The following contains spoilers for The Residence, now streaming on Netflix.
Netflix has been stepping up its game in the mystery genre. Outside the myriad of true-crime documentaries, the streamer has riveting shows such as Adolescence, and other murder mysteries like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story. Now, fans who love sleuthing have a series along the lines of the latter: The Residence.
From the mind of producer and writer Shonda Rhimes, The Residence deals with a death at the White House. It brings in Uzo Aduba’s Cordelia Cupp, a consultant with the Metropolitan Police Department. She has to crack the case of who murdered the White House Chief Usher, A.B. Wynter. It involves a cacophony of suspects and a wild, topsy-turvy ending.
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The Residence has the energy of shows like Hulu’s Paradise, where someone killed the president, building a case. Here, Wynter is the man who ran the White House and ensured that everything from water to lights and food wouldn’t be sub-par. But heavy is the head that wears the crown. To keep this a well-oiled machine, Wynter can’t afford to be gentle. While, he is cool with most people, at times, he has to be an assertive boss.
Wynter runs into conflict during a gala with many individuals, including chefs. For example, Tripp (President Morgan’s brother) got into it with Wynter, as he was scolded for mooching off the Oval Office. Harry (the President’s chief adviser) was another selfish individual, while Elsyie (a maid) and Bruce (the utilities engineer) all had reason to despise Wynter. Haney (Wynter’s assistant) is also fingered, as she was angry he didn’t want to retire and let her succeed him on the job.
They all become suspects when Wynter is found in the games’ room, seemingly set up as a suicide, but Cupp narrows it down. The list seems to indicate that Elsyie and Bruce are the perpetrators. Elsyie may have poisoned the man, then finished him off by cracking him with a missing clock. Bruce (who had a secret affair with her) saw the commotion and then quietly moved the body from the Yellow Room to make it look like the rigors of the job got to Wynter.
Cupp brings everyone into the Yellow Room to show them that someone did indeed kill Wynter and later rigged a scene. However, there is one issue that eliminates the bevy of suspects, including Bruce and his beloved. Cupp realizes a door has been sealed up inside this room. The person who ordered it is revealed to be none other than Lily, the President’s social secretary. She admits she did so to cover up what Bruce and Elysie did to prevent a political conspiracy. Now, she doesn’t mind seeing them pay for their crimes.
The Residence Ending Explained
Lily Schumacher Killed A.B. Wynter
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However, Cupp isn’t buying it. Nor is her partner, FBI Agent Park (played by Randall Park from the Marvel Cinematic Universe). They know Lily sealed it up to hide something. She has tells about it when she acts out her lie. Cupp taught Park about spotting these signs. Once they see the red flag, Cupp breaks down the sealed door and finds the bloody clock. She realized early on that many things had been shifted between the rooms to hide evidence.
The only person who had the power to authorize this was Lily. Once Lily learned of Bruce and Elysie’s involvement, she decided to capitalize even more. There were distractions around, so with the spotlight on them, she hoped no one would pick up certain clues. Cupp did, however, nodding to Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc. Cupp also spotted certain details when Lily mentioned seeing the body being dragged to the next room. Lily earlier said she heard Wynter arguing with someone (allegedly Bruce) with the door closed, but if that door was shut, she couldn’t see the body being moved.
Furthermore, Lily casually slipped up about the suicide note in Wynter’s jacket, which allowed Cupp to pinpoint her as the murderer. No one else knew where the note was placed except the investigators, which means Lily doctored the scene and placed the item there. Lily gets arrested, bringing an end to the case. It’s perfect for fans who like movies involving Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. Park even makes mention of the new Poirot movies like Murder on the Orient Express as inspiration for his detective talents. Thankfully, he gels with Cupp to solve the crime.
Why Did Lily Schumacher Kill A.B. Wynter?
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Lily hated that Wynter wanted to stick to tradition and keep the White House as is. Lily kept trying to effect change, buck heritage and create a more modern place. Wynter would hinder this. But the bigger part of her quest revolved around what Wynter discovered and wrote in his journal via coded numbers. Lily was involved in white collar crime. She had access to a lot of funds and ran corrupt deals involving contracts and vendors.
Whether it be skimming, kickbacks or embezzlement, she did what she wanted with no oversight. It speaks to many government institutions and companies where no one questions this spending. There is no media to hold people accountable in the White House, so Lily abused her position, where she operated alone. Honesty and transparency weren’t her thing, but not because she needed money in this murder mystery.
The Residence Ratings
|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
IMDb Rating |
Metacritic Rating |
|
82% |
7.4/10 |
66% |
Lily stole in a profligate manner for fun, and because she simply could. Her family was wealthy, so this was an extravagant game and a quirky challenge for her. She was a kid with a big bank account that no one kept an eye on. But as Cupp said, that’s how many elites stay rich: they steal. In Lily’s case, because her ancestors were captains of industry and helped build the nation, she thought she was owed a debt. All she knew was White America and viewed the funds as her birthright, and something she could expand her power and influence with.
Lily would throw events, hobnob with celebrities, and invite them to parties in the name of marketing and PR. Ultimately, this is an engaging story for modern fans who are awaiting new adventures in Only Murders In the Building or Poker Face Season 2. Wynter was going to expose her, so she killed him. Cupp has no sympathy for her in the end, nor does Park. As a Black woman and Asian man respectively, they know that money could have helped the poor and other marginalized communities. It’s why even the selfish staff members who wouldn’t go that extreme are glad to see Lily get her comeuppance.
All eight episodes of The Residence are available on Netflix.
- Release Date
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2024 – 2024
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Liza Johnson
- Writers
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Paul William Davies
