‘OMITB’ Finale Set Up Brutal Season 5: Who’s The Killer?

(This story contains major spoilers from Only murder in the building season four finale.)

Finally we know who killed Sazz Pataki and why. Unfortunately, there is no time for relief as another body hit the floor at the end of the latest one Only murder in the building season.

In its final episode, season four ended with the reveal of Jin Ha’s stuntman-turned-writer, Marshall P. Pope, as the finger behind the trigger and the person responsible for shooting and killing Sazz (Jane Lynch) last season. The motive: to steal Sazz’s script about Arconia’s lead trio and pass it off as his own. Produced and released in the wake of 2023’s WGA strike, Pope’s role as killer stands as a commentary on the power of writing and the lengths some will go to silence artistic style, while industry veterans such as stunt workers often go unrecognized. .

Pope’s role in things came into focus in the penultimate episode, which is a bit of a tradition in Only murder lore. However, it is often usually accompanied by a clarifying twist in the finale. Not so this year; Pope is the killer and he did it all on his own. Case closed, simply enough.

Much more complex is the murder set up for the already renewed season five. In the season’s closing moments, Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) walk through the Arconia’s courtyard and discover a murder victim, albeit just outside the building: longtime doorman Lester, played by Teddy Coluca. The episode ends with the Big Three outside, panicking as they call for help, with Lester’s lifeless body bleeding out into a red-water fountain. It’s a pretty creepy sight Only murder standards, leaving the door open for an indicted investigation in season five.

So who killed Lester? Yes, we’re already asking that question, as it’s never too early to start putting suspects up on the murder board. Heading out of season four and into five, we can take some big names and already put them up (and probably cross them off) the list. Examples include:

Jan Bellows: Amy Ryan’s original serial killer in season one struck again in season four, giving us a rare second murder in the building in the same season. But immediately after sniping and killing Marshall P. Pope from a distance, Jan returns to police custody. Could she have somehow evaded them in time to kill Lester? It feels pretty unlikely, but by the same token, it feels silly to rule out the one living person who has killed on this show and actually likes it. Besides, as she tells Charles in her final season four moment: “You and I are endgame!”

Cinda Canning: Tina Fey’s podcasts were completely absent in season four. Back in season two, she was the most likely suspect on the board heading into the finale, only for it to be revealed that her protégé Poppy was the actual killer. After an entire season on ice, could Cinda return to finally put her murder money where her murder mouth is? We still need to find out who Moriarity of Only murder in the building is, and Cinda is as suspect as anyone in that regard.

Uma Heller: Jackie Hoffman’s curly-haired neighbor is probably our next best bet. She has lived in Arconia as long as any other character we know on the show. She hates Charles, Oliver and Mabel. And one could argue that the podcast investigation in the first season led directly to her friend Bunny (Jayne Houdyshell) being killed in the season 1 finale. If a single resident of Arconia has a reason to wish these three people dead, it would be Uma. Why did she want Lester dead? That’s the big mystery…

Howard Morris: There’s another member of the Arconia community worth watching right now: Michael Cyril Creighton’s Howard. Largely absent from the action in season four, despite being a series regular, Howard is someone who should always be on the list of suspects, just because of his longevity on the show. He was one of the very first suspects way back in Season 1, and he should remain a suspect until proven otherwise, while there’s the question of a “Moriarty” in the building — although if he’s a killer, he probably also killed his own cat back in season one, which is a pretty dark turn for the character. Darker than killing Lester? Depends on what skeletons the dead doorman has in his closet…

Who does you think killed Lester?

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Only murder in the building season four is now streaming its entire season on Hulu. Read THR’s interview with showrunner John Hoffman in the season four finale.