Seeking a critical clue, Charles, Oliver and Mabel must infiltrate a film set to get the real "background" on why Sazz was killed.
Sazz gifted Oliver with beer to celebrate the opening night of his return to Broadway. In the box, she had a copy of the script adapting the podcast as a film. It was meant to be a surprise. It's just weird and impersonal for Sazz to give it to Oliver instead of Charles. She wanted to talk to her best friend about something. She was killed before she had the chance. The original draft of the script is only discovered because Mabel finally opens the box. Bev fell in love with the initial script but has been frustrated with every rewrite Marshall has delivered. The film project has been falling apart throughout the season. It has no consistency whatsoever. The overall narrative has essentially stalled out as well. It was previously suggested that the plot holes from the first season indicated another killer was lurking in the Arconia. That resulted in Charles, Oliver and Mabel fleeing for a little bit. But now, it's suggested it was nothing more than Sazz doing her due diligence in order to compact the podcast's story into a film script that made sense. The entire story is just all over the place. The show has gone broad without enough of a hook to guarantee the audience remains invested in the outcome.
The show has absolutely gone broad before. Last season, it was on Broadway! However, it still centered on a pivotal location with an engaging murder mystery. This season has tried to be too complicated. It has presented plenty of suspects for Sazz's murder. It has questioned if Sazz was the intended target. It has tried to connect back to the history of the series so far. And yet, the execution hasn't been worthy of those aspirations. The narrative took an entire episode just for the westies to say they had nothing to do with the murder. That at least involved the Arconia. A reason could be given as to how they were involved in everything across the series to date. Charles, Oliver and Mabel paid no attention to their neighbors. They were always there. But now, the narrative has shifted to a troubled production Sazz worked on that apparently has connections to the modern-day mystery. Sure, flashbacks occur from two years prior. Sazz is the only character of relevance. It's all in service to the big reveal. That too is just lackluster instead of presenting a daunting prospect heading into the season finale.
The killer strikes again too. Glen wakes up after getting shot. His emergency contact is called in addition to the podcasters. The former happens to be the killer. He continues to taunt people through Sazz's phone. That's his only obvious connection at the moment. Glen recognizes his killer too. It's all revealed that Marshall was Sazz's protégé on the set of "Project Ronkonkoma." The film was never actually completed. It all went awry because of one stunt gone wrong. Marshall was more eager to get his script in front of Ron Howard then following the basic safety protocol. That was the disaster. That's not really a protégé though. The use of that descriptor implies that Sazz was invested in molding this figure in the stunt world. She was passionate about training the next generation. Her desire to write is a completely new discovery. That was never presented as an interest for her before. She put a lot of effort into it. She worked to get the voices and the storytelling right. It impressed a lot of people. Marshall took the credit for himself. That certainly gives him motive. It's just nonsensical to believe that's the extent of the crime. It's dangerous because he's in Mabel's apartment when the news breaks. Her life is in danger once more. But it's still not satisfying.
The personal dynamics are more engaging at this point. Charles wants to celebrate his friendship with Oliver. His vision of the two of them growing older together is no longer true. He's happy Oliver and Loretta are getting married. He lashes out though because he's hurting. He calls Oliver insufferable. It's hard to believe anything he's saying. Oliver creates these wild fantasies of former encounters with A-list celebrities. Even Zach Galifianakis questioned if there was any truth to those wonderful tales. It turns out Oliver's exploit with Ron Howard at a Chinese restaurant in 1988 was accurate. It was so vivid that the director remembers it fondly to this day. He and Oliver have a friendly connection. Charles and Mabel didn't believe it. Trusting that bond is what ultimately leads to the reunion and discovery of the truth. The podcasters arrive at the conclusion in different ways. That's pivotal. And yet, it's more powerful listening to Charles and Oliver share what the other means to them. It's personal. They aren't ones to share genuine compliments. Oliver is always demeaning Charles' acting work. They are close friends. Charles will be Oliver's best man. Their lives are changing. Their bond will always remain. That's sweet. It just gets lost in the overwhelming onslaught of plot details that don't add up to much.
