ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Recap: (S04E09) Escape From Planet Klongo

Melody McCune

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Charles and Oliver wear blue motion-capture suits while gesturing wildly and arguing on a film set with a green screen on Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 9, "Escape From Planet Klongo."

DISCLAIMER: This recap of Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 9, “Escape From Planet Klongo,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril. 

It’s penultimate episode time on Only Murders in the Building, and we finally have our killer — Rex Bailey, aka Marshall P. Pope. So, we’ve got the who and the why. I’m guessing the season finale will show us the “how,” introduce the next murder and tug at our heartstrings with Oliver and Loretta’s nuptials. Plus, we still have the long game to contend with. Who’s our Moriarty? Who’s been targeting our trio since Season 1? Hopefully, we’ll get the answer in Season 5. 

For now, though, “Escape From Planet Klongo” is a fun outing, with standout performances from Steve Martin and Martin Short

RELATED: Read our recap for the previous Only Murders in the Building episode, “Lifeboat”

Only Murders in the Building, “Escape From Planet Klongo”

We open with a flashback from two years ago, featuring Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch) emerging from Stage 16 while on the phone. The person on the other end asks Sazz if she would wrestle up a stunt team for Project Ronkonkoma. While backing up, she inadvertently hits someone, who backflips seamlessly into the backseat of her vehicle. Impressed, Sazz asks this person if they’d like to try out a career in stunts. 

In the present, Charles (Martin), Oliver (Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) chat with Glen Stubbin’s Irish nurse (Erika Vetter). Oliver and Charles put on Irish accents, pretending to be Glen’s family. The nurse notices they’ve brought beer and corned beef. Charles hoped the smell of the beer would lure Glen out of his coma. The nurse forbids them from seeing him. It’s not like he’d be much help anyway, seeing that he’s, you know, unconscious. Oliver accidentally sniffs the smelling salts he brought. Hilarity ensues. 

Mabel and Oliver stand in front of the murder board in Charles' apartment while deep in conversation on Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 9, "Escape From Planet Klongo."
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 4 Episode 9, “Escape From Planet Klongo.” Photo credit: Disney/Patrick Harbron.

Project Ronkonkoma 

Later, Mabel tells the guys that the nurse will call them when Glen wakes up. The bartender from Concussions (Michael McFadden) arrives in the hospital with flowers for Glen. Our sleuthing trio questions him about Sazz’s protégé, who gave her a hard time on Project Ronkonkoma

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The bartender reveals that the only people who would know more about that would be Glen, who’s in a coma, and Ron Howard. Oliver’s eyes light up — he knows Ron-Ron. Side note: I love that Howard is walking Gravey and Sevelyn now in the opening credits and that there’s a green screen above the Arconia. 

Next, we return to Flashback Land, where Sazz prepares her protégé for a big stunt on Project Ronkonkoma that involves setting them on fire. Sazz equips them with the necessary tools, including the flame-retardant vest her father gave her. Notice how it looks like it has silver tinsel on it. Hmm…

Ron-Ron

Then, everyone meets at Charles’ apartment to consult the murder board. It finally feels like they’re getting somewhere re: Sazz’s murder investigation. Oliver regales them with how he and Ron-Ron had off-the-menu hot soup together. Mabel and Charles brush this off as one of Oliver’s potentially fabricated wild stories. Mabel jokes that she’ll call “Tommy Hanks” and get his number because she watched The Polar Express

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Oliver dishes on his bachelor party and how he wants whiskey, A-list stars and “naughty secrets.” It’s an acronym—WANS. As Oliver’s best man, Charles will do what he can. Mabel decides to pursue a different route to get hold of Ron Howard. She approaches Bev Melon (Molly Shannon), who’s making a mouthwatering smoothie consisting of Red Bull and beef jerky. Yum. Bev reveals that Ron is filming a movie in NYC right now. She writes down the info for the shoot. 

However, Bev wants something in return for doing Mabel a solid. She asks Mabel to look over Marshall’s script and tweak the Mabel scenes so they make sense. Marshall hasn’t quite nailed Mabel’s voice yet. Mabel reluctantly agrees to lend a hand. 

Mabel, Charles and Oliver stand on a film set with all the extras. A table is in front of them on Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 9, "Escape From Planet Klongo."
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 4 Episode 9, “Escape From Planet Klongo.” Photo credit: Disney/Patrick Harbron.

Lights, Camera, Scream

Later, our trio tries to infiltrate the Escape From Planet Klongo set, Ron Howard’s film that’s deeply personal and biographical. Oliver tries to name-drop Ron Howard to the security guard, hoping that’ll be his in. Charles shows off his face. Maybe the security guard’s dad is a big Brazzos fan. The guard gives them the boot. However, they’re back in when two crew members call for extras. 

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On set, our trio fills out forms while Mabel panics about acting on camera. Then, the extras line up and put on their best “terrified” reaction. Some get cut, while others, like Charles, Oliver and Mabel, are approved. Well, Charles gets in because he’s recognized as Brazzos, so it’s more like a pity approval. 

Next, Glen (Paul Rudd) wakes up to find his angel, aka the nurse, standing above him. He flirts with her, the new love of his life. After this, we flashback two years ago, when Sazz tells her protégé how this particular stunt for Project Ronkonkoma will play out. We return to the present, wherein Charles and Oliver wear mocap suits to represent the Klongos (aliens), and Mabel is inexplicably dressed like a futuristic, space-y flight attendant. 

Charles and Oliver sit at a table in a restaurant. Plates of food are in front of them while they listen intently to someone out of frame.
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 4 Episode 9, “Escape From Planet Klongo.” Photo credit: Disney/Patrick Harbron.

Another Murder 

Then, Mabel gets a text from the nurse that Glen is awake. She speeds to the hospital to question him. At least now they know that he didn’t kill Sazz; he was also a target of Sazz’s protégé. Charles suggests his idea for Oliver’s bachelor party. However, it doesn’t have anything Oliver requested. They argue like the old married couple they are. Meanwhile, someone walks into Glen’s hospital room and smothers him to death with a pillow. RIP, Glen Stubbins. I hope there aren’t rats where you are in Heaven. 

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Later, Charles and Oliver join the other extras for a tense scene on Planet Klongo. The silhouette of Ron Howard observes from afar. On the screen, the extras look like aliens facing off a much larger alien. However, the Klongos are supposed to flee in terror. Charles runs off with the rest, but Oliver improvises, claiming he’ll battle this Big Bad to save his race. Always the diva, this one. 

Charles barrels back onto set and explodes on Oliver, presenting a new bachelor party idea more tailored to Oliver’s high-society tastes. Funnily enough, someone on set yells, “Cut,” as if this was a usable scene for the film. Charles and Oliver are kicked out, though, and banned from the set. 

The Neck 

Next, Mabel arrives at the hospital to learn from the nurse that Glen is dead. She was really enjoying his flirting, too. Mabel comforts the nurse while tuning in to the news segment behind her. Apparently, Nicky “The Neck” Caccimelio, the dry cleaning king of Brooklyn, has been reported missing. He has links to the Cacutto crime family. This feels relevant somehow. 

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Then, we flashback to Project Ronkonkoma. Sazz’s protégé is set ablaze for the stunt, seemingly without a hitch. Ron Howard is the director. However, after the crew puts out the fire, the flames on the stunt person reignite, and we hear Ron yell off-screen. Sazz reacts to the event. 

Meanwhile, in the present, Charles and Oliver change out of their mocap suits. Charles admits that he’s somewhat envious of Loretta. He had always been Oliver’s emergency contact, but now that honor goes to Loretta. He also feels like he’ll be a weird third wheel now (even though he adores Loretta). Charles had hoped they would grow older together. Oliver reassures him that their friendship won’t change. They’ll still be … wait for it … amigos until the end (or something along those lines). This is a sweet scene.

Ron Howard sits at a table in a restaurant. He gestures and smiles while telling a story to someone out of frame on Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 9, "Escape From Planet Klongo."
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 4 Episode 9, “Escape From Planet Klongo.” Photo credit: Disney/Patrick Harbron.

A Surprise Guest 

Don’t worry; it gets sweeter in the following scene. They eat at a restaurant, the same one that has the framed photos of Oliver and Ron Howard. Our besties get mushy-gushy with each other. Charles orders whiskey for them and offers a “naughty secret” — he moves Oliver’s picture and places it beside Ron’s. Aw. Suddenly, Ron shows up and reunites with Oliver. As it turns out, Oliver wasn’t lying — he knows Ron-Ron. I love this for him. 

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Later, Mabel finds Marshall (Jin Ha) on the floor outside her apartment. He needs help fine-tuning her dialogue. He’s struggling to capture her voice. Marshall lets himself inside her place and sits on her bed, revising said dialogue. At the same time, Ron recalls his time on Project Ronkonkoma. He never finished the film. He remembers how the fire stunt panned out that day. The stunt person approached with something they wanted to show Ron. However, the person reignited. The flames burned off Ron’s eyebrows. 

Mabel finds a script sandwiched between the beers in her fridge — the same beers they planned to give to Glen. Charles and Oliver tell Ron they must speak with the stunt person. Ron asks if they can get his shoes back from “him.” Ron had to purchase another pair. We see the tread on the bottom matches the footprint on the radiator in Dudenoff’s apartment. 

Mabel Mora stands in her studio apartment in front of her refrigerator. She looks anxious.
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 4 Episode 9, “Escape From Planet Klongo.” Photo credit: Disney/Patrick Harbron.

Rex Bailey 

The stunt person’s name is Rex Bailey. If you recall, Glen shouted his name at Sazz’s funeral in Concussions. Ron shows Oliver and Charles a photo of him. As it turns out, Rex looks an awful lot like Marshall if you add a beard and glasses. 

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We see Rex, aka Marshall, smiling alongside Sazz. He has shoulder-length blonde hair and is beard and glasses-free. When Sazz hit Rex, we see him admit he’s trying to become a screenwriter, but he’s willing to give stunts a shot. Then, he smiles eagerly while Sazz explains the fire stunt to him. After this, we see him approach Ron Howard with his script. Of course, Rex reignites and scorches Ron’s eyebrows. Finally, Rex, with his black bowl cut, finds Glen and kills him in the hospital. 

Marshall sits on Mabel's bed with his laptop while looking focused on Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 9, "Escape From Planet Klongo."
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Season 4 Episode 9, “Escape From Planet Klongo.” Photo credit: Disney/Patrick Harbron.

Mabel pulls the script for the Only Murders in the Building adaptation out of her fridge, asking “Marshall” why Sazz is credited as the writer. At this moment, Charles texts Mabel about Marshall being the killer. Rex reads said text as it flashes across Mabel’s phone on her bed. Uh-oh. 

Rex/Marshall looks like he wants to murder … again. 

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Melody McCune
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