THE WOMAN IN THE HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE GIRL IN THE WINDOW -- A Mystery with Twists and Turns No One Would See Coming

Review by Dan Skip Allen

Photo Credit: Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix.

Netflix has had a lot of shows that have captured the public consciousness over the past few years. They get into the minds of those watching and one by one, person by person they get shared via word of mouth. The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window will transit audiences as much as some of the streamer's biggest hits.

In an idyllic neighborhood on a normal street lives a lady (Kristen Bell) who likes to look out of her window. When a good-looking man (Tom Riley) and his daughter (Samara Yett) move across the street, she is instantly enamored with him. She brings over a chicken casserole and stays for dinner. The next day she is going to visit again, but she runs into the neighbor's girlfriend (Shelley Henning). When she sees the girlfriend supposedly get murdered through her window, all kinds of thoughts run through her mind.

Bell's character has been dealing with a tragedy of her own. Her daughter had passed away in an accident. She stays at home and drinks a lot of wine. Her neighbor tries to set her up with his business acquaintances, but she stands them up. This murder investigation sends her down a path that changes everything for her and her life. Bell has played an investigator before in Veronica Mars, so this sort of show is right up her alley. ​

Photo Credit: Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix.

The show creators Rachel Ramras, Hugh Davidson, Larry Dorf, and director Michael Lehmann have fallen back on familiar tropes to tell this domestic violence tale of a woman who doesn't know up from down or who's who. This show and story had all kinds of twists and turns. It's hard to know what's what in this show. That makes for a very good show because the viewer can't figure out what's going on. The mystery doesn't unfold normally like a lot of other shows, but it is very familiar to other films, like The Woman in the Window starring Amy Adams and Julianne Moore.

The series has a mental disorder angle to it that puts Bell's character in a state of denial. Sometimes she doesn't know what is real. She imagined things due to her psychosis of losing her daughter and all the drinking she's been doing. Her mental health issues have caused her to not see what's going on around her. And the people in her life. They aren't who they are perceived to be. That's what helps to make an engaging show.

The show has some very good technical aspects. The look of it is very crisp and clear. The cinematography is fantastic in the series. The light of the day helps make for a good-looking show. The score is very broad and reaching as well. It has moments of sweetness with violins and strings and then drums and lower tones. The show looks very modern and up to date for today's times. The creators had a great plan for how this show is supposed to look and sound. Along with the cast, this is a very engaging entertaining series.

​The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window streams on Netflix beginning January 28.

Rating: 4.5/5