Diksha Sundriyal
The fourth season of Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building’ unravels the case of Sazz Pataki’s murder. Charles’ long-time stunt person and a very dear friend, Sazz, died in Charles’ apartment, and it seems she may have been mistaken for him. However, things are not as easy as they seem as more details come to light. Things get even more twisted when it turns out that Sazz was not the only person killed and incinerated. The revelation of another murder creates some glaring questions, and with only a couple of episodes left in the season, the show finally starts to give some answers. SPOILERS AHEAD
The Arconia Trio Confronts the Westies
In the previous episode, Howard visited the bodega where Dudenoff had repeatedly cashed his cheques, only to discover that it was the Westies who had been doing it all along. As if the CCTV in the bodega was not evidence enough, Howard calls the number given at the bodega, and sure enough, Vince Fish picks it up. While this confirmation is good to have for the investigators, it also alerts the Westies to the fact that they have been found out. This gives them an upper hand on whatever is being planned against them.
Having left Doreen’s house, Charles, Mabel, and Oliver head back to the city. When their car breaks down on the way, they discuss a plan to get the Westies to confess and bring the whole truth to light. They are joined in this plan by the actors who, since they were given free rein to study the case and come up with theories or solutions, have become very invested in the way things are turning out. Together, the six of them come up with an excuse to get the Westies to Oliver’s apartment under the pretense of playing card games. However, it turns out that the Westies came prepared, and they were not ready to give themselves up so easily.
The Ding Dong in the Case
When confronted, the Westies confess that they did cash the cheques at the bodega, but this doesn’t mean that they killed Dudenoff. They try to convince the others that Dudenoff is, in fact, in Portugal, but when Mabel pulls out Dudenoff’s metal joint from the incinerator, they are forced to confront the reality of the situation. To make matters worse for them, Helga is called in, and she has quite a few things to say about them.
Going back to the beginning, the Westies recount, one by one, how they met Dudenoff. Vince Fish met him at the film school after he joined it to keep himself occupied following his wife’s death. So did Rudy, who came to New York with the dream of becoming an actor and was encouraged by Dudenoff to follow his dream. The Sauce family used to run a small restaurant where Dudenoff was a regular. They would sometimes deliver the food for him, which is how they became a part of his circle. The group was brought together by Dudenoff to play card games, and eventually, they were all offered an apartment in the West building, which was left empty after Dudenoff’s wife passed away.
According to the Westies, Dudenoff went off to Portugal, but when Helga enters the scene, she reveals that she received a letter from Dudenoff on the night the power went off in the entire building. She had met Dudenoff when she used to work as a locksmith and connected with him because he reminded her of her father. One night, she found a letter on her door, which was Dudenoff saying goodbye but not explaining what exactly his situation was. Soon after this, the rest of the Westies started behaving weirdly, and eventually, Helga decided to move out because she was scared for her life as she thought that they might have done something to Dudenoff. But that doesn’t turn out to be the case.
The Truth About Dudenoff’s Death
Knowing that they have been caught, the Westies decide to come clean. They reveal that they, too, got a letter that night, but it was different from Helga’s. They were called in the basement by Dudenoff, who had instructed them not to tell Helga about it. There, they found Dudenoff with a camera, and he told them about his terminal sickness. He knew that his death would lead them all to lose their apartments, so he came up with a plan. Before meeting them, he’d already taken a bunch of pills to ensure that he wouldn’t survive the night. Once he was dead, the Westies would put his body in the incinerator, leaving no trace or evidence of his death.
The only thing he’d leave behind would be a video telling Helga the truth, in case she ever tried to figure it out by herself. He didn’t want her to know he was dead, as he thought that losing another father figure would break her heart. Despite being heartbroken about it, the Westies did as they were asked. When Dudenoff died, they put his body in the incinerator. Then, as Dudenoff had told them, they cashed his cheques at the bodega to make it seem like he was still alive. They also concocted the story of him leaving for Portugal so that no one could verify whether or not he was still alive. This way, even in death, Dudenoff ensured that they didn’t lose the apartments he’d given them out of love.
With the whole story out in the open, it’s clear that the Westies loved Dudenoff too much to kill him, and all they were trying to do so far was to protect the secret that was forced upon them by Dudenoff. The truth sets them free and they are removed from the list of suspects. They also make up with Helga, who, as it turns out, was not Rudy’s crazy ex. In fact, Helga turns out to be even more important because she reveals that she talked to Sazz after all. She reveals that Sazz mentioned her protege, who had messed up his career, who was very dangerous, and who Sazz believed “would be the death of” her. It turns out that this person was none other than Glenn Stubbins! This steers the investigation in a whole new direction.
Read More: OMITB: Are Brothers Sisters Real Directors? Is the Desecration of Alice a Real Movie?
