By Cooper Hood
Kristen Bell stars as Anna in Netflix's The Woman in the House, which builds to a shocking ending as the killer's identity is finally revealed.
Lisa's killer is discovered inThe Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window, and here's how Kristen Bell's Netflix series ends and sets up another season. Following a four-season run onThe Good Place, Kristen Bell is back with a new TV show, albeit one that is very different. She stars as Anna, a forgetful woman with a tragic past and a fear of rain who sees her neighbor's girlfriend get murdered - or did she? The murder mystery plot remains thefocus all the way up toThe Woman in the House's ending.
Released on Netflix in late January 2022,The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window is a dark comedy thriller meant to serve as a parody of the very serious thrillers that tackle a similar subject matter. The show was created byRachel Ramras, Hugh Davidson, and Larry Dorf and received mixed reviews from critics upon its release.The Woman in the House begins with Bell's Anna falling for her new neighbor, Neil (Tom Riley), only to discover he is dating a flight attendant named Lisa (Shelley Hennig). As Anna remains in her home one night, she happens to see Lisa standing in the window across the street with blood gushing from her neck. Kristen Bell's character calls the cops to report a possible murder, only foreveryone from the police to Neil to tell her that Lisa isn't dead. The majority ofThe Woman in the House's season 1 story follows Anna as she tries to prove she isn't crazy and investigates various suspects she believes may be responsible for killing Lisa.
Related:
Netflix's 2022 thriller series ultimately sees Anna set her sights on everyone from Neil, her handyman Buell (Cameron Britton), and Lisa's secret scam artist partner Rex (Benjamin Levy Aguilar). As all of this happens, Kristen Bell's character also explores the trauma of her daughter's death three years ago, her forgotten passion for painting, and her ombrophobia (fear of rain). To say that there are a lot of spinning plates byNetflix's show'sending is a bit of an understatement. Here's an explanation of what happens during thefinal episode, including how it sets upThe Woman in the House season 2.
Who Really Killed Lisa? Woman In The House's Twist Explained
ThroughoutThe Woman in the House's story, viewerswere likely convinced that several different people were responsible for Lisa's death - if she was killed at all. Anna sets her sights on Neil as the top suspect, especially as she finds out about all the women who have died in his past. The show even makes Buell look like a threat and arrests Rex momentarily for the murder. Anna doesn't escape the crosshairs of the official investigation into what happened to Lisa either, as she's framed to be Lisa's killer. It isn't untilThe Woman in the House episode 8 that the truth comes out, as the twist ending reveals the killer's identity: Neil's young daughter Emma (Samsara Leela Yett).
Viewers and Annawere both shocked that Emma killed Lisa. The reveal comes in a surprising fashion, when Anna sees Buell heading to the neighbor's house with a hammer, which makes Anna think he is the real killer. However, once she makes it into Neil and Emma's house, she finds Buell dying on the ground with a slit in his throat. Anna then finds Neil laying on the couch with a cut across his throat as well, with Emma standing nearby with the knife and blood splatter to confirm her serial killer ways. Emma comes clean about killing Lisa to Anna at this moment, saying she killed her dad's new girlfriend because she refused to buy chocolate boxes for her school.
The Woman in the House's ending makes it known that Emma has been a killer for quite some time surprisingly. She killed her own mother in the past because her mom was pregnant with another child, and Emma wanted to remain an only child. Emma also killed one of her school teachers by pushing her off the top of a lighthouse after the teacher called Emma crazy. Her insane motivation to kill her mother and teacher line up with why she decided to kill again and murder Lisa. Emma even says that she ultimately killed Neil because his ventriloquist dummy routine sucks. While Emma planned to kill Anna too, it was Anna who ultimately killed the murderous child in self-defense. Luckily for Anna, her ex-husband Douglas (Michael Ealy)arrived in time to serve as a witness of Emma's death, which helped clear Anna from being behind the deaths of Lisa and Neil too.
Related:Every Netflix Show Returning In 2022
How Anna Overcame Her Fear of Rain
One of the positive notes included inThe Woman in the House's ending came with Anna overcoming her fear of rain. The show reveals that this fear developed because it was raining the last time Anna saw her daughter alive. She immediately developed a severe case of ombrophobia, where she'll pass out if she does get stuck in the rain. However,The Woman in the House's ending reveals that Anna has overcome this fear of rain. There isn't a spelled-out explanation for her ombrophobia vanishing, but it seems to be tied to Anna's courage to run through the rain when she thought Buell was going to kill Neil and Emma. It also probably helps that Anna stops drinking multiple bottles of wine every single day. Whatever the case may be, Anna found a way to push her tragic past aside and move forward without her fear of rain.
Anna's Therapist's Identity Revealed
There is also another surprise included inThe Woman in the House's final episodes, as it is revealed Douglas is actually Anna's therapist she's routinely called throughout the season. For much of the series, it is unclear who Anna's therapist is and even if Douglas was still alive or part of Anna's life. The reveal that Douglas is Anna's therapist doesn't come as a surprise to her, as she's known it the entire time, butThe Woman in the House doesn't make that fact known to viewers until episode 7. It recontextualizes their relationship quite a bit, as Douglas is revealed to be the one trying to help Anna work through her pain. Of course, it also raises some questions, such as why Anna's phone shows "Therapist" as the caller ID name whenever she's on the phone with him, but then her text messages with him say "Douglas."
What Happens After Woman In The House's Time Jump
Another element ofThe Woman in the House's ending that might be a bit surprising to viewers is the use of a time jump. The show moves Anna's story one year into the future, where she and Douglas are not only back together, but they have had another kid. Douglas is at home with the baby, but whether or not Buell is still living in Anna's attic is unclear. As far as Anna's story goes, she is at the airport preparing to go to New York to visit her sister. She seems to be in a better place mentally, although she has some Xanax with her just in case. Anna also brings a new book along for the flight after finishing the mystery novel "The Woman Across the Lake," as she's moved on to its sequel it seems: "The Girl On The Cruise."
How Woman In The House Sets Up Season 2
As a result of the time jump,The Woman in the House season 2 is directly set up for Netflix to continue. When Anna is sitting on the plane to New York, she discovers that she's in the wrong seat when a passenger played by Glenn Close appears. After a brief chat and changing seats,The Woman in the House cuts to Anna waking up and not seeing Glenn Close's cameo character anymore. When Anna goes to the bathroom though, she sees Close dead in the airplane stall. However, when Anna brings another flight attendant to the bathroom, Close's body is gone and she's told that no one has sat next to her on the flight. Worried that she's having hallucinations again, Anna returns to her seat only to discover a mirror Close's character used before. This seems to be proof that Close was on the plane and is now missing/dead, which could be the next mystery Anna solves inThe Woman in the House season 2.
Related:Why Glenn Close Is Credited On Cruella 2021
Why Is Anna So Forgetful?
One question thatThe Woman in the House never truly answers, though, is why Anna is so forgetful. Her mental lapses are quite significant at times. She repeatedly forgets to put on oven mitts while cooking. There are also the troubling moments where Anna completely forgets her daughter died three years ago and imagines that she is in the same room or even drives to school to drop her off. Whenever stuff like this happens, Anna's default reaction is to ask why she keeps forgetting this. The only possible explanation given byThe Woman in the House is that this is the result of Anna mixing her prescription medication with alcohol, which is said to cause hallucinations but not necessarily make people forget certain facts.
What Woman In The House's Ending Really Means
AlthoughThe Woman in the House is a dark comedy and parody, some deeper meaning can still be pulled from its story, such as how traumatic events tied to the loss of a loved one can change an individual. Anna's life is turned upside down when her daughter dies, and she clearly didn't handle it very well, resorting to drinking heavily and shutting out Douglas. Meanwhile, Neil tried to do what he could to make up for his wife dying but still struggled with being alone. Even Lisa's fake backstory included her losing someone close to her. While these themes may not have been as dramatic or central to the storyThe Woman in the House Across from the Woman in the Window, they still exist for viewers wanting to get a bit more out of the show than its crazy story.
More:Gossip Girl: Why Kristen Bell Narrates The Reboot (Despite Dan Reveal)
FAQs
What does the ending mean in the woman in the house across the street? ›
The Woman in the House Across the Street Ending, Explained
Anna listens as Emma recounts the reasons why she killed several people. She killed her mother because she didn't want a sibling. She murdered Lisa because she wouldn't buy any chocolate bars for Emma's school fundraiser.
The finale of The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window reveals that Emma killed Lisa.
Why did Anna say bingo at the end of The Woman in the House? ›She opens the mirror and says a line repeated throughout the season: "Bingo." Unless the mirror exposes more than Anna's own reflection, this act could symbolically mean that the killer Anna was looking for all along was herself.
What did the ending of The Woman in the Window mean? ›Ethan appears out of no where and kills Anna's tenant. It's at this point that everything is revealed. Launching into a customary post-murder speech, Ethan reveals that Anna has been his target for a while. Not only did he kill the tenant, but he killed Julianne Moore, who was his birth mother.
Why was Emma the killer in the woman in the house across the street? ›She began her killing spree with her mother (Janina Gavankar) because she didn't want a sibling. She also killed her teacher, Lisa (Shelley Hennig), and her father Neil. Emma must now kill Anna to frame her for all the murders. This leads to a good old fashioned street fight between Anna and this nine-year old child.
What did Anna find on the plane? ›On the plane she is sat next to a wealthy looking woman who played by Glenn Close and then next thing we know Anna goes to the toilet and finds Glenn's character murdered. She asks the flight attendant for help but realises the body has gone and she is then told she wasn't actually sat next to anyone on the plane.
Did Anna know Douglas was her therapist? ›Douglas! Anna's former husband, Douglas, is her therapist! It becomes clear that even though Anna and Douglas have separated, Douglas still wants to keep a check on Anna. And, unbeknownst to her, he became her therapist.
Who is the girl in the basement in the movie The House at the End of the Street? ›The resulting brain damage from the accident made her extremely aggressive, leading to their parents' murder. Ryan is revealed to have been secretly taking care of a seemingly now-grown Carrie-Anne (Eva Link) in a hidden room.
Will there be a sequel to the woman in the house? ›The Show Is Technically a Miniseries
And miniseries tend to be one and done. Based on that alone, it seems possible that a sequel won't be a thing. However, given the show's popularity, it's unlikely that Netflix would just move on without begging everyone to come back for another round of murder mystery tropes.
Kristen Bell as Anna Whitaker, a painter who takes a break from her career to mourn the death of her eight-year-old daughter, a tragedy that also broke up her marriage. She suffers from a fear of rain and frequently drinks whole bottles of wine with her various medications, resulting in vivid hallucinations.
What does Anna whisper to Vivienne? ›
Anna tells her that we are not friends. She made her famous. It was a transaction. She then whispers for her to visit her and tells her that she is not as fat as she used to be.
What does Anna whisper at the end? ›As she leaves the room, Anna tells Vivian that she looks good and that she's not fat anymore. Anna and Vivian never became friends, but they have needed each other to get what they wanted and were forever changed by their meeting.
Was Anna hallucinating the whole time? ›On one such night, she gets convinced that she witnessed a murder in the neighbourhood home. Her neighbours are Neil, played by Tom Riley, a widower, and his nine-year-old daughter Emma, played by Samsara Yett. The murder indeed happened, it later emerges, and Anna did not hallucinate it.
Why does Buell live in the attic? ›After being let out of hospital, Anna allows Buell to stay in the loft, and he later apologises, explaining he moved in to protect her when Douglas moved out. While he's still creepy, he is ultimately harmless.
What happened to Anna's daughter? ›Turns out Anna's daughter was killed during Take Your Daughter to Work Day at the local prison, where her dad, Douglas, an FBI psychologist, was profiling serial killer/cannibal Massacre Mike—who had killed and eaten at least 30 people.
Did Anna see Lisa get murdered? ›You: hit Google for spoilers. Lisa's boyfriend Neil, who moves in across the street and is at home when Anna sees someone slit Lisa's throat through the window.
Why did Emma start killing? ›Emma confesses that she killed her dad because she thought his ventriloquist act sucked.
Why is the guy always fixing the mailbox? ›Some viewers were no doubt left befuddled over Buell's daily mailbox fixing, wanting an answer to why he's been at this task for so long. Well, for anyone who didn't realize the show is satirical, the reason is simple: It's a joke.
Who is hiding in Anna's attic? ›Throughout the series, constant noises are coming from Anna's attic, a fact that Anna puts down to the house being old and creaky. In reality, Buell is living in the attic. Yet, it appears that his reasons came from the heart. And he claims that he didn't want to see Anna alone in such a big house.
Why didn t Anna get on the plane? ›Anna supposedly fought so hard against getting onboard the flight, that in the end she was not allowed on board,' Hoffmann said. 'She didn't want to be deported to Germany, because she wanted to stay in the USA – and for this, she wanted to be given a second chance.
Who was sitting in seat 2A? ›
Seat 2A Is A Window Seat
When Anna sits down, she is in the aisle seat, seat 2A, thinking it is her seat. However, when Glenn Close comes up to her, she says, "I believe you're in my seat. 2A." Anna looks at her boarding pass, realizes her mistake, and moves over to the window.
Ultimately, he is there for Anna just after she kills Emma. At the conclusion of The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window, Douglas has got back together with Anna. They have had another child. You can watch this series with a subscription to Netflix.
What did Emma do with Lisa's body? ›Emma cleans up the scene before she disposes of Lisa's body by cutting her up and stashing her under a tarp in her little red wagon — which, ironically, she has been using to tote around her boxes of chocolate bars. Emma later uses the wagon to dump Lisa's body in the woods, where it is later discovered by the police.
How much of imagining Anna is true? ›“This whole story is completely true. Except for all the parts that are totally made up.” If you binged "Inventing Anna" on Netflix, then you probably remember this disclaimer at the beginning of each episode. After its release on Feb. 11, 2022, the show racked up hundreds of millions of views.
What is wrong with Carrie Ann in the House at the End of the Street? ›Carrie-Ann fell off the swings as she wanted to go higher, and Ryan says that she got brain damage which makes her extremely aggressive. Ryan returned to the house just after the murders with his aunt, who died a year ago before Elissa and Sarah moved in.
Who impregnated the girl in the basement? ›She explained that her father kept her in a basement and that she bore seven children. She explained that Josef was the father of all seven of them and that Josef Fritzl would come down during the night, make her watch pornographic films and then rape her. She explained that he'd been abusing her ever since she was 11.
Was there ever a Carrie Ann in the House at the End of the Street? ›House at the End of the Street (2012) - Eva Link as Carrie Anne - IMDb.
Who is the actress at the end of The Woman in the House? ›Warning: This article contains spoilers about the season finale of The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window. Glenn Close's startling cameo in The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window came as a surprise to the star herself.
What happened to the woman in seat 2A? ›As we mentioned, The Woman in the House ends with a huge cliffhanger with Bell's character having to question her sanity again after the woman in seat 2A dies in the plane toilet only to disappear when she fetches a flight attendant.
Is The Woman in the House a book? ›Book details
An inspiring history of all the women who have taken a seat in Congress! For the first 128 years of America's history, only men served in the Senate and House of Representatives.
Does Anna get back with Douglas? ›
Buell is given permission to live in her attic and Anna finally gets back to her art, overcomes her ombrophobia, and gets back together with Douglas.
What does Anna say to Vivian in jail? ›Vivian goes on to visit Anna one last time in prison. She apologises and says she feels as though her article contributed to Anna getting a tougher sentence - though Anna tells her it's OK and that they simply had a "deal" to make Anna famous, which worked.
What did Paul do to Vivian? ›Donovan then did an interview with the Post claiming that Vivian had pressured him to lie. When this came out, Vivian went to Landon and told him what had happened and thought Paul would as well, but Paul instead let her take all the blame, which cost her her new job while Paul got promoted.
Why did Anna send a peacock to Nora? ›As mentioned above, there is no clear answer to why Anna sent the peacock or what its real meaning is. Perhaps it does symbolize Anna's flaunting of herself, perhaps it was a power move, or perhaps it was meant to paint Anna as a bizarre creature to drive home how truly bizarre this whole case truly is.
Why does Anna go to jail? ›Even though she admitted to Eddie (David Giuntoli) that it was an accident, she also admitted that he was still alive after he fell. Her guilt led to her admitting the truth in the Season 4 finale, and after confessing to the lead detective, she was arrested in front of Eddie.
Does Anna get released? ›Delvey was released from prison on good behavior on February 11, 2021 after serving nearly four years.
Where does Anna go at the end of the woman in the window? ›Wine Down. Once the murder mystery is solved, Anna reconnects with her husband. Later, Anna is seen on a plane reading a book entitled "The Girl on the Cruise" as she heads to New York to visit friends.
Is Anna a schizophrenic? ›Anna had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder, which caused her to have no memory of her actions in the 10 months she was institutionalized, and following her release, Anna continued to have hallucinations--with Alex being one of them.
Why was Anna starving herself? ›At one point, Anna does confesses to Lib why she is fasting, revealing her older brother, who has now passed away, sexually assaulted her and secretly married her. Through tears, she says she loves her brother and she is doing this to try and save him, and herself, from Hell.
Who is the mailbox guy in woman in the house? ›It involves her building's broken mailbox, which is being fixed by a handyman named Buell (Cameron Britton) for multiple episodes. The many glimpses of the mailbox being fixed have inspired many to humorously ask how long exactly it would take.
What's up with Buell in The Woman in the Window? ›
Afterwards, it's revealed that Buell actually survived the attack, and one year later, Douglas and Anna are back together and have welcomed a new baby.
Why did Anna say bingo at the end? ›She opens the mirror and says a line repeated throughout the season: "Bingo." Unless the mirror exposes more than Anna's own reflection, this act could symbolically mean that the killer Anna was looking for all along was herself.
What happened to Elizabeth in the woman in the house? ›Turns out Anna's daughter was killed during Take Your Daughter to Work Day at the local prison, where her dad, Douglas, an FBI psychologist, was profiling serial killer/cannibal Massacre Mike—who had killed and eaten at least 30 people.
Why does Anna's daughter's grave change? ›The most likely answer for why the gravestone changed is simply for humour. Other running jokes throughout the series include Anna's addiction to wine and the ludicrously large glasses she pours. She is also a fan of making casseroles and then dropping the casserole dish in a dramatic way.
Does the woman across the street from the girl in the window end in a cliffhanger? ›It's always the person no one suspects. At the end of Netflix's razor sharp parody of adult psychological thrillers, The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window, wine-fueled divorcée Anna (Kristen Bell) finally discovers the murderer in her suburban midst. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SCI-FI MOVIE?
Why does the grave change in the woman across the street from the girl in the window? ›The most likely answer for why the gravestone changed is simply for humour. Other running jokes throughout the series include Anna's addiction to wine and the ludicrously large glasses she pours. She is also a fan of making casseroles and then dropping the casserole dish in a dramatic way.
Is there going to be a season 2 of The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window? ›'The Woman in the House' Season 2: Why It Won't Return For Another Season on Netflix. The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window certainly sets up a follow-up series but a season 2 is highly unlikely.
Who was living in Anna's Attic? ›Throughout the series, constant noises are coming from Anna's attic, a fact that Anna puts down to the house being old and creaky. In reality, Buell is living in the attic. Yet, it appears that his reasons came from the heart.
What is the deal with the mailbox in the woman across the street? ›It's later confirmed that the mailbox scenes are just anther example of the parody taking place; it's later mentioned that Buell was hired to “fix the mailbox all those years ago” – and by episode seven, is still shown to be hard at work attempting to fix it. The series is available to stream on Netflix now.
Can someone explain the ending of The Woman in the Window? ›The final Woman in the Window plot twist is that the killer was never Alistair Russell—it was his 15-year-old son Ethan. Ethan descends on Anna with a knife in hand and explains that he killed David as payback for sleeping with his mom (Julianne Moore) and bringing her back into his life.
How did Emma get rid of the body? ›
Emma cleans up the scene before she disposes of Lisa's body by cutting her up and stashing her under a tarp in her little red wagon — which, ironically, she has been using to tote around her boxes of chocolate bars. Emma later uses the wagon to dump Lisa's body in the woods, where it is later discovered by the police.
What happened to Rex in The Woman in the House? ›7 What Happened To Rex? After Rex and Anna had their swinging night together, he is taken away quickly in the morning by the police. They think he killed Lisa. Later in the episode, Detective Lane tells Anna that Rex has been released.
What is the epitaph in The Woman in the House? ›Beginning like a serious thriller, The Woman in the House leads viewers into the parody slowly, with the epitaph from episode 1 reading, “If love were enough, you'd have lived forever,” mirroring Anna's sincerity in her grief.
Is the woman in the window a spoof? ›Netflix's The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window is an incredible spoof on murder mysteries, primarily those featuring amateur female detectives battling personal demons and psychiatric issues.
Who killed chastity in the woman across the street? ›Emma confesses to the murders of Chastity, her school teacher, and even her mother, and confesses to framing Anna.
Was Glenn Close in The Woman in the House Across the Street? ›Glenn Close's startling cameo in The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window came as a surprise to the star herself. "They approached me out of the blue. And I was out in LA, which is kind of rare.
What to watch after the woman in the house across the street from the girl in the window? ›- 1 Big Little Lies.
- 2 Cruel Summer. ...
- 3 Inventing Anna. ...
- 4 Mare of Easttown. ...
- 5 Only Murders In The Building. ...
- 6 The Undoing. ...