It sounds like bad writing.
I’m trying to guide you through this.
I only ask because I don’t see any types under Universe/Mind that feel good in those spots.
Got it.
I am fairly convinced that none of the OS problems that we see would exist without the extra Miles. This is a crink in the Universe, and decides that OS.
Next, I ruled out a few things:
Future: this doesn’t feel right. How are concerns about the Future affecting them today? Yes, they want a baby. Yes, the company wants to win the pitch. But these things are not heavily weighing on them now—and less so, in the face of the extra miles. Future is out.
Past: Same thing here. Nothing in the past seems to be dictating their path now. They’re not running from the law or anything.
Present: I could see this. The problem they are having is right now.
Progress: At work, Miles seems to be slipping. He’s not out, but he’s on his way out. Their relationship seems to be crumbling… not going to the baby center makes it worse…
Now, we’re down to two.
Quick thought about some other things: Kate seems to be figuring out who she wants to be with, which maybe is a future thing. And Miles knows the pitch may affect his future at the company… So, maybe how they are dealing with their concern is being measured by the future it might provide.
I pause here to look at the Variations and other possible Throughlines. Since we’ve said he’s a Do-er, this forces our hand to Physics.
There absolutely needs to be a significant change with how the people in the know are dealing with the broken universe. Several times, the answer seems to be “there can only be one of us.” Old Miles wants to accomplish this by sending New Miles away. New Miles wants to get rid of the geek.
Obtaining doesn’t really fit because dis-Obtaining one of the Miles isn’t really a thought they have overall. It’s spotty, and it isn’t the goal in-and-of-itself. It would merely (hopefully) fix the universe.
As for Becoming a family… I could see this. Except that this breaks down for me when I go outside their unit.
The FDA stuff was sooo bad for so many reasons.
Is that said in the show? I don’t remember. Seems like they said they couldn’t get money unless they proved there was a clone and they couldn’t prove a clone unless they had money, which still sounds like a problem with the Universe of the FDA.
It does feel like dysfunctional thinking, but more on the part of the writers than the storyform because i don’t think it’s played in the scene as being problematic for the FDA. What conflict comes from this? I know they get shut down like a minute later, but the story tells us that’s because of a lack of money. Not because they are idiots.
I’d think the FDA stuff was instead there to act as conflict for Miles and the existing clone rather than to introduce a new character in the last episode and show us how this new character experiences conflict that they’ve already got characters to show this with.
Best I can see is a lack of Future for new Miles. But that doesn’t seem to last the whole show. Just an episode, maybe two.
Present and Progress are where I was looking as well. I think I was leaning more to Present here, but couldn’t find a good fit for other throughlines. Of course I was trying to put the MC in psych.
Yeah, he IS the good Miles. And that makes old Miles upset while also influencing old Miles to order tea instead of Coke, to try to tell a story, to crash new Miles’ story. When the waitress offers him a coke because that’s what he wanted, he gets mad (conflict), when he crashes new Miles’ story there’s conflict with Kate.
I admit that I can see Universe OS and Physics MC. Maybe I’m trying to make the show more interesting to me than it actually was. 
But I think Psychology OS and Universe MC feels closer to the show I watched.
Yes there are two Miles, but it never really affects all the people at work. In fact, the whole thing seems ready to resolve in the first episode except for two things, the pitch and new Miles being mentally hung up on his old life.
Looking at they types under the domains, Conceiving, Conceptualizing, Being and Becoming feel more like how the OS played out than Past, Present, Future, Progress. I could see the Present and Future, but Past and Progress don’t stick out to me.
Past, Present, Future, and Progress feel way more like what Old Miles is dealing with then Learning, Understanding, Doing, and Obtaining. I could see the argument that it’s all the things he’s not doing, but could you not also see that as being stuck? He feels tired and run down. All of his promise has dissipated. He can’t make any progress at work or on his novel. His life doesn’t seems to be going anywhere. It’s like a total stand still.
Memories, Preconscious, Subconscious, Conscious seem like a better fit for new Miles than the psychology types. He has all of old Miles memories, but he never actually lived them. He’s spontaneous, He follows his own bliss. He is consumed with love for this wife he never had. He’s always attentive to and caring of others needs. He has this positive can-do attitude that old Miles used to have. He has hope.
Learning, Understanding, Doing, and Obtaining feel strong than the Mind types for the Relationships. Learning about the affair, understanding there are two Miles, altering the play, the cooking, the running away, the awful sex, the inability to conceive, and then actually conceiving feel way more like the ebb and flow in the relationships.
This is set up also gives you the start feel for Miles. I’ll reply to specifics things you guys said after I get some coffee and a shower.
Exactly. By simply Being, the New Miles pushes the Old Miles off his track.
The IC is figured out by looking at how he affects the MC, not what he’s like on his own.
Except that New Miles does not show up at work for a week, and the Old Miles thinks he’s there, which almost results in them losing the bid, and does in fact result in the one guy losing his job. Also, he sleeps with someone at work.
He’s stuck like a depressed person is stuck, which is not the same thing as a Universe being broken.
If you are on an island that is 107 miles from any other land, you are in a situation because you can’t leave. If you are on an island that is 107 feet from any other land, and you don’t leave, you are not stuck.
This is what he brings into the story. Then he starts doing things about it. He goes to the spa. He “steals” the money. He works on his play (sort-of).
Right, and this drives him crazy. So how does he try to change these things? And what is the effect on Old Miles?
To me it’s like, they get this phone call, that anyone else would probably write off as a prank (a strip mall massage parlor is cloning people?), then they make this big show about bagging Miles and grilling him, trying to mind f-ck him, but he sees through the whole act, then when the other co-workers are popping in it’s like “Not again with these guys and their nonsense conspiracy theories”. I think it’s actually said by one of the co-workers that they do this enough for it to be a problem.
One of the things that happens after some time away from a show is that we start to lose track of details. That makes analysis difficult.
Like I said before, I don’t think we are headed towards a complete storyform, and the reason that is bad (especially when time is added into the equation) is that our brains fill things in to make it work and forget details (also to make it work).
But…
They don’t make a big show of it. They try to be as discreet as possible, they’re just witnessed by New Miles.
All the other things they do seem to be the result of a lack of resources. So yes they are trying to mind f-uck him, but that’s a result of not having much to go with. They do mention that they have found 35 of these spas.
Also, we all agree, this is the weakest writing of the show…
…
I just want to take another moment to explain the OS Universe. The only way to return to normal is to kill New Miles. A new way of thinking can make the new Universe okay (maybe that’s where they are headed next year) but this Universe has an extra being in it.
I was saying Obtaining as a consequence. Like, if we don’t get our heads around this and figure out a way to make it work, then one of us is going to have to leave/die.
I think a problem here is most of the other cast seems to drop out around the halfway point. It’s like the first half is all about keeping up this charade for the pitch and vote and the second half is about who is going to be Miles now that the vote is over.
I completely get that. Doesn’t Chris Huntley also explain it as the IC is the path not taken? New Miles is like old Miles if he’d never given up and had stayed positive.
I can see this.
I get that he does things. He’s a do-er.
But the things he does don’t work because he doesn’t have the right attitude. i’m thinking about Andy from 40 Year Old Virgin (can’t seal the deal with women) or Michael from Tootsie (career is in a standstill). Those movies feel closer to this show to me genre wise, but I admit that’s very subjective.
I’m happy to concede to OS Universe if you guys are in agreement. I can see it both ways. I admit I’m probably looking at the storytelling and not the actual underlying conflict. Maybe pushing ahead will help me get my bearings.
My sci-fi / comedy of errors story is awesome in my head.
@Greg I’m assuming you’re good moving ahead with OS Universe / MC Physics?
We haven’t done a good job of explaining what the OS storyline is, and we should do that.
This is right, but this doesn’t help us find the storyform.
Of course they don’t work. That’s why the story doesn’t end right away.
True. We never really took stock of where we stood on everything once you finished watching, either.
Here is my take:
OS: Several entities (a family, company, and spa) in a small town have to contend (whether or not they know it) with there suddenly being two different versions of the same person.
MC: Old Miles. We are with him on this journey. We find out that New Miles has been playing hooky when he does, etc.
IC: New Miles. The ease with which he lives life drives old, struggling Miles crazy.
RS: The Clones, but also all relationships seem to have to do with a lack of respect and trust.
This is a cool way of looking at it, but it doesn’t sound like the show I saw.
I’d counter with something like:
OS “Living With Yourself”: Several entities (a family, company, and spa) in a small town (whether they know it or not) contend with the problems created from a man and his clone trying to figure out a way to co-exist.
I like your version better.
1 Like
They make a big show of it for Miles. They’re pretending they’re something they’re not.
Just like the spa guys.
Just like the kindly old man who is actually pure evil.
Just like old Miles and New Miles are passing themselves off as the same person.
Just like how the company is trying to pass itself off as your friends and neighbors.
Just to add, I’m sure all the Universe stuff will come into play in the show as it goes on, but this story doesn’t feel like Iron Giant or Witness. The FDA has no proof there is a clone, the Spa Guys aren’t trying to git rid of old Miles to cover their asses. The business just thinks Miles has a disheveled twin brother.
The discovery of new Miles affects the Marriage, but getting rid of new Miles doesn’t really come into play. They give him an apartment and money. Its like “How are we going to make this work?”
I don’t see most of that a problematic.
But fir your argument to work, you need MC Miles in Situation. So work that angle.