By: Amanda Guarragi
Before you sit and binge-watch this limited series in one sitting, make sure to have a glass (or a bottle) of wine ready to go. It just fits in with the story that unfolds in The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window or the shorter version The Woman in the House. This limited series explores grief, big life changes, and mental health through a well-thought-out murder mystery that will keep you glued to the screen. It is filled with dark humour, a lot of wine, and is a satirical slant on the psychological thriller. Majority of the time you’re trying to make sense of what is actually happening and then it just shocks you entirely at the end. This will definitely be one of the most enjoyable series to binge-watch on Netflix this year.
We meet heartbroken Anna (Kristen Bell) and every day feels the same to her. She sits with her wine, staring out the window, watching life go by without her. But when a handsome neighbour (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? This series does a great job in keeping the audience guessing whom the killer is throughout the entire run. Everyone can be a suspect, and even when things get resolved, something else comes in and throws everything out the window. Bell gives a great performance that has you connect with her on an emotional level and she brings you into Anna’s little bubble.
Why this show works is because the episodes are half-hour long and each episode ends on a cliffhanger. We want to see what Anna does next and if the handsome stranger across the street is actually someone she can trust. It’s the definition of a Friday night binge after winding down from a long workweek. Sure, it is satirical but when the show deals with grief, it really grounds the story. You have the over-the-top murder mystery running simultaneously as a woman dealing with a massive loss and trying to find the courage to live life to the fullest again. The series is fairly balanced and never loses its audience once. It flowed extremely well and it filled the eight episodes nicely.
The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window is a great binge and it’s really fun to sit through. It’s one of those series that will have you questioning everything with the lead character and have you talking to the screen. It does get a bit hectic towards the second half of the series, so if you’re not a fan of seeing bloody murders, this is your warning. The show has everything that you could want from a murder mystery, especially one surrounding a mom. Let’s face it, we all love to people watch but this show takes things to a whole other level. So make sure to grab that bottle of wine, wrap yourself up in a blanket this weekend and enjoy this fun series from start to finish.
Candid Cinema 