Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 9.

After wrapping up the Dudenoff (Griffin Dunne) mystery in Episode 8 and learning that it had nothing to do with Sazz’s (Jane Lynch) murder, the investigative trio of Only Murders in the Building was left at a loss. And with only two episodes left in Season 4, there isn’t a whole lot of time to figure it out, either. Luckily, Episode 9 drops any filler or fluff and gets right into the nitty-gritty of the investigation. Complete with flashbacks and A-list guest stars, Episode 9, “Escape From Planet Klongo,” finally delivers answers, including a shocking reveal.

Glen Stubbins Isn’t the Culprit in ‘Only Murders in the Building’
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Last episode ended on a cliffhanger when it was insinuated that Glen Stubbins (Paul Rudd) was the stunt actor who had issues with Sazz on the set of a movie called Project Ronkonkoma. However, he’s still in the hospital after the shooting at the photoshoot. Mabel (Selena Gomez), Charles (Steve Martin), and Oliver (Martin Short) arrive at the hospital with a case of beer to hopefully rouse Glen from his comatose state. However, the nurse is very firm on not allowing any non-family members into the room, telling them that she will give them a call when Glen wakes up. The trio decides to wait in the waiting room as they ponder what to do next, where Oliver mentions that the case of beer he brought was given to him by Sazz the night she died. He’ll never drink it, so Mabel offers to take it off his hands.

Just as they’re about to leave, they bump into the bartender from Concussions, the stuntperson bar from earlier in the season They mention Project Ronkonkoma to him, and he says that Glen wasn’t the original stuntman; he was brought in to replace Sazz’s protégé, because the guy messed up so badly that she had to blackball him. This sends a warning signal to Mabel, Charles, and Oliver, since the reveal provides motive towards not only Sazz but also Glen. The bartender also says that the only people who know what happened are Sazz, Glen, and the movie’s director. With Glen unconscious and Sazz dead, the director is their only hope for answers. The only problem? The director of the movie is the highly acclaimed Ron Howard.

Oliver’s a Bachelor No More on ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4 Episode 9
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In an effort to reach Ron Howard, Mabel enlists the help of Bev Melon (Molly Shannon), who agrees to give Mabel the address of where Howard is shooting his new movie — on the condition that Mabel offers some insight for her movie’s script to help the dialogue feel more natural. With the address secured, Mabel, Charles, and Oliver head to the studio where Howard is filming a movie called Escape From Planet Klongo; now, they just have to figure out how to get inside. Oliver seems to think this will be a no-brainer, because, according to him, he and Howard are good friends and go way back — so much so that he refers to the director as “Ron-Ron.” Charles and Mabel don’t believe him because, well, he’s Oliver, and he tends to embellish. After trying the same story on the security guard, and failing, the trio is about to cut their losses and find another way to get in contact with Howard when someone inside the building calls for background actors. Taking this as their opportunity, the three run inside and miraculously make it onto the set.

While they’re filling out forms for background work, Oliver mentions that he should probably switch his emergency contact to Loretta (Meryl Streep), since they’ll be getting married, and this seems to visibly bother Charles. In fact, it bothers Charles so much that he ends up picking a fight with Oliver on the film set, calling him insufferable and adding that he’s not going to throw Oliver a bachelor party because no one will come. Obviously, this gets them kicked off the set, so they go back to the dressing room, where we get a genuine moment between the two. Charles reveals that Oliver is his emergency contact and that he knows he was Oliver’s, so the idea of Oliver switching his to Loretta bothered him. Although he really likes Loretta and is happy for Oliver, Charles admits that he feels like the awkward guy who is always third-wheeling them.

Glen Stubbins Is Stubbed Out in ‘Only Murders in the Building’
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While Oliver and Charles are busy acting in the background, Mabel gets a call that Glen has woken up and rushes to the hospital to talk to him. However, she never gets the chance, because as Glen awaits Mabel’s arrival, someone walks into his hospital room. At first, he assumes it’s the nurse, but as the person gets closer, Glen recognizes them, and is simultaneously confused about why they’re there. Suddenly, a pair of gloved hands press a pillow over Glen’s face, smothering him as he struggles and tries to get free. By the time Mabel arrives at the hospital, she is informed by the nurse that Glen died. Concerned by the suddenness of said death, Mabel inquires about who else the nurse called to alert them about Glen waking up. Turns out it was Mabel and Glen’s emergency contact, who is revealed to be… Sazz Pataki. Mabel realizes that Glen didn’t succumb to his injuries; he was murdered by whoever killed Sazz.

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It’s Ron Howard to the Rescue on ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4 Episode 9
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After their heart-to-heart on the set, Oliver and Charles decide to get lunch at the restaurant where the latter first met Ron Howard. Oliver admits that he didn’t have a bachelor party or a best man at his first wedding, so he doesn’t need a bachelor party for this one, but he does ask Charles to be his best man — before adding that Charles can be the emergency contact on his life alert bracelet, in case he falls and can’t get up. Pleased with this, Charles decides to make good on his promise and throw Oliver a mini-bachelor party after all. Earlier, Oliver had stated he only wanted three things at his bachelor party: whiskey, A-list celebrities, and a naughty secret. Charles orders the two of them some Johnny Walker, then walks over to the restaurant’s wall of celebrity photos. He picks up Oliver’s photo, placing it next to Ron Howard’s, and says that will be their naughty secret. As for the A-list celebrity, Charles suggests that he fits the bill himself, but Oliver is unimpressed. Luckily for him, Howard walks in at that moment, granting Oliver’s wish for an A-lister. Even more shockingly, his story of being friends with Ron Howard is actually true. Howard runs over, referring Oliver as “Olly” and himself as “Ron-Ron,” and the three sit down for lunch together.

Charles and Oliver use their impromptu lunch with Howard to pick his brain about Project Ronkonkoma, and it’s through the director that we get the big reveal of the season. All episode, we’ve been seeing flashbacks to Sazz on a movie set working with the protégé we first learned about last week. She discovered said protégé by accidentally backing into him with her car, causing him to flip into her backseat, a move that she found impressive. From then on, we see a bunch of scenes of Sazz teaching this unknown person how to stunt and preparing them for their first big stunt. However, Howard reveals the tragedy behind what really happened. The mood on set is always tense ahead of a big stunt, especially a fire stunt, but that day was surprisingly calm. The stunt guy was well-prepared and was doing well, but he didn’t wait until he was fully extinguished before he got up, rushing over to Howard and suddenly reigniting. The encounter ended up burning off Howard’s eyebrows and causing a whole fiasco on set.

Oliver and Charles say they need to find the stuntman, and Howard requests that if they do, they need to get his shoes back, because the guy stole them. He shows Charles and Oliver his shoes, and the bottoms contain the same exact tread found on the radiator in Dudenoff’s apartment. Howard then offers them some extra help, telling them that the man’s name is Rex Bailey, which doesn’t ring a bell for either Charles or Oliver — that is, until Howard shows them a picture. It’s Marshall (Jin Ha), the screenwriter of the Only Murders movie.

Mabel Is Alone With the Murderer in ‘Only Murders in the Building’
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When Mabel comes home from the hospital after learning of Glen’s death, she finds Marshall sitting in the hallway outside of her apartment. Mabel had been willing to read over the Only Murders movie script, but now she tells him she finds the whole thing pointless since yet another person is dead, and she could have stopped it if she had just figured out the stuntman angle earlier. Marshall listens to her rant and decides to run with it, using it as inspiration. He starts asking Mabel her opinion on some of the dialogue, and she helps him run through it, nixing certain things and adding others. She then asks Marshall if he wants a beer, figuring it’ll give them a boost as they work through the script. She opens up the case of beer she had taken from Oliver earlier and finds something else inside. Puzzled, she pulls out a script — but not just any script, an Only Murders movie script penned by none other than Sazz Pataki.

Looking at Marshall, who is absentmindedly working on the script, Mabel asks him why she’s holding a script for the movie that was written by Sazz. Before Marshall can answer, though, Mabel’s phone buzzes with a text, and Marshall sees it as it sits next to him on the bed. It’s from Charles, telling her that Marshall is Sazz’s protégé, something she’s already beginning to discover for herself. The credits roll just as the show leaves Mabel alone in her apartment with the murderer — with no help in sight.

Only Murders in the Building Season 4 is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S. New episodes premiere every Tuesday.

Sazz’s killer is finally revealed in Only Murders in the Building Season 4 as another life is tragically lost.ProsSazz’s murderer is finally revealed.The episode delivers great friendship moments between Charles and Oliver.Ron Howard’s cameo is brilliant. ConsThe killer reveal is a bit underwhelming.

Three strangers in a New York City apartment building bond over their shared interest in true crime and form an unlikely team to investigate a suspicious death in their complex. Their amateur sleuthing quickly evolves into a thrilling quest as they navigate secrets, lies, and unexpected twists.Release Date August 31, 2021 Creator Seasons 4 Story By steve martin Streaming Service(s) Hulu , Disney+ Directors Cherien Dabis Where To Watch Hulu Expand

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