Only Murders in the Building – Adaptation

By: Sammi Turano

The fifth episode of “Only Murders in the Building” opens with Marshall (Jin Ha) talking about being a writer and getting the right look as he gets ready for the day and putting on a fake beard and mustache with his glasses. He says the look only gets you so far because it comes down to what’s on the page….which has to dazzle.

The scene cuts to him writing, Bev (Molly Shannon) reading the script and calling him….as he wonders if things will really work out.

We then get back to Bev holding a gun on Mabel (Selena Gomez), Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short). After the trio freaks out, Bev realizes that it is them and is relieved. They ask about the gun, which she says must be Sazz’s. They try to question her, but she keeps deflecting by bringing up random things, including Mabel being a millennial Nancy Drew.

Charles finally asks if she killed Sazz. She says she didn’t but thinks one of her team could have.  He continues to question her about where she was the night Sazz she was in LA and got a call from Sazz at an unknown member. She plays a message from Sazz, who said that there was a problem with the Only Murders movie.

Oliver compares the situation to one of his other projects, while Bev continues to talk about being worried about the movie falling apart and how she needs a hit since she passed on Barbie.

She asks for her gun back but settles for them catching the killer so she can save the movie.

Charles tries to present Detective Williams (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) with her new evidence, but she is sick of his murder boards and wonders where the others are.

Oliver and Mabel walk in with Oliver saying he identified the guy in Loretta’s Instagram as a former Olympic swimmer named Jack Jonk. While Detective Williams becomes smitten about Jack, the others talk about the case and being podcast producers.

Detective Williams sasses them about having 40,000 suspects on the case and tells them to tighten it up and to stop being amateurs.

Trina (Catherine Cohen) and Tawny (Siena Werber) run into the trio and ask them to be in the photoshoot and ask them to dress in season one outfits. As they plan, they tell them not to be late and leave.

Bev talks to Oliver about Jack, who was seen with Loretta on Page Six and gives him a hard time about it. He tries to prove he is better than him as she brushes him off and walks away.

Charles and Mabel arrive at the set and step on sticky paper when Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) walks in. He explains what it is for and what is going on before delivering drinks. Charles then pretends to be on the phone while snooping. Mabel wants to know how to find the killer. Charles tells her to look for someone who is nervous when Marshall spots them and falls.

The trio questions Marshall, who initially thinks they are going to hound him about the script. He is relieved he is a suspect. Charles is about to take him to his place when Bev arrives to talk to Mabel about her future and other movie ideas. She wants to know about future podcast ideas, so Mabel, who is on the spot, gives random ideas about buttons and people. She then backpedals and says the ideas aren’t good, but Bev encourages her to go for it and says the ideas are fantastic enough for her to set up a meeting.

Charles and Oliver arrive on Charles’s floor with Marshall when they run into Glen (Paul Rudd), who was there to give him a gift. He says he is working odd jobs but has a photoshoot later. He asks for more stuff to do as he leaves, stumbling into the elevator.

At Charles’s apartment, Oliver picks apart the script while Charles and Mabel try to question Marshall, who claims he was doing stand up in LA. They say he is innocent and let him go, but not before Mabel points out Marshall’s fake beard. Embarrassed, Marshall says he can’t grow facial hair and claims he feels like an impostor. This leads to a bonding moment with him and Mabel.

Charles then offers to show Marshall the murder board to help with the script. As he shows him different scenarios, Marshall points out that the voicemail, murder and incinerator time don’t add up. Charles argues that it could have happened, leading to him explaining it as a possible scenario plays (with Charles in a white tux) with the shot, bird sound distractions to get Lester away from the scene and the body being moved, put in the incinerator and the clean up scene cleaned up.

Marshall doesn’t think this is possible, so Oliver chimes in, saying it could be possible, all while comparing it to his past and worrying over Jack Jonk.

Cue Oliver trying and failing to reenact the scene. All he did was yell at kids and get chased by a man. He gets back home and has a meltdown, which leads to Charles realizing that the timeline is wrong, leading to him melting down as Marshall rewrites his character.

Lester brings their clothes for the photoshoot and reflects on his modeling days. After he leaves, Charles and Oliver decide they don’t want to go. However, Mabel says they must since the picture of the footprint at the crime scene matches the one on set.

They arrive and meet with Eva Longoria, Eugene Levy and Zach Galifianakis for the photoshoot. They take several pictures imitating movie characters at Bev’s request.

 After the photoshoot, Eva throws a diva tantrum to help with the investigation while Zach and Oliver do a shoot together…with Glen trying and failing to join.

Zach and Oliver talk about Oliver’s worry about Jack and Loretta together as they get their pictures taken. The Brothers sisters then have Glen join.

Eugene and Charles get ready for their part of the shoot. As they talk, Charles realize there are two killers. He tells this to Mabel, all while Marshall talks about imposter syndrome and rewrites.

As Oliver continues his portion of the shoot, Mabel wonders if the Brothers sisters could have been the killers and imagines them pulling off the crime. They realize one of them is missing as a gunshot rings out…closing the episode.