"The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window" Review
“The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window” starring Kristen Bell was released on Netflix at the end of January. It is a satirical show that pokes fun at the murder mystery genre that has become extremely popular especially in recent years. It uses the stereotypical tropes from the genre to create a funny yet compelling mystery that makes this television show an easy binge.
The satire is covert enough that many people miss it completely. Viewership opinion has been split on the show. Some people, like myself, loved the show, while others felt it was too over-the-top. However, the latter don’t seem to realize that is the point of satire and therefore many don’t even realize the show is satire.
I realized the show was satire the moment I saw the title before I even started watching. To me, the title feels like a big give away. It is a mash up of two different murder mystery books that were both turned into films. The mystery is familiar, but with ridiculous twists throughout.
Satire is meant to be over-the-top and somewhat stupid. This show hits that nail on the head while also keeping you on the edge of your seat as you try to follow the twists and turns of the mystery.
You either loved the show or you hated it, but only because you didn’t realize it was satire. Anyone unfamiliar with satire will be confused by the ridiculousness of the plot line.
I highly recommend this show. It was fun to watch and I had to binge the entire thing in one night because I truly couldn’t turn my television off. I had to see what happened next. Kristen Bell did a fantastic job in the constraints of this genre. They left the show on the cliffhanger, so while a second season has not been ordered by Netflix just yet, I believe it will be coming back for another season with a mystery hopefully even more ridiculous than the last.
“The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window” is currently streaming on Netflix.
