The Superstars Become Super Sleuths In Only Murders In The Building Episode 3

The stars are on the case in episode three of Only Murders in the Building. Our trio reluctantly welcomes their acting counterparts to help investigate Sazz’s murder. This installment of season four feels surreal, with audiences treated to Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria studying the podcasters. They begin as overdramatic versions of the trio, ultimately helping the main characters recognize their own strengths, weaknesses, and new perspectives.

The episode opens with Da’Vine Joy Randolph making a startling return as Detective Williams. Williams is usually hell-bent on keeping the podcasters in the dark on her investigations, but this time she willingly shares everything she knows about Sazz’s case since she is no longer involved, thanks to the FBI. She tells the team that she believes Jan hired someone to carry out the murder and that a shell casing was found in an apartment belonging to “M. Dudenoff,” a retired professor supposedly in Portugal. Williams also reveals that the only resident in the West Wing of the Arconia who heard the shotgun blast was bizarre Christmas influencer Rudy Thurber, played by Kumail Nanjiani.

Richard Kind returns as Stink Eye Joe, who is actually named Vince. He’s investigated by Charles and Levy. The two devise a ridiculous plan to uncover the mystery of Vince’s eye patch injury and what he knows about the fateful night of Sazz’s murder. Levy and Charles hilariously don black eyepatches to connect with Vince on a personal level. The duo engages in hijinks to find out if Vince really suffers from pink eye or if he’s concealing a bruise from the recoil of the gun. Ultimately, Charles learns that Vince is just a socially awkward man like himself, with an off-putting energy. As the two men hug it out, Levy notices a picture of the West Wing residents with an unknown person scratched out. Could this be the elusive Dudenoff? Levy and Martin work together perfectly, consistently building on each other to deliver witty one-liners and unravel the mystery. The decision to make Levy the only known Brazzos fanatic adds a hilarious touch that makes his character even more lovable.

Mabel sets out on a solo adventure to determine whether the tinsel she found at Dudenoff’s apartment belongs to the Rudy. Meanwhile, Eva Longoria annoys Mabel by hastily taking over the investigation of the Christmas-obsessed resident. Selena Gomez and Longoria work perfectly together. Longoria plays a brash, eager version of herself who pushes Mabel’s limits. While Mabel struggles with her personal identity, Longoria’s version of her acts as an anxious tick, heightening Mabel’s negative perception of herself. Nanjiani’s guest appearance as a wacky Christmas fanatic delivers a random twist when he reveals his love for Christmas is a facade to keep his influencer status. He provides valuable insight for Mabel when he reveals the thought-to-be tinsel found at the scene of the crime is not tinsel at all. Getting that answer only gives audiences new questions. If it isn’t tinsel, then what is it? With a star like Nanjiani in such a random role, one can’t help but wonder if he’s just a fun guest-starring role, or if we will eventually see more of the him. Mabel ultimately takes a page out of Longoria’s book and acts boldly instead of overthinking. She breaks into Dudenoff’s abandoned apartment and takes control of the investigation.

Perhaps the most entertaining portion of this episode was the team-up of Galifianakis and Oliver. Galifianakis openly despises Oliver throughout the entire season, and Oliver desperately tries to win his affection throughout the episode. Audiences are treated to a cheesy montage set to the theme song of Perfect Strangers, showcasing Galifianakis and Oliver finally getting along, with Galifianakis taking interest in playing Oliver. However, when the pair returns to hear about Howard—the trusty Arconia tenant who was forced to endure hours of HAM radio waves—this supposed peace treaty diminishes nearly as quickly as it began. Oliver overhears Galifianakis bashing him to his assistant and quickly learns he was only acting to like him all afternoon. Howard stands up for Oliver and shames Galifianakis for not appreciating how hard Oliver works for almost no credit. While Howard’s description of Oliver only makes Oliver look more pathetic, it’s finally the ammunition that makes Galifianakis willing to play Oliver as a tragic hero, much to Oliver’s dismay.

While this episode gave audiences unexpected team-ups and laughs, little progress seems to have been made regarding Sazz’s murder. I would argue that splitting Mabel, Oliver, and Charles up for most of this episode makes their reunion at the end even more crucial to the season’s development. The team finally reunites in Dudenoff’s apartment for the final scene. Mabel enlightens herself on squatter’s rights in New York, viewing it as the perfect opportunity to move into Dudenoff’s abandoned apartment. Is it the best idea to squat in a potential murderer’s apartment? Maybe not, but the team is desperate for answers about Dudenoff, and I won’t judge Mabel for taking advantage of some free rent.

As the group recounts their days to one another, Mabel and Oliver hum the tune of the Perfect Strangers theme song. Oliver quickly realizes the HAM radios that belong to the West Wing Arconians were also playing Perfect Strangers throughout the day. He then realizes that Howard’s notes about the HAM radios might be the key to their next lead. Mabel runs to the HAM radio in Dudenoff’s apartment and tunes it to the frequency Howard wrote down. The group hears a woman on the other end, threatening them to quit investigating Sazz’s death.

The episode ends on a cliffhanger that creates hundreds of new questions. What are the West Wing residents hiding? Who is scratched out of that picture? What is that clue if it isn’t tinsel? Who would want Charles dead? Let’s hope we get all these answers and more when Only Murders in the Building returns next week.

You can stream Only Murders in the Building on Hulu, with new episodes released every Tuesday.