The “wizard of loneliness” takes flight in season 2 of The Rehearsal.
Comedian and evil genius Nathan Fielder premiered the new season of his acclaimed HBO show Sunday — a surreal blend of fiction and reality where Fielder elaborately scripts scenarios to help others overcome difficult situations. While the first season aimed to help people through mundane moments, Fielder has a much more noble goal this time around — preventing airline crashes.
The season opened on a strangely somber note. Fielder, typically an awkward mess, is serious and thoughtful as he reviews historic plane crashes. There’s no gimmicks, no reveals, no twists. Between conversations with safety experts, Fielder sternly watches real-time simulations of these crashes shrouded in the flames of failure, an unsuitably imposing shot.
[‘The Last of Us’ season 2 premiere is a powerful return to a zombie apocalypse]
Fielder argues that poor communication between pilots and a lack of assertiveness to take control of a situation is a cause of crashes. His experimental solution is to simulate a pilot’s day-to-day life, requiring the construction of three replica airports and more than 70 actors employing “the Fielder Method” – which involves stalking random pedestrians to replicate their exact mannerisms – to improve pilot communication.
The premise’s juxtaposition shines as it floats between reality and ridicule. Fielder highlights an intriguing flaw in airline safety while roping viewers into his insanity. You’re almost convinced these asinine methods may harbor an ingenious breakthrough, compelling you to root for Fielder even if he’s easy to laugh at.
But The Rehearsal is only about airplanes on a surface level. Rather, this season examines social anxieties and highlights the growing refusal to take control of situations.
Fielder follows “Moody,” a pilot with a long-distance girlfriend. While initially pitching the experiment as a revolution to airline safety, he eventually coaches Moody to confront his girlfriend about their relationship problems. The setup indirectly compares co-pilots who refuse to take control of crashing planes with failing relationships. Just like watching a couple argue in real life, it’s a tense and cringeworthy scene.
The human moments are what make The Rehearsal so special in the first place. Fielder’s social interactions are a sight to behold as the show revels in his uneasiness. In one particularly memorable scene, Fielder intently observes Moody’s morning routine, awkwardly sitting on the toilet as the pilot brushes his teeth. It harkens back to the skin-peeling scenes in season one, where Fielder attempts to engage with others normally but fails spectacularly.
Past the lunacy, Fielder offers surprisingly thoughtful commentary on our daily interactions. In one poignant scene, he highlights how pilots sometimes only interact with each other on a transactional basis, unable to muster small talk. The metaphor extends to general interactions with co-workers, forcing viewers to tackle an uncomfortable truth about social interactions.
Yet, Fielder barely disguises that The Rehearsal is an excuse to work on his insecurities. He continues to “rehearse” through his anxieties, presented in a brilliant scene where he calls a United Airlines representative, only to reveal he hired an actor to play the part.
[‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’, ‘Dragula’ alumni electrify fifth SEE Spring Drag Show]
Fielder grapples with his persona, caught between making a comedy and potentially reforming the entire airline industry. These internal struggles feel almost voyeuristic, yet remain captivating. He has perfected a blurred reality by keeping viewers contemplating how much of the “real” Nathan Fielder they are watching.
The Rehearsal proves its oddball premise can hold up in much grander scenarios, delivering another strange but deeply engrossing episode of television. There’s no telling where Fielder will take us this season, but just like an airplane about to take flight, hopefully it’ll only go up from here.
