HBO’s The Rehearsal is a perfect example of how the zany Nathan Fielder plays into his canonically awkward persona. Here, Fielder plays a version of himself helping others confront complicated social situations or life events through elaborate ‘rehearsals’.
Fielder himself is an interesting character: whether the Nathan he plays in his shows are himself or an extensively drawn out persona has become increasingly hard to decipher. His quirks thus fit the description of zaniness in Sianne Nagi’s The Zany Science. For audiences, Fielder’s performances in either Nathan For You or The Rehearsal are funny because of his incompetence (178) in social or professional situations. Seeing him fail in these circumstances blends outside of the screen, however, which further adds to the confusion as to whether Nathan Fielder is the one audiences have seen on the screen, or whether none of that was real.
The Rehearsal, regardless, fits surprisingly well into discussion with Alexandra Plakias’s This is Awkward. Plakias describes the ‘awkward’ as social situations where we find ourselves not knowing how to act (7); exactly what the show focuses on. Without the social guidance to navigate tough social situations (10) — like when one lies to another’s trivia partner about having a master’s degree — is precisely the environment Fielder wishes to intervene. It is here we meet Kor: the guy who lied.
Upon meeting Kor, Fielder showcases Plakias’s explanation of the necessity of a “right match between actor, skill, and environment” (11) to avoid the feeling of awkwardness. Similarly to how Plakias discusses the importance of conversation coordination (16), Fielder details all the different possible avenues this confrontation could lead to avoid any possible awkwardness. Additionally, to help Kor, Fielder’s fears about his first rehearsal with Kor lead him to hire a Kor doppelgänger (of sorts) along with other actors to help Kor confront his fears.
Here’s where it gets tricky: from the first episode onwards, nothing is the same. Fielder builds a concept for The Rehearsal, then completely dismantles it. In the episode’s final scene, one can discern that Fielder’s incessant attempts to rehearse every possible outcome are futile, considering he can no longer discern reality from fantasy. As such, Fielder presents us with this ending scene:
The show is no longer about helping others rehearse: The Rehearsal is about Nathan, and how he navigates social situations to avoid feeling awkward.