The penultimate episode of Netflix’s The Residence is gorgeously written and acted as Detective Cordelia Cupp inches closer to discovering who and what led to A.B. Wynter’s murder. After Patrick Doumbe’s testimony confirmed the death as a homicide, Cordelia regains full access to the White House and 48 hours to solve the crime from an unlikely source: Harry Hollinger. President Morgan’s best friend begs Cupp to pursue the investigation as a way to alleviate the current administration’s horrible optics.
Cupp and FBI Agent Edwin Park return to the White House which has undergone dramatic changes since October. For one, President and Mr. Morgan have moved to a home across the street, leaving Nan and Tripp the only family living on the premises. Elsewhere, Cupp notices the butler and housekeeping staff have new uniforms and several rooms have been remodeled. Cupp finds Chief Usher Jasmine Haney, who relays that Social Secretary Lilly Schumacher is responsible for the massive renovations no one likes. The three walk throughout the building until coming to Haney’s office, which used to be Wynter’s.
After not finding Wynter’s journal, Cordelia questions Jasmine about his keys. Cordelia is shocked to learn the keys on Wynter’s body aren’t his but belong to engineer Bruce Geller (Mel Rodriguez). Cordelia and the audience learn Bruce never gelled with Wynter and his leadership style. The mutual frustration came to a head over President Morgan’s shower and a months-long ordeal to produce the perfect water pressure and hot temperature. Eventually, Bruce accomplished the impossible task receiving praise from Morgan. But Wynter only passed Bruce the next assignment. The lack of recognition infuriated Bruce, and the rage rose back to the surface the night of the State Dinner. Wynter asked Bruce to fix Tripp’s toilet on his day off. Bruce confesses after fixing Tripp’s toilet, he wandered into the Yellow Oval Office to make sure nothing else had been damaged. Lilly confesses to seeing Bruce the second time she went looking for Wynter. The first time, she heard him arguing with another employee, the docile and unanimously liked housekeeper Elysie Chayle (Julieth Restrepo).
The recently divorced mother was one of Wynter’s favorite employees. Elysie’s kindness and work ethic made her the barometer Wynter used to grade new hires. Their relationship seemed fine until the night of the State Dinner. After being told to clean the Lincoln Bedroom, Elysie and other staff were pulled from the second floor. Suddenly, Wynter summoned her for a talk in the Yellow Oval Office. A.B. confronted Elysie about an alleged untruth on her application. Thinking she would taint the White House staff’s pristine reputation, he ordered her to complete her task and leave immediately, requesting she speak with him in the morning. Fearing she would lose her job, Elysie shared her frustrations with Bruce, and in so few words, said she would kill him. Bruce thought she meant A.B. when she was referring to her ex-husband who called about her application.
Instead of leaving that night, Elysie went to talk to A.B. and found him dead. She accidentally touched the murder weapon — a candlestick — and ran out of the room with it in her hand. At that exact moment, Bruce sees Elysie leaving the room and assumes she has killed A.B. Later, Bruce tells Elysie he took care of everything, making her think he was responsible for A.B.’s death. The two latest suspects complicate the investigation as Bruce and Elysie have fallen madly in love.
Cordelia almost missed it until she spotted that they shared matching gifts: a small medallion that resembled Rome’s Pantheon ceiling. It was a gift they each bought to commence their relationship now that Elysie’s divorce was final. Cordelia must decide if one of them is lying; if both are lying; or if they’re both telling the truth.
Episode seven was a masterpiece in writing, with Paul William Davies managing to insert a beautiful romance within this political comedy caper. Both Rodriguez and Restrepo are excellent as Bruce and Elysie. Two people who never knew the other existed as if fate allowed them to cross each other’s path. It would be terrible of fate to rip them apart in such a callous and harmful manner. While the laughs were still plenty, they filled up the early half of the episode anchored by Molly Griggs’ performance of the flippant nepobaby, Lilly Schumacher. Her background and connection to the Morgans revealed she harbors more power and influence than previously assumed.
Rating: 9/10
