Nathan Fielder’s ‘The Rehearsal’ has always blurred the lines between reality and performance, but Season 2 takes this to new heights. The finale, titled ‘My Controls,’ peels back the layers of the aviation-centric theme to reveal a deeply personal journey for Fielder himself. What began as an exploration of improving communication among airline pilots transforms into a quest for self-understanding and validation. This review delves into the key moments of the episode, exploring Fielder’s motivations and the implications of his actions.
This season initially presented itself as an altruistic endeavor, with Fielder aiming to enhance air travel safety through rehearsals. However, the finale exposes that, much like the first season, the core focus remains on Fielder’s own experiences and insecurities. The integration of audience reception to Season 1 and Fielder’s exploration of potential neurodivergence add layers of complexity to the narrative. By the end of Season 2, Fielder isn’t just rehearsing life; he’s actively reshaping it to fit his own needs and anxieties.
The Premise Revisited: More Than Just Planes
Season 2 of ‘The Rehearsal’ ostensibly centers around Fielder’s sincere attempt to improve airline pilot communication, aiming to prevent deadly crashes. However, the journey is digressive, incorporating elements like singing competitions, cloned dogs, and Fielder himself breastfeeding from a puppet. The finale reveals that Fielder has been learning to fly a plane and has obtained a commercial pilot’s license. Thus, he isn’t just assisting pilots; he is one, trying to resolve his own issues through their profession.
This revelation reframes the entire season. Fielder’s initial efforts to help pilots were, in reality, a means of addressing his own anxieties and insecurities. The rehearsals become a mirror reflecting Fielder’s personal struggles with communication and connection. The audience is left to question the true purpose of the show: is it a genuine attempt to improve the lives of others, or a complex exercise in self-therapy?
Autism and Aviation: A Personal Connection
The previous episode touched on how Fielder’s work resonated with autistic fans, who identified with his awkwardness. These armchair diagnoses led Fielder to explore a clinical explanation for his difficulties in connecting with others. This storyline provides an explanation for Fielder’s preoccupation with the captain-first officer relationship. The exercise to test pilots’ candor mirrored his own experience producing “Canadian Idol.” Fielder sees aviation professionals’ communication problems as a version of his own, leading him to join their ranks.
In Fielder’s world, where reality and performance blur, incorporating the response to Season 1 feels natural. The autism storyline explains why Fielder is preoccupied with the pilot dynamic. By exploring this connection, Fielder not only seeks to understand himself but also elevates his stunts to new extremes, blurring the line between personal exploration and public performance.
New Comic Frontiers and Extreme Stunts
This project opens new comic frontiers for “The Rehearsal,” with Fielder observing that he’s uniquely bad at landing the literal plane. It elevates Fielder’s stunts to new extremes. When Fielder pitches a “loophole” allowing him to co-pilot a jet as long as passengers aren’t paying, it combines “Nathan for You”-style scheming with HBO resources. The sight of Fielder in the cockpit is both jaw-dropping and unsettling.
Fielder’s concerns about potential autism intersect with his airborne ambitions when he has to complete an FAA disclosure form. Against advice, he seeks a formal diagnosis to ensure he can be trusted with others’ lives. The results are delayed, but he gets an ominous voicemail from the doctor while watching a play. He then reveals he’s started flying empty jets to cope with his insecurities, stating that only the smartest and best people are allowed to fly a plane of that size. This act becomes a form of self-validation, a way to reassure himself of his own worth and competence.
Hiding True Efforts: The Magic Trick
By concealing his true efforts, Fielder gives Season 2 a less cohesive but perhaps more impactful conclusion. He pulls off a magic trick, concealing what he’s actually up to, which he concludes he needs to get through the day. If you stick the landing, no one cares how you did it.
The season underscores the lengths to which Fielder will go to manage his insecurities and anxieties. His actions, while appearing grandiose and absurd, are rooted in a deep-seated need for validation. By successfully landing the plane, Fielder receives the applause and recognition he craves, reinforcing his belief that external achievements can mask internal turmoil.
The Hero’s Landing
In the finale, Fielder is impressed to learn that rehearsal is integral to pilots’ learning. Trainees go from simulators to ferrying passengers. He’s not alone in his dependency on practice, nor his belief that these rituals prepare him for real life. In the end, results matter most. When Fielder lands the plane, he’s greeted by cheering actors. “All this applause made me feel like I had done something important,” he narrates. These people don’t know about his inner turmoil. “As long as you get everyone down safely, that’s all it takes to be a hero.”
This scene highlights the performative nature of heroism and the superficiality of external validation. The actors, unaware of Fielder’s internal struggles, applaud his success, reinforcing the idea that appearances matter more than genuine understanding. Fielder’s reflection underscores the idea that as long as one achieves the desired outcome, the means by which they arrive there are irrelevant.
Conclusion: The Illusion of Control
The Season 2 finale of “The Rehearsal” reveals that Fielder’s aviation-centric season was ultimately a deeply personal quest for self-validation. By learning to fly and co-piloting a jet, Fielder confronts his insecurities and seeks to prove his worth. The episode blurs the lines between reality and performance, questioning the true motives behind Fielder’s elaborate rehearsals.
Ultimately, ‘The Rehearsal’ reminds us that the pursuit of control is often an illusion. Fielder’s attempts to orchestrate and rehearse life highlight the inherent unpredictability of human experience. The finale leaves us pondering the true cost of Fielder’s methods and the ethical implications of his constant blurring of reality and performance. As long as you get everyone down safely, that’s all it takes to be a hero.
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