The innovative series ‘The Rehearsals’, starring Nathan Fielder, has come to influence the recent legislative proposal known as the ‘Mental Health in Aviation Act’, aimed at more effectively addressing mental health issues among pilots in the United States. Through its experimental and provocative approach, the series has highlighted the lack of communication and the tense power dynamics between pilots and co-pilots, emphasizing how these situations could be related to the increase in aviation accidents. A taboo that Fielder has echoed The ‘Mental Health in Aviation Act’ seeks […]
The innovative series ‘The Rehearsals’, starring Nathan Fielder, has begun to influence the recent legislative proposal known as the ‘Mental Health in Aviation Act’, aimed at more effectively addressing mental health issues among pilots in the United States. Through its experimental and provocative approach, the series has highlighted the lack of communication and the tense power dynamics between pilots and co-pilots, emphasizing how these situations could be related to the increase in aviation accidents.
A taboo that Fielder has echoed
The ‘Mental Health in Aviation Act’ seeks to normalize the conversation about mental health among pilots and their superiors, allowing these professionals to openly address their anxiety issues and other conditions without fear of job repercussions. The legislative proposal includes funding of 13 million dollars aimed at hiring mental health professionals, such as psychiatrists, to help combat this stigma in the aviation field.
Nathan Fielder, who has not only produced this original series but has also obtained his pilot’s license, has been at the forefront of this cause. In his latest season, Fielder conducted experiments that highlight the tensions in communication among crew members, revealing the depth of the taboo surrounding mental health issues in aviation. His work has resonated so much that he has publicly denounced the inaction of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), calling them idiots for not addressing similar previous proposals that have been in the White House without significant progress.
The reception of the second season of ‘The Rehearsals’ has been very positive, with critics praising its ability to tackle serious issues in a clever and entertaining way. While the future of the ‘Mental Health in Aviation Act’ is uncertain, the influence of the series on public discourse about mental health in aviation is undeniable.
Imagine for a moment something that is very difficult for you to do in your day-to-day life. Whatever it is. From talking to the person you like to telling the baker that she always keeps the change. Or, perhaps, think about everything that scares you and what you don’t know if you will be good at, like starting a family or accepting a job that you think you don’t have the right qualities for. What if there were a way to rehearse what your life would be like without any possibility of error? What if you could repeat over and over […]
Imagine for a moment something that is extremely difficult for you to do in your day-to-day life. Whatever it is. From talking to the person you like to telling the baker that she always keeps the change. Or, perhaps, think about everything that scares you and what you are unsure if you will be good at, like starting a family or accepting a job that you believe you don’t have the right qualities for. What if there was a way to rehearse what your life would be like without any possibility of error? What if you could repeat it over and over until you covered all the possibilities and then finally take the plunge, completely sure? That is the premise of Los ensayos, an absolute madness in Max between docuseries and fiction in which Nathan Fielder has unleashed all his genius… even though he has deceived thousands of people along the way.
For you, Nathan
Fielder has been playing with fiction and documentary for years. First in his fabulous Nathan for You, where he solved other people’s problems in the most ridiculous way possible (but which, surprisingly and indirectly, did a lot of good), and now in The Rehearsals, where he has taken a turn more towards madness, making the viewer have no idea what is happening. What is true? What is false? Why do people put themselves in his hands as if they were guinea pigs?
In season 1, now available in full, everything starts when a man dares to tell a girl that he likes her during trivia nights at his favorite bar. To practice comfortably, HBO recreates the entire bar on a set, complete with a pizza oven and beer tap, and they start to repeat over and over each of the things that can go right or wrong when the moment of truth arrives. They try every phrase, every angle, every possible reaction, until it’s time for the moment of truth. And this is just the beginning: what happens next is so absolutely outrageous that you can’t even guess where it’s going to lead.
How long has it been since you watched a TV series and thought you had never seen anything like it? That you enjoy an episode and have no idea what will happen next? Well, that’s what happens with The Rehearsals, which rocks you through an incredible and impossible plot that, although at times seems to make no sense, ultimately leads to the only logical conclusion. Of course, after revolutionizing and detonating any known and unknown television format, Fielder returns with a season 2 that is even more outlandish, crazier, and has, by extension, committed a couple of scams. Oops.
Fielder’s living a celebration
Season 2 of The Rehearsals, currently airing on Max (future HBO Max, look, it’s a mess not worth getting into), focuses on a “simple” task: preventing airplane accidents. To do this, Fielder puts a thesis on the table: co-pilots must overcome their fear of speaking up to their superiors and take control of the plane if necessary when they see that they are about to crash. To achieve this, he not only builds an exact replica of a real airport in his filming studio, but also decides to fake a reality show in the style of Factor X or Operación Triunfo (the theory is that if they dare to say no, like judges on a reality show of this kind, they will also dare to say no to their superiors).
As you watch it, as a spectator, you think it must be fiction. No one would deceive thousands of people to sign up for a reality show, wait in line for hours, and sing for two minutes in front of a judge who decides whether to give them a pass to move forward or not. Surprisingly, he did: Fielder set up the infrastructure of a musical reality show with no real intention other than to boost the contestants’ self-esteem. The deceived contestants are not going to report it, but they could because, according to them, they have lost thousands of dollars in travel, opportunities, and work breaks.
Has it been worth it? If you’ve seen episode 3 of this season, you already know that it is: the craziest, strangest, most fascinating, brilliant, and artistic half hour we’ve seen on television in a long time, and it practically justifies any nonsense that the genius of Fielder might cause. You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, after all. The rehearsals are a true marvel, perfect for understanding what lies in post-television, that which goes beyond the usual and whose only goal is to leave you constantly in awe, navigating between art and entertainment. If you’re not sure if you’ll like it, you can always rehearse what it would be like to watch it, right?
