The finale of Only Murders in the Building season 4 is finally here and Charles, Oliver and Mabel have solved another baffling mystery, and this time it was personal as it concerned the murder of their friend, Sazz. The resolution of the case at the Only Murders in the Building season 4 was surprising and the end of the season made us feel emotional about Sazz, a whirlwind of a character who filled the show with colour and energy whenever she appeared in the show. Anyway, let’s go into that conclusion in detail. Here’s Only Murders in the Building season 4 last episode ending explained, cast, release date, and more.
Over the 10 episodes of season 4, this murder mystery series Only Murders in the Building has kept us enthralled with a new case for the in-show titular podcast. But as already mentioned, this time the tone was more reflective and poignant as the victim was none other than Sazz, who they all, particularly Charles, loved.
The trio of Oliver (played by Martin Short), Mabel (played by Selena Gomez) and Charles (played by Steve Martin) finally found out who killed Sazz and Glen Stubbins (Paul Rudd). And not only that, as is the tradition, they found their next case as well in the form of a new murder. Oh well.
Let’s explore that Only Murders in the Building season 4 ending in detail.
Spoilers ahead!
Only Murders in the Building season 4 ending: An emotion-laden farewell, and a new mystery
It is nice that Only Murders in the Building had a weekly release schedule as it helped build up hype and mystery. We could theorise as to who the actual murderer was and it was a sort of communal experience. In season 4, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel are once again thrust into a new mystery when their friend Sazz is murdered soon after they celebrate the success of the latest season of their podcast in the last season. As they try to uncover the truth about Sazz’s disappearance, they discover a series of clues that point to sinister things going on in their building, the Arconia. Tensions run high in the trio as they plunge into the complexities of friendship, ambition, and betrayal by new suspects emerging from their eccentric circle of neighbours. As they probe further, they realise that the film industry holds dark secrets tied to Sazz’s untimely death, leading to a shocking confrontation that could change their lives forever.
So who murdered Sazz?
As it turns out, Only Murders in the Building season 4 ending reveals it was the screenwriter on the Only Murders in the Building movie (OMITB hereon), Marshall P. Pope (Jin Ha), who killed Sazz and later, Glen Stubbins, to stop him from revealing the truth. Throughout the whole season, we have seen Charles, Oliver, and Mabel trying to find the culprit and coming out empty-handed. And this is despite the fact that almost every new episode turns up new suspects. Among them are the inhabitants of the western wing of the Arconia like Rudy Thurber (Kumail Nanjiani), the family of Alfonzo, Inez, and Ana (Desmin Borges, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Lilian Rebelo, respectively), and Vince Fish (Richard Kind). We know the bullet that killed Sazz was fired from one of the apartments there. The inhabitants and indeed they are quirky and deeply weird but in the end they turn out to be pretty harmless.
Another red herring is the crazy filmmaker duo of Brothers sisters, Trina (Catherine Cohen) and Tawny (Siena Werber). At one point it does appear that they might just be crazy (and avant-garde) enough to kill a person to make a movie. But alas, no, they are not killers, just crazy.
More suspects come the way of the trio. But the real murderer is the screenwriter, who used to be a stuntman actually and that is how he is connected to Sazz.
So why did Marshall P. Pope kill Sazz?
To answer this question, let us go a little back. Pope explains that he had a rough childhood and although he wanted to be a writer, his bullying father wanted him to be a hunter. Eventually, he found a job as a stuntman on Ron Howard’s unmade movie Project Ronkonkoma under Sazz as the stunt coordinator. However, he screwed up and almost died. Since he had not followed the rules, he was removed from the movie. But he enjoyed a good relationship with Sazz.
One evening, Sazz showed him her OMITB script. Pope was dismayed to find out that it was actually brilliant. He was envious of her, expressing grudging admiration at the fact that she had written such a good script in her first attempt. He lied to her, telling her that it was not good. He also told her that he would make adjustments to the script for her. Sazz believed him and gave him her only copy. However, Pope shopped the script as his own, which angered Sazz, who told him she would tell Charles the truth. Before she could, Pope killed her from the west wing of Arconia. And it was he himself who disposed of her body as he was a trained stuntman and could move quickly on the inner ledge of the building — which explains how it took him only 12 minutes.
In the ninth episode, we left Mabel facing a dire situation with Pope, who had her at gunpoint. In the new episode, Pope texts Charles and Oliver from Mabel’s phone that they should not call the police or he will kill Mabel.
How do Charles and Oliver save Mabel in Only Murders in the Building season 4 ending?
Afraid for Mabel and out of options, Charles shows courage that would have made Sazz proud. He decides to go to the west wing by way of the window ledge from the adjacent apartment inhabited by Vince. Oliver, although frightened beyond measure, reluctantly follows. They take Pope by surprise and are helped by Vince and Rudy. But then Pope gets ahold of his pistol but is shot to death by Jan Bellows (Amy Ryan) from Charles’s apartment. Turns out, she never left the place and was all along hiding there. It was she who had planted additional cameras.
Another murder and new mystery for season 5?
It is all over. Or is it? Oliver and Loretta (Meryl Streep) finally marry and it is beautiful. The celebrations are marred slightly by the appearance of a woman called Sofia Caccimelio (Téa Leoni), who asks for their help to find her husband who is presumed dead. They rebuff her, saying they look for murderers only in the building (“It’s right there in the title”, jokes Mabel.
But later, Charles, Oliver and Mabel find Lester (Teddy Coluca), the security guard, dead in the courtyard fountain. Clearly, we already have a new mystery that the trio will explore in season 4.
What was the release date of Only Murders in the Building season 4?
Only Murders in the Building season 4 premiered on 27 August.
Who is in the Only Murders in the Building season 4 cast?
Apart from Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building season 4 also had Paul Rudd, Meryl Streep, Michael Cyril Creighton, Zach Galifianakis, Eva Longoria, Eugene Levy, Richard Kind, Kumail Nanjiani, Melissa McCarthy and many more in the cast.
Watch Only Murders in the Building in Hong Kong on Disney+ here.
(Hero image: Courtesy of Eric McCandless/Disney – © 2024 Disney. All rights reserved; Featured image: Courtesy of IMDb)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Marshall P. Pope is the killer.
There are a total of 10 episodes.
No, Alice does not appear in season 4.
He was a film professor who lived in the west wing of the Arconia. He died the same night as Sazz
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Kshitij is a journalism graduate who did not initially intend to become a film critic, but such are the vagaries of destiny. Now, Kshitij is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of the Film Critics Guild, bringing expertise and experience in evaluating entertainment content with him. Additionally, he serves as a jury member on the Critics' Choice Awards in India. When he's not busy wielding words, catch him nose-deep in books or joyfully lost in the realms of gaming and photography.
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