Summary
The season 4 premiere ofOnly Murders in the Buildingincludes a reference to the 1968 western epicOnce Upon a Time in the West– but what does the reference mean?Only Murders in the Buildingseason 4 picks up after the season 3 finale’s cliffhanger with Sazz’s mysterious death in Charles’ apartment. However, the season 4 premiere subverts the audience’s expectations and upends the usual formula as it takes the podcasting trio a while to figure out that another murder has taken place.
Only Murders in the Buildingseason 4sets up the premise for the season: the trio is invited to Los Angeles to discuss a movie adaptation of their podcast, and they decide to investigate Sazz’s mysterious disappearance while they’re there. Early on in the episode, Charles falls asleep while watching Sergio Leone’s revisionist western masterpieceOnce Upon a Time in the Westin his apartment. Since the episode is named after Leone’s movie, this reference goes a little deeper than showing a few seconds of the film on-screen.
Only Murders In The Building Season 4 Highlights Once Upon A Time In The West
Charles falls asleep while watching Once Upon a Time in the West
In an early scene inOnly Murders in the Building’s season 4 premiere, Charles is seen watchingOnce Upon a Time in the Westin bed. He falls asleep during the opening scene at a train station just as the train whistle sounds. After that, Charles keeps hearing a persistent whistle sound throughout the rest of the episode. He connects it to Sazz, who he claims is a whistler, but it initially seems to be his subconscious remembering the whistle sound effect from the movie (and then turns out to be something else entirely).
The most obvious reference toOnce Upon a Time in the Westin the season 4 premiere is thatthe episode is literally called “Once Upon a Time in the West.”The title has two meanings: it, of course, refers to the recurring mentions of the movie of the same name, butit also refers to the trio’s journey from New York on the East Coast to L.A. on the West Coast. Charles also notes that the film’s opening scene plays out in near-silence.
How Only Murders In The Building Season 4’s Premiere Reverses Once Upon A Time In The West
Once Upon a Time in the West has a silent opening; Only Murders' season 4 premiere has a silent ending
Once Upon a Time in the Westopens with a notably silent sequence, which Charles praises as unforgettable, as three bounty hunters quietly await the arrival of their target at a train station in the middle of nowhere.Only Murders in the Building’s season 4 premiere flips this on its head. Instead of having a silent opening scene, it has a silent ending. The episode ends with the characters discovering major things about Sazz and her death, but not talking about it (intercut withtheOnce Upon a Time in the Westopening).
Only Murders in the Building
Cast
Only Murders in the Building is a mystery-comedy series following three strangers, portrayed by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, who bond over their shared obsession with true crime. Set in a Manhattan apartment building, the trio becomes embroiled in a real murder mystery within their residence.
