The Residence was dropping hints all along—Here are the ones you probably missed

The Residence is one of the latest murder mysteries on the block. But make no mistake, as it is not a typical whodunit. It does have the usual ingredients, like an elaborate crime and a mansion full of suspects. But this show takes things to a whole new level with its sharp writing and, of course, the brilliantly eccentric Detective Cordelia Cupp.

Cordelia is obsessed with birds. And it turns out to be one of her greatest strengths, even though it may sound quirky at first. She listens to everyone’s stories instead of just eliminating suspects one by one. She absorbs details like a sponge and waits until she’s absolutely sure before making her decision.

And let’s not forget that it happens during the Australian State Dinner, which means anyone in the White House that night could have done it.

So did we have any clue who the killer was? Nope. It was almost impossible to know it with so many people having motives. But then everything clicked once we got to know the real culprit. The signs were right there all along. We just didn’t see them.

Let’s go back and look at the clues we all missed.

---

The Residence: The clue was in the dress all along

One of the biggest hints hiding in plain sight was Lilly Schumacher’s outfit at the Australian State Dinner. Everyone was dressed in dark, formal attire at the event. But Lilly showed up in an eye-catching bright pink dress.

In the beginning it felt like maybe it was a reflection of her playful and lively personality. But now knowing what we know, it was so much more than that.

That bold pink wasn’t about blending in. It was about standing out. And in hindsight now it perfectly makes sense for her character. Lilly sees herself as superior to everyone around her. She doesn’t care about tradition or authority or even the president. She is the most important person in the room, according to her.

She thrives on attention, and that dress was her way of making sure she had it. Even The Residence creator Paul William Davies acknowledged this detail, saying:

“When you look at the tableau of people, you see how much she stands out. You don’t really think about it at first because she’s Lilly Schumacher and of course she's going to wear that dress. But you go back and you're like, ‘Wait, they were showing that to me all the way along.’”

The choice of bright pink was also about symbolism in The Residence. Pink is often associated with femininity, charm, and innocence. These are all the things Lilly uses to hide her true nature. But this particular shade was loud and overpowering.

Actress Molly Griggs revealed how much thought went into crafting her character’s look:

"We were all definitely involved in finding the right dress, the right shade of pink, the right color of nails, and the right shade of blonde hair. It was all so carefully put together. It was so wild to put on the armor of that straight hair and those nails and the dress and feel totally different."

And then in the final episode, when Lilly is about to be exposed as the murderer, we see her once again in pink. But this time it’s a soft and pastel shade. The contrast is striking.

Gone is the loud and attention-seeking Lilly from the state dinner in The Residence. This version of her is more subdued and almost as if surrendered to her fate. The pastel pink shows a shift in her power, where once she controlled the narrative. But now she’s at its mercy.

As Griggs put it:

"It was perfect for that episode because it was a little more demure than the previous versions of Lilly with her tight dresses and brighter colors. To have her in that pastel pink is so funny."

Her wardrobe was always telling us a story. We just didn’t see it at the time.

---

The Residence: The passageway that disappeared

One of the sneakiest clues hidden in The Residence was right there in plain sight. It's just that it literally disappeared.

There was a passageway between the Yellow Oval Room and the Treaty Room when Detective Cordelia Cupp first examined the White House. We saw it too. The camera took us through that area multiple times. It was there.

But something felt off when Cordelia returned after the case was reopened in The Residence. The rooms looked different. The entire house had been redecorated. Lilly Schumacher had completely changed the aesthetic of the place. All because she hated it.

More importantly, Lilly wasn't just redesigning. She was actually hiding something. And Cordelia, with her sharp memory and attention to detail, picked up on it. She remembered that there was supposed to be a passageway there. But now there was a solid wall. Where did the door go?

Cordelia investigated and found out the passageway had been sealed off in The Residence. When she opened it, she found the missing murder weapon (the wall clock) that Lily had used to kill Chief Usher. The clue had been staring at us the whole time. We had walked through that passageway and seen that door. But we didn’t even question it when it was gone.

The show’s creator, Paul William Davies, admitted that this was a calculated trick:

"We've seen people walk through it many times. But I hope most people aren't going to realize that there was once a door there. It's tricky because you want to give enough, but not too much."

And that’s what makes The Residence such a perfect murder mystery. The clues are all there. They are scattered throughout the story. But they’re placed so subtly that we don’t piece them together until it’s too late.

There were other moments too. Like how Lilly Schumacher was seen looking for the Chief Usher that night. At the time also her behavior seemed odd. But not in a way that raised suspicion. She gave off this air of being clueless. She seemed like someone who couldn’t possibly pull off a calculated murder.

And that’s exactly why we didn’t see her coming in The Residence.

---

Stay tuned to Soap Central for more updates and detailed coverage.