The Netflix Show That Put My Brain In A Blender

This is a post for about four people, sorry in advance

As a reminder, THIS IS THE LAST HOOPLA UNTIL MAY. I’ll be back on May 2 unless something pops up that I need to talk about, like a truly bizarre Netflix show I watch with my girlfriend that is either a masterpiece or a pile of filth.

This show is called, in its entirety, “The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window.” It is eight episodes, and is… something, certainly.

**Note: I will probably have to talk some spoilers, but will avoid giving away the plot entirely in case any of you want to experience this show. Still, a spoiler warning is probably necessary if you want to go in blind.**

We picked this show because it 1.) starred Kristen Bell and 2.) had a very funny, over-the-top name. The premise is that a new handsome man and his daughter move into a house across the street from an alcoholic woman, who then witnesses a murder take place in the handsome man’s home.

This is, very clearly, a reference to “The Woman in the Widow,” a book (that I didn’t read) turned into a movie (that I did see and oh brother, does it suck) that came out last year.

Is it a parody of that premise? Well, the show is listed as a comedy before anything else, so that seems to signal that the answer is yes. And by the end of the show, my answer would also be yes, but it is not evident through the majority of the series, and that’s what makes it such a fascinating watch.

For a show seemingly intending to be tongue in cheek, it plays its cards so unbelievably subtle through the first half, almost to a fault. Three episodes in, and I was mostly bored, wondering if the tags were a mistake by Netflix and that this was meant to be serious all along.

But then, it starts to open up in episode four, and it continues to properly do the tightrope between serious and ridiculous well for four straight episodes. This is the series’ sweet spot, where I could laugh at things occurring, while still respecting that every actor here is taking it as seriously as they possibly could.

This 4-7 span is really where I started to make my own head spin. I hated the first three episodes, maybe about as much as the Amy Adams movie, but they might also be necessary. I don’t know that I would have enjoyed the payoff as much if I had not sat through 90 minutes of very little wackiness ensuing.

And here lies my problem with thinking about this show. I without a doubt would not want to watch the first three episodes again, and yet, it made for a better experience overall? Is that brilliant? Is that stupid? I don’t have these answers.

Then of course, there’s the finale, which I also have mixed thoughts on. There are reveals, twists, turns and outcomes here that are great in a so-bad-it’s-good way, but it almost goes so overboard that it loses me. Also, it is at this point in the series that I might start to give the show too much credit. Are bad things bad on purpose? Am I finding dumb shit that the director has no idea about, but he can say was intentional because it’s a parody? Again, I’m at a loss.

What I can say from the bottom of my heart is that Kristen Bell is great here. No matter what, she is giving this character her absolute all, and it makes the comedy work that much more because of how deadly serious she feels. There are other strong performances here, but it’s Bell that makes this engine run at all.

Here’s what I can say: the show is a fascinating watch that got me hooked in by the halfway point. Again, it starts slow, but that middle stretch is a fun time and I became legitimately curious to where the show would take its plot. The first episodes were my girlfriend forcing us to continue, and by the end it was me that had to know how it ended.

But is it good? Hell if I know man. I think that it’s fun and finds its stride, but the overall experience might not be what I would consider good. I think it is a fun watch regardless, and maybe that’s all that matters.

Thanks again to everyone who followed me through the women’s basketball season, for reading stuff like me word souping my thoughts over a Netflix show you probably didn’t watch and to anyone who has joined in along the way. I’ll see you all in a few weeks.

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