Breaking Down the Insane Opening Sequence of ‘The Residence’ Finale: “It Was Like a Huge Movie”

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In the seventh episode, we continued to trail Uzo Aduba’s character Cordelia Cupp as she probed into the murder of White House usher A.B. Wynter (portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito). For the first time, the season finale of Netflix’s The Residence shifted its viewpoint to that of Wynter, offering a fresh perspective at the end.

Editor John Daigle states that so far in the story, we’ve primarily witnessed A.B.’s actions and experiences from other characters’ viewpoints. The aim of this opening sequence, he says, was to offer a fresh perspective by delving into A.B.’s point of view and thus, depict the events leading up to his demise from his own eyes.

Initially, it was Roger Nygard as series editor who was supposed to handle the finale; however, Daigle was brought on board to aid in streamlining the initial sequence that initially ran over 10 minutes long. Despite the intention to cut the opening for time and cost efficiency, Paul William Davies, the showrunner, requested a more compact and visually appealing version from Daigle, even proposing the idea of using split screens.

Roger Nygard was originally meant to work on the finale, but Daigle helped shorten the opening scene, which was over 10 minutes long. Instead of removing the opening to save time and money, Paul William Davies wanted a shorter, more stylish version from Daigle, even suggesting using split screens.

In a nutshell, Daigle mentions that constructing the swift succession of events in the series, where Wynter interacted with numerous staff members and dealt with conflicts during the state dinner, was both challenging and intricate due to the footage not initially designed for this particular style. To create the rapid-fire chain of scenes, he employed split screens, which allowed the audience to swiftly transition between different moments. The fast-paced sequence necessitated meticulously aligning various camera angles and employing numerous techniques to synchronize everything. Moreover, Daigle intentionally added unscripted moments, such as additional dialogue, to enrich the narrative with more depth and context.

While it’s usually unusual to have one editor work on another editor’s program, I’m a big fan of collaboration. I don’t view my edits as something exclusive,” Nygard remarks about collaborating with Daigle for an episode he refers to as being “similar to a massive film.

Hailing from a humorous profession, having contributed to shows like “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Veep”, Nygard is accustomed to environments where the pace is exceptionally swift. For “The Residence”, he adopted the same approach, diving in headfirst with an aim to maintain a rapid tempo.

Even though it moves swiftly, the final part gradually escalates for a dramatic climax, carefully concealing the surprise. According to Nygard, any reaction shots that were too obvious or overpowering, potentially revealing the ending, were omitted. “By offering an empty canvas,” explains Nygard, “the audience can imagine what emotions the character might be experiencing, thereby leaving room for interpretation rather than explicitly telling them.” In other words, the creators are avoiding giving away the answer directly.

In this series, Daigle and Nygard have added a fresh twist to the traditional detective mystery genre. They’ve hidden delightful Easter eggs across the episodes as enjoyable enhancements to the overall feel. For instance, you might find a Sherlock Holmes movie playing on a television, and they’ve even woven in elements of “The Third Man,” paying tribute to James Coburn and Cary Grant from the film “Charade” through spinning shots.

Originally published in a special edition of The Hollywood Reporter magazine in May, you can now read it by subscribing here.

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2025-05-30 20:54