(Warning: Spoilers ahead.)

The one from last week groundbreaking episode by Only murders in the building may have vindicated the Westies, but it also got Hollywood characters in hot water. Helga had told the trio that Sazz (Jane Lynch) once said he was bothered by a stuntman believed to be Glen Stubbins (Paul Rudd). While we know that the lovable Paul Rudd would never hurt a fly, his connection to the case certainly implies that the killer is someone from Hollywood, not New York. (It also means that Stubbins is in grave danger, but tragically no one has bothered to put a guard outside his hospital room door this week.)

I predicted last week that the killer was both Marshall (Jin Ha) and Eugene Levyspecifically stating that they were covering up Marshall’s plagiarism of Sazz’s film idea. By the end of ‘Escape From Planet Klongo’, more than two-thirds of my theory was proven correct, which means either I’m a genius or season 4 lagged a bit on the mystery front; I choose to assume the former. The only question that remains is whether Eugene Levy was involved; he’s suspiciously absent from this episode, but there may still be enough time for him to be revealed in the finale.

When it came to Marshall, I was sure my prediction would come true in the opening scene of this episode, a flashback to Sazz accidentally hitting someone with the back of her car. She soon introduces this mysterious man to the world of stunt acting, which is important because Mabel, Oliver and Charles soon discover that this is the stuntman Sazz complained would be the death of her.

The mystery man’s face remains hidden for most of the episode, but his body type clearly identifies him as Marshall. After all, what other skinny young man has been introduced as a suspect this season? Rudy is too fanatical and Alfonso never gets enough focus to deliver a satisfying reveal.

However, I had some reservations about the scene where Mabel meets Bev Melon (Molly Shannon). The past three seasons of Only murders has made it clear that if a suspect suddenly gets a lot of screen time in the final part of the mystery, he/she is probably involved. It didn’t help that Molly Shannon plays Bev as unhinged as ever here, especially as she mixes a psychotic-looking smoothie like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

Melon then proves her innocence by complaining about the film’s script, questioning why Marshall’s rewrites feel so different from the script she “originally fell in love with.” This has been a recurring observation all season, with both the main and celebrity trio complaining about how terrible all the script changes were. That Melon himself doesn’t understand what’s going on there? This is the biggest sign yet that she is innocent.

The speculation surrounding Marshall’s poor rewrites comes to a head in the final scene when Mabel finds Sazz’s original film script hidden in the carton of beer that Sazz Charles had brought with him to prison. Season 3 finale. At the same time, Charles and Oliver learn from the director Ron Howard (more about him in a moment) that Marshall was a stuntman who suffered burns on his set. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Marshall was already interested in screenwriting at the time, that he only dabbled in stunt doubling to make more connections in the industry, and that he had a luxuriant head of hair that was tragically burned off. the fire.

It is also revealed that Marshall was the man who murdered Glen Stubbins, making this the third time Paul Rudd has been killed in just two seasons. (Rest in peace, Stubbins! Hopefully the Lord won’t let rats into heaven.) Marshall doesn’t look particularly happy about what he’s doing, implying he’s not a Jan-like killer. Yet he continues to do it ruthlessly anyway, proving that he’s quite dangerous even without a potential second killer egging him on.

This is all mixed news for Mabel, who ends the episode stuck in her apartment with him. If any member of the main trio is going to win a fight to the death with Marshall, it’s going to be her, but it might not come to that. Maybe Marshall will give up and come clean, especially since he saw the text on Mabel’s phone and knows that Charles and Oliver figured him out too. A quick confession would be the cleanest way to set up the show and fulfill a new revelation in the finale, assuming there is one.

The other major storyline of “Escape From Planet Klongo” follows Charles and Oliver as they try to sneak onto Ron Howard’s film set. (Mabel comes with them first, but has to leave to find out the news about Stubbins.) This subplot continues the season’s long-running theme of Oliver’s insecurity; he continues to insist that Ron Howard knows him well, despite all signs to the contrary. However, this episode comes after Oliver did that resolved things with Loretta and won against Zach Galifianakis, so the season is no longer interested in kicking him while he’s in trouble: Oliver’s friendship with Howard turns out to be 100 percent true.

The storyline also follows the theme of Charles being an absurdly lonely man; he’s unable to give Oliver the bachelor party he wants, not just because he’s bad at being social, but because he doesn’t want Oliver to grow apart from him. But like Oliver, Charles has been confronting this character flaw of his all season and working on it. As a result, he manages to have a nice candid relationship with Oliver at the Chinese restaurant, albeit while covering his face with a menu so as not to feel too vulnerable.

Now that Oliver and Charles are back on good terms, Ron Howard (aka Ron Ron) comes along to give them the stunt double backstory they so desperately needed. Even if Mabel dies in the opening scene of the finale (she won’t), Marshall still won’t be able to get away with it. It’s just the potential second killer they have to watch out for now.

Clues from the crime scene:

• Now that we know for sure that Marshall is the killer, it’s worth recalling his scenes “Amendment.” If there was a second killer involved, and Marshall could see that the trio hadn’t figured it out yet, why would he suggest the idea to them himself? Perhaps Marshall really did act alone; him after all is young and healthy enough to credibly complete Sazz’s murder within the allotted time frame.
• On the other hand, Marshall struggles with imposter syndrome. Maybe it was worth the risk for him to inform the trio about the second killer, because at least it gave him a moment where he felt like a smart guy who was useful, and not some poor, stressed-out, sad sack which he faced for most of the season. .
• Last week I brought up the scene in “Adaptation” where both Eugene Levy and Marshall see Charles walking away. (The context is that Charles just hinted that he’d discovered the two-murderer twist.) This brief shot of the two in the same frame seems even more important this week, now that one of them has already been confirmed to be a murderer. We know why Marshall was so concerned, but what’s the innocent explanation for Levy?
• Another big question that remains is why Marshall (or Killer #2) shot Stubbins in the first place. Based on Stubbins’ reaction when he initially saw Marshall, it appears he did not identify him as a murderer. Shooting him in such a public place implies urgency, but it is not yet clear what the rush was.