Only Murders In The Building Is One Of My Faves, But The Fourth Season Just Did Something I Didn't Think Was Possible (Thanks To Jane Lynch)

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet streamed the latest episode of Only Murders in the Building Season 4 with a Hulu subscription, so be warned!

Having adored Only Murders in the Building as much as anyone across its first three seasons, I was appropriately keyed up for Season 4 hitting the 2024 TV schedule so that it could follow up on the shocking death in Season 3’s finale. And while the premiere ep was great — boo on Hulu for releasing only one — it was the second episode that kind of blew my mind, in large part due to Jane Lynch.

Not because Only Murders broke the central whodunnit formula by revealing the killer already or anything so drastic, but because it finally treated its sensational seasonal hook with enough compassion to elicit an emotional response both on and off the screen.

I Actually Feel Grief And Angst For Charles Over Sazz's Death

While the premiere logically had to catch audiences back up with its podcast-hosting trio and others in the Arconia and elsewhere, the follow-up "Gates of Heaven" started to drive home just how emotionally and narratively troubling Sazz's death is for Steve Martin's Charles. (Even if it was an honor for Lynch herself.) To the latter point, her being shot inside his apartment likely means the killer was aiming for Charles, thus putting his public safety in question.

But as a viewer, I was legitimately more engaged by how moved and affected he is by everything that happened. For all that Charles presented as being put-off or disinterested whenever Sazz showed up, his true colors shone through quite vividly throughout the ep. And not just in the way that he's hallucinating Jane Lynch's character, or through his determination to figure out who killed her.

Rather, it comes through in moments when Charles is downright lost and confused and seemingly unsure of how to properly cope with anything. It's the moments when he realizes just how dependable and meaningful Sazz was throughout his life and career, and that he so often took it all for granted.

Even though viewers are still watching Steve Martin and Jane Lynch acting opposite each other, we're essentially just seeing Charles talking to himself, and it's already evident that he may never feel at peace with never being able to tell her how much she meant to him. And that's definitely not something I came into Season 4 expecting to feel.

I Never Expected To Care About Only Murders' Victims, But Jane Lynch Makes It Easy

Season 1, the death that kicked off this whole show's premise was Tim Kono's, and while viewers learned more about Tim as the episodes went on, it wasn't in a way that made his murder an inarguable tragedy. The same goes for the twisty death of Paul Rudd's Ben Gilroy, who was introduced as something of a pompous turd, and only gained a few empathy points as time went on.

Jayne Houdyshell's Bunny Folger serves as the slightest of exceptions, since she at least had a full season to make an impact before being killed off for Season 2's murder. And it's not like Bunny was a blessed angel or anything, so her absence wasn't an exercise in mourning.

But due to the character being a kind-hearted and often selfless talent, combined with Jane Lynch's low-key "aw shucks" performance, I felt more sadness about the titular Murder in that 30-minute stretch than during any other point in this show's existence thus far. It absolutely helps that we see the actual Sazz in Brazzos' BTS footage instead of just in Charles' mind.

I can certainly envision a future where this investigation gets to a point where I no longer feel very sad or mournful about what's happening. But for now, Only Murders in the Building has authentically evoked an emotion that isn't mirth, and I hope Sazz gets justice!

Only Murders in the Building streams new episodes on Hulu every Tuesday, so keep those clue boards handy.