Only Murders in the Building season 1 produced a groundbreaking, nearly silent episode when "The Boy From 6B" was told from Theo's (James Caverly) perspective as a deaf person. Only Murders in the Building season 4 episode 6, "Blow-Up," plays with the Only Murders format again by shooting scenes using a variety of different cameras from inside the world of the series, including Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) as the on-set documentarian, the Brothers Sisters Super 8 cameras and Arconia CCTV.
As with "The Boy From 6B," this creative choice is driven by plot developments, and each camera has a reason to be in the setting — including a big twist at the end of the episode.
Tawny (Siena Werber) and Trina Brothers (Catherine Cohen) are the prime suspects after Zach Galifianakis and Glenn Stubbins (Paul Rudd) have been shot. Both are stable, though Glenn is still unconscious; as they were both dressed like Oliver (Martin Short), it seems like the podcast trio is still being targeted. Looking into the Brothers Sisters leads to significant discoveries, which include how Dudenoff fits into the picture, and the results across this four-act story are devastating.
Act I: The Inciting Incident
It wasn't until Tawny and Trina Brothers went to film school that they found their place in the world. Their film professor told them they should always "keep shooting," as chaos can be good. They have followed this advice.
After the shooting that ended OMITB season 4 episode 5, Howard continues to film Mabel (Selena Gomez), Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver as they return to Oliver's apartment. A furious Uma (Jackie Hoffman) rants in the lobby about the surveillance cameras being installed in the Arconia. The Brothers Sisters are also present and keep their cameras fixed on the trio.
Oliver says all he could think about was Loretta (Meryl Streep) after the near-death moment. But before he can wallow, Detective Williams (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) arrives with an update about Dudenoff, who has been cashing social security checks in New York. Williams also has Sazz's (Jane Lynch) remains that were in evidence, giving them to Charles.
Meanwhile, Bev Melon (Molly Shannon) has called an emergency meeting in the penthouse. The group decides this can help them solve the case, save their own lives and avenge Sazz. Bev says the movie is still on, but things are getting iffy: she threatened Zach if he quit the movie and has everyone to sign liability waivers. Meanwhile, the trio are adamant about finding out what the Brothers Sisters are hiding in their long case.
Act II: The Rising Action
Exploring the Brothers Sisters' filmography reveals some crucial information. Marshall (Jin Ha) suggests Mabel watch their student film, The Desecration of Alice, which includes a performance by West Tower resident Vince Fish (Richard Kind).
Vince happily admits he was in this student film and explains they were all in Professor Dudenoff's film classes. Yep, the Brothers Sisters' mentor is Dudenoff (Griffin Dunne). The trio thinks Dudenoff is getting Tawny and Trina to do his bidding, matching the themes of their student film.
To try and prove this is to use Vince and Rudy's (Kumail Nanjiani) new camera drone to look in the case in Trina and Tawny's apartment, but the mission is a bust and ends with the drone getting broken.
Oliver has gone home to call Loretta and has equally lousy luck. After he pours his heart out about the botched proposal, she says, "Eurgh." Oliver is heartbroken but doesn't know Loretta is still at work and in a full-body cast.
When Howard arrives with cadaver-sniffing dog Gravey, there is a disaster when the dog knocks over Sazz's remains. However, they discover two left shoulder replacements, which suggests someone else's remains are in the incinerator.
Act III: The Climax
Before Sazz was killed, she told Jan (Amy Ryan) that there had been another murder in the building. Mabel texts the serial number on the joint to Williams to see if they can ID the other remains. Perhaps the trio are targets because this killer was worried another investigation would uncover this crime. Charles says he will never forgive himself if the podcast got Sazz killed.
They go to confront the Brothers Sisters. It turns out that Tawny and Trina were in the building the night Sazz died. They were there to see Dudenoff, who was the first person to ever believe in them, and they admit they would kill for Dudenoff, but this is not a confession.
Instead, Mabel gets news from Williams that the other shoulder replacement is Dudenoff's. The sisters are devastated and reveal the reason they took the Only Murders job was because it was set where Dudenoff lived. They haven't spoken for three years after they moved to Los Angeles. But with Dudenoff dead, who is cashing the social security checks?
Charles finally gets to see inside the rifle case, which is actually a camera case for the many surveillance cameras the Brothers Sisters have hidden across the Acronia for their film within the film. It turns out the trio agreed to this when they signed their life rights contract.
Act IV: The Denouement
"Keep shooting, and the story will reveal itself," was Dudenoff's advice, but the trio wants all the cameras removed from their apartments. It takes a turn for the creepy when Oliver finds a device that does not belong to Trina and Tawny. Shortly after they find it, Charles gets a text from Sazz's phone showing real-time footage from this camera.
Next, Oliver and Mabel receive texts with videos showing them alone in their apartments with a target photoshopped over their faces. They each get a picture message saying, "I'm watching you." How long has the killer been following them this intimately?
They agree the Arconia is no longer safe, and the episode ends with them fleeing.
New episodes of Only Murders in the Building season 4 premiere Tuesdays on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.
