Only Murders in the Building – Season 4 Episode 2 Recap & Review

Gates of Heaven

Episode 2 of Only Murders in the Building Season 4 begins with a flashback interview with Sazz, who we know has been murdered in the present. 

We then cut to the present where the podcasting trio are in shock after discovering Sazz’s death. Charles still has Sazz’s ashes on his hands. When he washes them off into a mason jar, Sazz turns up, but she’s obviously a figment of his imagination. She tells him to take his hands off her boobs…meaning the ashes he is touching. 

While Charles is dealing with the ashes, Oliver and Mabel try to work out the angle of the bullet that killed Sazz. Charles enters the room and begins to call the police. But Oliver and Mabel convince him to hold off on that until they have gathered some intel of their own. 

Charles wonders who might want to kill Sazz, but Oliver and Mabel remind him that he might have been the target, as Sazz sometimes resembled him. Despite this observation, Charles still thinks Sazz was the target. 

The trio suspect the bullet may have come from the West Tower, across from Charles’s apartment. A number of suspects come to Charles’s mind, including a guy who permanently celebrates Christmas and a tenant who never opens his blinds. 

Charles remains in his apartment and creates a “murder board” while Oliver and Mabel visit the residents at the West Tower. When Charles hears a noise in his closet, he opens it and sees a familiar face looking back at him – Jan – his former girlfriend who is supposed to be in prison.

The first resident Oliver and Mabel visit is Stink Eye Joe. They tell him about a film being made in the building and ask if they can check his apartment as it may be a suitable location for the movie. He agrees. 

During their snooping, the two discover the windows of Joe’s apartment have been painted shut, which seems to rule him out as the gunman. Joe invites the two to a friend’s apartment to play a game. Meanwhile, Charles has a conversation with Jan. She tells him she broke out of prison because she had a phone call from Sazz and was worried for her safety. 

Back at the West Tower, Oliver and Mabel meet Inez, the host of the game. Her husband Alfonso tells them his wife is a big fan of Brazzos (Charles’s TV character). While they play the game, there’s a suggestion from Ana, Alfonso’s daughter, that her father might be jealous of Brazzos.

Over at Charles’s apartment, Jan tells Charles that Sazz loved him. She then remarks the outfit she is wearing is covered in prison guard brain! 

We then return to Inez’s apartment, where Oliver has “achieved” something in the game. He’s instructed to go to the bathroom as a reward. He freaks out when he thinks he sees a body in the shower but it’s actually a piece of ham. His reward is to have a literal stab of it. 

While Oliver ‘hams it up’ more than usual, Mabel inquires to Inez about another apartment with a lockbox on it. Meanwhile, Jan puts on new clothes and tells Charles that Sazz suspected there might be another murderer in the building.

Jan enters Charles’s closet when Oliver and Mabel return. When Charles opens the closet door to show the two that Jan is in there, he’s surprised to discover his former flame has mysteriously vanished. Neither Oliver nor Mabel are convinced that Jan was in the apartment, as they believe she is still in prison. Was Charles having another hallucination?

Oliver and Mabel return to the West Tower and work out the correct PIN code to enter the apartment with the lockbox. They discover a footprint near the radiator and paint chips on the window, indicating that it has been pried open. Oliver thinks this must be the “sniper’s nest.”  

Also in the apartment is some tinsel and a pig in the bathtub. When they hear banging at the door, they open it. Nobody is there but by opening the door, they inadvertently release the pig into the building corridor. 

While Oliver and Mabel continue their sleuthing, Charles talks to the imaginary Sazz. He has called 911 and been put on hold. As he’s about to leave his apartment, a SWAT team arrive, followed by Detective Donna. She tells them they’re here because Jan has escaped from prison. At that moment, Charles finally gets to speak to the dispatch operator on the phone. He tells her there has been a murder.

When the cops leave the apartment to go investigate the incinerator, the podcasting trio use Luminol Spray to find out where Sazz was shot. They discover she was shot in the kitchen. They also find a message written in blood – “Tap In.” This was the term Sazz used to use when she “tapped in” for Charles on set. This makes Charles realize that he was the intended target. 

The episode ends with Charles’s realization and the finding of a note with the words “Oh hell” written on it. Over at the West Tower, Joe and Inez’s family peer through a window. 

The Episode Review

We’re no closer to discovering who killed Sazz but we have several suspects to consider, including Stink Eye Joe, Inez, Alfonzo, the Christmas guy, and the unseen occupant of the apartment with the lockbox. It would appear that whoever did kill Sazz was actually aiming for Charles, so that might mean all three podcasters are in danger from the unknown shooter. 

We’re unlikely to discover the identity of the murderer until the end of the season. Until then, we’re sure to have a lot of fun watching the Arconia trio carry out their investigation. 

Episode 2 was a fun watch because of a handful of guest appearances and the sudden reappearance of Jan who somehow disappeared into Charle’s closet. There were also a few comical moments, including the bizarre game that Oliver and Mabel took part in when visiting Inez’s apartment. A more accurate name for the game should have been “Poke The Pig!”

On the basis of the first two episodes, Season 4 is off to a good start. Here’s hoping it continues to entertain.