Near-Death Becomes Her: Natasha Rothwell Brings Main Character Energy to ‘How to Die Alone’

In Hulu's 'How to Die Alone,' Natasha Rothwell demonstrates her strengths as writer and performer, and as both comedian and dramatic actress

, she is living an existence that only a masochist might choose. She works at JFK Airport, driving a cart around the terminal to ferry passengers on their way to the kinds of trips she wishes she could take but knows that she can’t, both because she’s broke and terrified to fly. She has to come to work every day alongside her ex, Alex, a seemingly perfect guy whom she pines after, even though she’s the one who ended the relationship, for reasons she can barely understand, much less articulate.

The comedy comes mostly from the intricate world Rothwell depicts within the bowels of JFK. Almost any item Mel needs — luggage, drugs, even a $4,000 “investment ham” — can be found in one of the confiscation rooms, and friendly baggage handler Terrance can seemingly hook her up with the rest. There’s also an amusingly petty rivalry between Mel and Patti who sits at the desk next to Alex, and H.

Within that quirky but largely down-to-earth world, Rothwell adds some fanciful elements. Mel has an overactive imagination. At times, it manifests as her imagining herself as other people throughout the airport — always people who seem more fulfilled and confident — while at others, we get full-blown musical numbers. As it turns out, Rothwell can sing just as well as she can sling a joke or play the raw emotion of a scene.

Television shows are by their very nature collaborative. Rothwell wears multiple hats on this series, but she’s working in tandem with directors, crewmembers, and other writers and actors. She is not alone in the way the character she plays here feels. Still, after seeing her work so well for others in other series, it’s nice to see how well she can do when she sets out on her relative own like this.

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