Fans of the HBO documentary comedy series The Rehearsal have branded the latest episode one of the “most unhinged” and “hysterical” episodes of TV ever made.
Over the last 12 years, Nathan Fielder has become increasingly known for his elaborate and surreal stunts in TV shows Nathan for You and The Rehearsal, the latter of which sees the comedian create elaborate sets in order for people to “rehearse” real-life situations.
The Rehearsal, which originally aired in 2022, returned in the US for a second season last month – and each episode has been acclaimed in its own right.
But it’s the third episode that has left viewers truly unable to believe what they were seeing, with Fielder himself making the admission near the beginning: “What you’re about to see may seem weird.”
*Spoilers follow – you have been warned*
Things started off on an odd note when Fielder met a couple who had cloned their dead dog Achilles three times. The pair had been saddened to discover that, while the replicas looked exactly like their original canine, they didn’t behave in the same way.
Fielder jumped to action trying to recreate the environment that Achilles was raised in to see if the way they were nurtured made them start acting similarly to Achilles.
He went so far as to have air from San Jose, where Achilles was raised, transported to Los Angeles, which was then blasted in the pathway of the cloned dogs so they could smell it as they went for one of their daily walks.
In one bizarre moment, one of the dogs appears to start emulating one of Achilles’ behavioural flourishes.
The season at large focuses on Fielder trying to break down the relationship between pilots in a cockpit, arguing that many commercial plane crashes might be caused due to a communication breakdown between the captain and co-pilot. According to Fielder, who has studied several black box transcripts from fatal crashes, co-pilots often appear intimidated by the person in the captain’s seat, with social anxiety preventing them from chiming in when their expertise could prevent an accident.
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However, in episode three, Fielder noted that one person who actively welcomed the advice of his co-pilot was Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the man who successfully crash-landed a plane on the Hudson River in 2009.
Fielder suggests that, in the same way as the cloned dogs, if you placed a person in the environment that Sullenberger had grown up in, this could potentially make more pilots be like Sullenberger – and in turn, prevent more planes from crashing.
To do this, Fielder recreated Sullenberger’s life – from youth to adulthood – using his autobiography, and used himself in the experiment. In scenes that could go down as some the wildest in TV history, Fielder shaves off all of his body hair and becomes a baby version of Sullenberger, with the show’s team turning a warehouse into an oversized baby’s room.
Fielder was then lifted into a giant crib with a pulley and was shown being “nursed” by a giant mother on stilts.
Viewers have been reacting to the episode – which features many more outlandish sequences.
“Every time I think there’s no way Nathan Fielder can make #TheRehearsal more absurd, he does,” one fan wrote, adding: “Nothing else like it on TV, whipsawing between truly hysterical moments to ‘what the heck am I watching’ cringe. All while dealing with a no-joking-around subject like airline safety!”
Another wrote on X/Twitter: “I don’t know what to say, but I know that I have to say something about season two, episode three of The Rehearsal. Honestly the most inventive and unique and funny and shocking 30 minutes of TV that I’ve ever seen.”
An additional viewer concluded: “Tonight’s episode of #TheRehearsal is the single most unhinged 34 min of television I’ve ever watched in my life. I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard. Like…NOTHING can prepare you for the surreal turns it takes. Nathan Fielder. THE performance artist of our time.”
Others called it “the most insane piece of television, & the most exciting moment to moment” they have ever seen as well as “the most hysterical, brilliant and horrifying piece of art I have seen in a long time”.
“What Nathan Fielder has created in S2EP3 of #TheRehearsal needs to be witnessed by all,” a fan added.
The Rehearsal continues on HBO on Sundays – and a UK release date is yet to be announced. The first season is available to stream in the UK on NOW.
