It’s Knives Out at the White House, when an quirky female detective gets on the case in the entertaining murder mystery The Residence.
Uzo Aduba (Orange Is The New Black) takes center stage in this new Shondaland production. As Cordelia Cupp she is basically the only person who can solve a murder case that happened during an official state banquet in the White House, Washington D.C.
The Residence was created by Paul William Davies, who worked together with Shonda Rimes (Bridgerton) on her breakthrough hit, the political thriller series Scandal, which also took place in the capital of the United States.
This new eight part series was inspired by the non-fiction book The Residence: Inside The Private World Of The White House by journalist Kate Anderson Brower.
In this bestseller Brower focuses on the lives of the maids, butlers and all other non-political staff that work (and live) at the White House, with its 132 rooms.
Add to this one dead body and 157 suspects and you’ve got the makings of yet another Netflix hit series.
After an initial set-up, proceedings get underway in earnest when consulting detective extraordinaire Cordelia Cupp (Aduba) arrives at the White House to investigate the apparent suicide of chief usher A.B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito).
As the Australian Prime Minister is over for an official visit, Cordelia and FBI-special agent Edwin (Randall Park), are expected to close the case ASAP.
But before Benoit Blanc can stand up and say ‘I suspect foul play’ it is clear that Cordelia, who is also an ardent birdwatcher, has already decided that this is a murder case and there are suspects everywhere she looks.
These include a knife-wielding pastry chef holding a grudge because his favorite gingerbread was recently demoted, the second-in-command usher who may or may not have been vying for her superior’s job or the president’s best friend with an agenda of his own. And why in the name of holy hell is the Australian Foreign Minister suddenly wearing the dead man’s shirt? It is time to shut down The White House!
There is also Kylie Minogue, who is invited to perform at the White House, because, well, she is Australian and in this series America’s relationship with Australia could do with some improvement.
But even though The Resident takes place at the White House, this is not a political series, even though there is some talk about the administration being in trouble after only six months in office.
Also, the conflict with Australia that needs to be resolved at the State dinner would seem to be as thin as the conflict with Japan in the current Captain America movie.
Based on the first couple of episodes, The Residence is a fast paced lot of a fun, with a quick witted heroine and a super fine supporting cast, who all seem to enjoy this Agatha Christie-styled caper.
I give it four stars!