The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window

I usually like movies/miniseries that set a tone and then stick with it. But I would call "TWitHAtSFtGitW" (as I like to refer to it) an experiment in mixing tones: a dramatic murder-mystery thriller with an absurdist plot and big twist ending, and simultaneously a very sarcastic dark comedy with plenty of self-deprecating humor from the lead character, Ana, played by Kristen Bell. The supporting cast is really good, too, especially Tom Riley as the handsome yet suspicious neighbor, Mary Holland as Ana's nosey BFF and Cameron Britton as the odd but nevertheless polite family handyman. For the extreme commitment required of the players, especially Kristen, who owns every scene, both figuratively and literally, I give it an extra star: 7/10.

People who haven't watched popular thriller movies in the last five years won't get it. The Woman in the Window, Girl on a Train, etc. Where one woman solves a mystery, usually a murder. This has it's moments. Guess this just just a those who get it, get it.

Anna (Kristen Bell) is haunted by the brutal murder of her daughter. She's seeing things. She drinks too much wine, deathly afraid of rain, and divorced from her husband. Neil and his daughter Emma move in across the street. Anna befriends Emma and becomes taken with Neil. Out of the blue, Neil has a girlfriend, flight attendant Lisa. One stormy night, Anna sees Lisa being murdered in Neil's house. She calls the cops but they find nothing.

This is a Netflix show spoofing those Netflix shows about woman in danger solving murder mysteries. Kristen Bell is doing a very deadpan performance. The humor is dark and understated. After a couple of episodes, I was more taken with the mystery than the humor. After a few more episodes, I realized that the mystery doesn't matter that much either. Most of these mystery shows and movies are fictional. In that, this one is no different. However, it's more than that. The reveal doesn't matter. It could be space aliens and that would be fine for this series. I still like the few moments of laughs and Kristen Bell's performance. The show is caught in the middle. The mystery doesn't matter and the humor is not broad enough to be truly funny. It is interesting.

The mystery of this mystery is whether it's an actual mystery, a veritable break in the fourth wall. On the one hand, hallucination hypotheses are supported by the ever present handyman. On the other hand, there is a continuing flow of empirical data to support her suspicions. I liked the tease: is this "real" only in her head, or real, period.

Dali-like, you'll find film's title, "The Woman in the House...," the penultimate clue. Is this comedy, horror, mystery or just plain old good drama. Sex on the stairs? Sex on the marble island? Just who is screwing who? Howling dogs? Buried hands? Surreal indeed.

Who did what to whom changes all too quickly. Make sure you have Tylenol for headaches from your head spinning. Make sure you pay attention to all the details in the production design; the continuity supervisor should get an Emmy. Consider buying stock in Corning Ware. Be ready also for scenes directed sweetly or you'll become diabetic, instantly.

When you assume you know, you don't, and when you assume you know, you know what that makes you (and me). Ass commentary aside, you'll love Kristen Bell's march through this panoply of the real, the hallucinated, and the surreal. Kudos to Davidson, Dorf, et al. For leading us down garden paths of a nuanced, albeit cliched, mystery journey. Be careful you don't trip. Don't assume Chastity's guilt assuages any one else's. I did.

Puns abound: be patient with Buell, the omnipresent handyman. He certainly nailed it, holy hand indeed; and he has a hand in every episode. I've never seen a mailbox needing so much attention. Why was a raccoon body found? Elizabeth's gravestone carving: Do we read it as carved, "There's No. '1' in Heaven." Or, as "There's no one in heaven." Real, or surreal, or hallucination? Find more Tylenol.

Pay attention to the casting... Massacre Mike in prison, Buell, the fingerprint technician. Subtle similarities until...

The Woman in the House... series is a palette of nuanced colors; they form cycles of meaning, and recycled nuance. Enjoy being painted confused. Yes, confused is a color, a shade of tan.

Real, satire, surreal or hallucination? Bingo.

The cringiest cringe I've ever seen and i love it !!!

I had a new theory or two every episode but the end shocked me and i would never in a million year think about it.

I saw someone wrote that it hits every cliché possible. Well, duh! Its on purpose! It is comedy after all and cringe is a way of comedy.

Twist after a twist and they always got me, if you watched the woman in the window you'll definitely see the similarities in such a great cringe way.

Kristen Bell did amazing work with the acting and most importantly the face imprecisions!