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THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER Starring: Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell, Carla Gugino, Mark Hamill, Zach Gilford, Willa Fitzgerald, Rahul Kohli, Kate Siegel, Henry Thomas, T’Nia Miller, Samantha Sloyan, Sauriyan Sapkota, Kyliegh Curran, Carl Lumbly, Katie Parker, and Ruth Codd Creator: Mike Flanagan PAIGE The Fall of The House of Usher oozes with suspense and chills. While the family in this series may be crumbling, showrunner Mike Flanagan certainly isn’t, as he continues to prove he is a Master of Modern Horror. The sheer atmosphere of this show will give you the creeps, and while there are some flaws, its storytelling approach is top notch. This may be Mike Flanagan’s best work to date, featuring a stellar cast of Flanagan regulars who manage to make Usher feel like the horror version of Succession . QUENTIN Though not without effective jump scares and haunting imagery, The Fall of the House of Usher is more chilling than outright scary, but that doesn’t make series creator Mike Flanagan’s final Netflix offering any less of a win. The storytelling structure…a man discussing his family’s downfall…provides a captivating overarching narrative even though the overall season plays like an anthology of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous stories. This brilliant approach, coupled with terrific performances, timely themes, and proven source material, make for one of Netflix’s best series (even if some episodes work better than others). It certainly creates excitement for what Flanagan might do at Amazon. KATIE Reminiscent of Dopesick , Succession , and Final Destination , The Fall of the House of Usher is an incredible addition to Mike Flanagan’s impressive back catalogue of horror shows. It’s unsettling, gory, and darkly funny, while Flanagan seamlessly weaves Edgar Allen Poe’s stories together with his storytelling, using the source material to enhance the narrative rather than being beholden to it. The structure is engaging and fun, and I was both dreading and looking forward to finding out the unique ways that each irredeemable Usher offspring would be tortured with each episode. And, as always, the regular cast’s performances are fantastic. NICK Mike Flanagan's Netflix era only has one miss (The Midnight Club ), yet somehow The Fall of the House of Usher beats the odds to become his strongest effort. Anchored by an enthralling performance from Bruce Greenwood, Flanagan's familiar cast is terrific (including a wonderfully off-type Mark Hamill) as they enrich each of these characters with depth and nuance. It’s a bit of a departure from his previous work, but still features many of Flanagan’s staples, including some truly terrifying imagery. Add in his ability to, not only adapt the works of Edgar Allan Poe, but modernize them, and House of Usher is a touch of brilliance.

MR. MCMAHON Starring: Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Linda McMahon, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Dwayne Johnson, Dave Meltzer, Bret Hart, Eric Bischoff, Paul Heyman, John Cena, Paul Levesque, Mark Calaway, Tony Atlas, Trish Stratus, Cody Rhodes, Shawn Michaels, and Booker Huffman Creator: Chris Smith NICK Mr. McMahon is a story of admission without explanation. Although this docuseries provides in-depth coverage of WWE's questionable history, featuring interviews from wrestling's greatest legends, the most interesting aspect was always going to be Vince McMahon in his own words. On that front, it's underwhelming. Vince is never pushed, and when interesting answers arise, the follow-up is almost non-existent. Unlike his father, however, Shane McMahon chooses not to hold back, becoming the most compelling part of the whole story, building on the underlying throughline of strained father/son relationships in the McMahon bloodline. I’m ready to see a project on Shane telling that story instead. QUENTIN Mr. McMahon is an enlightening docuseries and a fun trip down memory lane for wrestling fans of the 80s and 90s. It gives insight into Vince McMahon’s drive, character, and approach to business while exploring the rise of WWE. However, since nearly the entire series was filmed before recent allegations, it doesn’t explore that ongoing scandal too much. Instead, it allows McMahon to tell his own story of who he thinks he is, some of which will raise eyebrows, allowing viewers to form their own opinions as to whether he might be capable of the crimes for which he is being investigated. I dug it.

Previous December 31, 2024 Next A BITESIZE CHAT WITH BRANDON CRONENBERG Filmmaker Brandon Cronenberg (Possessor) joins us to talk about his newest release, Infinity Pool , the current state of horror, and the future of his burgeoning film career. BB: You experimented with the visual language of [Infinity Pool ] quite a bit, which made it really exciting to watch. Were there any scenes in particular that were difficult to shoot, but turned out better than you had hoped for? BC: It was all kind of difficult to shoot because we were on a pretty tight indie schedule, and that was more challenging, I think, than the kind of hallucinatory scenes, the more formally stylistic stuff. That stuff was fun, but a lot of it is done [with] you taking material and re-photographing it, so it was a bit more leisurely whereas the main shoot was a bit hectic. I think, to me, the hardest sequence was probably the home invasion. We had one day to do that whole sequence, and it’s probably, you know, two and a half days of shooting if we were able to take our time. But, yeah, I’m really happy with how it turned out. BB: With Possessor and Infinity Pool , there is this power dynamic between the elite and the lower body person. Has this concept always grabbed you, or would you like to deviate from that discussion in subsequent films? BC: It isn't the case that I think about it on a film-to-film basis. I mean, I wrote Infinity Pool before we shot Possessor , but after I’d written the script for Possessor . So, maybe there were certain thematic elements that made their way into [Infinity Pool ’s] script that I wasn’t sure I was going to even be able to tackle in Possessor because that film kept falling apart, over and over again, for the better part of eight years. So, there’s some overlap, probably. In that sense, that was where my head was at. But at the same time, I also think that the power dynamic of the economic divide is something that’s only becoming a more difficult-to-tackle issue. So, you know, you kind of pull the tensions that you see around you in the world into your work and process them in that way. BB: The rating of the film was brought down from an NC-17 to an R rating. What was the process like for you to make those changes to kind of fit those guidelines? BC: It's a process that very directly involves the MPAA because you send a film to them, they tell you, “this would be NC-17,” and you say, “okay, give us some feedback.” [Then] you work with an MPAA consultant…actually, Neon has an MPAA consultant who I work with…[he] sort of interprets their feedback for you in a way that’s hopefully a little bit more specific and practical. Then you just go back and forth. In our case, we tried to appeal at one point. So, I actually had to fly to LA, go to Sherman Oaks, to the MPAA headquarters, and it’s like putting your film on trial a little bit. They have a room full of people…apparently, there’s a priest there, that’s part of the requirements…and you screen the film, and you sort of make a case for why this should be R. Actually, weirdly, the MPAA representatives agreed with us in that case, that we had made our case, but we split the room five to five, and you need two thirds. So, we made a couple of minor tweaks after that. BB: You got to work with a modern day scream queen in Mia Goth prior to what has become her breakthrough 2022. What was the experience of working with her and the rest of the cast? BC: Interestingly, she was shooting Pearl when we first spoke, when we sent her this script. Those films hadn’t come out when I cast her in the film, and I don’t think we actually saw them until after we had shot. It’s fantastic that she’s having such a big year. I think she’s brilliant. I’ve been wanting to work with her for years. Everything she’s in is another example of how exciting she is as an actor and what a talent she is. It’s funny that she’s had this run of horror films, and is now, you know, the big scream queen because it wasn’t the case when we were shooting or that hadn’t happened yet. But, I mean, she’s an absolute delight to work with and obviously brilliant. BB: Working with actresses like Andrea Riseborough, and now Mia Goth, do you find their performances to be more horrifying than your body horror sequences or vice versa? BC: You know, I don’t know. I lose all perspective as I’m working on it. Certainly, with actors like those, the performances are the exciting part to me. I mean, it’s fun to do the horror stuff. We get incredibly giddy on set and start laughing maniacally when the prosthetics come out and everybody’s being squirted with blood just because it’s… as disturbing as those scenes are for some people to watch, when you actually shoot them, they’re incredibly funny. It’s sort of like playing Halloween. I mean, those are, in a way, the most lighthearted scenes to shoot, so they’re very enjoyable. That’s kind of basic nerdy stuff that is fun, but you can kind of just do it with your friends. To bring on an actor who you’ve never met prior to the film, to have someone inject that kind of life into your characters and into your stories, [is] thrilling in a very particular way. BB: I know a lot of films have working titles when creating them, but I know with this film, the title Infinity Pool has some subtle context. I was wondering if you had any other ideas for titles for this project? BC: No, it actually was the working title. I mean, it was based on a short story, and at one point, there was a kind of short comic version while I was writing the script that came out. It was a very short comic in an anthology comic, and that story was called, I think, “Death in Lee Tolka.” But that was never gonna be the name of the film. BB: How do you feel about the surge of love for horror in recent years? And has the genre changed at all? BC: I’m not sure if it’s [changed] necessarily. I don’t know. I feel like there’s always a market for horror, like from a film industry perspective. Certainly, a lot of my friends are horror fans, and so maybe my perspective is skewed, but it doesn’t seem like anyone has lost a love for the genre. I don’t know. It’s interesting. There’s this move now in the industry to embrace some pretty arty, intriguing horror, and they’re coming out of, you know, Neon and A24. So, I don’t know if it’s just because a market has been carved out and now there’s more interest in making films like that? I’m not sure. But I don’t think that those films are new. I think there has always been arty horror, and there has always been this love for horror films. I think we’re in a pretty interesting place right now because there’s a lot of visibility both with the more mainstream horror and this kind of stuff, but I don’t know that it’s necessarily a completely new thing or that those kinds of films stopped being made at any point. BB: Are there any horror films that stuck out to you over the course of 2022 that you really enjoyed? BC: You know what? I’m just starting to catch up on that stuff. I mean, this is hugely biased, but obviously Mia’s work has really stuck out. But there’s a lot of stuff that I just haven’t [seen], like I’m just now finally catching up to because the editing process was very long and intense on this one. So, there’s a kind of a year’s worth of film that I haven’t had a chance to engage with. So, it seems so self-serving to say X and Pearl , but they were quite good. BB: With both your films being body horror films, the elephant in the room is that your father has a historic legacy in the genre. How has your father impacted your love for body horror as a sub-genre? BC: I don’t know if he has. It’s hard to say. You know, I can’t see my father’s films with any kind of perspective because I’m too close to him. I’m too close to his films. So, I can’t watch his movies the way that normal people watch movies and be influenced in the way that people generally mean by that. Obviously, we’re related and he was a big part of my childhood and still is a big part of my life, but just as a human being. So, as a person, obviously, he influenced me genetically and in terms of my upbringing, but as a filmmaker, it’s hard to say. I can’t really unpack that in the normal way. BB: Are there any films that Inspire your work? BC: The problem is… I watch a bunch of films, usually with Karim Hussain, my cinematographer. He lives pretty close to me, and he’s an encyclopedia of film knowledge. My knowledge is all over the place. I have hugely embarrassing gaps, but he’s seen everything and knows everything. So, we usually will sit down and watch a mass of stuff, and I kind of just pack it into a weird loaf that sits somewhere in the back of my brain. So, it’s kind of hard to remember what we were watching when we were doing marathons in 2020, or 2019, when we sort of started this. I think some of the Steadicam and macro-gore stuff has definitely come from some [Dario] Argento films, you know, Opera and that kind of stuff. But that’s not something specific to this film, those are just incredibly formally stylish genre films. It’s not a very good answer, not a very interesting answer… BB: No, no worries! I appreciate your work because it feels original, and I feel like that’s the twist that you bring to the table with all of your horror films. So, thank you for that. For your future projects, would you ever get into any other genre and try something new? Does that interest you? BC: Absolutely! I mean, I love horror films. I’m happy to be a horror filmmaker. But I’m not trying just specifically to work in that genre. It’s just where my head is at. I’m happy to work outside, I’m just kind of taking these projects one at a time and following my interests. I do have… one of the things I’m working on is an adaptation of a book called Super-Cannes as a limited series, and that’s more of a weird detective story in a way. It’s somewhat horrific, but it’s not necessarily a traditional horror story. It’s a bit more of a surreal procedural. BB: Well, DC just announced they’re doing Swamp Thing . You should definitely throw your name into the ring to James Gunn! BC: Haha, let them know that! I don’t know if Infinity Pool is winning me fans at Warner Bros., but we’ll see. Make sure to check out Infinity Pool now in theatres. Interview conducted on February 2nd, 2023 by Paige Frabetti. Photo Credits: Banner - Rich Polk/Getty Images; Photo 1 - Neon; Photo 2 - Caitlin Cronenberg/The Globe and Mail

Previous December 31, 2024 Next A BITESIZE CHAT WITH KEIR O'DONNELL Keir O'Donnell (Wedding Crashers, Fargo) joins Paige to discuss his debut behind the camera with the heist film #Marmalade and the transition from acting to directing. Make sure to check out Marmalade now in theatres. Interview conducted on February 2nd, 2024 by Paige Frabetti. Photo Credits: Banner - Variety; Photo 1 - Signature Films, Photo 2 - New Line Cinema

THE WATERFRONT: SEASON ONE Starring: Holt McCallany, Mario Bello, Jake Weary, Melissa Benoist, Rafael L. Silva, Humberly González, Danielle Campbell, and Brady Hepner Creator: Kevin Williamson QUENTIN Maybe I’m wrong, but I think most people know Kevin Williamson as the writer behind the Scream franchise; however, he also created Dawson’s Creek , and his latest, The Waterfront , feels like an adult version of the Creek . It’s a mix of Ozark and Yellowstone dysfunctional (crime) family tropes shaded in the tone of a show from The WB. And make no mistake, it hits every soapy crime drama cliché: addiction, affairs, a surly patriarch, double crosses, family secrets, murder…the list goes on. That said, it’s an easy binge, especially because Holt McCallany and Topher Grace are hard to turn away from whenever they’re on screen.

TALES FROM THE WOODS: SEASON ONE Starring: Zolee Griggs, Miles Robbins, Dylan Gelula, Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Sonedala Sihavong, Phonesavanh "Tata" Phimpha, Gabriel Soutphilabaideng, and Sivilay Ouanephongchareune Creator: John Hegeman QUENTIN If the three episodes provided for review are any indication, Tales from the Woods is an interesting idea undone by lackluster execution. Each episode is based on a classic fairy tale (“Sleeping Beauty,” “Cinderella”), and while I appreciate that the individual filmmakers (including frequent Marvel Television collaborators Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead with “Jacques the Giant Slayer”) take big horror swings to expand the oft-told stories, the barely 20-minute runtimes simply don’t give them enough time to fully develop their outside-the-box takes. It’s possible future episodes will get better, but this anthology is off to a rough start. KATIE Based on classic fairytales “Sleeping Beauty,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and “Cinderella,” Tales from the Woods ’ first three episodes has some solid foundations to build on. This is why I was so disappointed by two of the takes on these stories, which are primed for interesting and unsettling interpretations. “The Sleeping Beauty" is okay, but feels like a TV movie and lacks the runtime to develop the plot. I enjoyed “Jacques the Giant Slayer” because it's weird, compelling, and full of grotesque visuals. Unfortunately, “Cinderella” is unbearable, a girl-boss take on the fairytale that made me cringe rather than cower.

Previous Next February 28, 2025

Previous Next As we inch towards Valentine's Day, we decided to give rom-coms a break and go through some of our favourite love stories that hit us in the feels. With that being said, the Bitesize crew has put their brains together to compile Bitesize Breakdown's consensus Top Five Love Stories. For inclusion on this list, a film must not be considered a romantic comedy. Each writer ranks his or her top 15 films in the category. Those lists are then weighted on a reverse point system. After all the points are tallied up, the entries with the most total points make up the Bitesize Top Five. 5. PAST LIVES Not all love stories have happy endings, but all love stories leave an impact in your life. Past Lives has the potential to grow into one of the most memorable modern romances due to its dueling love stories that intertwine the life of Nora (Greta Lee). You can feel the absolutely heartbreaking love lost between Nora and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) due to Lee and Yoo’s powerfully restrained performances, and the grenade their relationship throws into Nora’s marriage to Arthur (John Magaro) highlights the beautifully contemplative screenplay from writer-director Celine Song. She makes you ponder the lengths a person will endure if they truly love a person, and her movie will wreck you to your core, emphasizing the emotional weight true partners can handle when they do so together. - Amarú 4. GHOST I adore Ghost , and I can never skip past it on TV, regardless of where it is in the story, because it's just so irresistibly good. Starring the ridiculously gorgeous couple Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze, it’s one of those earnest, original Hollywood romances that you just don’t see anymore, which is part of its enduring charm. Sure, it’s cheesy, but in a sincere way, and it features one of the most iconic romantic scenes ever, complemented by one of cinema history’s greatest love songs. Not only is it one of my favourite love stories, but it incorporates elements of suspense, mystery, drama, and genuinely unsettling horror. The scenes of (spoiler?) Sam (Swayze) chasing his killer before realising he’s dead still take my breath away, and Carl’s (Tony Goldwyn) gruesome demise before being literally dragged to hell by screaming shadow monsters will always stick with me. It also has laugh-out-loud humour thanks to Whoopi Goldberg’s charismatic, Oscar-winning performance and perfect line delivery. On top of all of that, it's wonderfully cinematic, and every viewing reminds me how beautifully lit films used to be. - Katie 3. LA LA LAND For me, La La Land is the film that opened a whole new world of cinema when I saw it for the first time at 16 years old. I truly felt like I was able to fly. It’s a film that harkens back to the “Golden Age,” with writer/director Damien Chazelle crafting an intricately put-together musical masterpiece to tell the engaging romance of Mia and Seb (Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, respectively). The chemistry between Stone and Gosling truly is remarkable, and not even the most whimsical moments of the film can remove them from the ground as the highs and lows of the relationship feel as real as can be. La La Land has been, and will likely remain, one of my favourite movies ever made. - Adriano 2. I LOVE YOU, MAN With all the movies we get, the absence of adult friendships is one of the topics that's often neglected, especially in comedies. I Love You, Man not only tackles this concept, but does so in hilarious ways. Sure, we all remember the quotable moments (“slappin' da bass, man!”), but the camaraderie between Paul Rudd and Jason Segel comes so naturally that it makes their bromance infectious. It's a relationship you're immediately invested in and rooting for, which is something all good love stories have. Plus, who doesn't love some Rush content? - Nick 1. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind , Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine’s (Kate Winslet) relationship is one of the most inventive and endearing love stories to ever grace the silver screen. However, while their love is certainly passionate, it’s tempestuous. Director Michel Gondry and writer Charlie Kaufman do a stellar job of exploring the intricacies of love through the lens of one’s memories and the idea that all emotions and experiences ought to be embraced, even if they’re ugly, as they are necessary to allow one to grow as a person. Ultimately, through all their ups and downs, the couple comes to terms with these morals, deciding to accept one another's imperfections (as well as their own) as they attempt to make the relationship work. If that isn't true love, I'm not sure what is. - Paige HONORABLE MENTIONS THE PRINCESS BRIDE TRUE ROMANCE THE NOTEBOOK BEFORE SUNRISE A STAR IS BORN (2018)

SUITS LA Starring: Stephen Amell, Josh McDermitt, Lex Scott Davis, Bryan Greenberg, Rachelle Goulding, Maggie Grace, Troy Winbush, Carson A. Egan, Azita Ghanizada, Alice Lee, and Matt Letscher Creator: Aaron Korsh NICK It's fitting that Suits LA uses sports to connect to the original series, as it feels like it spends the entire time playing from behind. I could go on about the ways it pales in comparison to Suits , but honestly, this isn’t even a very good series on its own accord. Its quality is inconsistent, it focuses way too heavily on flashbacks, and its characters are kind of bland. This is especially obvious when original cast members Gabriel Macht (Harvey Specter) and Rick Hoffman (Louis Litt) show up. With its streaming revival, the Suits momentum was strong, but it seems Suits LA has extinguished that.

WISE GUY: DAVID CHASE AND THE SOPRANOS Starring: David Chase Director: Alex Gibney PRESTON Wise Guy uses interesting parallelism to place its creator, David Chase, in the shoes of Tony Soprano, played by the late James Gandolfini. The approach is warranted, as it turns out since the series is largely based on David Chase’s own complex relationship with his mother. As a film and TV enthusiast, and Sopranos superfan, this limited series hits the bullseye as it reveals how the show came to be, a behind-the-scenes look at its production, and finishes with a clever look at the series’ ever-controversial ending. It’s a must-watch for anyone sold on The Sopranos’ greatness. QUENTIN If you were a fan of The Sopranos , Wise Guy is a must watch. With cast interviews, actor audition reels, archival footage, and insightful revelations regarding the how and why the series was made, it’s as much a lovely trip down memory lane as it is a peek into the mind of series creator David Chase. It’s also a nice history lesson about the beginning of prestige TV and the powerhouse that HBO would eventually become in that space. Ultimately, perhaps the biggest compliment I can give is that Wise Guy has made me eager to rewatch all six seasons of The Sopranos .

THE LAST OF US: SEASON TWO Starring: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, Isabela Merced, Young Mazino, and Kaitlyn Dever Creators: Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin ADRIANO The Last of Us will always have a shadow over it from the excellent games it adapts from. Like the first season, this sophomore offering is at its best when it branches out from the source material, not just with its horror, but the characters that the showrunners clearly care about. Unfortunately, this season's ripped-from-the-game moments feel too much like cheap imitations that (not always, but often) lessen the impact. Plus, the decision to end it where it does is a little confusing to me. This season is still quite good, but it is a very clear downgrade. KATIE I don’t know if it's because I haven't played the games or because Season One was so good, but this season of The Last of Us was disappointing. Ellie has undergone some kind of age regression, acting petulant and immature compared to her younger self from the first season, reflected in the writing and not Bella Ramsey’s performance. The hair and makeup disrupt the immersion too, as everyone looks so good, and apart from a couple of episodes, the characters don’t behave as if they’re living amid a zombie apocalypse. There are some fantastic set pieces, but I was underwhelmed, overall. AMARÚ The Last Of Us' s second season confirmed what was already established at the end of Season One: it’s one of the best shows on television, it’s one of the best video-game adaptations ever, and it’s one of the best shows to balance multiple genres, from zombie to dystopian to character study. What I was not expecting to find out this season was how damn great of an actress Isabela Merced is proving herself to be. Her charisma steals every second of screen time, with an absolute magnetism that outshines Bella Ramsey's and Pedro Pascal’s powerhouse performances. Well fucking done, Ms. Dora the Explorer. ROBERT After finishing Season Two of The Last of Us , I realized it was a season of swings: some that connected while others whiffed entirely. Those swings were both from stringently following the source material and straying from it for creative purposes. When the plot diverges for story reasons, it feels hollow; when done for building emotional tension, it’s mostly successful, leaving me shaken. I do not believe all the storytelling devices from the game are translatable to the show, which makes the finale especially jarring. That will likely carry over to Season Three, so I remain cautious about the present and future. QUENTIN In my review of Season One, I called The Last of Us a “good show” but a “retread” of The Walking Dead . Season Two has doubled down to diminished returns. It doesn’t help that so much of this season is undercooked, which is especially noticeable through disjointed time jumps, revelations, and pacing. The conflict between WLF, FEDRA, and the Scars — the backdrop of everything — is confusing, lessening any impact we are supposed to gain from Ellie and Dina’s (Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced) journey. There are some great scenes and performances, but for this person unfamiliar with the game, Us just isn’t that “good” anymore. Check out our reviews for Season One HERE .

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING: SEASON FOUR Starring: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, and Michael Cyril Creighton Creators: Steve Martin and John Hoffman AMARÚ I previously stated that Only Murders in the Building ’s Season Three finale left me hopeful for something new after its first half worried me that the refrain had run its course. Well, Season Four fulfilled my prophetic hope. The movie adaptation B-plot breathes new life into the mystery while simultaneously reconfirming that Steve-Martin-Short (we’re back!!!) and their Old Hollywood charm will never be stale as long as there’s heart behind the guffaws. No wonder damn near everybody is joining their ever-expanding guest cast ensemble. And it’s about damn time Selena Gomez got that Emmy nod, right as they release their best season yet. QUENTIN In its fourth season, Only Murders in the Building does what it can to freshen up the core concept to decent enough results, but the real reason to stick around is for the characters. The whodunnit? takes something of a backseat as the core trio (Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez) are further developed as a makeshift family of oddballs, especially as they are confronted with their own flaws and insecurities. Much like before, red herrings and guest stars come fast and furious, and while I certainly enjoyed Season Four, I can see we are in the diminishing returns phase. This show can’t have much left. PAIGE Just when I thought Only Murders in the Building was waning, Season Four helps revitalize the show on the endearing chemistry between our favorite podcasters, played by Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short. Additionally, Season Four brings back the element that I felt was missing from last season…The Arconia! This season delves further into the lives of the Arconia’s tenants, introducing a slew of new characters and fun cameos to help recapture the essence of the apartment building's community, which is what initially drew me to this series. However, it's becoming increasingly clear that the whodunnit element is lacking, so I'm not sure how much longer this show can go without getting repetitive.