Living With Yourself – Made In A Strip Mall

By: Ellie Dolan-Yates

This episode we see things from Clone Miles’ (Paul Rudd) point of view. He wakes in the spa and is given a debriefing by one of the owners (James Seol). He should drink lots of water, no smoking, drinking or drugs and no “hanky-panky” for the next twenty-four hours. They also tell him that it’s very important not to look the first time he goes to the toilet.

As Clone Miles gets in his car he goes to put his glasses on, but he finds that he no longer needs them. As he drives away with a smile on his face his phone rings. It’s his colleague Kaylyn (Zoe Chao) ringing to see if he’s coming into work. He tells her to tell their boss that he’s feeling strange. He cuts her off and sticks his head out of the window to take in the air as he drives…before getting out and running through a field of corn. Ray (Gene Jones), the farmer, finds him and they take a walk around. Clone Miles has done some picking, which Ray says he can have.

At the office Clone Miles walks straight into the middle of a meeting about “The Hillston Project” from the previous episode and offers everyone some of his pickings from the farm. His boss (Karen Pittman) thanks him for joining them. Dan (Desmin Borges) is getting excited about his pitch presentation for Hillston when Clone Miles interrupts him. He’s not sure why they’re even bothering about the pitch. Why are they sat in there trying to sell another company when they could be out there living? Clone Miles asks what Hillston is to them and his boss asks him what he thinks it is. With forage from the farm still in his sweater, Clone Miles starts to describe them. He describes how they are all about “family,” but he doesn’t know what he proposes and that they should all come up with something together. As Dan is mocking him, Clone Miles asks everyone to close their eyes and he comes up with an inspirational pitch idea. He says it should be about the company being people’s neighbor and friend and about knowing the customer. Dan asks Clone Miles what he is doing and Clone Miles tells him that he’s a new person after going to the spa Dan recommended. Dan looks deflated.

Clone Miles is preparing dinner (butternut squash and apple casserole) when his wife, Kate (Aisling Bea), comes home. As she’s telling him that she can’t eat anymore Clone Miles stares at her and tells her that she looks exquisite. She’s confused and even more so when he asks how work was. As she’s telling him about her day, he interrupts her to tell her she’s amazing for coming to the US all alone and starting her company from nothing. She asks him what’s going on and if it’s got anything to do with the fertility appointment. He promises to go to the clinic tomorrow as he wants a family with her.

In bed Clone Miles is smelling Kate. She says she’ll talk to him in the morning and he says he’s tired anyway. He gets up to go to the toilet and makes the mistake of looking at his urine. His rainbow colored pee! He asks if Kate would like any water as he needs to rehydrate. As he reaches the bottom of the stairs we see the scuffle between him and OG Miles from the previous episode. This time though we see Clone Miles ring 911 but then put the phone down. The rest of the scene goes through Episode 1’s events of both Miles confronting the spa owners.

As the two Miles’ are driving away we’re reminded of how different they look. Yes, I know they’re both Paul Rudd, but original Miles looks dishevelled, unshaven and scruffy whilst new Miles is clean cut and dressed smart. New Miles asks Miles to pull over which he does. Clone Miles gets out and checks himself. When he gets Miles to get out of the car he opens his belt and asks Miles to do the same. It turns out that Clone Miles can remember having appendicitis, but he doesn’t have the scar like Miles does. As Miles bends down to inspect where Clone Miles’ scar should be, a car drives past and somebody shouts to them to get a room.

Both Miles’ are ordering food when Clone Miles realises that he’s never had sex. The waitress (Eden Malyn) says she’ll come back when they’re ready, but Miles orders a burger and a Coke. Clone Miles orders a green tea and fruit cup and Miles changes his order to the same. Clone Miles starts to cry at the realization of things he’s never done. Miles asks why he’s crying when he would give anything to be Clone Miles. In fact, he just did. When Miles says it isn’t easy for him either, Clone Miles announces that he was made in a strip mall. Miles tells him that he can travel anywhere and do whatever he wants. Clone Miles says there’s something they need to do first.

The Miles’ storm into the spa demanding the rest of their $50,000, but the owners remind them that they signed a waiver. It is only when Clone Miles starts to ring the FDA to report them for violating cloning procedures that the owners start to cave. They offer them a full refund, but Clone Miles asks for another $10,000 for their trouble. The owners slip into their American accents when they get angry and when both Miles’ call them out for faking with an FDA officer on the phone they agree to the full $60,000.

Miles is telling Clone Miles about all the places he could visit when Clone Miles gives him $30,000 as his half. Miles asks how that’s fair when he had to empty his savings. Clone Miles says it’s not his problem if the account’s short. Miles gives Clone Miles I.D. to travel. Miles is hesitant when Clone Miles asks him for a credit card or if he wants to trade places and travel instead, but as the Uber to the airport pulls up he hands Clone Miles a credit card. Clone Miles hands Miles his wedding ring back and takes the Uber to the airport. As he is looking through pictures of Miles and Kate on an iPhone, Kate rings and asks if he picked up the dry cleaning. He says he doesn’t think he has the ticket, but then says he found it. Kate asks him if he’ll pick it up on his way home and he is hesitant. Kate asks if there’s a problem, but Clone Miles says there isn’t. As Kate hangs up, Clone Miles asks the Uber driver to take him to a new address.

Clone Miles is sat outside Miles and Kate’s house watching them through the window. He gets up, goes through the gate and picks up the spare key from under a rock outside.