The Woman in the House's plot plays out like a domestic thriller edition of Clue. Is the killer Buell with the mailbox? Neil with a knife? Or is it the last character any reasonable person would expect? If you picked option number three, then congratulations, you clearly know the ins and outs of the thriller genre that The Woman in the House is spoofing.
As any thriller lover can attest, if the murderer is too easy to spot, then the writer is doing something wrong. The whole genre is built around serving up big reveals, and The Woman in the House has a juicy one. Although, if you've read or seen The Woman in the Window, which this show is spoofing extra hard, then you likely did see the final twist coming. However, if you're not familiar with the AJ Finn novel, then the murderer's reveal may have felt totally random, but I'm here to assure you that it wasn't.
Fair warning, there are MAJOR spoilers for The Woman in the House finale ahead!
In actuality, the show set up sweet, little Emma as the killer early on. From her comically large wagon to the hints about the multiple tragedies in her young life, the clues were all there. Look, I don't for a second believe a 9-year-old could chop up and dispose of a body without her father — who is upstairs the whole time — not noticing anything is amiss, but I'll allow it and here's why: Because even though Emma as the killer falls apart when you try to apply reason to the twist, there's no denying the writers laid the groundwork for the reveal throughout Season 1. Don't believe me? Check out all of the clues below.
1.Anna Gave Her Full Access To The House... Twice!
Whoever framed Anna had to have access to her house in order to take the palette knife. Now, Neil did drop by once, but she never left him alone long enough for him to take anything without her noticing. Meanwhile, Buell always felt like way too obvious of a choice, even though he was always hanging around the house. That just left Emma, who Anna leaves unattended not once, but twice to go get her checkbook, giving the tiny serial killer ample opportunity to find a weapon to plant near Lisa's dead body.
2. That Wagon Is Way Too Big To Just Be Holding Candy
First of all, this is a massive wagon for any small child to be dragging around a neighborhood. I mean, those are industrial-sized tires! Plus, she always keeps it covered with a blanket. Sure, you could argue she's trying to keep the sun off of the chocolate, but wouldn't she sell more bars if people could actually see what they were buying? The only other reason for Emma to have a massive wagon that always has a blanket over it is if she's using it to transport her dad's dead girlfriend's remains to the perfect hiding spot.
3. She Was The Only Witness To Her Mother's Drowning
This was the first big clue that something was up with Emma. Note that Neil strongly suggests Emma and her mother were alone when her mom drowned. That makes her look totally guilty, especially in combination with the other clues.
4. Lisa Dumping The Markers Was A Pretty Big Slight
Weirdly, Emma reveals she killed Lisa because she wouldn't buy any chocolate bars from her, but I still suspect her sudden murderous rage had something to do with the faux stewardess dumping her markers in the trash. Either way, seeing her toss the markers felt like a slight against Emma, and it made her ending up dead the same night feel like too big of a coincidence to ignore.
5. The Spelling Of You're Is Totally Suspect
No, that doesn't look like a 9-year-old's handwriting, and also, how did Anna not notice this threatening message on her car until she got to the police station? And yet, the young person spelling of "you're" still feels like a dead giveaway that the killer is Emma somehow.
6. Her Sudden Access To Almond Chocolate Bars
When Emma came back with the almond chocolate bars, I was certain she was the murderer. Her sudden access to more bars combined with Anna once again rushing off for her checkbook felt way too convenient for the killer not to be her. Plus, she totally tries to throw her dad under the bus while she's talking to Anna here, which suggests she's trying to get the heat off of herself just in case her nosy neighbor is getting close to the truth.
7. The Dead Teacher Reveal
Come on, her teacher and her mom died right in front of her? Barely two weeks apart? It would have been more surprising if she hadn't been the murderer after that double whammy reveal.
In conclusion: even though Emma couldn't possibly have disposed of Lisa's body on her own unless she was possessed by a demon or a dead strong man competitor, the clues for that killer reveal were still there all along.
Images: Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix; Netflix