A flashback-reliant episode gives Only Murders In The Building an emotional hook

Living in the Arconia has changed the lives of Only Murders In The Building’s charming trio. The place turned them into amateur sleuths and successful true-crime podcasters when the bodies started dropping around them. But it also—perhaps most importantly—let them become unexpected best friends. Before they banded together, Charles, Mabel, and Oliver had lonesome existences. Today, they’re closer than ever and the subjects of a freaking Hollywood movie. Choosing to live in this Upper West Side residential complex has turned them into a found family. 

As it turns out, they aren’t the only Arconia tenants who fit together like chips and dip (or shall I say like ibérico ham and sauce?). Episode eight reveals how, in Arconia’s West Tower, another group of weirdos have formed a tight-knit bond due to Milton Dudenoff’s generosity. “Lifeboat” shows us how the Westies became inseparable over the years. We hardly know the guy, but it’s clear Dudenoff was no villain, as Mabel has theorized. He was a sweet hero who always wanted to take care of his pals. Griffin Dunne’s grounded performance in this episode is so affecting that I wish season four had elaborated on his journey beyond a single installment. At least OMITB’s casting department hits the jackpot again. 

So, is this a Murder On The Orient Express situation with the Westies gutting their neighbor to claim his social security checks? No, but they had a hand in what happened to Dudenoff and have kept their traps tightly shut. They would’ve gotten away with it, too, if Charles, Oliver, and Mabel hadn’t turned the Arconia into a hot zone for true-crime lovers and cops alike. And now, it has forced the Westies to reveal their sordid truth to the podcasters and three nosy Hollywood celebrities who willingly put themselves in danger for a reason I cannot comprehend. Maybe it’s the adrenaline. 

Everyone gathers at Oliver’s under the pretense of a star-studded game night. The players include Charles, Mabel, Oliver, Eva Longoria, Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, Rudy (Kumail Nanjiani), Vince (Richard Kind), Alfonso (Desmin Borges), Inez (Daphne Rubin-Vega), and Ana (Lilian Rebelo). Whew. However, the Westies turn the tables as soon as they arrive. Rudy brandishes a knife and at one point makes everyone suffer through his rendition of the monologue from A Few Good Men. (Only Oliver reacts enthusiastically; the rest look like they’re sleeping with their eyes open.) The Westies then tell their heartbreaking yet eyebrow-raising tale. 

Flashbacks reveal that, years ago, Dudenoff and his wife purchased the other apartments on the 14th floor when the prices were cheaper. (Just how cheap? Give me the numbers, OMITB.). Once he became a widower, Dudenoff eventually invited the rest of the crew to hang out often for game nights and dinners. He realized his students Vince and Rudy were as lonely as him, while the owners of the restaurant he frequented (Alfonso, Inez, and Ana) felt sympathetic to Dudenoff and kept bringing him food. There was another person in this circle, Helga (Alexandra Templer), a locksmith who bonded with Dudenoff and earned her spot. (Yes, in episode three, it’s Helga who threatens the trio to stop looking into Sazz’s murder over the ham radio.)

Out of the goodness of his heart, Dudenoff offered his friends the option to illegally stay in his vacant apartments for a low, low cost. “I’m about to change your lives,” he told them. In a sense, he offered them a lifeboat to keep living in New York City to pursue their dreams without spending money on rent. Dudenoff also didn’t want to stay alone in an empty hallway. So the Westies moved in and, for a while, these perfect strangers became a family. 

Look, these scenes offer a sweet glimpse into how Dudenoff recognized the randos would gel well over interests like the game Oh Hell, movies, and ham radios, but OMITB rushed through their interactions. It would’ve been impactful and believable to spend more time with them as a group over the past few episodes instead of indulging in silly shenanigans with the Westies like the drone, the pink eye, and that fake tinsel. (Whatever happened to it?)  

Anyway, more flashbacks: One night, Dudenoff sent mysterious notes to the others. Helga’s said he was retiring and moving to Portugal. To the rest, he asked them to meet him in the building’s basement for his funeral. He confessed he was sick with only a few months to live. (Telling Helga would break her heart because she was already grieving her dead dad). Dudenoff worried once he passed away, Arconia’s management would figure out their scam and the Westies would have to vacate. To avoid it, Dudenoff—who had already swallowed a bunch of pills—asked his pals to burn his body and lie that he was off traveling. That way, they could keep living there. After some emotional back-and-forth, and with Dudenoff recording a video to confirm this story, the Westies did as he asked.  

And there we have it: the complete history of how Milton Dudenoff was a mensch till his fiery end. The Westies sincerely look apologetic by the closing of this episode. It’s why Mabel decides not to use any of this information on their podcast; she doesn’t want something that brought her to Charles and Oliver to tear other friends apart. I wonder if the Westies are questioning their actions. They went through an intense moral dilemma, sure, but I’m afraid they come out of this situation looking selfish even if they aren’t outright guilty of murder. What I do know is I would’ve loved to have spent more time with Dunne in this role. Just imagine Dudenoff, a film buff, interacting with Charles and Oliver. We were robbed! 

OMITB jams too much plot in these 30 minutes to fully enjoy all of it. In weaker hands, it wouldn’t have worked at all. But at this point, the cast and crew have a deft tonal balance so the twists feel fine. One such curveball is that the trio gets to meet Helga in the present when she waltzes into Oliver’s apartment as the “ding dong,” a.k.a. a surprise for the Westies, with whom Helga had a falling out. She says to everyone now that she left the building soon after Dudenoff “went to Portugal” because she could tell her friends were keeping something from her. All’s well that ends well because in “Lifeboat,” Helga hugs and makes up with the Westies. She even gets her pig back from a reluctant Howard.

Helga also admits that she was talking to Sazz over the ham radio before she died. The stunt woman was inquiring about the podcast plot holes. (To Helga?! Sure, why not.) Sazz also confided with her that a former protege was out to get her. Apparently, on the set of a movie she worked on called Project Ronkonkoma, there was a fallout between Sazz and this mysterious person. Mabel’s hasty IMDb search tells her exactly who this mentee is: Glen Stubbins (Paul Rudd), who is still in a coma. I have a feeling he’s about to wake up pretty soon. 

Stray observations

• • There was a ton to get through in this episode, but there were plenty of hilarious exchanges, too, such as: 
  Eugene Levy: “Having precise control of our emotions is what actors do best.”
  Eva Longoria: “Yeah the question is: "Can the three of you do it?'”
  Charles: “First of all, I am an actor.” 
  Oliver: “Well, let’s not go crazy.” 
• • Charles: “One thing about leaving a safe house filled with your family?”
  Oliver: “What’s that, Charles?”
  Charles: “It makes going home to a building full of murderers more appealing.” 
• • Rudy: “Yeah, in addition to lying about setting a human on fire, we also lied about me having a girlfriend. May god have mercy.” 
• • Oliver and Loretta don’t want to wait to get married, so it’s happening this weekend. I’m freaking out (complimentary). 
• • Galifianakis is determined to get Oliver a fun venue, so he books the top of the Empire State Building. It doesn’t matter because Oliver decides they’ll exchange vows at the murder house that is the Arconia. Of fucking course. 
• • Another week, another episode full of movie references, from Terms Of Endearment to It’s A Wonderful Life. The biggest one is Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat, which Dudenoff says in the voiceover is a movie about “disparate characters who learn how far they’ll go to survive the rough waters of their perilous circumstances.” It’s fine; OMITB isn’t a show about nuance. 
• • Eva Longoria’s new product is a multitool dubbed Lady Longoria. It tightens pores and is part-nail gun, -screwdriver, -recording device, and -vibrating head. I actually need it immediately. 
• • Eugene spends the episode forcing Charles to express his rage and sadness so he can learn how to play it in the movie. When Charles finally breaks the damn, his anger flows out in the form of miming. It’s always wonderful when OMITB gives Steve Martin some physical comedy to do. 
• • What are the chances of Tony Danza appearing before the season wraps up? He got multiple mentions in this episode, so I’m betting it’s happening.
• • Before we close, I must pose Dudenoff’s question to you: “If your life were a movie, what would be your happy ending?”