Living With Yourself Review: What’s Better Than One Paul Rudd? Two Paul Rudds (Season 1 Episodes 1-4)
On the new Netflix original series, Living With Yourself, Paul Rudd gives the double life a whole new meaning.
Unhappy with his life, mild-mannered Miles Elliot seeks help at the mysterious Top Happy Spa. Something goes wrong, and two versions of Miles (the original and a clone) have to figure out how to co-exist. This, obviously, creates a whole host of problems, giving the audience much to think about in existential terms.
The premise is along the same lines as films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich. Characters undergo esoteric procedures in order to better themselves, resulting in strange and unexpected consequences. The 1996 movie, Multiplicity, starring Michael Keaton is, in my opinion, a poorly-executed example of this concept. It comes across as gimmicky, something Living With Yourself is able to avoid.
Not only is the story’s theme similar to Eternal Sunshine and Malkovich, but the feel is as well. The comedy is portrayed with subtle—sometimes quirky—humor and the drama is felt deeply on a metaphysical level. Paul Rudd, like Jim Carrey and John Cusack in the aforementioned films, handles both sides of this unique dramedy genre very well.
The understated humor is often a line of dialogue peppered into a big conversation or a nuanced expression from Rudd. The fact that the Top Happy Spa is located in a strip mall (not a strip club, Kate) “across from a Curves” is one of these little ingenious bits that sets the tone for both the comedy and this fantastical yet realistic reality that is painted for us.
After finding out that his procedure was botched and that his own death was unsuccessful in the process, Miles exclaims, “I mean, at the minimum, the minimum, I should get a refund!” It is moments like this that keep the momentum of the weighty subject matter at a pleasant, comedic pace.
Also helpful in this aspect, is that the episodes seem to alternate points of view between Original Miles and Clone Miles—at least that is the case for the first four episodes. My methodical mind appreciates this approach. The writing along with Rudd’s skillful portrayal of the two guys who are different but the same makes it easy to follow the potentially convoluted story as well as the emotion.
On Living With Yourself Season 1 Episode 4, “Soul Mate,” the Mileses try to explain the situation to Kate (Aisling Bea). Clone Miles urges her to look at it “from another point of view,” and OG Miles is able to say out loud to her that he was unhappy.
OG Miles: I was stuck. I needed help, so I got it. I’m sorry, maybe not in the way that you wanted. Certainly not in the way I imagined, but it worked. He’s been great as me, better than I could ever be. I’m sorry for the way things have been, I am, but I needed this. I needed him. I still do.
Halfway through this confession, there is a cut to Clone Miles where the camera stays on him and slowly pushes in. It solidifies them both as sympathetic characters and makes you want to root for both of them. It also makes the title of the episode more complex—who exactly are the soul mates to which it refers?
Clone Miles goes to Maia, Original Miles’ half-sister, for advice when he starts to suffer from a similar depression with which OG Miles began the show. She is empathetic and helpful, as is her partner, Henry. (However, a side note: Henry fidgeting and squirming as he tries to hold his pose for Maia’s art sculpture is super distracting in this scene that imparts so much good commentary over Clone Miles’ plight.)
Henry: There’s a lot of half souls in this situation.
These supporting characters are useful and, well, supportive. It’s nice that each Miles can go to them and that they provide a little bit of clarity as well as entertainment. Alia Shawkat and Jon Glaser are great as Maia and Henry.
Likewise, James Seol and Rob Yang bring so much to the table in their roles as the operators of the Top Happy Spa. I hope their involvement continues into the second half of the season.
One aspect that I particularly like and which is executed quite well is how Original Miles’ objective skews and how Clone Miles’ objective develops after the mishap. Miles was unhappy in his marriage and his job, and with a new and improved version of himself at his disposal he has a chance to leave it all and start fresh, but he doesn’t seem to have any desire to do so.
Neither does Miles 2.0. He is not too keen on that opportunity and would much rather stick around to live his life as Miles Elliot. He also begins to fall for Kate, even going as far as stealing a lock of her hair to create a clone for himself.
They exist not quite as adversaries and not quite as friends. It is difficult for them to try to outwit each other because they know each other so well. It’s a really interesting dynamic that Rudd is handling with ease.
Maia: Are you seriously jealous of you? You are making incredible advances in feeling sorry for yourself.
OG Miles: I don’t get it. Why can’t I be happy for once?
Maia: Because you didn’t earn it.
All of this creates meaty tension and drama. This first half has satisfied me and I am eager to sink my teeth into the four remaining episodes.
Stray Observations:
- “Life. Am I right?”
- Clone Miles: I was made in a strip mall!
Original Miles: So what? I was born in New Jersey. - I’m not sure what to make of that concentration camp story from Hillston.
- What if Clone Miles got Kaylyn from the office pregnant? He doesn’t have OG Miles’ poor eyesight, maybe he has a higher, more viable sperm count. That could become an issue for all of them.
- How in the heck does Kate have a Da8ter profile? Is she a clone, too, or has she been trying to find someone else? I can’t wait to find out.
What did you think of the first half of Season 1 of Living With Yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Living With Yourself Season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.
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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.