‘Only Murders in the Building’s [SPOILER] Is a Great Victim for Season 4 – Armessa Movie News

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the Season 3 finale of Only Murders in the Building

Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building never fails to deliver a shock as Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) find themselves wrapped up in murder mysteries in the legendary Arconia. But, what really wraps the audience into the series is its exploration into the victims whose murders the trio is investigating at any given time. Despite dying right away, and the fact that his only connection to the group was a friendship with Mabel years prior, we came to understand and care about Season 1’s Tim Kono (Julian Cihi). Likewise, as unlikeable as she was, Bunny (Jayne Houdyshell) found a place in our hearts to settle in after her untimely demise in Season 2. However, the series decided to change things up a bit in the jaw-dropping Season 3 finale, making a big move and providing the perfect new victim to drive the mystery of the upcoming fourth season.

Who Died in the ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 3 Finale?

After the trio solves the murder of Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd), has Donna (Linda Emond) and Cliff (Wesley Taylor) arrested, and returns home to the Arconia to celebrate their opening night and a glowing review of their show, Season 3 ends with a fan-favorite character meeting a grizzly fate in the final moments. Sazz (Jane Lynch), Charles’ longtime friend and stunt double, arrives at Oliver’s apartment to celebrate with everyone. While taking a selfie, as they are dressed nearly identically, Sazz makes a comment to Charles about a sensitive and personal matter she needs to discuss with him later. When Charles decides to go to his apartment to grab an old bottle of wine for their celebration, we see him enter his pitch-black apartment and make his way to the kitchen when a long-range bullet hits him and drops him to the floor. But, as the camera reveals, it’s actually Sazz, not Charles, who is bleeding out. Just before the episode cuts to black, she uses her blood to start writing something on the floor.

RELATED: ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Should Give This Character a More Permanent Role

Sazz Is the Perfect Victim for ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4

First and foremost, the most striking aspect of this choice is that this is the first time on Only Murders in the Building that the victim is a character we actually care about. Sazz has appeared sporadically since the first season, showcasing such a great bond with Charles despite her ability to make decisions that make him uncomfortable, like getting romantically involved with murderer Jan (Amy Ryan). This was severely lacking with Ben throughout the third season, as we saw his death before we even knew who he was. What we did see of who Ben was didn’t do him many favors; for some fans, the interest in him started and stopped with Paul Rudd. There’s a similar sentiment for Tim Kono, though his connection to Mabel made us at least come to care about him eventually. Same with Bunny, who was enjoyable in the first season with her antagonistic antics.

Sazz Brings ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Back to the Arconia for Season 4

Not caring for Ben made it pretty difficult to become invested in his murder, which already was hard to care about due to his murder having little to nothing to do with the Arconia. The series relied on a technicality to make Ben’s death work for the podcast, by having him die twice, but it also removed such a major aspect of the show for much of the third season. The Arconia is more than just a setting but is another character in and of itself. Arguably, the best part of the first two seasons, especially the second, was digging into and exploring the Arconia’s history. While it’s unclear if Sazz’s death has to do with the Arconia, it’s already super promising that we’ll return to our beloved apartment complex for more of the fourth season because of how she died. It seems like the shooter meant to kill Charles but couldn’t tell the difference between them in the dark, as she died in Charles’ apartment. Even if that’s not true, it’s a thread that will have to be investigated (and could maybe tie back to Oliver’s dog being inexplicably poisoned during the first season).

Sazz’s Death Ups the Stakes for ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4

Sazz being the victim also completely shifts things. Now, the victim is someone the audience has grown invested in to some capacity over the years. I mean, Lynch was a delight to have on the screen every time Sazz appeared, and Sazz was such a fun character and impossible not to love with her wacky antics. We cared about this character before, so finding out the truth of what happened to her means more, or packs a harder punch, than it has with any of the other victims. Plus, this death will have a major impact on our beloved trio, too. They were all friends with her to some extent — Charles obviously more so than the other two. They were all happy when she showed up at the celebration. This death is going to hurt and be more personal than ever before, which ups the stakes of their investigation and how much it matters to them to find the truth. It obviously mattered with Tim and Bunny for other reasons, like Mabel being framed for Bunny’s murder, but nothing like this.

All in all, while it’s sad to be losing Sazz (though we’ll still see her in flashbacks in Season 4), this was a good choice. Outside of the trio, Sazz is probably one of the characters the audience cares about the most, along with the hilarious Uma (Jackie Hoffman). Her death wasn’t just shocking but was also the first death that brought about an emotional reaction while watching. Also, it’s simply exciting to bring things back to the Arconia and escape the Goosebury, as the series lost some of its charm during this last season without the Arconia being a huge part of the story. Having Sazz as the next victim is a great move, and we can’t wait to see what will come from this shocking cliffhanger in Season 4.

Every episode of Only Murders in the Building is now streaming.