The Woman in the House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window is a ridiculous psychological thriller satire that will have viewers guessing what the truth is right up until the very end.
Viewers will know that The Woman in the House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window is clearly a satire just by the title of the show. Somehow, even through the ridiculousness of it all, there are parts about this show that really work.
There are twists and turns as Anna, played by Kristen Bell, tries to discover if she really witnessed a murder or not — and if she did, who is the killer? The truth is not obvious at all, and the audience is sure to be on the edge of their seat and guessing all the way through the final episode.
While not an actual comedy, there are comedic aspects to The Woman in the House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window. It never quite takes itself seriously, although there are moments that feel a bit too much to fully fit into the show. Each episode adds a new aspect to the mystery. Sometimes someone’s name will be cleared, and of course another suspect takes their place almost immediately.
Based off of psychological thrillers like The Rear Window and The Woman In The Window, Anna is an alcoholic that has a habit of mixing wine with prescription pills. Because of this she can never truly believe what she sees, as she often hallucinates. Despite knowing she is going down a dark path, she continues to do this — and eventually she thinks she witnesses a murder across the street.
As the series continues on, Anna tries to get to the bottom of the mystery. The Woman in the House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window pokes fun at itself almost constantly. either with the dialogue that the characters are speaking or by what it happening in the scenes.
Although every now and then it feels like it is going down a path of seriousness, it often snaps back with something completely and utterly ridiculous to allow viewers to settle back into the satire. The biggest issue with this show is the back and forth of it all. However, in the end it comes together in such an unexpected way that it works.
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Kristen Bell is hands down the best part of this show. She does a phenomenal job with the role and is so believable and somehow even relatable as Anna, that you cannot help but root for her. The other actors fill their supporting roles well, but this is Bell’s show and it is such a joy to watch her range of emotions in this show.
Viewers are sure to come up with theories of their own, but nearly everyone will be shocked by the truth. The journey along the way is fun, all too often off the wall, and even a bit misleading. Usually satires state the obvious but The Woman in the House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window isn’t afraid to fully commit itself to the mystery of a good thriller.
Think Scary Movie but not as much of a straight up comedy. There are elements of humor weaved into the twists and turns that often evoke a giggle, but very rarely cause out loud laughing fits. The ending leaves it all open for another season, but I can’t imagine it would work out as well the second time around.
Been there, done that, The Woman in the House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window is a one off that should not try to be repeated, because it will just get old. Heck, the season itself started to drag on — thank goodness it was just eight episodes instead of ten.
Rating: 3 out of 5
About The Woman in the House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window
For heartbroken Anna (Kristen Bell), every day is the same. She sits with her wine, staring out the window, watching life go by without her. But when a handsome neighbor (Tom Riley) and his adorable daughter (Samsara Yett) move in across the street, Anna starts to see a light at the end of the tunnel. That is until she witnesses a gruesome murder… Or did she?
From creators Rachel Ramras, Hugh Davidson and Larry Dorf, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window is a darkly comedic, wine-soaked, satirical slant on the psychological thriller that will have you guessing who, what, where, why and how in the hell?! until the very end.
Michael Ealy, Mary Holland, Shelley Hennig, Cameron Britton, Christina Anthony and Benjamin Levy Aguilar also co-star opposite Bell, who executive-produces the limited series alongside Will Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum and Brittney Segal for Gloria Sanchez Productions.
The Woman in the House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window hits Netflix on January 28th.
