The second episode of "The Residence" kicks off with a dramatic tableau: a falcon soaring silently above the White House, casting a keen eye over the turmoil that unfolds in the subsequent scene. Cordelia Cupp, her curiosity piqued, sits down with David Rylance, the Australian state representative, and broaches the intriguing subject of his attire—a shirt belonging to Wynter. David confesses, with a sheepish grin, that he acquired it in an unexpected turn of events. During a passionate encounter with Marvella, the chef, outside the White House's walls, his nose took a beating. Embarrassed and sensing eyes upon him, he hastily retreated indoors, colliding with Wynter, who kindly assisted in his grooming and even offered a shirt to replace his bloodstained one.
Furthermore, David reveals a chilling anecdote: Marvella, frustrated by Wynter's refusal to incorporate a flambé dish into the state dinner menu, had issued a grim threat—to end Wynter's life. Adding to the intrigue, David recounts Wynter's cryptic prophecy, "I am going to be dead by the end of the night," a statement that chills even in retrospect.
Cordelia, ever the astute journalist, seizes the moment to broker a deal. She'll safeguard David's scandalous secret if he can sway the Australian Prime Minister to influence the US president, granting her unfettered access to interview everyone within the White House's confines.
As the interviews commence, the veneer of polite diplomacy begins to crack, revealing a tapestry of secrets and deceits. A carpenter, his voice tinged with concern, recounts Wynter's earlier fury, his voice raised in a threat to expose "the truth" to someone unspecified. He also notes the suspicious sighting of Harry Hollinger, exiting a musical performance and glancing intently past Wynter's office door, a scene ripe with subtext and suspicion.
Through a series of other interviews, we unveil a tangled web of interpersonal dynamics: the depths of Tripp's hatred for his brother, Eliot's mother's intense disdain for her husband, President Perry, and the sheer chaos that enveloped the state dinner, marred by issues as disparate as culinary disasters and last-minute cancellations. Moreover, we witness the staff struggling to amuse the guests as they impatiently await their interview turns, painting a vivid portrait of complete disorganization.
Cordelia then stumbles upon a critical clue: the final call to Wynter's office originated from the room occupied by the grounds crew, specifically the gardener, Emily. Upon investigating, she discovers a shard of broken glass, and an epiphany strikes like lightning. Cordelia demands that Wynter's body be removed through the front entrance, rather than the back, as she desires to assemble everyone in one location, exposing their raw reactions without reserve.
What unfolds next is a swift cascade of revelations: her eyes fall upon a cook, and we are treated to harrowing flashbacks depicting this very cook meticulously staging Wynter's body, cruelly slashing his wrists with a kitchen knife, mere moments before his lifeless form is discovered.
