The Woman in the House Across the Street is the 2022 Netflix original series, which is a parody of the murder crime genre, that had two intentional open-endings.
Overview
One of the most anticipated series of the year was the Kristen Bell-fronted Netflix original series, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window. Like the its long title, the series is a parody of crime murder series filled with twists and turns, while delivering high comedic moments.
Envisioned as a limited mini-series, the series told a well-made story throughout the first season which resulted in a shocking conclusion. However, it is the last sequence that had fans scratching their heads, and the producers of the show hinting at the possibility of a second season.
What is The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window?
The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window was developed by series showrunners, Hugh Davidson, Larry Dorf and Rachel Ramras. The series was an intentional spoof of all the popular crime drama series, hence the awkward title.
According to IMDb, when a handsome neighbour moves to a small town, “Anna, a heartbroken woman for whom every day is the same, starts to see a light at the end of the tunnel; that is, until she witnesses a gruesome murder. Or did she?”
Kristen Bell plays the title character of the wine-loving, over-the-top Anna.
The Woman in the House Across the Street: Ending explained
For most of the season, Anna straddles between believing that it is either Neil or Buell behind the murders that are taking place in her suburb. By the season finale, both Anna and the viewers were convinced that Neil had killed Lisa Maines.
However, when Anna rushed over to Neil’s house during the season finale, she was surprised to find out that it was Neil’s nine-year-old daughter, Emma, who was behind the killings.
The revelation gives way to the episode’s most comedic scene as Anna and Emma fight it out in hand combat. Ironically, Emma has the upper hand for most of the fight until Anna uses the pieces of the broken casserole dish to stab Emma.
The surprise revelation not only provides room for the comedic relief as viewers watch a grown woman fight with a child, but it emphasised the intention of the series, which was to parody the beloved genre of crime drama series.
However, this was not the only ending, as part of the epilogue, Anna, who is in a plane, meets a mysterious woman who sits next to her. She then takes a nap, only to wake up to the woman not there.
Paying no attention to this at the time, Anna goes to the restroom. As she opens the toilet door, she sees the dead body of the woman who was sitting next to her.
Panicked and frazzled, Anna gets a flight attendant to help, upon their return, all traces of the body were gone. At this moment, the flight attendant explains to Anna that there was no one sitting next to her.
A confused Anna returns to her seat, only to find a woman’s mirror, which confirms her suspicions that the mystery woman is real. Thereafter, season one concludes.
Who is The Woman in the House Across the Street’s mystery woman?
While the series might have initially been set as a limited mini-series which would conclude with the revelation of the actual murderer, seemingly, the show has left room for a second season with the introduction of the mystery woman.
Nothing is known about her, except that she is played by Oscar winning actress, Glenn Close.
A fun fact about Close’s casting is that the producers of the series never intended for Close to play the character due to her acclaim, instead, they were looking for an actress like Close.
However, through the intervention of Netflix, Close agreed to come on board for the cameo.
Will there be a second season of The Woman in the House Across the Street?
To date, there has been no confirmation if there will be a second season of The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window.
However, the silence from Netflix about the possibility of a second season is not out of the ordinary. This is as the series premiered on the platform in late January 2022, therefore, Netflix might still be waiting to see how it performs in the coming months.
For the producers, they are seemingly hopeful that there will be a second season. This as a second season would allow the series to explore and formally introduce Close into the world of the story.
Final thoughts
The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window delivered on its intended purpose, which was to deliver a parody of the popular genre of crime series. For seven episodes, it took fans through Anna’s journey of proving that there was a murderer in her suburb.
While the trope is to reveal the “unexpected but expected” nice-guy-next-door as the serial killer, the series turned the “unexpected” on its head with the least expected perpetrator being a nine-year-old girl.
It went even further by introducing a mystery woman, teasing the possibility of a second season.