Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 8 Review: Lifeboat

Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 8, “Lifeboat,” provides some closure on one storyline/lingering mystery of the season.

We get details on how Dudenoff formed his own found family and seemingly wrap up the Westies’ storyline. They each share how they all became close with Dudenoff, and those quick stories (and one long monologue) show how the Westies formed such a strong bond.

We didn’t have the luxury of spending an entire season getting to know them, but the show manages to make us care about their family unit. Everyone’s stories provide us with the gist of their relationships with Dudenoff and each other.

Helga’s is by far the most poignant and moving story.

Through her tale, we can see how much Dudenoff cared, and how the Westies were as important to him as he was to them. It was never just a friendship of convenience that led to the Westies getting a good apartment at a dirt-cheap price. They were a family.

It’s sweet to see Mabel decide to protect the Westies and their family, even though it really would have been a fantastic podcast episode.

Another highlight of this storyline is that our actor trio is involved.  They’ve been one of the best parts of this season, and so it’s always great whenever they get to be included in something.

“Lifeboat” does manage to keep us entertained, but as our trio states at the end, they are back to square one.

It’s frustrating to know so little about Sazz’s murder when the end of the season is almost here. We did figure out that Dudenoff’s death is unrelated to Sazz’s, so that’s something, but that’s all we have so far.

Somehow the fact that someone is targeting our trio, and has been since Season 1 is not really discussed during this episode. Helga provides a lead on Sazz’s murder, but if Glen Stubbins is the killer, then it’s unlikely that he is also responsible for all the threats against Charles, Oliver, and Mabel.

In theory, they should not have been on his radar back then.

I probably need to do a rewatch of Only Murders in the Building Season 1 before throwing out theories, but the podcast is what links our trio together, aside from living in the same building.

It might be believable that Glen targeted Charles due to his connection to Sazz but going after Oliver and Mabel doesn’t make sense unless he somehow has a very weird grudge against them for their podcast. Do you have any theories as to who is after our trio?

Stray Thoughts

• Charles finding his anger is a weird storyline, but he’s a weird guy.
• Eva continues to be an absolute delight.
• Howard deserved a spot at this shindig.
• I love that Charles nitpicks the set design of his apartment.
• Jan still hasn’t been captured, has she? That can’t be a good thing.
• The Westies have a flair for the dramatic, and I love that about them.

What did you think of this episode of Only Murders in the Building? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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New episodes of Only Murders in the Building premiere on Tuesdays on Hulu.

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