ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Recap: (S04E08) Lifeboat

Melody McCune

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Zach Galifianakis, Oliver Putnam, Eugene Levy, Charles Haden-Savage, Mabel Mora and Eva Longoria sit on a velvet couch and matching chairs in Oliver's apartment on Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 8, "Lifeboat."

DISCLAIMER: This recap of Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 8, “Lifeboat,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril. 

We only have two episodes left this season, folks. Episode eight, “Lifeboat,” is all about the Westies. We learn the truth about their connection to Dudenoff and his death. Helga returns to the West Tower and unloads a new lead into our trio’s collective lap. Could Glen Stubbins be Sazz’s murderer? My guess is it’s another red herring. After all, we’ve been playing the long game; whoever killed Sazz is most likely targeting Charles, Mabel and Oliver. 

“Lifeboat” is one of the show’s weaker outings. While the Westies’ story is altogether touching and a poignant meditation on loneliness, the details regarding Dudenoff’s passing are so-so at best, considering we’re eight episodes into a 10-episode season. I hope the Powers That Be are saving the big narrative guns for the grand finale. That said, the performances are fantastic, as always. 

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Only Murders in the Building, “Lifeboat”

We open with Milton Dudenoff (Griffin Dunne) providing narration for this episode. He references the 1944 Alfred Hitchcock film Lifeboat to compare how it feels to find an affordable apartment in NYC in a quality building/neighborhood. Vince (Richard Kind) approaches the Arconia with a note written by Dudenoff.

He reunites with Rudy (Kumail Nanjiani) and the Sauce family—Alfonso (Desmin Borges), Inez (Daphne Rubin-Vega) and Ana (Lilian Rebelo). They, too, received the note from Dudenoff. Even Helga (Alexandra Templer) arrives with baby Hammy Faye. Dudenoff opens the door of his apartment and invites the Westies inside. 

Mabel Mora sits on a couch in a living room film set while looking up at something on Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 8, "Lifeboat."
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 4 Episode 8, “Lifeboat.” Photo credit: Disney/Patrick Harbron.

Returning to Manhattan

Later, Charles (Steve Martin), Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Oliver (Martin Short) speed away from Doreen’s home on Long Island, preparing to face the music at the Arconia. However, they encounter car troubles once they’re in Manhattan. The actors—Eva Longoria, Zach Galifianakis and Eugene Levy—video call Oliver. They didn’t like being left behind. After all, they cracked the Sazz case. Eugene reveals he knows where they can meet (after both parties fail in their attempts to mute the other, of course).

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Next, our sleuthing trio and the actors meet on the set of the Only Murders in the Building adaptation in “Charles’ apartment.” I love the details that went into recreating his home, from the “Mean, Cold Meat” artwork that’s the opposite of his “Nice, Hot Vegetables” piece to the framed Brazzos poster (but with Eugene as the titular detective). Charles rearranges some items, irritated that the set dressers didn’t get it 100 percent right. 

Eugene proposes they invite the Westies to “Tony Danza’s 35th Annual ‘It’s Time to Wear White Pants’ Extrava-Danza.” Then, make the Sauces believe Danza will invest in their sauce line. Eva brings another idea to the table: They introduce a “ding-dong,” which translates to “sexy surprise” in soapy TV speak. Charles reminds them that one of the Westies killed Dudenoff, and the others are covering for them. All our investigators need to do is get them to confess. 

Eugene Levy sits on a couch in a living room film set on Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 8, "Lifeboat."
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 4 Episode 8, “Lifeboat.” Photo credit: Disney/Patrick Harbron.

Mean, Cold Meat 

Mabel believes they should invite the Westies to a star-studded Oh Hell! game. The actors can elicit a confession from the Westies. Charles asserts that, as an actor, he, too, is capable of keeping a straight face. After all, the Westies may or may not have killed one of his closest friends. Once Charles dances on the edges of an emotional outburst, though, he pulls back, claiming he needs to lie down. 

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Then, Zach chats with Oliver about the latter’s upcoming nuptials. Oliver and Loretta plan to get married that weekend; they’re going to keep it simple and sweet. Zach urges Oliver to think bigger. Weddings demand spectacle and speeches. Meanwhile, Eugene encourages Charles to tap into his emotions. He wants to see what anger looks like on Charles. This is for a character study, of course. However, Charles struggles to lose his composure. 

Later, the gang invites the Westies to Oliver’s apartment for the “card game.” The guests bring the requisite pig leg from Portugal. The exchanging of pleasantries morphs into an interrogation as Rudy demands our trio and the actors to hand over their phones. Vince orders them to sit there and listen to the Westies’ story. The Sauce family kicks things off with their account of how they met Dudenoff. We learn that Dudenoff and his wife were regulars at the family’s restaurant. That is until Dudenoff’s wife passed. 

Zach Galifianakis and Oliver Putnam sit on a couch in the latter's living room in a New York City apartment.
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 4 Episode 8, “Lifeboat.” Photo credit: Disney/Patrick Harbron.

Oh Hell!

After this, the family visited Dudenoff’s apartment for game nights to keep him company. Alfonso discloses his dream of creating a sauce line and having Tony Danza as an investor. The Sauces declare they didn’t kill Dudenoff, so Mabel pins the blame on Rudy. Rudy claims his innocence, too. 

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We learn that Rudy met Dudenoff while trying to hold down five jobs. He signed up for the late professor’s film class. One day, they watched A Few Good Men. Rudy tells Dudenoff he memorized the monologue from that movie for his previous class. So, Rudy performs it for Dudenoff … and the occupants in the room. It’s a full performance, with Rudy reciting lines for multiple characters. Oliver looks impressed; the others appear bored. 

Then, we see a flashback to Rudy inquiring about Dudenoff’s ham radio. This leads to the Westies getting their own ham radios. Dudenoff asks Rudy what his “happy ending” would be. Rudy admits it would be to remain in the city, keep plugging away at his dream of breaking into the entertainment industry and have fewer roommates who use towels as toilet paper. That’s definitely the dream. 

Charles Haden-Savage smiles broadly while standing on a film set on Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 8, "Lifeboat."
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 4 Episode 8, “Lifeboat.” Photo credit: Disney/Patrick Harbron.

It’s a Wonderful Life 

We move on to Vince, who also signed up for Dudenoff’s film class. He did this after his wife died. Charles is on the verge of a psychotic break, but he’s suppressing, so it’s all good. One day, Vince and his classmates watched It’s a Wonderful Life. Vince harbored an appreciation for the film’s message, while the younger students didn’t quite get it. He and Dudenoff bonded over classic movies. Then, he joined Oh Hell! game nights with the Sauces and Rudy. 

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Later, we learn Dudenoff purchased all those apartments on his floor. He was unsure what to do with them but knew he didn’t want to relinquish them. So, he offered said apartments to the Westies. Thus, the rent control scheme took root. They all became one big, happy family. Then, Dudenoff left for Portugal, and they haven’t heard from him since. Alfonso admits they had to keep cashing the late professor’s social security checks to avoid scrutiny. 

Suddenly, the “ding-dong” appears on Oliver’s doorstep — it’s none other than Helga. Helga tells her side of the story and how she met Dudenoff. She had just become a locksmith. While installing a keypad on Dudenoff’s door, the pair bonded. Helga admits he reminds her of her late father. Dudenoff hums the Perfect Strangers theme song, which Helga knows. She also knows how to play Oh Hell! Dudenoff decides to make the title of the card game the code to access his apartment. 

Mabel Mora and Eva Longoria sit on a couch and a chair in Oliver Putnam's New York City apartment.
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 4 Episode 8, “Lifeboat.” Photo credit: Disney/Patrick Harbron.

Suspicion 

So, Helga joins the game nights. A few years later, she receives a note from Dudenoff. He tells her he’s moving to Portugal and leaves her a check for $10,000. Then, the power flickers off. Helga states she knew the power only surged when someone used the old incinerator. After this, she catches the other Westies listening to the Only Murders podcast. They’re at the part when our trio mentions the poisoning of Winnie. Helga barges in, but the group withholds what they know from her. 

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Helga, too, listened to the podcast. All the unexplained, abandoned plot holes made her suspicious of her fellow Westies. What if they’re responsible? She couldn’t prove they had anything to do with the power surge from the incinerator, so she moved out. Mabel shows them Dudenoff’s shoulder joint — the one Detective Williams gave them. Mabel accuses the Westies of killing Dudenoff that night. Then, when Sazz suspected them, they murdered her, too. After this, they made an attempt on our trio’s lives at the photoshoot. 

Eugene feigns anger to encourage Charles to let it all out. When Charles finally channels his rage, though, it feels more like a whimper and less like a howl. It’s hilariously Steve Martin of him. Vince invites everyone over to his place to unveil a film reel that Dudenoff left him. Everyone received one except Helga. They also got different notes inviting them to Dudenoff’s “funeral” in the incinerator. They were instructed not to inform Helga.

The Truth 

So, they meet Dudenoff in the incinerator, who tells them he only has a few months to live. He believes that when he dies, their rent control scheme will fall apart, and their found family will disintegrate. So, he has a workaround. The Westies will keep him alive in name. However, he’s just taken a lot of pills, so the plan is to die that night. Then, they’ll burn his body in the incinerator. They can cash his social security checks and tell everyone he moved to Portugal. 

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Initially, the Westies protest vehemently at this. But they accept Dudenoff’s dying wishes. Dudenoff also records a message for Helga should she find out about this. Helga watches that message now and weeps as the Westies comfort her. Alfonso encourages Helga to move back in with them. She can even reunite with Hammy Faye. Mabel realizes Helga isn’t Rudy’s ex-girlfriend. So, they lied about that and about setting a human corpse on fire. 

Next, we learn that Eva recorded the Westies’ confession about cashing the checks. Our trio can use the info for their podcast. Mabel speaks up for the group, deciding not to incorporate said confession into a future podcast episode. Firstly, the Westies didn’t murder Dudenoff. Secondly, Mabel doesn’t want to tear their found family apart. They all vow to keep Dudenoff “alive” and hold tightly to the Westies’ secret rent control scheme. 

Charles Haden-Savage and Mabel Mora stand in Oliver Putnam's dining room while looking off-screen in surprise on Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 8, "Lifeboat."
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 4 Episode 8, “Lifeboat.” Photo credit: Disney/Patrick Harbron.

Ah, Love 

Zach informs Oliver that he booked a spot for Oliver and Loretta’s wedding atop the Empire State Building while encircled by hot air balloons. He’ll even pay for it. Oliver explains that he wants to wed Loretta at the place they met — the Arconia. That’s pretty damn romantic. Zach is touched. Charles thanks Eugene for allowing him to open up.

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Mabel heads into Dudenoff’s old apartment, which is obviously now her home. She draws a pig on the wall. Dudenoff returns to reference Lifeboat again and provides more narration. Later, while our trio laments about starting from square one (again), Helga barges into Oliver’s apartment with new information. Oh, and thankfully, she was able to reunite with Hammy Faye after a reluctant Howard relinquished the piggy.

She tells them that Sazz was on the ham radio asking about all the huge plot holes from the podcast. Sazz informed Helga about a stuntman from her newest flick, Project Ronkonkoma. Said stuntman “messed up pretty badly” and was harassing Sazz. Sazz claimed he would be the death of her. 

Danger Lurks 

Mabel looks up the film on IMDb (Charles’ agent promised him he’d finally get one!). As it turns out, the stuntman on that project is none other than Glen Stubbins (Paul Rudd), who’s recuperating in the hospital following the shooting at the photoshoot. 

Uh-oh. 

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Melody McCune
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