Critic’s Rating: 2 / 5.0
2
The tangled web woven on Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 5 became so complex that it was hard to follow.
Not every episode can be a knockout, but “Adaptation” felt flat, especially after the “shocking” end of “The Stunt Man.”
Still, the episode had its bright spots — Charles’s James Bond-style reenactment of Sazz’s murder was a fun, much-needed highlight.
That said, there were so many characters and plot threads tossed into the mix — Bev, Jack Jonk, Marshall (?!), the Brothers sisters, and those movie star twins — that the episode felt scattered, with none of the pieces coming together in a satisfying way.
It’s a lot to keep up with, and viewers can only take so much before things get frustrating. So, let’s start with Bev.
A Dead End
It would’ve been way too easy to peg Bev as the prime suspect just because she pulled a gun on the trio in Sazz’s “poverty cottage.” But let’s not rule her out just yet.
She made it clear that her only goal was to make the movie without any hiccups, and Sazz’s death was definitely a big one — especially since Sazz called her not long before meeting her end.
Bev’s alibi seems airtight, but why was she even in Sazz’s shed? And how did she know about it?
Our trio didn’t dig deep enough to get those answers. Or maybe Bev dodged the question altogether by letting them listen to Sazz’s message to keep suspicion off herself.
Then there’s the weird detail about Sazz having a gun stashed in that shed, along with random blueprints for a trampoline. None of it adds up.
Honestly, it felt like the writers forced the scene just to slip in a sly reference to the Alec Baldwin Rust controversy, which only took away from the story.
This episode had many of those moments — social commentaries that weren’t clever or funny and just distracted from the plot.
Another puzzling thing is the FBI’s absence. They’re supposed to be leading the investigation into Sazz’s murder, but we haven’t seen any follow-up with the movie crew or any real progress on their end.
Once again, it’s up to our trio to do all the legwork, which is how it should be, but still –not even an inkling about why the FBI took on this case.
And Det. Williams? She popped up again, but it felt like her main purpose this time was to drop a few salacious comments about Jack Jonk, fueling Oliver’s insecurities about Loretta.
Can we get some resolution for Oliver and Loretta? Their long-distance “will they” or “won’t they” romance is starting to drag, especially now with Jack Jonk thrown into the mix (even if only via a newspaper article).
Oliver’s jealousy, which was once endearing, is starting to wear thin. We get it — he’s insecure, but it’s time to move forward with this storyline before it loses its charm.
Cue in Who?
Writers are the backbone of any story, but Marshall suddenly becoming a central figure feels more like a distraction than a plot twist.
Sure, he’s the screenwriter, and while he claims to have a solid alibi (at least on paper), his sudden prominence in the story feels confusing and a bit off.
To make things worse, our trio didn’t even bother confirming his — or anyone else’s — alibi.
His dig about their amateur detective skills is starting to feel spot-on. Maybe that’s the point: if Sazz’s murder is part of some elaborate movie hoax, the filmmakers could be banking on our trio’s lack of real investigative prowess.
It wouldn’t be a stretch for Marshall to be a suspect, considering he’s the one who came up with the Only Murders in the Building movie idea.
He could have been following the trio all along like a stalker. But pulling him into the spotlight now, trying to make him seem like he could be a major player in this mystery, feels like it came out of nowhere.
The old saying rings true: too many cooks spoil the broth — or, in this case, the murder mystery. But at least there was Charles to save the day (and Mabel’s hair which was fabulous.)
The Lightbulb Finally Goes Off
Charles really saved this episode with his reenactment of the murder.
His attempt to piece together the timeline, playing a James Bond-esque hitman to support his theory of a lone killer, was both ridiculous and hilarious.
It was great watching him desperately try to prove his point, but his antics at the photo shoot stole the show.
When the Brothers sisters told the trio to use The Godfather as inspiration for their poses, Charles’s over-the-top imitation of Sonny’s ambush was pure comedy gold.
It was at the photo shoot that the lightbulb finally came on for Charles and Mabel, who realized that there had to be more than one killer.
It’s been the most logical conclusion all along, but are the Brothers sisters really the culprits?
The whole shoe print clue seems too convenient. And then there’s their eagerness to bring Howard into the mix, even if he’s just a production assistant/documentarian. That’s definitely suspect. But why?
It feels like there’s something deeper going on, but we’re missing the pieces to see it clearly.
The problem is that the theory about the Brothers sisters being involved because there are two of them, and one of them is super strong enough to carry a body seems too straightforward.
We also don’t know their motives or their connection to the Westies.
It’s all still a tangled mess, with suspects being thrown at us left and right, from the twins to the Westies to the stunt doubles and now the behind-the-scenes movie crew.
Nothing ties together smoothly, and it feels like we’re being dragged from one potential suspect to the next without any real clues to connect them to Charles or Sazz.
With five episodes left, there’s still time to unravel the mystery, but the show needs to streamline its threads instead of adding more.
Over to you, Arconiacs! What did you think about this episode of Only Murders in the Building? Share your thoughts in the comments below.