Recap of Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 7

Photo: Patrick Harbron/Disney

One thing Just murders is very good at strategically planning Meryl Streep's appearances so that we don't notice that she barely appears on this show. Personally, I don't mind how infrequently she shows up – in fact, I think she shows up just the right amount of times. But it's funny to see how much press she's getting for the series as if she were a prominent cast member, considering she's a guest star who primarily appears off-screen. But every time I realize we haven't seen Meryl for a minute, she's there. It's like they know I'm about to point this out in a recap.

But before she finally shows up this week, Oliver reaches a breaking point in their long-distance relationship. This subplot created perhaps the best depiction of a spiral I have ever seen put to film. Martin Short beautifully captures the overthinking and utter unraveling, especially after his attempted suggestion goes unheard Three's Company-like, absurd misunderstanding. So he decides to finally put himself out of his misery and ends the relationship via text message. What's even crazier is that he does this just before he has to turn off his phone and hand it over entirely because the trio is being watched and possibly stalked by the killer – who they hope won't find them at Charles' sister's house on Long Island.

I think that the crime element of this series can sometimes overshadow the density of the jokes. It's not a funny crime thriller, but a comedy about a crime thriller – often full of jokes in every possible nook and cranny, despite the deadly subject matter. For example, the ringing of the doorbell of the house on Long Island is the opening note of “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”, or the boat in the driveway that is named “Master Boater”, and of course all the mannerisms that Melissa McCarthy as the Charles's sister Doreen demonstrates this. I can only imagine that McCarthy was instrumental in choosing her character's wigs – if they weren't just wigs that came straight from her personal collection. Oh, and speaking of collections: the dolls! Doreen collects hundreds of dolls! That's never a good sign.

Before the trio escaped from Manhattan Island to Long Island, they only told Howard about their top-secret location, which meant that word spread very quickly and the place was soon inundated with unwanted visitors. In the end it is like this The great cold, but if they were all hiding from a murderer. First comes Bev Melon, who needs confirmation that the brothers sisters are innocent so she doesn't have to pull the plug on the film. Then all three main characters show up, needing a safe haven of their own and resentful that they were left to die. And what is another actor? Then Loretta arrives and flies across the country after receiving Oliver's breakup text out of the blue. Luckily, Oliver is much better at face-to-face interaction and the couple is able to resolve the misunderstanding. It wasn't Loretta who rejected Oliver's suggestion; it was her gauze-covered deputy. It's fitting for a season that focuses so heavily on stand-ins and body doubles.

The latter is a real disappointment for Doreen, dressed in leopard print, who immediately takes a liking to her little King Oliver over a glass of “Crystal Lights” vodka. While she could have been a fun hostess for her hideout, the episode actually takes a lot of time to introduce us to Doreen. We learn all about Charles's accidental childhood injury that cost her her spleen – something she likes to joke about despite his protests. I imagine that's hitting a little too close to home lately, as he already feels responsible for causing bodily harm to those around him, especially Sazz. Their argument about this eventually leads to a conversation about her distant mother and how lonely Doreen is – especially when she listens to Charles talking about it with his podcast friends. She's certainly not in suspicious territory, but I've noted that Doreen might object to Charles doing the podcast.

Over in the kitchen, Mabel is overwhelmed by everyone's presence, so she asks Loretta (who we find out is a fan). baskets) to distract the other actors so she can concentrate on the investigation. But Loretta tells her that would be a mistake – actors are silent investigators of the human condition and can therefore be an invaluable resource in their detective work. For example, when Bev taunts everyone in an angry stupor, Eugene, Eva, and Zach are quickly able to diagnose her as “middle child,” “single mom,” and “hyperthyroid.” See, Mabel? You know people.

Loretta sits at the piano together and remembers how most of their relationship played out last season. She wonders what Oliver told her deputy on that phone call. Reluctantly, he doesn't have a say, not only about the proposal, which he tries to downplay, but also about his Finsta account. Loretta's reaction is almost identical to Sally Field's when she found out that Mrs. Doubtfire was her ex-husband, without the classic “THE WHOLE TIME?” After a marriage proposal, stalking and a breakup text, Loretta is understandably overwhelmed – and around To make matters worse, the jealous Doreen tries to beat her up.

That’s right, we get a full-fledged, choreographed fight scene between Meryl Streep and Melissa McCarthy. Not since Paula Pell brutalized the Property Brothers Girls5Eva Has television seen such an iconic brawl? It turns out it's mixed martial arts Are finally the arts, Meryl. And luckily, when Loretta fights, she wins. Not only do she and Oliver reconcile, she also proposes – meaning we can expect another seven minutes of Meryl in season five.

The episode goes mostly unexplored – until the house wakes up the next morning and sees that the three actors have taken it upon themselves to create their own murder board. Well, I'll admit that, but it's a little convenient that they're all master detectives all of a sudden, especially considering that a major point in an earlier episode was how bad Eva Longoria was at interrogating Rudy. Let me suspend my disbelief for a moment. Her big break is that this case started long before Sazz was murdered – in fact, it goes back to the first season (of the show and podcast). The show's plot holes – or intentionally unanswered questions – from this season are back in play, waiting to finally be resolved. For example: Who poisoned Winnie? Who wrote the note threatening them if they didn't stop the podcast? And who left the note “I’m watching you” on Jan’s door?

As the actors reveal, this murderer has always been after them. And it turns out that Sazz was involved in the case because all the ominous notes they found on her desk were related to these unresolved plot holes. I wonder if the writers were really playing the long game by intentionally leaving these loose ends hanging, or if this season they thought they could retroactively use them to their advantage. Anyway, I think it's great that they're pulling from their back catalog. Let's bring back Jayne Houdyshell as a ghost or something while we're at it.

Meanwhile, Howard was back in New York trying to find out who had cashed Dudenoff's checks. And continuing the trend of the best investigations this season being done by no one but the trio, he gets to the bottom of the matter. After making a deal with a bodega cat, he is able to access the ledger and security camera to see that Dudenoff's checks have been cashed under five different signatures, all with a phone number. The Westies. Somehow he manages to pass this information on to Doreen's husband, who arrives at the house with the news. When Charles calls the number, it's actually the unmistakable voice of Vince Fish – who quickly tells the other Westies that they're on the trail.

But remember, there are still three episodes left. Just because the Westies got caught up in a money laundering scheme doesn't necessarily make them murderers – but it does suggest that they know Milton Dudenoff is dead. Although they're still a suspicious bunch to me, I don't think it could be that obvious. Yes, I think they are caught up in this tangled web, but I think we are still missing some crucial pieces of the puzzle. I'm more inclined to believe that someone else killed Dudenoff and that the Westies then discovered the body and covered up the murder to avoid losing their rent-controlled apartments. That they are all accidental accomplices to a murder they don't know much about is far more interesting to me and would give us more to explore in these final three episodes.