‘Dead to Me’ Hit the Jackpot Casting James Marsden

Warning: Spoilers for Dead to Me ahead.

Close your eyes and imagine a man so charming that when his character is killed off a TV show the writers introduce a surprise identical twin just so everyone can keep working with and watching him. Now open your eyes. Were you picturing James Marsden? If not, you should have been. Because that’s essentially what happened to him on Dead to Me.

Season 1 of Liz Feldman’s Netflix dramedy introduced Marsden as the insufferable Steve Wood. The arrogant, verbally abusive narcissist was Judy’s (Linda Caredellini) ex-fiancé and the person who convinced her to flee after she hit and killed Jen’s (Christina Applegate) husband. On one hand, we likely wouldn’t have a show without Steve. On the other hand, he was a vile man who pushed Jen too far in the Season 1 finale and wound up floating face down in her pool. But while Steve straight-up sucked, James Marsden was an utter delight. So in Season 2 of Dead to Me, he unexpectedly returned to screens as Ben, Steve’s kind, corny, emotionally available identical twin brother.

While portraying the two contrasting characters throughout the series, Marsden showcased remarkable range as an actor. And Dead to Me’s third and final season reminds fans that he was perfectly cast as the Wood brothers.

When we last left Ben Wood in Season 2, he had just smashed into Jen and Judy’s car while drunk and fled the scene. Season 3 shows him — bloody-headed and concussed — arriving on Jen’s doorstep, sweetly slurring the words “You’re bleedy! I’m great,” and passing out on the lawn in front of her son Charlie. When Ben comes to, he sobers up and turns down the charm. He tells Charlie he’s an example of how not to live life and breaks down crying once he remembers he was driving to see his brother’s recovered body. After moments of sincerity, his goofiness inches its way out again and he asks Charlie to refrain from telling his mom what happened, because it could be “real bad news bears” for him.

In these first Season 3 scenes, Marsden seamlessly cycles through blissful ignorance, accountability, grief, shame, fear, avoidance, and charm in an impressive display of emotion that sets the stage for a superb season-long performance.

Throughout Dead to Me’s final 10 episodes, Marsden gets to thrive on screen as a comical nice guy. He sings along to Patsy Cline and Willie Nelson, delivers thoughtful gift baskets, delights at the thought of relaxing with a candlelit bath and lavender body wash, and literally sweeps Jen off her feet Enchanted-style. Few men as ridiculously handsome as Marsden could pull off Ben Woods’ love of puns and cheesy sayings like “Later, gator” and “Get your plumb on,” yet somehow, he makes it work.

But as those first scenes showed, Marsden also excels at tapping into the darker facets of Ben’s character. In Season 3, Ben struggles with alcoholism and the grief of losing his brother. He sends himself into shame spirals whenever he thinks about their last interaction or the guilt he has over his own hit-and-run.

But unlike Steve, Ben holds himself accountable, has regrets, and wants to get help. Marsden laces his emotional, tear-filled Season 3 scenes with whiffs of hopelessness, desperation, and fragility that make you truly feel for Ben, even when he’s not at his best. And at times, Marsden even plays that dejected version of Ben while simultaneously unleashing Steve’s wrath.

Thanks to several Season 3 flashbacks and a creative mirror scene in Episode 2, Marsden steps back into Steve’s shoes to fight with himself as Ben. Name another show where a preppy, pretentious James Marsden snaps, “You’re a real piece of shit you know that?” at a messy, morose James Marsden. You can’t! Dead to Me is great. And in Season 3, Marsden does it all. He’s the lighthearted leading rom-com man, the detestable villain, the jokester, the guy whose spirits need lifting, and everything in between. His capacity for humor and emotional depth make him a perfect addition to the cast. And never forget: Had the show cast anyone other than him, we likely never would have had Ben in the picture at all.

All three seasons of Dead to Me are now streaming on Netflix.