Only Murders in the Building's season-four finale is a love letter to its leads, after a star-obsessed season.
After nine episodes of red herrings, ham radios and Hollywood shenanigans, audiences finally saw Sass' (Jane Lynch) killer get their comeuppance after being unveiled in the penultimate episode.
It turns out writer Marshal P Pope (Pachinko's Jin Ha) was formally Rex Bailey, Sass' stunt double protégé from the disaster that was Project Ronkonkoma. In flashbacks, we see a naive Sass entrust Marshall with her prized secret: a script for an Only Murders in the Building movie she has been working on.
Better than anything Marshall could ever have written, he lies and tells Sass he'll return it with notes, only to take it, replace her name with his and pitch it to a host of Hollywood producers.
After learning of Marshall's betrayal, Sass confronts him and vows to set things straight, but a panicked Marshall (who we later learn was trained to be a "hunter" by his dad) somehow gains entry to Dudenoff's west-wing apartment – opposite Charles' (Steve Martin) – and shoots Sass down in cold blood.
Yes, as Only Murders viewers have come to expect and accept with each new season, the murder plot is a little threadbare and secondary to the other qualities that make up the show's DNA. But we continue to tune in to see the unhinged, hilarious frolics of our favourite trio Charles, Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Oliver (Martin Short), and their heartwarming bond as they stumble together towards solving another case.
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At times, season four has felt like the writers have forgotten, or at least demoted, this important chemistry in favour of the heavyweight Hollywood actors that make up the new guest stars. Did we really need an entire episode in Long Island with Melissa McCarthy playing Charles' Tammy-Faye-dressed, suburban-edged sister Doreen?
There's also an 'arthouse' episode dedicated to the Brothers sisters directing the Only Murders movie and their links to Dudenoff (Griffin Dunne), plus another feature-length on the 'Westies', the fellow Arconia residents who explain how they came to illegally sublet from Dudenoff before his death (featuring Kumail Nanjiani and Richard Kind).
Add to this the season-long arc of Eva Longoria, Eugene Levy and Zach Galifianakis as themselves playing movie versions of Mabel, Charles and Oliver – and well, there's a lot going on.
While the enormous ensemble are effective in arousing suspicion and creating subplots to throw us off the real killer's scent, they also mean less screen time for our murder-solving squad to thrive as a three.
Thankfully, though, the finale puts Charles, Oliver and Mabel front and centre again, back where they belong, in an episode that celebrates them and their friendship.
Mabel's influence on the two OAPs endearingly comes through as she's held hostage and waiting to be rescued. After sending a message warning her of the killer's identity, Oliver applauds Charles for his use of an accent on "protégé" in his text. "It's fun, right? Mabel taught me that," he explains with a proud smile.
Meanwhile, over in the compromised Dudenoff apartment, Mabel offers to help Marshall tweak his Only Murders movie script to bide more time. "You have Charles logging on to AOL," she says looking disapprovingly at the screenplay. When Marshall quips back about his old age, she responds: "No, I've taught him better than that".
While it's clear Mabel has been a help to the two, it's time for Charles and Oliver to return the favour. After receiving a reply to their text alerting them of Mabel's danger, the two rally to save their friend.
A hilarious scene ensues where the two merengue ("step and drag") along a ledge on the Arconia building's exterior to get to the window of the apartment Mabel is stuck in. As Charles' fear gets the better of him, Oliver reminds him: "That's Mabel in there, you’ve already lost Sass", with their bond spurring him on to ensure her safety.
After Marshall is taken out by a bullet (via a returning Amy Ryan as Jan) the action sees another big event in the episode – Oliver's wedding. The theatre darling is saying "I do" to actress Loretta (Meryl Streep) and finally getting his happy ending.
In a sentimental scene, fans see Oliver walked down the aisle by Mabel and Charles, perfectly encapsulating the love and pride they hold for one another. Yet it's a bittersweet moment with the threat that the threesome may be losing a member.
Earlier in the episode, Oliver tells Loretta he'll move to New Zealand with her after she tells him she has to move there to shoot a TV show. After their nuptials, the subject arises again between the newlyweds, with Oliver confirming he'll relocate – but Loretta knows the sacrifice her new husband is really offering.
"It'll be with you,” he tells her, with Loretta replying: "But you won’t be with them". The camera then pans to a jovial moment between Mabel and Charles as Oliver looks on achingly.
Thankfully, the new bride isn’t a fan of convention and is happy for Oliver to stay with his Arconia family on the condition that he come visit soon. Besides he can't leave now, following the discovery of yet another murdered body (RIP Lester the doorman).
Season five needs to continue to pay this same care and attention to its leads, out of respect to the show's fans and the effort taken to endear these characters to us season after season.
The magic of Only Murders lies in Mabel, Oliver and Charles and whilst they just so happen to come together to solve murders, we'd quite frankly watch them do even the most mundane of tasks together.
Only Murders in the Building seasons 1-4 are streaming on Disney+.
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Emily is an experienced freelance entertainment writer and editor, reporting on all things TV, film, soaps and showbiz. An NCTJ-qualified journalist, with a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from the University of Sussex, Emily is a former Deputy News Editor and Evening News Editor at Digital Spy. She has previously worked at Hello magazine, BBC South News and GoodtoKnow.
A small and big-screen obsessive – with subscriptions to every TV and film service under the sun – Emily knows her movie stars from soap stars, and is always clued up on the latest reality show dumping, just-dropped trailer or off-screen spat. She's interviewed a number of celebrities over the years, with highlights including The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett and GMB's Kate Garraway (who "loved" her trousers).
Emily counts Sharon Horgan and Julia Davis as her TV heroes, and is a loyal Wes Anderson fan. LinkedIn
