Netflix’s “The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window” Review

Story posted February 9, 2022 in Arts & Entertainment by Savannah Swartz.

WARNING: This show addresses adult topics.

The Netflix original series “The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window,” is a dark comedy created by Hugh Davidson, Larry Dorf and Rachel Ramras.

The only thing long about this show is the title, which is 14 words long and quite ridiculous. The series is eight episodes long with each being about 20 minutes or more.

At first glance this show seems like it would be an easy watch, but getting through the first episode really took some will power.

The show stars Kristin Bell as Anna, a lonely divorcee whose daughter was murdered. The main character is also a burnt-out painter who spends her days washing down pills from her therapist with wine.

The mystery and horror genre can seem repetitive and overdone, but this series gave a new satirical approach.

In the first episode, the audience learns about Anna’s daughter and ex-husband followed by new neighbors arriving on the street.

Recently widowed Neil, played by Tom Riley, and his nine-year-old daughter Emma, played by Samsara Yett, move in right across the street from Anna, who instantly catches feelings.

Unfortunately, Neil has a girlfriend, named Lisa, which sparks something bad in Anna.

This show contains many twists and turns that the plot is hard to summarize. It is a classic “who done it,” paired with some “did this really happen” or “was it a set up?” All that is really needed to know is to always expect the unexpected.

It felt as though the eight episodes were packed with plot. The episodes either needed to be longer or include less plot.

Serious would be the wrong word to use for this show. Every horror cliché that can be thought of was made fun of. There were times the plot was so ridiculous, it was hard to continue watching, however the ending somewhat made it worth it.

It was apparent that the show was meant to be suspenseful, but because of all the clichés involved it was hard to be thrilled by what was happening.

However, the cinematography and music really kept up the speed of the show.

The directors created many visually stimulating scenes throughout the episodes that made the show much more entertaining.

Along with that, the use of suspenseful music was the only thing keeping the thrill alive.

But, again, the dialogue and plot took away from what they were trying to do.

The title sequence used a suspenseful song paired with a dark and rainy background. But no matter how serious they tried to make this title sequence, there was no overcoming the lengthy name.

In general, expectations for this show were not met. The need to include the clichés made it almost satirical.

Along with that there were times that the plot was hard to follow. Because of Anna constantly taking her pills with alcohol, it was hard to tell what was really happening and what she was hallucinating.

It felt like the show was having trouble with speed. At times the plot was moving too slow and then suddenly it would turn around and be moving too fast.

Many of the plot lines were truly ridiculous, but with dead pan deliveries from the cast, who deserve props for doing so well with the script they were working with.

One thing that did not make sense at all was the recurrent use of casseroles, which was never resolved. Anna was constantly making casseroles for herself and for her neighbors.

However, the real problem with this trope is that she was shown on multiple occasions breaking her casserole dish. Which apparently did not matter because for some reason she has an endless supply of backup casserole dishes.

This may seem irrelevant, but for the amount of times that the casserole dish made an on-screen appearance, there was an expectation for some sort of resolution involving the casserole dish. However, there was none.

Viewers who sit through all eight episodes of this show deserve answers about the endless amounts of casserole dishes.

One of the most memorable, but ridiculous lines in the show is “Life is for the living and so are casseroles.”

The most positive thing about this show is how laughable it is. Some of the cliché tie-ins were funny, however most of the laughter was caused by how cringy this show was.

Overall, the series was fine. Strictly that, not great, not bad, just fine. The watch is not regrettable but there is no need to watch it again.

Rating: 2/5 stars


Savannah Swartz is a first-year majoring in communications. To contact her, email sms9072@psu.edu.