On Hulu’s High Fidelity, Robyn “Rob” Brooks (Zoë Kravitz) is so devastated when her latest relationship falls apart, she begins to question if she’s doomed to a life full of rejection and loneliness. Rob decides to revisit the most epic romances from her past to see if she can change the course of her future.
As Rob becomes determined to learn from her mistakes, she tests the waters with a new guy, Clyde (Jake Lacy). Things get more complicated when her ex, Russell “Mac” McCormack (Kingsley Ben-Adir), reenters her life. Rob finds herself part of a constantly shifting and lopsided love triangle. Season 1 ends with Rob very much single, and the audience will be split on who is Rob’s perfect match. Here are five reasons why Mac should be with Mac and five reasons she belongs with Clyde.
Clyde: He Wins Her Over Early On, Sort Of
Rob is so checked out of her first date with Clyde, it’s hard to watch. Her responses are limited to “cool, cool, cool.” Rob is a woman who doesn’t think twice about giving in to her fight-or-flight response (she fails), especially when Clyde comes across as a nice guy who lacks the edge to get Rob’s motor running.
It’s only when Clyde admits that he knows Rob tried to bail that she begins to see potential outside of a one night stand. She still tries to shake him loose, but Clyde isn’t dissuaded. It would be easy for him to take their night together as a win and move on. Clyde’s got his work cut out for him (knowing Rob’s headspace), and he obliterates (albeit temporarily) her microscopic sense of optimism when he bails in the morning.
Mac: They Have Powerful Sexual Chemistry
Once Rob delves into her history with Mac, it reinforces the initial impression that she and Clyde aren’t a good fit. With Mac, there are immediate sparks. He’s beautiful, and when he and Rob are together, she’s transformed from a drab shell in an ugly cardigan into an altogether different person: sexy, deeply in love and happy.
As the series progresses, the intensity of their physical connection doesn’t diminish. It’s been stretched to the limit but not broken. Maybe it’s just because Kraviz and Ben-Adir are so effortlessly appealing: one of those on-screen couples who the audience would find believable off screen as well.
Clyde: He Brings Rob French Toast
Clyde has a ton of excuses as to why and how he manages to slip out undetected the morning after he and Rob have sex. For any seasoned dater, they all sound like BS. The fact that he reappears means nothing because Rob unknowingly has his phone, and his return reeks of a booty call. The only thing that saves Clyde is french toast.
He delivers it to her as, what? A peace offering? Because there’s no food in her fridge? Because he wants to share it with her? He doesn’t have to bring Rob anything at all. She admits she tried to sneak out of their date, so she’s in no place to judge. It’s a nice-guy move, and far more original than flowers.
Mac: He Forgives Rob For Cheating
Mac feels betrayed when Rob confesses to cheating on him. She finally comes clean so he’ll let himself off the hook for walking away. Rob sleeps with someone else the same night they get engaged, and Mac’s more upset that he blew up his life for the wrong reasons. The entire basis of their breakup is a lie, and he’s willing to forgive her infidelity because she never stopped loving him.
Rob wonders why she gets rejected, meanwhile, she pushes Mac out the door. His willingness to let her off the hook is more than she deserves, especially given the self-wallowing she does for nine episodes. Kravitz makes a fallible character: one who is self-centered and self-indulgent someone who is still deserving of love.
Clyde: Opposites Attract
Rob’s preoccupation with what matters to the people she’s dating doesn’t work in her favor, Mac, Liam (Thomas Doherty) and Simon (David H. Holmes) are all men she vibes with on so many levels, and all three of the romances end, two of them landing in her “Top Five.” Rob is consumed by her passions, so much so she’s blind to cool stuff right in front of her.
Clyde doesn’t understand the importance of a Bowie album, but he steals it for her anyway. Clyde may not agree with her refusal to buy a “unicorn” record collection, but he has the intuitiveness to understand why she does it. Lacy’s character isn’t a huge deviation from those he played on Girls or The Office, but there’s an affability about Clyde that provides a playful contrast to Rob’s moodiness.
Mac: He’s Still In Love With Rob
Mac leaves Rob, but it isn’t because he falls out of love with her, choosing to return to Brooklyn with his fiance, Lily (Dana Drori). He finds Rob on his doorstep and invites her in for a drink. They fight: the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference, and Mac is anything but indifferent.
Mac hangs out with her brother, knowing Rob will show up, and he calls her and invites her to have drinks the minute Lily leaves town and he still has the keys to her apartment. He’s not the nicest guy for stringing Lily along when he’s not over Rob, but love is messy, and like Clyde tells Rob, she’s messy.
Clyde: He Does His Time In The Friend Zone
When it comes to commitment, Rob is a hard sell. She seems to fall into her other relationships so easily, and with Clyde, aside from the sex, intimacy doesn’t interest her. They overcome the initial awkwardness of the morning after and evolve organically into friends.
Clyde pursues Rob, sensing there is enough chemistry not to get discouraged. It’s only after one too many mixed messages that he backs away. Does Rob finally get it, or does she just want what she suddenly can’t have? That’s a question we’ll hopefully get the answer to during a second season.
Mac: He And Rob Have More In Common
For a woman who believes common interest trumps everything else when it comes to having a successful relationship, Mac checks all those boxes. Mac is cool, he’s into the right things: the things Rob values.
She builds a life with Mac while she can’t wait to get Clyde out of her apartment after one sexual encounter. She dismisses Clyde as someone she could legitimately date because he’s a fan of Phish. Mac doesn’t wear khakis, he’s not the kind of d**k who owns a car in the city. Rob never refers to him as “the vest.” Clyde constantly fails to measure up to Rob’s crazy standards.
Clyde: He Calls Rob Out
When Clyde calls Rob “messy,” he’s giving her the answer as to why she’s in and out of relationships. Clyde likes her. He thinks about her all the time, but she’s all over the place. Sometimes things don’t work out, relationships can’t be fixed and there’s nobody to blame.
But there are things Rob does that are screwed up, and her friends and family coddle her, reassure her, enabling her self-indulgence. Clyde’s hasn’t known Rob for long but sees her clearly and lets her know she needs to pull it together.
Mac: He Wants To Get Back To The Other Side Of The Rock
Rob and Mac’s love story is bookended by a promise. If they ever find themselves on the s****y side of the rock, they have to remind themselves to come back to the good side. It’s a place Mac can’t get to on the first episode, and it’s all Rob wants to do throughout the series.
After Rob’s finally ready to be accountable for her role in her most devastating breakup, Mac is ready to make good on that promise. They come back together, and there is a tenderness and some unspoken understanding. Rob finally decides to live in the now, but she’s still finding her way, so don’t count Mac out.
