TV Show Review - The Residence (Mini Series)

Season: Mini Series
Genre: Mystery/ Comedy/ Crime
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2025
Starring: Uzo Aduba, Giancarlo Esposito, Molly Griggs, Ken Marino, Randall Park, Susan Kelechi Watson, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Jason Lee, Bronson Pinchot, Jane Curtin, Julian McMahon, Kylie Minogue

Description: An inside look of the White House’s staff residence and the lives workers share with the First Family, and the brilliant detective (Uzo Aduba) hired to crack the case of the mystery death that has occurred.

Review: A murder, a number of suspects and multiple rooms and murder weapons; for fans of the board game (and movie) “Clue” this is right up their alley. I love this stuff. With “The Residence’ we get an entertaining whodunit, full of satire and eccentric characters. And while there is plenty to choose from when it comes to murder mysteries, this one is definitely worth watching.

During a gran state banquet at the White House, the head of the household is found dead. The country’s best detective, Cordelia Cupp, is called in to investigate and solve the case as discreetly as possible. Anything but inconspicuous, she sets to work in her own eccentric way.

The creators have found a perfect way to frame the story. Months after the incident, a hearing takes place in which a committee re-examines all the details of the case. People involved are questioned and through flashbacks the viewers get a better picture of the events. Little by little, new insights are revealed. In this way, time is played with and time jumps provide a dynamic progression.

At the same time it allows the committee’s interrogators to question Cupp’s distinct but highly effective modus operandi. Actress Uzo Aduba portrays her role of detective as an unflappable and perceptive character. Cupp is not intimidated by her surroundings or the influential people she interrogates. In her spare time, she is a passionate birder, ans those skills – patience, attention to detail and focus – come in handy in her work as well. In Sherlock-like fashion, she manages to paint a complete picture of a situation with just a few clues.

The pace of the series is fast, with quick edits and fluid jumps in time. This contrasts with the slower, more introspective scenes in which characters are explored. The White House is obviously the ideal setting for a murder mystery, because with its many beautifully decorated rooms, hidden hallways and intriguing hierarchy among the staff, much remains hidden. Cupp has the location locked down; no one is allowed our until the culprit is known.

With a cleverly constructed story, interesting characters and a great setting, the series remains engaging from start to finish. For every murder mystery fan, this is a definite must-see.

Movie Reviews - Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Director: Marielle Heller
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 109 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Ben Falcone, Jane Curtin

Description: When writer Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) falls out of step with current taste, she turns her art form to deception.

Review: Author Lee Israel called it her best work: the letters that got her arrested. To get by, Israel sold letters from famous writers like Noël Coward, Dorothy Parker and Ernest Hemmingway. She wrote them herself, on old typewriters, in the style of the sender. And she did it well, that even highly trained literary collectors didn’t see they were forged. She eventually managed to sell around 400 letters.
Israel had some success in the seventies and eighties, with two well received biographies. After her book about Estée Lauder didn’t become a bestselling novel, writer’s block hit her right in the face. And she lost total grace in the literary world. But this was also her character. Israel was a complex and difficult to deal with woman. A mundane job was not for her. When she hit rock bottom, forging letters was her way out.
It took her a year and a half to be discovered by the FBI. “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” is based on Israel’s memoires, and shows how she worked. But most of all how pigheaded, weary and witty she actually was. It’s an alluring portrait of an anything but alluring woman. And she isn’t your typical main character, definitely not as a woman. That the film makers decided not to make her more sympathetic, is a very bold move. But it works very well because of it.
Melissa McCarthy is mostly known for her comedy roles and she often is very over the top. But in “Can You Ever Forgive Me” she is admirably modest. And because they don’t put the focus on the laughs, the jokes work better and Israel’s harrowing loneliness is more perceptible. Richard E. Grant plays Jack Hock, a similar type of outcast who befriends Israel. And his performance is super strong as well. Both actors were nominated for an Academy Award for their roles.
Touching moments and harsh humor vary and the film is wonderfully crafted.

Rating: 4,5/ 5