By Landon Graybill
Before “The Rehearsal”
A few weeks ago, I was sitting at lunch with some friends, gushing over The Rehearsal once it aired its finale. I was eager to share my thoughts on it with fellow Nathan stans. However, one of my friends had not seen the show, and I was faced with the difficult task of explaining it. It just sounds like arthouse nonsense. It's so densely meta and while I loved it, I couldn’t exactly expect others to unless they’ve been primed to enjoy Nathan’s particular brand of comedy.
I mean you don’t give someone The Silmarillion without giving them the original LOTR trilogy to read, and I don’t think you should watch The Rehearsal until you’ve thoroughly watched Nathan’s prior project, Nathan For You.
Nathan’s first project is also largely self-referential, full of callbacks and recurring gags that make subsequent viewings rewarding. So I put together this list of the best beginner episodes, ones that will put a viewer on the right path.
To be clear, I don’t think these are the best episodes of the series. But they’re the best to watch first and ease you into the mind of Nathan Fielder. Let's get to it.
#5: S1:E2 Santa/Petting Zoo
This is a really lovely episode because of one man: James Roy. He’s introduced to us as a Santa impersonator, but over the course of the episode we come to learn that he has secrets, namely a DUI. There’s hints at a darker personality than one would expect for a Mall Santa, and unfortunately it ends up actually affecting his prospects at finding employment.
The way that Nathan sticks up for him, and in return James sticks up for Nathan, is honestly touching. The theme of second chances and expecting the best from others is a throughline in the series, and this is essentially required viewing since we will see James return in future episodes.
#4:S2:E5 Dumb Starbucks
This is one of best episodes to showcase how virally potent Nathan’s ideas can become.
I remember hearing about Dumb Starbucks before it was revealed to be a Nathan Fielder ploy, which only made it land that much better when I watched this episode. Its confident approach to parody law still holds up as biting satire on corporate marketing, and on multiple occasions showcases a more malicious side to the Nathan Fielder character.
His attempt to swindle the lawyer into being personally responsible for all potential damages caused by his stunt is one of his most brazen, and inspires as much awe as it does cringe.
#3: S2:E1 Mechanic/Realtor
Season Two kicks off with Nathan rebranding a local real estate agent to start selling her homes as “ghost free”. To clarify, she has a psychic and Catholic exorcist go through the home with her and clear any and all bad spirits within the home, which will set her apart in the home buyer market.
This is an important episode because it showcases Nathan’s ideas as more than just gimmicks for a laugh, they can be genuinely powerful pieces of marketing. This lady in real life ended up sticking with this idea of being a “ghost-free realtor” and got a reality show deal and seemingly was very blessed by her encounter with Nathan.
#2: S2:E2 Souvenir Shop
So much happens in this episode you’ll be surprised it all managed to fit inside the 21 minute runtime.
Possibly one of the strongest examples of the incredible lengths that Nathan is willing to go to for an idea, the transition from a simple scam job at a Souvenir Shop to a full blown creative endeavor of movie making and film-fest shenanigans is Nathan at his strongest, his most Machiavellian, a puppet master of reality and using media as a tool to control.
The narrative he is able to craft is fascinating to see unfold, and I think if you don’t come away from the episode loving him, you will come away respecting him.
#1: S1:E4 Gas Station/Caricature Artist
But at its core, Nathan For You is not about Nathan. It’s about the “You”. Nathan excels at bringing out the awkward and anxious reality of human connection. Obviously every interaction is somewhat tainted by the fact that cameras are pointed at our subjects, but if enough time is given, people will start to have cracks in that facade.
That’s exactly what happens to the trio of people that camp out on a mountain with Nathan in hopes of securing a rebate for gasoline. The cameras make people eager to try new things, but their reactions to those things I believe are genuine, and the fact that Nathan was able to have strangers pouring their hearts out to one another shows that the true prize wasn’t ever a rebate. It was a moment to connect to someone else.
This is Nathan’s greatest success, an experiment you could only hope to replicate half as well. It pushes the boundaries of its medium, and provides questions about the human condition that I don’t know can be answered, as if that was ever the point. Nathan For You reminds me to stay curious, and that humanity's funniest moments come from when we connect.
Thank you for reading.
