Diksha Sundriyal
The fourth season of Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building’ follows the investigation into the murder of Charles’ stunt double, Sazz Pataki. With the residents of the West Wing of the Arconia being the primary suspects so far, Charles, Mabel, and Oliver have several mysteries to figure out before they can even begin to understand what happened to Sazz. With each episode, a new layer is unpeeled as they discover previously unknown things about Sazz, taking them closer to the realization that nothing is what it seems. SPOILERS AHEAD
Mabel, Charles, and Oliver Meet the Stuntpeople
When Oliver becomes obsessed with the mystery person whom Loretta has posted a picture on Instagram, Mabel discovers that Sazz used to follow Loretta. On Sazz’s Instagram account, Mabel finds her last picture from a place called Concussions, which is revealed to be a bar for all the stunt people in the business. Hoping to get some sense of Sazz’s last night on Earth, the trio heads to the bar. Charles tries to get the barman to talk, but his efforts are rebuffed entirely. This is when a man looking exactly like Ben Glenroy appears in front of them, only for them to realize that it is his stunt double, Glen Stubbins. The trio is told to leave because the stunt people are wary of them using Sazz’s murder simply for the podcast.
A desperate Glen, who has been out of a job since Ben died, offers to help them in exchange for getting a job as Charles’ double. He leads Charles back into the section where Sazz’s last picture is taken. It turns out to be the place of a chiropractor, Dr. Maggie, who agrees to tell him in return for receiving a session, and it turns out to be quite enlightening. Dr. Maggie reveals that Sazz was there on the day of her murder because she had been experiencing some pain. She also told the chiropractor that she was thinking about retiring because she felt she was stuck in a relationship where she was giving too much of herself and receiving nothing in return. Charles thinks it is he who Sazz was referring to, but we are yet to confirm that.
Mr. Dudenoff and the Deal With Westies
Back at the building, Mabel left Howard at Dudenoff’s apartment when she stepped out with Charles and Oliver, hoping that the owner would come back to claim his place. But when Howard leaves his post to audition for the movie, Mabel rushes back to the apartment to find the Eye Patch Guy, the Christmas Guy, and the Sauce family. She knew that they’d been upset about her moving into the apartment, but she didn’t realize why it was such a big deal for them. Believing them to be complicit with Dudenoff, she threatens to call the cops, which is when the Westies decide to tell her the truth.
It turns out that their reservations about her squatting in the apartment have nothing to do with Sazz’s murder. They are just protecting their best interests. It turns out that Dudenoff really is in Portugal. Years ago, he’d bought the entire floor for pennies, and over the years, as the cost of living in New York increased, he found the people who needed those apartments. This is how the Eye Patch Guy, the Sauce Family, and the Christmas Guy got the apartment because they were the right kind of weirdos. What’s more is that they have to pay Dudenoff only $200, which is the best deal they could ever get. This is why they are all so close-knit and so keen on keeping the place away from scrutiny. In return for keeping their secret, they offer Mabel to move into the apartment, considering that she is already squatting there and actually needs a place to stay for the long term.
What does Paradise Mean?
Throughout this episode, Sazz haunts Charles’ dreams, telling him about going to “paradise.” At first, he thinks it is her moving on to the afterlife, but with each iteration of the dream, it becomes clear that “paradise” is a clue. Feeling bad about the fact that Sazz couldn’t receive a proper funeral, Charles decides to sit in for her so that the stunt people at Concussions can give her the funeral she deserves. For all these years, she stepped in for him. Now, it is his turn. It turns out that the ritual includes all the stunt people talking about their best memory of Sazz and then breaking a bottle on the deceased’s head. The bottles are all fake, but that doesn’t make the experience any less painful for Charles.
Still, he decides to stick to his decision, that is, until Glenn hits him with a real bottle, and Charles falls unconscious. While the rest of the bar breaks into a brawl, Charles revisits a memory on the set of Brazzos, where Sazz told him about her dream to retire and open a school for stunt doubles one day. Charles advises her to buy the lot where they’re shooting, and she agrees that it would make for a great location. This is when Charles realizes that the “paradise” he’d been thinking about was Paradise, New Jersey. At the end of the episode, he visits the now abandoned place with Mabel and Oliver, only to discover Bev Melon, the Hollywood executive working on their movie, hiding in the shadows with a gun!
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