Binge or Cringe: ‘How To Die Alone’
“How To Die Alone” Season 1 premiered on Hulu on September 13th 2024 and is exactly the comfort show one needs in their thirties. Melissa, or Mel, (played by Natasha Rothwell) is a broke thirty-five year old woman who is scared of flying, but works as an accessible transportation driver at JFK airport. The ex she is still in love with is getting married and she is limited in the way of friends. Mel lives her life in the same place every day without getting in anyone’s way. However, when she dies, she realizes that she should start living her life for herself.
While alone on her birthday, she has an accident, causing Melissa to die for three minutes. When she awakens in her hospital room, she is bizarrely greeted by a doctor and a group of residents who sing happy birthday to her after informing Mel of her own death. Then Mel meets her roommate, an elderly woman named Elise (Jackie Robinson). Elise tells her about three different types of death: (1) physical death, (2) when people stop caring for you, and worst of all, (3) when you stop caring for yourself. To which Melissa replies, “If that’s the case, then I died a long time ago.” Their conversation leads Melissa to realize that she needs to be taking more risks to become the person she’s always wanted to be.
This series is funny and dark in the best ways. It explores loneliness through humor that brings comfort to viewers who may find themselves in a similar situation. The cinematography of “How to Die Alone” adds to its storytelling greatly. Melissa has a tendency to see the best version of herself in other people, who are living their lives as she wishes to live hers. In these instances, Mel’s actress becomes the person whom her character is admiring. Visual storytelling is light in this series, but it is implemented effectively. Learning about Mel’s life through flashbacks as she participates in a mock interview is both funny and informative. Similarly, our introduction to the cast of Mel’s friends is done in the first episodes with freeze frames that simulate the epic feeling of a video game. These visuals remain within the bounds of a comedy, but do not deviate to the point where darker underlying themes are forgotten.
Bizarre events are juxtaposed with dark moments and life lessons. Waking up in a hospital room, Melissa is met face-to-face with residents in training who then proceed to serenade her with “Happy Birthday”. Afterwards, she learns a valuable lesson about life and death from her roommate Elise. However, when Elise dies shortly after and Melissa’s belongings are mixed up with Elise’s, Mel chooses to use the dead woman’s credit card to buy herself a flight ticket to her Ex’s wedding in Hawaii. The dichotomy of Mel’s reactions to constant blows from life is what makes her character unique. Not to mention, Natasha Rothwell puts on a praiseworthy performance that captures the balance between the character’s silliness and seriousness. The humor of the show intersects with its serious undertones to create a story that makes you laugh and question your own morals.
In order to explore the complexities of family and the aftermath of neglecting daughters in favor of sons, the audience is invited to Thanksgiving dinner at the house of Melissa’s brother, Brian (Bashir Salahuddin). Mel’s inattention towards her family seems rude, but it is the culmination of years of receiving that same treatment from both of her parents. Although the audience is introduced to Brian in the first episode, tension between the two siblings leads to little information about him being known. Mel’s strained relationship with her brother is latent until Thanksgiving depicts how siblings tend to drift apart when family issues are left unresolved and all parties become busy with life. Tensions between the two boil over, resulting in a tense argument about “The Lion King.” On the outside, Brian was defending himself crying over the movie as a teenager, but it is evident that his rage was a lot deeper than that. Later, Mel and Brian talk things over in a bar. They learn to start listening to each other to lift one another out of their lows. It is heart-warming to see adult siblings work through their differences to understand the real meaning of family.
Aside from her family life, Melissa improves her social life on her journey to become an individual she is proud of. Although she was alone on her birthday, and late in a hospital room, throughout the show there are many moments where she is supported by her friends. For instance, Tamika (Melissa DuPrey) and Allie (Jaylee Hamidi) have a girls night with Mel to help her get ready for her management classes. Another day, Terrance (KeiLyn Durrel Jones) gathers all of Melissa’s friends at JFK and they simulate a flight for her to overcome her fear of flying before her trip to Hawaii. These moments are sweet and completely oppose the loneliness of Mel that was felt earlier in the season. It compliments her character development as she encounters new obstacles in the process of change.
Overall, “How to Die Alone” serves as an ode to those who wish to improve themselves. It showcases the difficulties of transformation and the warmth of having supportive friends. By combining well-filmed, curated images with a humorous and fulfilling story about an adult who is doing their best despite the odds, the end result is a piece of media that is motivational and endearing. This is definitely a show to Binge.
