Nathan Fielder’s ‘The Rehearsal’ has broken my brain. Please help.

by Therese Odell, posted in Uncategorized

BEARS!

 

Here’s A BUNCH OF TV News

Confession time: The show I have been completely and totally obsessed with for the past month+ has been Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal on HBO and HBO Max. And I was going to write about it and encourage y’all to tune in … until I realized I had no idea what I was actually watching. I decided I was going wait until tonight’s season finale to put my thoughts together but then HBO went and did this this morning …

… so I guess we’re going to talk about this show, which I can only describe as the most insane thing I’ve ever seen on television.

Let’s begin with Nathan for You, Nathan Fielder’s 2013 Comedy Central “reality parody.” In the show, Nathan Fielder, as himself,  helped real small business owners come up with creative ways to improve their businesses. And by “creative,” I mean completely outlandish if not illegal. The business owners themselves were never told that the show they were filming was a comedy series, and their interactions with a socially awkward Fielder are completely genuine. It is very cringey, manipulative, and absolutely hilarious, albeit not for everyone. If awkward situations give you anxiety, this series — and The Rehearsal — is not going to be your thing.

At first blush, the concept of The Rehearsal seems like an extension, if not a variation of Nathan for You. The official description from HBO:

Nathan Fielder (Nathan For You, HBO’s How To with John Wilson) returns to television for a new series that explores the lengths one man will go to reduce the uncertainties of everyday life. With a construction crew, a legion of actors, and seemingly unlimited resources, Fielder allows ordinary people to prepare for life’s biggest moments by “rehearsing” them in carefully crafted simulations of his own design. When a single misstep could shatter your entire world, why leave life to chance?

The concept of The Rehearsal stemmed from filming Nathan for You: before filming with the unsuspecting business owners and others, Fielder and his team would “rehearse” how they expected their interactions would unfold, only to realize that people never behaved the way they anticipated in their rehearsal.

This, essentially, is how the first episode of The Rehearsal unfolds: Fielder sets out to help a man break the news to his fellow bar trivia team members that he lied about having a master’s degree. To this end, Fielder builds a replica of the bar where the man and his friends play bar trivia, and hires actors to help “rehearse” the confession. It’s all very Nathan for You, and I assumed it was what I was going to be watching over the course of the next five episodes.

And then everything changed in episode two.

I do not want to spoil anything for you, because I truly believe going into the next five episodes a completely blank slate is the best, and most mind-trippy way to experience them.

But I will say that each week I find myself more and more unsure what I am watching and feeling like I am losing my grasp of reality within the universe of The Rehearsal. What is real? What is scripted? Is anything scripted? Is anything real? Are these people being manipulated? Or are they in on all of it? Or are some of them in on it? Or are we the ones being manipulated based on our understanding of Nathan Fielder and his work? Is this really Nathan Fielder or is he playing “Nathan Fielder?” Or is all of this just a big therapy session for Nathan Fielder? Or is it therapy for “Nathan Fielder?” Are these people actors? Are the actors who we know are actors actually acting being actors? Or are they real people who think they are actors who are acting like they are actors?

I KNOW THIS SOUNDS LIKE INSANE BUT THIS IS WHAT THIS SHOW IS DOING TO ME AND EVERYONE ELSE WATCHING IT. IT IS AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS IN A TV SHOW.

I am telling you, entire dissertations are going to be written about this series.

Here are some links I’ve been sitting on that you DEFINITELY SHOULD NOT READ until you’ve watched the show:

My favorite bit of writing on this show is this Vox piece by Alissa Wilkinson whose brain has similarly been broken by the “reality” of The Rehearsal. She explores four different ways of understanding the series: as a manipulative reality show; as an insane documentary; as therapy; and as something that we don’t know yet and will be revealed in the finale. She also goes full theorist, picking at some of the Biblical references he may or may not be deliberately including. I KNOW THIS SOUNDS INSANE. THAT’S BECAUSE IT IS.

Collider explores how The Rehearsal is fully aware that it’s manipulative and because it knows it’s unethical, it’s the MOST ethical reality show. I’m telling you, this fucking show is a labyrinth.

The other people in The Rehearsal sure do seem to be real people with real social media presences outside of the show … unless that’s all Fielder too, like Thrifty Boy? 

Variety offers several other Nathan Fielder pieces to watch to understand his brilliance.

Vanity Fair has a list of other movies and shows to watch after The Rehearsal if you like the way The Rehearsal just broke your brain.

Anyway. Please watch this show already so that I have someone, anyone to talk to about it. I’m begging you.

Neil’s not just being a tease: Netflix just released two surprise bonus episodes of The Sandman. One, “A Dream of a Thousand Cats,” is an animated episode featuring Sandra Oh, David Tennant, James McAvoy, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge, and Gaiman himself, and the other, “Calliope,” is a live-action installment.

This is a wonderful profile of Mohammed Amer, the Houston comedian whose Netflix series based on his life living in Alief, Mo, is going to premiere next week. It was filmed here in Houston — Alief specifically — and it sounds like Mohammed is Houston to his core:

… Alief will always be home, even if he currently lives a few miles away, in downtown Houston. It’s where he discovered how it felt to live in a community defined by its diversity — Black, Mexican, Vietnamese, you name it. To drive through Alief is to see tightly packed strip malls filled with the business equivalent of the United Nations: a Vietnamese restaurant next to a Mexican grocery store next to a Parisian bakery.

…

“In many ways, Mo is the melting pot,” said Ramy Youssef, the Egyptian American star and creator of the Hulu comedy “Ramy,” who created “Mo” with Amer. Yousef also cast Amer in a supporting role on “Ramy,” as the owner of a diner.

“Not to use a tired word, but he is very literally multicultural,” Youssef continued. Told of his friend’s analogy, Amer offered a correction: “I like salad bowl better than melting pot. Everybody loses their own identity in the melting pot. In a salad bowl, everything retains its original flavor.”

HBO Max is just on a massacre right now: in addition to these 68 movies and TV shows they have just cut from the service, they’ve also removed some 200 episodes of Sesame Street. I don’t know

What is interesting is that at the exact same time they are pulling all of these HBO Max titles to avoid paying residuals, they’ve added 800 episodes of CNN programming to Discovery+ today. And I’m not complaining — I somehow managed to miss most of this most recent season of Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, and am looking forward to catching up. But I wonder if these two moves are related in any way.

As for why people are freaking out so much about all of this HBO Max drama, Vanity Fair has a good answer.

Meanwhile, over on Netflix, Criminal Minds just returned after being taken off the streamer a few weeks ago.

Chris Licht is just openly threatening CNN employees now. “YOU’RE NEXT.”

You can now stream the soundtrack of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power if you’re so inclined. The show premieres in two weeks.

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars was Paramount+’s most-watched reality series, to no one’s surprise.

This weekend is your last chance to vote on which shows you want to compete in the TV Foolishness tournament. I’m going to close the poll Sunday night so get voting:

online polls

In Development

Casting News

  • Dan Levy is joining the cast of Sex Education on Netflix.
  • Salma Hayek and Annie Murphy are joining Black Mirror on Netflix.
  • Neve Campbell will star in Avalon on ABC.
  • Patrick Fischler is joining the cast of Barry on HBO.
  • Elijah Wood is joining Yellowjackets on Showtime.
  • John Corbett is joining And Just Like That … on HBO Max, reprising his role as Aidan. YOU’RE TOO GOOD FOR CARRIE, ADIAN. DO NOT GO BACK.
  • Amy Ryan is joining the cast of Sugar on Apple TV+.
  • Mari Yamamoto has joined the cast of Apple TV+’s Godzilla-related series.
  • Olli Haaskivi has been added to the cast of The Big Cigar on Apple TV+.

Mark Your Calendar

  • SEAL Team returns on Paramount+ on September 18.
  • BET Hip Hop Awards will air on BET on October 4.

R.I.P.

Q Lazzarus (a.k.a. Diane Luckey), Singer of “Goodbye Horses”

WATCH THIS

FRIDAY

The Rehearsal: Finale of the most bonkers TV show I have ever seen. Not an exaggeration. 10 p.m., HBO

Orphan: First Kill: A prequel to one of the most bonkers movies I’ve ever seen. Paramount+

Echoes: A pair of identical twin sisters swap lives, only for one to go missing and their lives to fall apart in this new thriller. Premiere. Netflix

The New York Times Presents: The Superspreader: An examination of Dr. Mercola, one of the biggest spreaders of COVID vaccine misinformation online. Premiere. 9 p.m., FX

SATURDAY

The Staircase marathon: It’s the HBO Max miniseries, but on HBO! (Well, HBO2.) 11 a.m., HBO2

Scream marathon: The first three Scream movies. 5 p.m., Showtime Showcase

SUNDAY

House of the Dragon: Have you missed Targaryen drama since Game of Thrones ended? Great news, we’re headed back to Westeros. Grab a dragon and let’s goooooo! Series premiere. 8 p.m., HBO

U.S. Gymnastics Championships: Women’s floor, balance beam, vault and uneven bars. Sounds great, but I’m going to be working on my Targaryen wig. 6 p.m., NBC

 

FRI. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC Shark Tank
(repeat)		 Countdown to Kickoff NFL Preseason Football
CBS Secret Celebrity Renovation
(new)		 Blue Bloods
(repeat)		 Blue Bloods
(repeat)
CW Killer Camp
(new)		 World’s Funniest Animals
(repeat)		 World’s Funniest Animals
(repeat)		 Local
FOX Friday Night Smackdown Local
NBC American Ninja Warrior
(repeat)		 Dateline

—

SAT. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30
ABC UFC 278 Prelims: Usman vs. Edwards 2 The $100,000 Pyramid
(repeat)		 News/Local
CBS FBI: Most Wanted
(repeat)		 NCIS: Los Angeles
(repeat)		 48 Hours News/Local
CW Great Chocolate Showdown
(repeat)		 Masters of Illusion
(new)		 Masters of Illusion
(repeat)		 Local
FOX MLB Baseball
(live)		 News/Local
NBC America’s Got Talent
(repeat)		 Dateline
(new)		 News/
Local		 Saturday Night Live
(repeat)

—

SUN. 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC America’s Funniest Home Videos
(repeat)		 Celebrity Family Feud
(new)		 The $100,000 Pyramid
(new)		 The Final Straw
(new)
CBS 60 Minutes Big Brother
(new)		 The Equalizer
(repeat)		 NCIS: Los Angeles
(repeat)
The CW Local World’s Funniest Animals
(repeat)		 World’s Funniest Animals
(repeat)		 Penn & Teller: Fool Us
(repeat)		 Local
FOX Call Me Kat
(repeat)		 The Great North
(repeat)		 Preseason NFL Football
(live)		 Local/News
NBC U.S. Gymnastics Championships
(live)		 America’s Got Talent
(repeat)

One thought on “Nathan Fielder’s ‘The Rehearsal’ has broken my brain. Please help.”

  1. I just finished The Rehearsal and I very much would like to read about 2,000 words from you just to try and start to try and wrap my head around whatever that was. I loved it I think but wow. What a journey!

    Reply

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