A Portrait of Anxiety - Nathan Fielder

[@SkipIntroYT]

What moment from The Rehearsal broke your brain? Get a whole month of great cinema FREE on MUBI: mubi.com/skipintro

[@BlackZynfyndel]

Not my brain, but soul, when the kid said he didn’t want him to be Nathan but “daddy”.

[@sinnsage]

oh i think that debacle with the child wanting a real daddy and getting confused about what was happening was the most real and most tragic of the whole show or really any reality show ever tbh

[@PBandJames1]

I was in awe of the actor playing the cool gold-hoarding grampa who also shits himself sometimes

[@-inputoutput]

ohoho boy, where do i START? i'm so glad you asked me!

[@draculactica]

the response, "apocalypto." i have a whole paragraph of all-caps messages i sent to my brother after that. my soul fully left my body.

[@porqpine53]

Nathan’s biggest strength is always holding people accountable. If someone says something, as little as it may be, he goes the extra length to push them on it. Always gets them to reveal what they really mean - whether they knew that’s what they meant or not. Feigning ignorance has never been done so respectfully.

[@dvidsilva]

best burger in la

[@USSLIBERTYREMEMBERER]

i drink my grandson’s pee

[@clamwok]

no

[@FLdancer00]

People get mad when I do stuff like that. I'm a big believer in saying what you mean. I hate how flippantly people speak or interchange words that aren't interchangeable.

[@Izeezus]

Fantastic point that I never thought about, thank you for sharing

[@plantishfellow]

I'm autistic, I basically do this prep and set-up for social situations (many which may never even happen) in my head every day, seeing it being portrayed in a show but in a physical way feels so surreal

[@plantishfellow]

The further I watch into the video the more it hits home, never felt this before

[@kazumahazeuzumaki]

Same, in both aspects. Even though it almost never goes as negatively as I imagine it would.

[@dimetrodonz]

me too!

[@saxojon]

I might be there myself. I've never been diagnosed, but his character both in this show and as Nathan in 'Nathan for you' is comfortably understandable. And funny as hell.

[@lergia]

@@saxojon yes. i always related to his character in a major way. i m still technically undiagnosed but now i understand a lot more things about myself including my kins if you can call it that.

[@damdamfino]

I’ve watched a lot of other video essays about The Rehearsal, and I was surprised no one went deeper into the anxiety reading of it. To me, it’s a perfect portrayal of anxiety. The replaying and replaying of an interaction in your head, or how the lead up to the interaction is sometimes the hardest, most stressful part. Was it too obvious and that’s why no one else addressed it? Idk, but I’m glad you did lol

[@gravitytwins1921]

I'm so glad you realized that he never really breaks character. It's amazing. I've only seen him do it once in an interview!! Like he still let's people in. But it's all a ploy.

[@gravitytwins1921]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZiaaHiAj5d0ps0 this is the interview

[@UncleCatfish]

The biggest thing I personally took away from this is how careful he was to not mentally disturb any of the children. Yet, because we got an honest up-close look at how things work... even after following everything absolutely 100% legally to a T... it still felt really ugly. This show really made me reconsider the ethics of children as actors. Brilliant show, Nathan! xoxo

[@kad754]

Excellent analysis. One thing I was hoping you’d touched on is on neurodiversity. As an autistic person, “other nathan” is someone I profoundly relate to. Having grown up always feeling like the “other”. Like everyone was given a script and I had to figure out or write my own by looking at other people and reverse engineering what the script is.

[@zebraylonwoodruff6773]

Is Nathan on the Spectrum?

[@ane3sha]

i can't stress enough how much i feel that so much of the appeal of nathan fielder is an autistic experience, but i can't tell if its all a bit or only partially a bit (which is part of the bit). its almost painful to watch people talk about his work without pointing out how overt it is in both the rehearsal and nathan for you. that being said, its up to individual people to learn the language of neurodiversity, and it'll likely be up to people who acutely understand the autistic experience to point those things out- especially since they're so deeply enmeshed with absurdist comedy in both of his shows.

[@dimetrodonz]

@@zebraylonwoodruff6773 he's never said anything about being autistic himself, but the character he portrays has a lot of similarities to people on the spectrum. Missing seemingly obvious social cues, "chronic nervousness" as he says in Nathan For You, telling jokes that never land, feeling isolated from other people, etc.

[@FLdancer00]

@@ane3sha Why is it up to other people to learn the language of neurodiversity? I worked with an autistic guy who told us day one and listed some things he might do differently. It was super helpful. I once had to tell him to leave my office because he didn't realize that the conversation was over. Because he was up front about it, I knew exactly how to handle the situation.

[@condimentking3395]

​@@FLdancer00 Being taught is still learning, no?

[@sakuranovaryan9261]

nathan makes peak neurodivergent art. to watch his content is very relatable and surreal at the same time. im glad hes out here doing his thing.

[@Johnny_T779]

I'm autistic, and I would love to see that show in my country! This dude seems to understand our way to see the world, in a respectful way. Being able to rehearse stuff is like a dream, as I often avoid new tasks if I'm unsure what the outcome would be... And end up doing nothing.

[@AnotsXvirus]

Nah you're missing the joke lol

[@greentaigo2552]

@@AnotsXvirus Nah they didn't

[@miniciominiciominicio]

movies joy "." to

[@dimetrodonz]

@@AnotsXvirus hm it's almost like a certain disorder the commenter mentioned can make it harder to tell when something is a joke or not....i wonder what it could be.

[@ninjacrumbs]

dopebox dot tee oh. Very clean and I am guessing better with an ad blocker (just like KZbin!!)

[@blinkfilms1]

The moment when he's playing the student and he looks into the camera, like the camera is onscreen, that's the moment that broke me.

[@chazblank2717]

“We can never know what someone else really thinks of us…” This reminded me of something I learned in a childhood development class about how it’s not so important to your child what you actually think of them, as what THEY think you think of them… because all other things being equal, that’s what they’re going to remember and carry with them their entire lives (ie: what’s gonna potentially “fuck them up” or cause your relationship with them to be “distant” or “strained”)

[@ThomasFlight]

Great video! Love the Character/Real/Other Nathan breakdown. I think you hit the nail on the head that "Other Nathan" constitutes the real heart of the show.

[@TheFatblob25]

"Oh OK" is Nathan's catchphrase. He deployed it in Nathan for You in so many great moments.

[@TheDizzieC]

Super Eye patch wolf did a great analysis on the character of Nathan from every level. What's fact and what's maybe myth.

[@xX_Gravity_Xx]

As a person who struggles with extreme social anxiety, I can always tell when someone else has it too. I really like how this show puts viewers in a position to understand the complex way we see things, on a much more personable level.

[@Respectable_Username]

I think not addressing the autistic experience on top of the discussion of anxiety was a missed opportunity. The "oh, ok" of accepting things without questioning them because so much "normal" is really flippin' weird that it can be difficult to tell what's "normal" weird and what's "weird" weird. The social anxiety from literally not working from the same script as others due to neurodiversity.

[@carr0tkake]

one of my favorite media analysis channels covering one of my favorite tv shows of this year!! hell yeah!

[@whiskeyclonehotelcity1997]

I am engaging with this video by liking and commenting in order to boost it's showing on people's homepage

[@tillyqtillyq3750]

I feel like "other Nathan" is a synonym for real Nathan's art (using CJ the X's definition of art from their Subjectivity of Art video)

[@NotsoGreat36]

What if the second half is about his split from his ex-wife and getting the woman with the child involved is him imagining what he thought would inevitably happen with his schedule, abandoning his child and having that child latch on to strangers as his “dad”

[@setheus]

I'm really surprised that autism/neurodivergence didn't come up. The entire "Other" vs "Real" Nathan is literally a description of the tool we have to use, "masking." Most people on the spectrum don't even know they are, because we'd been raised to understand that if you don't mask, you will be ostracized by others. The monotone voice, history of isolation, needing to rehearse social situations to an absurd degree, put on layers and creating a persona, then another persona to hide that one, everything, just from clips, let alone other signs he may display. I had no idea I was on the spectrum until a few months ago (age 24), because I had been diagnosed with ADHD, and had started noticing the overlap between the two. It's honestly so interesting to see someone describe Nathan's mannerisms this way, because it's just like the toothbrush, but instead it's autism. (Another person to look at who has all the signs of autism, but has ADHD hiding it well, is Jerma985, in my opinion!)

[@McSwagan]

Yes! I've seen like 3 other The Rehearsal video essays that completely miss the neurodivergence aspect. They call out all the signs of autism without calling it out. They just end up saying he's a weird guy and there's no way anyone could actually act like that. I am right there with you on highly masked adult autism this show was a spiritual experience for me.

[@FLdancer00]

But this guy isn't an expert in autism and Nathan hasn't said he's on the spectrum.

[@ninjacrumbs]

Loved Nathan for You, so when my buddy told me about The Rehearsal, I had to watch it. Here was my message to him after ep.01 " It`s kinda mind-fucking me. It`s like if the Matrix was in a Matrix divided by a 4th wall. I`m so curious how it ends." Little did I know....

[@miniciominiciominicio]

"Other Nathan" has unlocked some questions I had. You can't talk about the Rehearsal with just Creator Nathan and Rehearsal Nathan without speaking about Other Nathan. Good essay. I'm sure Fielder would enjoy this analysis.

[@chompytv8591]

6:11 Oh wow, that’s exactly the reason I think still life paintings are so beautiful lmao.

[@ProjectileGrommet]

I’ve been on a multi-year spiral caused- and now once again exacerbated- by Nathan

[@moonbread2334]

I'm only halfway through and I can already confidently say this is my favorite video essay on The Rehearsal....and trust me I've seen them all 😂

[@moonbread2334]

Can you also do an analysis of Nathan For You??

[@yournostalgiasucks5047]

This is good commentary. So many videos on The Rehearsal are them just repeating what happened on the show and calling it commentary. Keep it up.

[@mrgodguy8047]

This show, in terms of psychology I think is a great, absurd representation of rumination. Feeling anxious, wasting your life away thinking about how things could be different or better, then in the end, getting nowhere, because you haven't done anything, just thought about doing things.

[@nancenance971]

I felt a sense of dread wash over that I think also broke me when he was over at Remy’s house introducing the other actor then when they left asks if the actor has “gotten enough material”

[@thisleftylefty]

So which Nathan broke out of which other Nathan to tell Angela not everything is satanic?

[@sinnsage]

there’s definitely a whole lot more to talk about when it comes to the Rehearsal!

[@empatheticrambo4890]

This gave me a lot to think about regarding mental health

[@MostDecentNA]

Happy to see more people talking about this!

[@zovutnik]

Amazing and deep analysis, bravo!

[@dwc1964]

This reminds me a lot of *_Synecdoche, New York_* ETA: and then I went to watch Thomas Flight's video ...

[@chromiumex2384]

This show feels so relatable to autistic people

[@dvidsilva]

Soon they’ll find a note on his old high school journal where he detailed the exact steps and networks that would allow him to make this show, including being perceived as anxious. The character is much older than we think.

[@hrvbox]

you convinced me to watch this show

[@zhiguli8]

I haven't seen this show, but it reminds of the feeling I get from watching the Jordan Schlansky / Conan O'Brien interactions.

[@Roastedbee]

Like others have said, I think it would have been great to connect this to neurodiversity, specifically autism. I understand though how that may not come to mind though if it's not something you personally deal with. Plus it would take away your focus from the point of the video which is anxiety. I really appreciate this video still cause with all the other commentary largely just criticising this show; your video is the first to make me notice the autism connection which makes me want to investigate this more for myself! TLDR I get not bringing up neuro diversity though I wish you did, but either way really great video and perspective on The Rehersal!

[@bonestheclown9995]

See this felt weird and then the Curse dropped and it's like damn. He keeps going, getting more anxious and weird...

[@Trisket]

"There's no way to watch The Rehearsal without feeling anxious." Speak for yourself.

[@caseymckenna7111]

Wept way more than I’m gonna admit while watching this show.

[@SirDrFish]

It's the lack of expected empathy

[@basicindiebro]

I would love to hear you discuss The Curse and its ending.

[@JudahDeNose]

I love watching this show so much

[@DrAnarchy69]

Damn, Guy Debora’s ghost is having a field day with this show.

[@Mattonrouge]

Does anyone know the name of the outro song?? Plz plz plzzz

[@jeffbrownstain]

Sekhem of the Shut. Old concepts making themselves known in modern language.

[@colonelweird]

I've only watched the first episode, and I assumed the entire thing was a surreal scripted comedy, and everyone was an actor. Even with that assumption, it was strangely fascinating. But apparently Kor is a real person? And Nathan is also real? And the situations are real? I'm not sure I can handle that much weirdness, lol.

[@miniciominiciominicio]

The first episode is the least weird episode of the series.

[@jacobpaint]

I am wondering whether these analytical videos are also commissioned by Nathan as another layer to his meta breakdown of every layer of reality.

[@vaibhavagrawal8847]

Just wanted to ask, why is the new video not out on nebula?

[@leoxatn3573]

3rd place I'm on the podium baby 🥉

[@vanessacarly5140]

When you told him to listen to EMOTION by CRJ that was so real

[@Realitylex]

its rehearsin time

[@FLdancer00]

Nathan kissing the escort in Nathan For You was the cringest, most anxiety inducing scene I've ever watched.

[@joshelderkin9592]

No sound? :(

[@diquandaniel7953]

Can you do a Rush Hour Coppaganda?

[@espensele662]

Ah yes

[@cosmichal9548]

Ok but the Waterworld stunt show at Universal slaps

[@ioiwut4874]

oh.. ok

[@jacobpaint]

It's funny how Waterworld's infamy regarding its production problems and resulting budget blowout, caused it to gain a reputation as a flop even though it technically wasn't. In the end the film made a profit but that initial bad press hurt it's box office and caused an exaggerated idea of its poor quality to spread. Many people actually like the film and I would guess that a lot of the people who didn't love it, didnt actually hate it either (yes, I'm sure some people hate it. You wont prove anything by declaring how much you hate it)

[@Dustinlove102]

4:38 ✨anyone else get autistic vibes?✨

[@rhandel13]

I want people to watch it so bad and I find it difficult to describe this show to other people.

[@graldster1238]

Can you make a Copaganda video off Banshee? It's prob the most underrated show in the genre and the kicker is the whole show is a career conman pretending to be a cop.

[@FryBreadFreak]

first i was like OKAYYYYY we share similar thoughts and then u suggested Carly. that's a sub from me :3

[@radioactivegarbage_punk5645]

Nathan seems like a cool guy, maybe I’m also just a weirdo but idk . I’ve seen people talk about how his shows fucked up or something but I don’t see it, he’s kind of a goof and perhaps a lier but I have seen every episode of Nathan for you several times . And theirs lots of weird little moments were I could see other people pushing things too far or being more mean spirited about it.

[@bassman9261995]

Oh Ok

[@jamestrickingtonIII]

FMK: Rehearsal Nathan, Other Nathan, Real Nathan

[@bumb3274]

Lol this is so similar to Beginner's Guide!

[@KCPelletier]

Oh okay

[@thewhitewolf58]

Reality shows remind me why im autistic. Everything sounds the same unless its a fictional character being hammy for the scene.

[@jamalcalypse]

I almost subbed but you had to go and talk smack on Waterworld... The Unofficial Waterworld Worldwide Committe will be hearing about this.

[@JM-ic9yx]

I left when he spoke of Carly Rae Jepsen in a positive light

[@helge2888]

Oh… ok

[@joaquinortiz8994]

Oh, okay

[@sixpaths_mj]

Super eye patch wolf most recent video is about this guy

[@ericcarabetta1161]

This is quite possibly the most confusing premise for a show I've ever seen. That was why I never watched it when I saw ads for it, and even after you just did an excellent job explaining the show I still have no idea what it's about. What's real, what's just deadpan, it's very ambiguous.

[@dwc1964]

I've never been officially diagnosed as autistic but I relate so hard to so much of this - it would explain a lot about my life, is all I'm saying. This is why I can't watch Fielder - it hits too close to home.

[@theLetterDoubleYou]

Michael Burns brought me here

[@Taylor-rf3wb]

Not mentioning autism as he is a very obvious autistic character was a disservice.

[@HetLedie]

I mean personally I don't think so because a lot of the time when normies hear the word autistic they stop listening to what you are saying and rwight off the individual who is autistic. I really like the deep psychological profile that we're doing here for Nathan because it is so relatable

[@EkpyroticBounceHouse-DunderDan]

Fake Angela >>> real Angela

[@Cloudsurfer69]

does the scene at about 14:00 change a bit if you know that nathan has been happily married for 3 years and is not divorced or does everyone already know that lol?

[@BoopDoopIW]

he is actually divorced.

[@sinnsage]

yeah pretty sure that part’s real

[@marietailor3100]

Yeah… he’s actually divorced.

[@reasonablyskeptical]

after watching this and flight's video on the show, it seems it must be experienced, felt or gone through, these video essays are lacking for this show in particular, F is for fake or magic shows whatever have to be seen, not retold in a story, i guess? idk fuck it

[@felixd.4150]

He shouldn't involve kids in his shows. I don't know why someone didn't make that a rule before The Rehearsal. It really wasn't cool.

[@remimk]

Of course he's from Vancouver 🤣

[@EezhamDemon]

I had such a great time watching it. Your analysis was great. I'm still stumped as to who are actors and who isn't. Are the 'marks' supposedly all non-actor? The Jewish teacher was very cool until she started spouting Zionism.

[@raulgarcia8627]

Super eyepatchwolf already said everything about this! But I'll watch anyway 👀

[@clementineshetheyfae8312]

This just feels like being autistic lol

[@Cheskaz]

Algorithm

[@remimk]

paid for by your local Xanex Dealer. It would be legal if you could afford a doctor 😁👍

[@johnkronz7562]

But is it copaganda?

[@alexandermacneil4430]

First!

[@AnnaF867]

First to reply!

[@keyboardstalker4784]

This is the most pretentious video I’ve ever watched

[@puppygirlposting]

bruh stop projecting so much and just enjoy the show holy shit it's not that deep

[@RealBradMiller]

Quite apparent that it is. 😅

[@sinnsage]

gah i LOVE your videos! the rehearsal is truly a revelation of media, thank you for making this!!!

[@clamwok]

This show was literally a study in sociopathy. Nathan is a total sociopath.

[@alwaysdowhatsright]

Please do more on copaganda