The Rehearsal
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The opening moment of The Fielder Method is a funny one quietly so.
As Angela stirs a pot of noodles in the kitchen, she asks Nathan whether he likes spaghetti.
Then, after a pause: When you were young, did you ever hate one of your parents?
he asks, abandoning his standard flat tone.
Its a beautifully elegant overture toThe Rehearsalsmost intense episode, subtly calibrating our expectations for whats to come.
But well get back to all that.
The exterior has a sign for the schools name and a prominent HBO logo.
During the first class, Fielder explains the stakes of his work to a room full of attentive actors.
A few people agree: the word stalking ripples through the room, along with scattered, uncomfortable laughter.
Fielder says, smiling and nodding.
You guys are getting ahead of this, good!
At the end of the class, he gives the actors their first assignment.
This trend grows more intense as Fielder places his students in real jobs.
Fielder continues his own class simulation as his real-life student Thomas.
In the real classes, Thomas is still the most vocally uncomfortable with the Fielder Method.
Fielder pulls him aside to ask about his reluctance.
Yeah, neither do I, Fielder says defensively.
To better understand Thomass discomfort, Fielder relives the first day of class as him again.
This time, he begins to notice something new.
As the class progresses, he articulates his best guess at Thomass inner monologue in a voice-over.
Hes excited about the acting opportunity the Fielder Method offers but confused and unsettled by its premise.
And here, Fielder shows a new scene: what happens after the students leave the class.
A fake production assistant tells Nathan-Thomas he needs to sign an appearance release to be on the show.
But of course it doesnt.
I began to wonder if I was going far enough, Fielder says.
The conclusion is as darkly funny as it is unsurprising.
Fielders work has everything to do with understanding peoples discomfort and nothing to do with alleviating it.
The students hold a final showcase, and Fielder gives them all diplomas before heading back to Oregon.
Can you believe this episode is only half an hour long?
The last ten minutes are their own completely separate, if thematically connected, wild ride.
In the sped-up timeline of Angelas rehearsal, Fielder has been gone for a full nine years.
His son is now a teenager, asking for a hug when he comes through the front door.
Fielder encourages Josh to use a friends experience with having an absent father as inspiration.
Josh takes the note, rising to the challenge just as enthusiastically as Fielders students back in L.A.
This is where things begin to spiral out.
Fielder and Josh act out a dramatic scene where Adam overdoses on opioids in his room.
In an Oscar-bait performance, Fielder breaks down the door and holds Adams head, screaming for Angela.
Its a head-spinning ending whose layers of seemingly conflicting emotion refuse to resolve into a single meaning.
Is this show a comedy anymore?
Or is it something else entirely?
By refusing to reduce its many worlds to just one thing, Fielder resists handing us an easy conclusion.
Alligator Lounge
Remember Smokers Allowed?
Its my favorite episode ofNathan For You, but also maybe of all TV.
When youre so deep in the simulation, its hard to know!
I thought the guy playing Nathan in the fake classes did a great job with an incredibly difficult role.
Also, Josh seemed committed to his role as a troubled teen, and I loved his guitar work.
Great hustle all around, IMO.
However, Nathan probably didnt actually live in Thomass apartment.
