Kristen Bell’s Woman in the House is Not in a Good Place

The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window. If you don’t crack up over the title, this limited series on Netflix may not be for you. And even if you do, the show is not for everyone. Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) stars as Anna, a heartbroken woman home alone sitting by the window who thinks she may have witnessed a murder across the street. “May have” because it could have been a hallucination since she’s depressed and mixing wine and meds in prodigious amounts. She’s shunned by her neighbors, the cops think she’s nuts, and her best friend is worried about her. Anna is unperturbed and on the case; she will find the killer … if it doesn’t rain on her (you’ll see).

The Woman in the House … is obviously a parody of the crime novels, books, and TV shows that depict a young woman doubting her sanity, while coping with personal tragedy and trying to solve a murder. While there are many works of this nature, including Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window, this series takes on the more current versions like The Girl on the Train (Emily Blunt), and particularly The Woman in the Window (Amy Adams). This show is absurd over-the-top satire at times. If taken seriously it’s appalling (the Take Your Daughter to Work Day) and horrific (the actual killer and killings).

It was the more subtle day-to-day amusements that kept me smiling: the creepy handyman for which fixing the mailbox is a never-ending task, Anna is shown reading The Girl on the Cruise and The Woman on the Lake, and I’m no artist, but Anna’s flower paintings get raves from everyone who sees them, while striking me as a perfect fit for the walls of a low-budget motel. But the food and drink steal the show. But first, let me digress. Don’t we all notice how terrible the pizza looks whenever it appears in TV or movies? Have you ever seen a tasty, multiple toppings pizza? Ok, The Woman in the House … does not have any pizza, but casseroles play a supporting role. The showstoppers are the glasses of wine Anna pours herself. My wife and I often comment about the liquor being served up on the screen, big pours, small pours, appearance of quality, or lack thereof. Anna sets an unbeatable standard for the full pour. Giant glass filled to the very brim (see the YouTube trailer below). It’s too precarious to pick up so she has to bend over to sip it.

The series grabs you at the beginning and ends with an unexpected twist and a cameo from an A-lister, “wait, is that …?” In between, it was those moments mentioned above (and more) that kept me engaged as the show bogs down a little, takes side excursions, and becomes a slasher fest. The crazy cliffhanger ending – “Bingo!” – is a total set up for a season two, but that could be part of the gag, too. If you’re on the fence, the show is not a huge time commitment at eight 30-minute episodes. But above all else, Kristen Bell continues to show us what a magnificent comedic actress she is, this time with a heavy dose of dark humor. Her timing, expressions, and authenticity were all I needed. Speaking of Kristen Bell…

The Good Place

Many folks are familiar with this popular, acclaimed comedy-fantasy. We didn’t watch it during its four-season run on NBC and are now catching up on Netflix. We’re almost through season two (seasons are 13 or 14 episodes each), so this will be an abbreviated review.

Kristen Bell plays Eleanor, a woman welcomed after her death to the Good Place, a heavenly utopia with strict admission requirements as a reward for her altruistic life. She quickly realizes a mistake has been made and that she must hide her true selfish behavior and try to become a more ethical person. Otherwise, she’ll be sent to the Bad Place where she really belongs.

The supporting cast is fantastic. Ted Danson plays Michael, the architect of the afterlife and “mayor” of the Good Place. Jameela Jamil plays Tahani, a high-society philanthropist. While Eleanor thinks she herself is pretty good looking (“I’m a total smokestack”), she always describes Tahani as the ultimate in hotness (“oh, you sexy skyscraper, you”). William Jackson Harper is Chidi, the moral philosopher who teaches Eleanor how to become a better person (despite being an indecisive nerd he almost makes philosophy kind of cool). Manny Jacinto is Jason the dim-witted “monk” who also clearly has been misassigned. Lastly, D’Arcy Carden is Janet, the all-knowing artificial being that appears at the snap of your fingers.

The plot is shaken up at the end of season one. Season two finds the gang taking on Michael and then teaming up with him against the “demons.” I have a feeling more story shifts are coming. The show is different (Amazon’s Upload may have borrowed the premise somewhat), whimsical, clever, refreshing, and funny. There is no swearing allowed in the Good Place. Cue Eleanor saying, “what the fork” and “holy shirt” a lot. Yes, silly, but charming. Check out this entertaining series if you haven’t already. The 22-minute episodes go down easy.

D² Rating: The Woman in the House… ◼◼◼☐☐

D² Rating: The Good Place ◼◼◼◼☐

Trivia: Kristen Bell had her major film breakout role in what 2008 film co-starring Jason Segel?

Answer: Forgetting Sarah Marshall