Summary
The murder of Sazz Pataki is solved in an action-packed finale that segways into Season 5.
It wouldn’t be an Only Murders in the Building finale if there were no murders, right? The Season 4 finale is action-packed and full of hope, but the ending provides a predictable horror to segway into Season 5.
I’ve broken down the main moments of Only Murders in the Building Season 4, Episode 10:
Sazz Had A Dream
The friendship between Sazz Pataki and Charles is important. It’s been the cornerstone of the fourth season.
Episode 10 opens with Sazz narrating about the thrills of being in a movie and the potential injuries that come with them. Scenes show flashbacks of her stunting for Charles. But a part of her wanted more; she wanted to write a movie, which led her to write a script for an OMITB film.
Marshall Is The Killer – Confirmed
After the opening of Episode 10, Only Murders in the Building moves back to the present. Charles is worried and tells Oliver that when one murder case closes, another one opens, which makes Oliver anxious as his wedding with Loretta is arriving. The duo then gets a threatening message from Mabel’s phone from Marshall (Rex), who has her hostage on the West side of the Arconia.
As we established in Episode 9, Mabel has learned that Marshall is behind the murder of Sazz Pataki. He admits to killing both Sazz and Glen, feeling he had no choice but to save his writing career after stealing Sazz’s script.
Mabel is clever while in the hostage situation; she talks to Marshall about specific re-writes in his script to buy herself time.
The finale leaves Charles and Oliver needing to save Mabel while Oliver frets over his wedding (it does not help that Loretta is also moving to New Zealand for her career). Charles and Oliver decide to walk along the ledge (by merengue dancing) on the West Side to reach the apartment so Marshall does not notice them.
The Westies distract Marshall by ringing the apartment doorbell and talking to him, allowing Charles and Oliver to enter via the apartment window. Charles immediately lunges into action, using a multi-tool gun to distract Marshall, forcing the murderer to drop his weapon.
But what I loved about this the most is that Charles is showing up for Sazz Pataki; now that he knows his friend’s killer, he’s determined to close the chapter and bring justice to Marshall.
Marshall’s Story On Why He Killed Sazz Pataki
Marshall reveals why he killed Sazz Pataki in Episode 10 of ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4
The finale of Only Murders in the Building Season 4 brings another storytime, which allows Marshall to explain himself.
Marshall tells his story, combined with flashbacks. He wanted to make his father proud and become a writer but felt that Hollywood was broken. Sazz was the first person in the industry to be kind to him, and they shared their writings and scripts.
Sazz shared her OMITB script with Marshall. Despite being an excellent script, Marshall lied to Sazz and said it needed work. Marshall then shared the script with Bev Melon at Paramount, claiming it was his work, and was stunned to see the OMITB film get green-lit.
When Sazz found out what Marshall had done, she was furious and felt she had no choice but to tell Charles.
Fearing his life as a writer will be over if Charles and the studio find out, Marshall snipes Sazz Pataki from the other side of the apartment building. He then used his stuntman abilities to get to her quickly, as she did not die immediately. A dying Sazz tells Marshall that her “number one” will get him (referring to Charles).
The friendship between Charles and Sazz makes a noticeable difference in the Season 4 finale.
Jan Makes A Useful Appearance At The End Of The Only Murders in the Building Season 4
With story time over, the finale reaches its conclusion. Marshall manages to get his gun back and points it at the podcasters. But then, suddenly, he’s shot through the window and killed. The shot came from Charles’ apartment.
When the podcasters look to see who it is, they face a beaming Jan holding a sniper. Jan killed Marshall, and it turns out she never left Charles’ apartment after we saw her at the start of Season 4. She killed Marshall for Charles and Sazz.
Thus, the arc of Sazz Pataki’s murder seemingly ends, and Jan heads back to prison after finding herself useful after escaping prison.
A Wedding, A Missing Person Enquiry, and a Murder Sets Up An Inevitable Season 5
With the podcasters learning that Sazz wrote the script for the OMITB movie, they appreciate the film more. At the film set, Charles speaks to the ghost of Sazz and apologizes to her for missing it all.
Finally, Oliver and Loretta’s wedding arrives, and the ceremony is held outside the apartment building. Loretta tells Charles she doesn’t want him to come to New Zealand with her because he will not be with his friends, so she asks him to consider long distance for a while, as they’ve always been unconventional anyway.
When Charles and Mabel return to their apartments, they are confronted by Sofia Caccimelio (played by Téa Leoni), who asks them to help find her husband, Nicky Caccimelio. She offers to pay them well and says her husband’s disappearance has everything to do with the building.
Charles and Mabel are not interested. However, this clearly sets up an important role for Téa Leoni in Season 5, whether as a guest star or a consistent character.
Only Murders in the Building Season 4, Episode 10 ends with the podcasters noticing blood coming from the water fountain outside – Lester is DEAD! With no surprises whatsoever, there’s been another murder in the building.
