Diksha Sundriyal
In its fourth season, Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building’ focuses on the investigation of the murder of Sazz Pataki, Charles’ best friend, and his stunt double. While she is the victim of this case, it is clear pretty early on that she was not the one the killer intended to kill. It was Charles that they meant to kill, and Sazz’s death was a mistake that they tried to cover up by throwing her dead body in the incinerator while making everything think that she had simply bailed from New York. But once the truth comes to light, Charles, Mabel, and Oliver embark on an investigation, which takes even stranger turns in the third chapter of this story. SPOILERS AHEAD
The Real Charles, Mabel, and Oliver are Joined by Their Reel Versions
In the first episode of the season, we discover that the success of the OMITB podcast has attracted Hollywood’s interest, and Paramount has picked up a movie based on Charles, Mabel, and Oliver. Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, and Zach Galifianakis have been brought on board to play the role. After some consternation, Mabel decided to give the movie a green light, accepting the much-needed money that comes with it. However, with the money, she also has to accept the fact that the actors and the studio will be a part of her life for a while. She learns it the hard way when the trio of actors show up at Charles’ apartment to shadow them in preparation for their role.
Mabel tries to get them away, noting that things are pretty serious at the moment with Sazz’s murder and a lingering danger in Charles’ life. However, Oliver is excited to mold Zach Galifianakis in his image, even if the actor doesn’t seem particularly interested in the matter. Charles, on the other hand, is enamored by Eugene Levy’s interest and fascination with him, and the duo works better than their counterparts. Meanwhile, Mabel tries to maintain a distance from Eva Longoria, but the actress is adamant about her research, which now includes solving a murder.
Mabel and Eva Longoria Meet the Christmas Guy
Despite Mabel’s efforts to go it alone, she finds Eva Longoria one step ahead of when the actress shows up at the apartment of the Christmas Guy, aka Rudy Therber. He is one of the suspects in the case because he is believed to be one of the Charles-haters. While Mabel tries to be sneaky and subtle about her investigation, Eva Longoria has other plans. She goes headfirst into the interrogation by letting Rudy know that they are investigating Sazz’s murder and have come to his apartment looking for clues.
Initially, Mabel tries to talk her way into it, but eventually, Eva Longoria goes all guns blazing, hoping to force a confession out of Rudy before leaving for her 6:30 dinner. They do get a confession, but it’s not what they’d expected. The suspicion held against Rudy is based on the fact that he is obsessed with Christmas and hates Charles for not letting tinsel be hung on the trees last Christmas. But when forced into a corner, Rudy reveals that he actually hates Christmas. The reason he has made it his whole personality is because he is a fitness influencer, and once he posted something tied up with Christmas, that made him viral. Since then, people have expected nothing else from him, forcing him to adopt Christmas as his year-round theme.
Meanwhile, Charles and Eugene Levy go to the Eye-Patch guy’s apartment in the hopes of getting him to remove the eye patch so that they can confirm that his twitching eye movement isn’t simply an excuse to get him away from suspicion. Charles’ plan to get the man to pour eyedrops in front of them fails, which leads them to improvise with Eugene Levy’s plan of spitting water on the man’s face. In the end, it is confirmed that his eye infection story is real. Moreover, when Charles talks about his hatred for him, the man reveals that he doesn’t hate Charles; rather, he thinks Charles hates him. They reconcile, and Charles and Eugene Levy leave his apartment, but not before Charles notices the face of a person holding a pig crossed off from a picture.
Mabel Makes a Bold Move
So far, the only person who has evaded Charles, Mabel, and Oliver is Dudenoff. Detective Donna Williams had previously revealed that Dudenoff has not been seen for a long time and is believed to be vacationing in Portugal, though she doesn’t buy that story. Mabel, too, believes that there is something else behind Dudenoff’s suspicious absence, and she decides to get him/her/them out of the shadows. After a quick search about squatter’s rights, she moves into Dudenoff’s apartments. If she spends a certain amount of time there, she could end up owning the place, which isn’t something Dudenoff would be happy about, and they will have to declare themselves to get Mabel out of the apartment. There is a level of danger involved in this, but Mabel is ready to take that risk.
While the trio is discussing Mabel’s move into the apartment, the mention of the ham radios and the theme of ‘Perfect Strangers’ comes into the mix. Oliver refers to Howard’s notes on the radio’s frequency and notes a message from someone asking to meet at 445, which, the trio deduces, is a radio frequency. When they try to contact the person on the other end, they are met with a warning, including the information that the last person who came around asking questions met a dreadful end. This is, most likely, a reference to Sazz, who had also been tinkering with ham radios and seemed to have found out some concerning information that could prove fatal to Charles. This proves that the podcasters are on the right path.
Read More: Why is Jesse Williams’ Tobert Not in Only Murders in the Building Season 4?
