Last week’s episode of Only Murders in the Building Season 4 ended with a big cliffhanger. The trio faced Bev Melon (Molly Shannon), who was holding a gun. Since she runs the movie adaptation of their podcast, this twist shocked everyone.
The show has taught us that we cannot trust anyone. Episode 5, titled “Adaptation,” builds on this tension and brings more clues to Sazz’s (Jane Lynch) murder investigation. However, it also shifts the focus away from Oliver (Martin Short) to show his relationship problems with his girlfriend, Loretta (Meryl Streep).
There are several mentions of Oliver worrying about Loretta cheating on him with her handsome new co-star, known for seducing his co-stars. Although Oliver remains part of the episode, his storyline is minor and not very significant.
He does deliver some funny lines, showcasing Short’s great comedic talent. Despite Oliver not being very helpful in this episode, his presence allows for fresh perspectives, which might be what the investigation needed.
Bev Isn’t a Threat in ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4 Episode 5
After running into Bev at the Sazz Pataki Impact Academy and being threatened while held at gunpoint, Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver, and Mabel (Selena Gomez) feel tense.
Oliver starts mumbling in his usual style, making Bev turn on the light when she realizes who is in the shed with her.
She quickly becomes friendly, as if she wasn’t just pointing a gun at them, but they still remember the threat, and Mabel asks her to put the gun down.
Bev claims the gun is not loaded and fires a warning shot, only to find out it is actually live. She says she found the gun in the shed and thinks it belongs to Sazz since it is her building.
Bev’s presence raises red flags for Charles, Oliver, and Mabel. They ask her directly if she killed Sazz. She denies it but mentions that someone working on the movie might have. According to Bev, Sazz called her the night she died and left a voicemail.
In the message, Sazz says there is a serious problem with Bev’s movie but cannot explain over the phone. She asks Bev to call her back.
Bev took her time returning the call because the voicemail seemed to suggest trouble for her movie, which is not good for a creator.
Mabel figures out that Sazz left the voicemail at 11:07 PM, right after leaving the party to get wine. This gives them a better timeline of events before Sazz’s death, but they still lack a clear suspect.
It’s a Race Against the Clock in ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4 Episode 5
The episode opens with narration from Marshall (Jin Ha), the screenwriter for the Only Murders movie. This is the first time viewers see him in detail since the first episode of Season 4, where he observed Charles, Oliver, and Mabel while working on his script in Los Angeles.
In his narration, he wears a fake beard and glasses and looks at pieces of Charlie Kaufman memorabilia. He bumps into Charles and Mabel when they arrive at the production office to investigate.
Charles pretends to be on the phone while actually taking pictures for their murder board and looking for suspicious people.
When they make eye contact with Marshall, he tries to escape, but he is not guilty of murder.
He is just nervous that Charles and Mabel might have notes on the script because others have been giving feedback, and he has had enough.
He is excited to be a suspect and even says it will help him write an interrogation scene for the movie.
They all meet at Charles’s apartment, where Marshall claims he has an alibi for the night of Sazz’s murder. He was trying stand-up comedy in West Hollywood. Happy to know that Marshall could not have killed Sazz, they decide to include him in the investigation.
Marshall looks at the murder board and spots a mistake, particularly in the “when” section. They have broken down the night’s events, from Sazz’s voicemail to a power surge.
Marshall points out that there was only a 12-minute window for the murderer to shoot Sazz, walk to the Arconia, sneak into Charles’s apartment, get Sazz’s body, and dispose of it in the incinerator.
This scenario seems unlikely. The screenwriter adds that for everything to happen in those 12 minutes, the killer would need to be very fit.
If the Footprint Fits in ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Episode 5
Earlier in the episode, Mabel, Charles, and Oliver are invited to a photoshoot for the movie, an event they were reluctant to attend.
While Mabel goes through the pictures Charles took at the production office, she spots a distinct footprint that matches the one found in Dudenoff’s apartment.
This suggests that whoever shot Sazz was also at the production office and will likely be at the photoshoot. The trio dresses up in stylish outfits to fit in with the Hollywood crowd at the photoshoot, and Mabel asks her actor friend, Eva Longoria, for help in collecting footprints.
It is noted that Eva is an expert in adhesives, from breast tape to tacky mats, which Mabel needs. The tacky mats capture dust and particles from shoes, and Eva uses her diva status to get them placed all over the studio so Mabel can examine the footprints left behind.
While Mabel watches the mats for footprints, Charles has an awkward moment with Eugene Levy. They keep getting in each other’s way while trying to leave the makeup chair. Suddenly, Charles has a realization: two people must have killed Sazz.
He shares this idea with Mabel, explaining that one person fired the gun while the other cleaned up the scene and disposed of the body. This theory makes sense, especially when Mabel finally sees a footprint on the mat.
She looks up to find it belongs to Tawny Brother (Siena Werber), one of the directors for the Only Murders movie.
This discovery puts Charles and Mabel on alert regarding Tawny and her sister, Trina (Catherine Cohen). Just as Mabel is about to approach Tawny, the woman disappears, and there is no time to search for her because gunshots are heard. The screen fades to black, and a panicked voice exclaims, “Oh my God, they’ve been shot.”
In Episode 5 of Only Murders in the Building Season 4, titled “Adaptation,” the trio—Charles, Oliver, and Mabel—confront Bev Melon, who threatens them while holding a gun. Although she claims the gun isn’t loaded, the tension escalates as they question her involvement in Sazz’s murder.
Bev shares a voicemail from Sazz hinting at a serious problem with the movie, leading the group to construct a timeline of events. Meanwhile, screenwriter Marshall returns, providing an alibi for the night of the murder and pointing out flaws in their investigation timeline.
As Mabel discovers a crucial footprint matching one found in Dudenoff’s apartment, she realizes that two people might have been involved in the murder. Just as they close in on a suspect, gunshots ring out, leaving the trio in danger and viewers on edge as the episode concludes.
Only Murders in the Building is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S. New episodes premiere every Tuesday.
