Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Episode 4 "Dirty Birds” Review

Snooping goes sideways for our trusty trio of podcasting amateur sleuths as Only Murders in the Building settles into its season return of weekly episodes.

The often quirky, yet decidedly well-written whodunit keeps you guessing as the clues unfold on the Arconia building’s latest murder. But, one thing you can always be sure of each week is that you come away wanting more, and episode 4, entitled Dirty Birds, does not disappoint.

As always, punctuated by the incredible onscreen chemistry of its leads — Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez — the September 16 release of the follow up to the season 5 three-episode launch, Dirty Birds finds Charles, Oliver, and Mabel right where we left them — hiding out in the newly discovered Velvet Room in the basement of their upper westside New York City apartment building. As they say, “things come in threes,” and so does the fade-to-black close of episode 3 revealing the entry of three NYC billionaires into the secret gaming room for their nefarious Saturday night cards with friends. While our fav sleuths managed to dodge a bullet on being discovered in the very room at the start of this week’s episode, they do so not without raising the suspicions of the megalomaniacal moneybags suspected of returning to the proverbial scene of the crime.

The podcasters recognize the billionaire bad guys and gal immediately as Camila White — played astutely by Renee Zewellweger, the hotel magnate and self-proclaimed queen of decor, with a penchant for parlor games; Bash Steed, played by Christoph Waltz as a noted age-defying AI genius; and black sheep philanthropist Jay Pfluge, played by Logan Lerman, who ironically, seems to be sporting a new hand bandage and a set of fingers numbering only nine.

For those who have been trying to keep up, the podcasters had been on the hunt for who may have killed not only their beloved doorman, Lester, but also the dry-cleaning mobster, Nicky, with whom the late doorman may or may not have had dealings.  

Cameos continue this season as the ever funny Richard Kind returns as West Tower resident Vince Fish. In a fortuitous twist, Vince was Lester’s birding buddy. Oliver had pulled an all-nighter (after taking, of all things, his dog’s anxiety meds) making a murder board and enlisting Vince’s help to decode Lester’s secret ledger notes on Arconia residents and guests. In a hilarious reenactment of bird calls and wing flaps, Vince identifies who’s who in the book, to include what could be the Richie Rich trio.

Mabel suggests baiting the three billionaires with a recording of their show letting them know they are onto the one who is missing a finger.

The next day, Oliver and Mabel run into her social influencer former friend Althea, where Mabel unexpectedly lies about scoring a big streaming deal with their true crime podcast. Mabel explains why when questioned later with a trauma dump of her past with Althea to Charles and Oliver.

The memory moment is interrupted when the trio receive a video text that nine-finger Philanthropist Pfluge has heard their podcast teaser and has invited himself to dinner to “clear things up.”

Jay shows up early with a case of cheap beer and a convenient explanation of why he had been in the murder building. Quick on his heels, Camila shows up with her own requisite tacky guest gift. No sooner does Oliver close the front door than Bash Steed arrives with a quad of men-in-black bodyguards. Not surprising, each of the billion dollar suspects was curious and concerned about what the podcasting trio knew of their doings at the Velvet Room on the night in question.

With three of the richest people in the world now sitting in Oliver’s apartment eating chocolates and crackers, an impromptu cocktail party ensues.

Only Murders proves once again, it can be THE show that makes television cool again. The couch talk of the sextet, reminiscent of a live action game of Clue, is TV gold. The character and acting dynamics makes you believe in scripted TV, but more importantly,  that big screen actors can find a comfortable, relatable lane on the small screen.

The podcasters succeed in getting each of the billos by themselves to hear them recount how things went down in the gaming parlor the night of the murder.  When Oliver is chastised for not offering actual dinner at the seven o’clock hour, Charles and Bash retreat to the kitchen to talk and whip up duck a l’orange with Charles’ vintage granny recipe. Although, the way Bash wields a knife around some parsley, his presence in the Velvet Room becomes more suspect.

The billos each tell the podcasters that on the night of murder, mobster Nicky showed up to the Velvet Room wielding a meat cleaver, himself, apparently high on more than just life. Jay tried to stop him and got his finger chopped. Bash and Camila bolted from the room in an act of self-preservation. While the stories lined up with each other, they did not bring a solid resolution to the podcasters’ investigation.

As our leads try to make sense of the evening’s details, Charles and Oliver harass Mabel for what appears to be her crushing on suspect Jay. Thankfully to break that vibe, Mabel gets a text that the streaming service wants to bring in their podcast. The trio is invited to tour their new potential studio. Be careful what you wish for…or, the very least, sign. Unbeknownst to the true crime amateur sleuths, their dream of growing their little podcast may be poised to become a nightmare as their investigation into Lester and Nicky’s murders may be prove to be the undoing of their hit show — particularly, when a key piece of evidence may not belong to who they think it does. No spoilers here. If you know, you know. If you don’t, there’s still time to catch up. 

Check it out for yourself.

Only Murders in the Building is streaming now on Hulu, with the first four episodes available for download. New episodes drop weekly on Tuesdays. 

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