WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Only Murders in the Building Season 1, Episode 4, "The Sting," now available on Hulu.
In Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, the first three episodes left fans curious about who this mysterious Lucy was who's haunting Charles' (Steve Martin) life. He's been asking an Arconia tenant about her, which led to suspicion that she might have been an ex he's still in love with. Well, the fourth episode unravels the truth and also details why, of all things, the Looney Tunes are haunting the former actor.
Admittedly, Charles is an eccentric egg, which seems to be due to the sleuth failing in Hollywood. He was set for great things but his career fizzled, which is why he's so engrossed in the New York murder mystery at home with Tim Kono's tragic suicide. The problem is, he's seeing Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig everywhere, distracting and leaving him scared as if he's in a nightmare.
The catalyst for exposing the truth comes when he takes a break from his podcast drama with Oliver to have dinner with Jan, a bassoonist who's into him. But as she shares insight into herself, then expects Charles to do the same, he deflects and accidentally makes disparaging comments. The date ends badly, but after simmering on it and realizing he could lose someone he's quite compatible with, he rushes to her room to admit the truth.
Apparently, years ago he fell in love with a woman named Emma and she moved in with him. Her seven-year-old daughter, Lucy, came too and Charles strongly bonded with her, so much so it seemed Emma got jealous.
Sadly, after years of being a family, Emma shattered Charles' heart on a Caribbean cruise. She dragged him and Lucy along, but ditched Charles at an anniversary dinner he had planned where he got Porky and Bugs to party with the kid. He was left alone with the Tunes, ergo why the costumed workers are now ghosts in his life as manifestations of heartbreak and PTSD.
This grief and abandonment explains why he now clings to the shady Mabel as a daughter-like figure, and more so, why he's so insecure to share since the private entertainment incident on the boat, not knowing why Emma ran away in St. Croix. Well, at least he knows Lucy's doing well but we'd love to see him reconnect to fully mend things.
She might not have been able to process what happened, so this could lead to them both healing. If he chats with Emma too, we could learn more about the old Charles, who hit the mark for a time as a TV detective. Either way, as a consolation, at least Jan is now expressing a desire to move forward, happy that Charles is opening up at last.
See how Charles' living nightmare plays out in the first four episodes of Only Murders in the Building, now on Hulu, with subsequent episodes available on Tuesdays.
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