"Only Murders in the Building": S4 Episode 3 Recap & Spoiler Breakdown

Introduction Nathan: And it's we're back for another breakdown of only murders in the building diving into season four episode three this week's episode Two for the road continues the quirky mystery solving antics with a few new characters Joining the fun, but does the episode maintain the momentum from last week? Let's dive into it right now I'm So at this point, I have seen all seven episodes sent to critics I still don't know who did it. But of course I have more clues than most people So the third episode of season 4 should be posted on September 10th As always the show balances humor mystery and those iconic guest appearances let's see how it all played out this week. Spoiler-Free Logline The spoiler free logline for this episode is, In Two for the Road, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel begrudgingly pair off with new investigators. Actors Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and eva Longoria. Spoiler Breakdown All right, let's start breaking down this episode. Spoilers ahead. going Episode Title Discussion As I alluded to in my spoiler free review of the episode, if you haven't seen that, there's a link above, Two for the Road is a British romantic comedy from from 1967. 1967. Just like the previous couple episodes, the title is a movie. The film explores the evolving relationship between a married couple over 12 years, showcasing the ups and downs. The narrative is non linear, jumping back and forth between different points in the relationship, from the first meeting to later years when the marriage is strained. As I mentioned, the title has less to do with this episode. The plot of the movie has less to do with this episode than the previous two. Movies that were used as titles, but I think they used it basically to indicate the joining of the actors portraying the trio with the trio in this episode. Teaser so we start this episode in Charles's apartment. Zach Galifianakis gives a voiceover about finding a character akin to a detective finding a killer zooming in on the murder board. You build the character piece by piece, physical quality skills, special talents, motivations. And we have on the murder board, there's the person was strong enough to carry his ass, the skills is that they're a sniper and they possibly hate Charles and the basement. We see the FBI with trays of the remains and also artificial parts. And the vacant Dudinoff apartment, the FBI is taking evidence from the apartment. And it looks like they found a bullet casing. Zach rejects his acting teaching and he says acting is easy. then we go to Charles's apartment again. And detective Williams comes in to give them information. Because the FBI has taken over the case. Oliver, and Charles are surprised that she possibly likes them and she gets Mabel's name wrong when she's trying to get them to focus. She does her Lauren Otter monologue. The Feds think that Jan has something to do with the murder. And she hired someone because she was in jail and they think she went to Florida because orchestras and sex toy shops. she said the shooter is very good. they left a single 300 wing mag casing. In Dudinoff's apartment, 14F, he's a retired professor. So that's a clue. I don't think we got last week. the neighbors say that he's in Portugal, which Mabel says is suspicious and Williams calls Mabel again by the wrong name and agrees. this is a point that I was making last week that Spain is right there, which is what William says, but again, I don't know if it means anything, the neighbors we're all busy playing card games when they heard the gunshot, probably the Oh hell game, except for roddy Thurper the Christmas freak Zaz's phone. Has been turned off, but they are reviewing CCTV in the area. Charles doesn't think Jan kills as Williams agrees, but she also doesn't think that Zaz was the target. And Charles wonders if someone. Over in the West Tower could hate him enough to kill him. Mabel says, don't tell them not to investigate and William's jokes that, yeah, after three seasons she got that, which of course is a nod to the actual show that we're watching. And also their podcast, Charles says even if he was a target, he has to tap in to solve this for his ass referencing the previous episode. then actors Levy, Galifianakis, and Longoria enter the room and Williams is taken by Galifianakis. Levy does the Braavos catchphrase, and then we get the credits. Act I Back in his apartment after the credits, Longoria informs him that the brothers sisters, the directors of the movie thought it would be a good for them to follow them for the day to do a character study. Again, probably what the title of the episode is referring to. Zack is not particularly enthusiastic about the idea because he doesn't really like Oliver. Levy is still very enamored with Charles because of his bravos role. He thinks he's a complex man. Oliver makes a joke about that. And Longoria says she's been practicing her Mabel. Mabel rebuffs because there's a new murder. And Longoria thinks that they're going to solve the murder in a day. Williams is attracted to Galifianakis, as I said, and incredulous that Zack is going to be playing Oliver in the movie. She doesn't want an introduction, but she does say if they let anything happen to him she's going to kill him. And then she leaves. Quick side note, I think she's the only one in this room of all these very distinguished actors who actually has an Academy Award outright. Steve Martin has an honorary one. Anyway, Mabel and Charles don't want the actress but Oliver wants to spend some time with Zach to win him over and Charles is flattered by Levy and falters because he compliments his history of wood and Mabel is frustrated. we cut to a scene where when Gloria is doing a monologue observing Mabel saying that she wished she had a home, but Mabel corrects her and says that she Is looking at the apartments because that's where the shot was fired in comments on her drinking at at 10 a. m. Longoria says she's getting into character, Mabel again corrects her and however Longoria says her version of Mabel is a tableau of vices. This is what I was talking about earlier on in my review, when I said there are some character interactions here that just drag on a little bit too much and are super annoying feel like and Longoria are the most annoying in this episode, but anyway, Charles gives an update to the group and he says the Winchester 300 Magnum, which might be another clue developed In the 1960s, the most popular cartridge amongst hunters, brags to Levy learned that on Braavos and Levy is actually able to quote the episode in the title. Oliver records something for the podcast and Zach comments that he does a bunch of hacky jokes. So then there's a bunch of speculation about who the murderer is. they talk about Vince Fish wonder if the eye patch is actually conjunctivitis or a bruise from the recoil of a gun. Mongolia says they've solved the killer, and and her Mabel is very confident. Mabel thinks he's not strong enough to carry That's his body, , but the the Christmas guy Roddy is really fit. Aguria says her character found the killer and moves Roddy's name over also says that her Mabel. Can admit when she's wrong. Chell says that he's got everyone to sign a petition banning Christmas trees because they are a fire hazard. So this is a possible motive for Roddy. Not really a clue because we get some resolution on that in this episode. If he's to believed. Out of town the night of Zav's death again If he's to believed. However, Mabel says they found tinsel by the window. Zack makes a hacky joke about Roddy and Rudolph to make fun of Oliver. Charles thinks it's Vince. Oliver, sensing Zach's contempt, suggests everyone pair off so he can spend some time with Zach to try to win him over Mabel and Eva take Roddy and Charles and take Vince and Oliver and Zach go off to monitor the ham radio apartment. later in Charles's apartment, Eugene and Charles are playing the accordion, thinking through how to approach Vince to get his eye patch off. To see if there's an injury. Eugene suggests that Charles asks for a glass of water, then Eugene tells a joke and Charles spits and pints his face to get the eye patch off. then he takes the idea back as stupid and confesses he's nervous flatters Charles. Charles says he has an idea to get the eye patch off and then we cut to the kitchen where Eva speaks to Mabel about the plan for Roddy. and she says that she's like to stay away from sexual manipulation, even though she's really good at it. Mabel starts to tell Eva that she doesn't want her help. And Eva asked if she's attached to her name because it's an old person's name and she suggests Mabel. Mabel rebuffs her and says she's going to go to Roddy's to see if the tinsel they found and the cypress nest matches his decorations and Eva doesn't like the snooping idea and wants to just press his buttons. Mabel finally tells her that she doesn't want her help or she works alone and then Eva leaves. In Oliver's apartment, Oliver tries to reset his relationship with Zack. He suggests going through his wardrobe to help him get into character and Zachary buffs him. Howard comes to help with the ham radio from the Dude Enough apartment. and also he comes with the pig and Howard doesn't like Zach. Zach thinks he has the Oliver character down, but he fails that Oliver quiz. Then over in West, Mabel heads over to Roddy's apartment to question him, but Eva's already there and then, and Eva's annoyed that Mabel was there. Act II elsewhere on the, in Arconia West, Charles and Eugene show up to Vince's apartment with eyepatches. Vince asks them about the eyepatches and they invite themselves in. They give him a story about eyedrops, Vince passes because tried everything. Then then they improv a story to try to convince him, but he goes into the bathroom to put the eyedrops in. Back in Roddy's apartment, Roddy brings in some protein eggnog, which Mabel and Eva both hate, and Mabel asks him about the tinsel, but Perfect Stranger's theme starts to play over his ham radio, this seems to be a clue. Roddy goes. Into the other room and Eva thinks it's a bus because there's no tensile but Mabel clocks a gun on the wall and the ham radio as a clue. She thinks he hid the tensile because Eva told him they were looking for clues. Eva wants to provoke a reaction so she can get to her dinner with Roger Federer, Michelle Obama, and other people. Back over in Oliver's apartment. Oliver and Zach are going through his old photo album and he tells him his dream was to have a film made about him when he was a kid and Zach is dismissive. This is another part of the slow kind of like annoying part of the episode that I was mentioning in my review. , a good portion of the stuff was Zach and Oliver probably could have been cut for me. Zach does ask whether any of the stories are true, and Oliver says The key to an Oliver Putnam story is that you want it to be true and it takes place between 1960 and 1980 with a celebrity who are shocked to find out. It's still alive. And a nightclub that's now Applebee's then Zach tries to mimic Oliver in the mirror, there is a then there's a perfect strangers montage, which is Admittedly funny where Zach follows around all of we're trying to mimic him, Act III back in Vince's apartment, Eugene is concerned that Charles doesn't have a plan for when Vince comes back and he's potentially in a murderer's apartment. Eugene asks for a glass of water, falling back on the plan he came up with earlier. But Charles doesn't want to do the spictate because he's concerned that Vince wants to kill him. So Eugene does it, and Vince punches him in his face. And they get to see Vince's very infected eye. Back at Roddy's apartment, Eva's dinner plans get pushed up to 6. 30, so she starts to provoke Roddy by breaking things and insulting his ec nog. She points the gun on the wall at him and accuses him of shooting Charles. Roddy confesses that he hates Christmas, and he just made it his brand because it helped his fitness influencer videos. His parents are ashamed of him He shows his thanatoliths on his abs. I feel like while Camille is in this kind of shape he's going out of his way to show off his body in any role he takes, which, I'm not mad at, He probably can't eat anything interesting, so there has to be some benefit to this, , right? He then asks them to not tell anyone about hating Christmas. Mabel agrees and asks him about the tinsel, and Roddy says tinsel is highly flammable. So we don't know what this is and it's still a mystery. So this is another clue. Mabel Apologizes for Eva shooting his gun and Eva says that Michelle Obama will see his tik tok if that's any consolation back in Oliver's apartment Zach and Oliver return where Howard is still monitoring the ham radio with a pig zach tells a Oliver Putnam joke slash story correctly and he gets a call and excuses himself. Howard reports he heard the Perfect Strangers theme song. Again, another clue here. We've heard it a couple times now. Oliver and Howard spy on Zach's call, where he tells his agent that he's wasting his time on Oliver and calls Oliver one dimensional or narcissist. Then he notices he's being observed. Howard tells Zach off and tells him that Oliver humiliates himself over and over again and never gives up. he gives his relationship, for example, six months and Zach starts to turn around. He calls him a techno colored cockroach that refuses to die. And Zach says he'll immortalize Oliver as a real tragic figure. Act IV back In Vince's apartment Eugene's experience with Charles brings him off his pedestal, which gives him ease about playing him because he's just as, as he says, chicken shit. As he is. Vince says that he can't believe that they think that he killed their friend. Given that he can't even kill his infection. Charles confesses he always thought Vince hated him and Vince always thought Charles hated him. And they bond over being awkward. Eugene hugs Vince and directs Charles attention to a photo. of the group of Westie, but there's a face scratched out someone holding the pig next to Rodie and holding Roddy's hand still over on Acon West in the hallway. Eva says she's going to skip the part where she was wildly wrong when she tells her story at dinner, and Mable admits that she was somewhat helpful. Because she might've wasted weeks thinking Roddy had a motive. Maybe Eva's version of Mabel approach wasn't too bad and Mabel goes to the Dudenov apartment following Eva's lead, ride? And then Eva smiles back at her. In the Dudenov apartment, Mabel inspects the apartment and looks up information about Squatter's rights. In Charles's apartment, near the end of the episode, Charles and Vince wave to each other across the courtyard from the windows in their apartment, and then Mabel texts Charles to come over and motions to him from the Dudenov apartment window in West Tower. In the Dudenov apartment, Oliver and Charles arrive with the pig. Mabel doesn't believe , Dudenov is in Portugal. She figures, If he finds out she's squatting, he'll have to show his face to kick her out and Charles is concerned he could be the killer. Oliver approves of the and he tells another Oliver Putnam story about squatting, Mabel thinks it'll be good for the case and she needs a place to stay anyway, because if you remember, she was with Oliver in the first episode. Charles worries about her there and Mabel says that she worries about him all the time and this way they can watch each other across the courtyard. Mabel starts to sing the theme song to Perfect Strangers and then Oliver mentions Howard's report. Saying meet at four, four, five, Charles tells them about the photo with the crossed out person holding Roddy's hand. And Oliver thinks the four, four, five is a frequency on the ham radio. They go over to the ham radio and tune to four, four, five, and a woman answers. They asked her about Doudna and who's after Charles. She says, the last person who came around asking questions was killed and she warns them that if they don't drop it, they'll be next. Closing Notes So that's pretty much it for the episode. Have you seen " two for the road?" what did you think of the episodes, guest stars and the tie ins to the mystery? Share your thoughts in the comments below. enjoyed this breakdown, don't forget to like and share and subscribe for more in depth analysis of TV and film. See you in the next one guys. Bye. you in the next video.