September 13, 2024
Courtesy: Hulu
"How to Die Alone" is Hulu's latest comedy series, created by and starring Natasha Rothwell as Melissa Jackson. Four of its eight episodes premiered on September 13 and two episodes will be released two at a time for the next two weeks until the season finale on September 27.
Natasha Rothwell is best known for her roles in Insecure and White Lotus, the latter earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Often confined to supporting roles throughout her career, she stars for the first time in her own show. In the series, Mel is afraid of flying, among other things. She's a broke, fat, Black JFK International Airport transport assistant who's never been in love and forgotten how to dream until an accidental brush with death catapults her on a journey to finally take flight and start living by any means necessary.
Produced by Disney's Onyx Collective, ABC Signature, Rothwell's Big Hattie Productions, and Welcome Stranger, the series is executive produced by Jude Weng, Desiree Akhavan, and Vera Santamaria. It also stars Conrad Ricamora (How to Get Away with Murder), Jocko Sims (Crash, New Amsterdam), and KeiLyn Durrel Jones (Sparring Partner, The Other Two).
Cast List:
Natasha Rothwell as Melissa
Conrad Ricamora as Rory
Jocko Sims as Alex
KeiLyn Durrel Jones as Terrance
Chris “CP” Powel as DeShawn
Arkie Kandola as Shaun
Jaylee Hamidi as Allie
Michelle McLeod as Patty
Bashir Salahuddin as Brian
Ellen Cleghorne as Beverly
H. Jon Benjamin as Carl
Episode List:
Episode 1: “Stop Living” - September 13, 2024
Episode 2: “Lie and Deny” - September 13, 2024
Episode 3: “Burn Bridges” - September 13, 2024
Episode 4: “Settle” - September 13, 2024
Episode 5: “Trust No One” - September 20, 2024
Episode 6: “Let Fear Win” - Airing September 20, 2024
Episode 7: “Kill Your Darlings” - Airing September 27, 2024
Episode 8: “Get Lost” - September 27, 2024
Courtesy: Hulu
Melissa says hello! She is effortlessly relatable in a series filled with the highs and lows of real-life issues and the insecurities that come with being overweight, rejected, lonely, and riddled with financial debt. For anyone who is 35 (or any age) and feels like their life is on a one way ticket to nowhere, this series frankly deals with that subject matter without being preachy but tackles it with laughter and sensitivity. At its heart, "How to Die Alone" is a genuine comedy that shares a similar premise with other shows we've seen before, but Rothwell has a true handle on her character, and there are moments of drama that grips its authenticity.
In the pilot episode, after having a near-death experience on her birthday in her apartment with crab rangoon and her newly installed DIY furniture, Melissa goes through her very short contact list of friends at the hospital since she cannot release herself on her own. Her bestie Rory stood her up for a date, and it's getting incredibly easier for him to do so. When he sees it's her calling, he rejects her call and resumes his date night in bed. She has no choice but to call her married brother Brian (Bashir Salahuddin, The Dropout), who is seen trying to get a second date from the woman he's seeing. When he sees it's her calling, he rejects the call twice. Everyone in Mel's life basically puts up with her and she has no real friends outside of work. The one relationship that actually worked to perfection is her relationship with Alex, her ex and boss, whom she deliberately sabotaged due to her insecurities. He is now engaged to be married to another woman and extends her an invitation to his wedding in Maui. Will she find the courage to reveal her true feelings before it's too late?
With her near-death experience, she finds solace with a woman, Elise (Jackie Richardson), in the room next to her in the hospital, who gives her sage advice, giving her the courage to start living and stop worrying about what other people think. She dies soon after departing those words of wisdom, and Mel envisions herself as Elise, who dies alone. Her brother finally picks her up at the hospital, and then they get into an argument because he's angry she ruined his night and tells her to get her act together. Unburdening herself to a bartender that teeters on the line of throwing herself a pity party and revealing her inner struggles, a line of dialogue stands out to perfection, I'm still paying off the Lane Bryant bra that cut off my body to drag my fat ass back into a world where nobody sees me, and I pretend to be OK with it, but the truth is - I want to be seen. I want to be loved. I want someone to love me even though I can't.
Mel does not know how to love herself and seeks validation from others. She's angry at the world, but her anger is misplaced. She realizes that her life needs to change, and the series follows her evolution with great humor through the challenges she faces to love herself enough to take the necessary risks in life that will allow her to find the fulfillment she seeks and gain a new appreciation for life starting with the management training program. Alex gave her a glowing recommendation for the position however, Rory does not want her to take the position due to his own insecurities with his father, who is the president of JFK airport. She once again finds herself stuck in a situation of squandering her opportunity to keep her friendship with Rory, which simmers in co-dependence and resentment or take the first step towards independence. A pivotal argument between the two sheds light on the foundation of their friendship, testing the limits and pushing the boundaries of expectations.
Rothwell fully understands her character, so when Mel takes Elise's dog and steals her credit cards to fraudulently pay off her bills and pay for the trip to Alex's wedding in Maui, it raises an eyebrow, but Elise does not have a next of kin. With Mel drowning in a sea of escalating debt, she used her brother's social security number without his permission. The series showcases one's desperation at self-preservation and moral ambiguity which allows Mel to make mistakes, lots of them, but doesn't try to justify or excuse, but provides an explanation for those mistakes. Some people, like Mel, don't know how to change. They don't know how to grow, and they don't know how to be better because of the silent killer that does not get talked about enough - insecurity. It's painful, it's overwhelming and sometimes crippling, not allowing one to reach their truest potential, and in Mel's case, not allowing you to see what's right in front of you both literally and figuratively with her burgeoning friendship with Terrance.
Courtesy: Hulu
Mel is the definition of "a work in progress." Other shows would have tied up Mel's journey in a neat bow, but "How To Die Alone" provides the substance and is smart enough to know that Mel's journey involves self-care as she works on loving herself, acknowledging her mistakes, rehabilitating the strained relationships in her life, and finally taking the wheel to become the pilot in her own life.
Rothwell tackles that subject matter with unbashful accuracy, vulnerability, and the layers needed to tell Mel's story with humorous conviction. The diverse cast and supporting characters, especially her tarmac coworkers, add a rich flavor of authenticity that would have otherwise been missing in a formulaic approach, as well as the interviews from every day people at the start of each episode. The series is a wonderful, honest exploration of finding the inner strength and confidence needed to take life by its horns and start living life.
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How To Die Alone is currently streaming on Hulu.
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