LIVING WITH YOURSELF - SEASON 1 (2019) SERIES REVIEW
Netflix has
been continually pumping out a seemingly never-ending supply of movies and
television shows to become engulfed into. The streaming service released a brand-new
series called Living with Yourself which has been making waves since
being made available for all to enjoy last week. Everyday man Miles (Paul Rudd)
falls in a depressive, uncaring state after years of a repetitive routine with
his wife Kate (Aisling Bea). Following a spa trip recommended by a co-worker,
Miles’ life soon becomes incomprehensible as he discovers he has a clone and
must now learn to live with a new and improved version of himself. This dramedy
blends both genres together in such a charming way considering the uniqueness
of the overall concept. Creator Timothy Greenberg takes full advantage of both
the comedic antics and the dramatic repercussions that can transpire with
having a clone throughout this eight-episode series.
Even though having been
heavily advertised as a comedy, Living with Yourself has many layers
underneath it’s comical exterior ranging from the ethicality of clones existing
to the sheer distress it can have on friends and family. Housing numerous
comedic actors including Paul Rudd and Aisling Bea, the humour manages to work
on multiple levels even when the amusement doesn’t relate to the clone’s
existence. Paul Rudd does a great job in portraying both of his characters
seeing as each of them are near exact opposites to one another. Opposite Rudd
and Rudd is Aisling Bea as Kate who was an unforeseen standout in the series.
Beginning as a one-dimensional character, she slowly evolved into my favourite
character on the show thanks to her natural performance and her character-focused
episode being one of my favourites.
Editing is one of the most important
aspects to any kind of film or TV show as a single mistimed edit can result in
a scene’s tone becoming messy and misconstrued. Living with Yourself is
edited in such a way where the first halve of an episode focuses on one of the
Miles’ point of view from the previous episode, resulting in a uniquely
remarkable style of both editing and story-telling. Many have criticised Living
with Yourself for having a weak debut episode which unfortunately is the
show’s major downfall. If a series doesn’t have a strong first impression,
audiences presumably won’t invest any more time into said show. This is a real
shame too as the show is one of my favourite new releases to come onto Netflix.
Thanks to a perfect blend of comedy and drama, superb performances from all and
a narrative which beautifully conveys the saying ‘both sides of the same coin’,
Living with Yourself is a breath of fresh air and should unquestionably
be everyone’s next quick binge.
OVERALL
7 / 10
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