up from Portugal or wherever he is. As Mabel, Charles, and Oliver enjoy an impromptu housewarming party, they make one final crime-solving connection. They figure out that the Westies are using the Perfect Strangers theme song on the ham radio to communicate. When they dial into the frequency, a mysterious voice tells them if they don’t stop investigating, they’ll die next. 

Forgive me if I don’t take this threat seriously. I’m glad the suspense is progressing, but here’s where I stand in terms of theories: I don’t think Sazz is dead, but she’s probably on the run so that whoever was after her and/or Charles relaxes a little. I also don’t think the Westies have anything to do with the crime. They’re just kooky red herrings. I hope I’m proven wrong though because Richard Kind’s weirdo Vince could shape up to be a fun killer. 

Stray observations

• • Oliver convincing Charles and Mabel to not fuck up the movie led to my favorite line of the episode: “You only get one shot at a biopic. Maybe two if you’re someone special like Marilyn Monroe or Jeffrey Dahmer.” 
• • Remember the pet pig from last week? Well, Howard is now taking care of him and a number of potential names are floated: Natalie Porkman, George Swinebrenner, Kristen Pig, and Gloria Swined-ham. 
• • It feels like Howard desperately wants to play Oliver in the movie, explaining his jealousy of Zach Galifianakis. Hmm, who else suspects some twist of fate will lead to Howard doing the project? 
• • Oliver finally shares the trick to selling the grand stories he makes up. “It should take place between 1960 and 1980, involve a celebrity you’re shocked to discover is still alive, feature a drug that no longer exists and a club that’s now an Applebee’s.” Who wants to take a shot at coming up with a fake Oliver-like tale? 
• • Martin Short and Zach Galifianakis’ cheesy sitcom-style montage is a true delight.
• • Once again, the trio’s relationship is such an anchor even as season four is still figuring out its place. When Mabel tells Charles, “I worry about you all the time, but at least we can watch over each other now,” it pulls you right in.
• • Finally, in case you missed it, Only Murders In The Building was renewed for season five. On a scale of one to 10, how excited are you by this news? (I’m at a solid 7.5.)