close
close

Recap of Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 6

Photo: Patrick Harbron/Disney

First things first: Tawny Brothers' voice sounds exactly like Gigi Hadid's. It's perfect. The question now is whether this Gigi Hadid soundalike is our killer. As it turns out, the shots fired at the end of last week's episode were real after all – two out of three Olivers were hit. The bullet ricocheted off the metal plate in Glenn Stubbins' head and hit Zach Galifianakis – but fortunately everyone involved survived. Unfortunately, it appears Oliver will be a target along with Charles. But strangely, the details of that shootout aren't given too much attention in this episode. Instead of considering logistics, such as what type of weapon was used and where the shooter might be stationed, the episode instead focuses squarely on the brothers sisters – and in a way we've never seen before.

Instead of a typical episode of Just murders in the buildingThis week's post is formatted as a found footage documentary that the Brothers Sisters put together from a variety of sources, including their on-set documentary filmmaker Howard and various hidden cameras. The project was inspired by her old film professor's saying to “keep shooting,” and the story will reveal itself. The reference to a “professor” stood out for obvious reasons that will be discussed later (*cough* Dudenoff *cough*), but so did that mantra and the double meaning of “shoot”.

In any case, this format change was unsettling at first, especially since then Just murders is usually shot in such a sophisticated, stylistic way. Seeing these characters suddenly exist in rough cuts and raw footage was strange – like seeing a teacher in the supermarket. It also reminded me of the Queen of Jordan episode of 30 rocks, or the reversal of the final moments of The comebackwhen Valerie Cherish left the camera crew and switched the show from mockumentary to single-cam. While it may seem a little confusing visually, it's a fun way to keep us on our toes, and ultimately the format fit the theme of the episode well. It was as unbalanced as the brothers and sisters themselves. (If I type “brothers, sisters” again, a Sally Field family drama pops up…)

When it becomes clear that someone is out there hunting podcasters, the trio takes cover in Oliver's apartment – where Detective Williams drops off Sazz's remains and informs them that both Dudenoff and Jan are apparently back in New York. But when they hear that an emergency production meeting has been called upstairs, they realize that the camera tracking them could actually serve as a sort of security blanket to their advantage. As long as they are in front of the camera, they are convinced that the brothers and sisters will not kill them – and give them free rein to investigate. Flawed logic, but it keeps things going!

Marshall tells them to watch the brothers' student film – which could well be a deliberate attempt to steer the investigation away from him and towards them instead. I know the trio no longer considers him a suspect, but I'm still not convinced. The strange film is about an elderly artist and identical twin sisters he created according to his wishes, and based on the footage, it somehow looks like they're almost there Poor things. And who plays this “creator,” you may ask? Vince Fish. That's right, just like all of us, the trio had the experience of seeing something and Richard Kind showing up unexpectedly. Finally, a connection emerges between the Dudenoff units and film production.

But that's not all. As they walk through the building to ask Vince what he did in this film, they find out that Dudenoff was a film Professor – and both Vince and the brothers were his students. The same goes for Rudy, who's there setting up a new drone with Vince, but he awkwardly interjects to clarify that they all took the class at “different times.” Still, he seems to know a lot about the brothers, calling them “sick people” and saying they film dying animals and set things on fire. He also says that they were misers who would do anything for Dudenoff and that they were his favorites. Just like with Marshall, these derogatory comments about the brothers seem a little too pointed. And what becomes even more suspicious is when Rudy helps break the apartment window so they can fly their drone. Wasn't a major factor in clearing Vince's name as a suspect the fact that his windows were apparently closed, making it impossible for a sniper to shoot out of them? And now they suddenly open? Very suspicious.

The biggest development in the case, however, comes when Howard's cadaver dog accidentally knocks over Sazz's remains – who, fittingly for a stunt person, have already been through so much. Thanks to Gravey, they realize that there are two replacements for the left shoulder – meaning it wasn't just Sazz's remains in that incinerator. There had been another murder in the building. Someone must have a real pet peeve with people with wrong shoulders.

With no more time to lose, the trio finally sets off to interrogate the brothers and sisters. There seems to be a pattern this season of suspects answering the trio's questions very matter-of-factly – almost too matter-of-factly, as if they saw them coming. Vince didn't hesitate to talk about the film, and now the sisters are also putting it all on the table without fear. They admit that the night Sazz was killed, they were in the building to visit their former professor, for whom they even admit they would kill. What a strange thing to admit to people who think you're a murderer. Even if it's true, just keep it to yourself until the murder investigation is complete.

Nothing seems to faze them until the trio receives a call from Detective Williams, who is able to use the serial number to find out who the shoulder belonged to. It wasn't someone Dudenoff killed (as they initially thought), but Dudenoff himself. The news that their beloved mentor is dead finally shakes the sisters. They explain that he cut them off when they moved to Los Angeles to sell out years ago – and that they signed up for this film about his building in the hopes of getting back together. So I'm guessing that her attempt to visit him the night Sazz died didn't pan out?

And her suspicious suitcase that looks like it could hold a rifle? Turns out it was because of all the hidden cameras they had scattered around the trio's apartments for their behind-the-scenes documentary. But when they all start taking down all the hidden cameras, they find one that doesn't belong to the brothers sisters. Just as they realize that someone else has been spying on them, all three receive a message from Sazz's number – with various hidden camera clips of themselves and the message: “I'm watching you.”

It seems like the killer was keeping an eye on the entire first half of this investigation, meaning he was always one step ahead the entire time. This would have allowed them to mislead and control the investigation as it progressed, or it could have given them advance warning about interrogation questions before they were even asked. Essentially the entire investigation so far has been marred by it being leaked. It feels like we're back at square one and making a fresh start, which isn't possible in the seemingly surveilled Arconia.