S01.E04: The Last of Sheila

[AnimeMania]

Irrepressible butler Sheila has risen from Waffle House to the White House. But her misbehavior at the state dinner arouses Cordelia’s suspicions.

Premiere Date: March 20, 2025    Netflix   

[peridot]

I enjoyed the opener with Cordelia's mini-case and explaining it to her nephew.

I just kept laughing at Sheila.  If she behaved so unprofessionally with the former First Lady, I'm surprised she was kept on the job.  Especially since she helped steal stuff from the White House.

I couldn't believe the incompetence of the social director.  There would be major complaints if guests kept being moved around during a State dinner.  I loved that Cordelia kept groaning whenever the "guru" appeared.

[SnarkShark]

  On 3/22/2025 at 2:57 AM, peridot said:

I enjoyed the opener with Cordelia's mini-case and explaining it to her nephew.

Expand  

Honestly, I felt the opposite.  This essentially broke format and I thought it was totally unnecessary.  The show isn't about her life, it's about her interaction with The White House. 

I preferred that the only things we truly knew about Cordelia were indirect (stories, not flashbacks).   I liked the idea of The White House and Committee Rooms being the only settings.

 

Edit - okay, I'll stay vague (to avoid spoiling) and just say that a later episode breaks the format in a similar (yet different) way and for better reason.  So I guess that makes this first instance forgivable (because we see something like this again). 

Edited March 23 by SnarkShark

[ribboninthesky1]

  On 3/22/2025 at 2:57 AM, peridot said:

I just kept laughing at Sheila.  If she behaved so unprofessionally with the former First Lady, I'm surprised she was kept on the job.  Especially since she helped steal stuff from the White House.

Expand  

Sheila was hilarious! And yes, also should have been fired. The actress looked familiar to me, but I couldn't place her.  Finally looked her up (Edwina Findley), and it clicked: I remembered her from a show called If Loving You is Wrong.  She was wasted there, so glad to see her shine here. 

  On 3/22/2025 at 2:57 AM, peridot said:

I couldn't believe the incompetence of the social director. 

Expand  

She is really terrible at her job.  Bless the house staff who had to tolerate her shenanigans. 

[DearEvette]

Hate whatserface, Lilly? the social director?

But I FLOVED Sheila.  Sure she was not a great employee but she wasn't was bad at her job in the way Lilly was.  And she was frickin hysterical.  The actress really shone in the role.

I liked the scenes of the house staff practicing for the State dinner. And I enjoyed the quick cuts between everyone telling contradictory stories.

And 'The guy with the hair' only to simply show him laughing. 

[shapeshifter]

  On 3/22/2025 at 2:57 AM, peridot said:

I enjoyed the opener with Cordelia's mini-case and explaining it to her nephew.

Expand  

I adored that entire scene, but then I would love to have been there IRL too.
Still, the end of the scene was an example of heart warming without being schmaltzy. 

 

  On 3/29/2025 at 11:56 PM, DearEvette said:

But I FLOVED Sheila.  Sure she was not a great employee but she wasn't was bad at her job in the way Lilly was.  And she was frickin hysterical.  The actress really shone in the role.

Expand  

Yes. Can we get a Sheila spin-off?

[MicheleinPhilly]

  On 3/29/2025 at 11:56 PM, DearEvette said:

But I FLOVED Sheila.  Sure she was not a great employee but she wasn't was bad at her job in the way Lilly was.  And she was frickin hysterical.  The actress really shone in the role.

Expand  

Every time they showed her reaction to the former First Family leaving the White House, I absolutely cackled. 

I'm not familiar with the actress, but she was such a standout for me. 

[hatchetgirl]

  On 3/23/2025 at 6:25 PM, SnarkShark said:

This essentially broke format and I thought it was totally unnecessary.  The show isn't about her life, it's about her interaction with The White House. 

Expand  

I can understand your feelings on this, but it did humanize her, and showed us how she started out - basically, she's been this way all her life.  I loved that.  My favorite part was when she said to her nephew “This is not the only way to be, but it is the way that I am.”  I really loved that and it resonated.  I feel fuller with that information.  

Damn this entertaining little show!  I love everything about it.  The writing is strong and fast.  I loved the clipped clips (lol).  I love that we keep going back to the Chef "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!!!"  We only watch one episode a night and it kills me to wait for the next one, but it's so delightful when I get the next one.