Review: The Rehearsal, "Pilot's Code" | Season 2, Episode 3

I was wondering when we’d get here. When Nathan Fielder rolled out the scope of The Rehearsal’s second season, the first name that sprang to mind was that of Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger. If there’s a poster boy for the pinnacle of aviation safety, it’s good ole’ Sully—although I’ll readily admit that the part of my brain that remembers him is also clouded by Film Twitter’s reaction to the Clint Eastwood biopic about him. David Sims’ persistent use of the “can we get serious now” moment as a reaction image lingers more than it should.

I bring up this memed moment as a way of diving into “Pilot’s Code,” because it does mark a return to the importance of Fielder’s goal, insofar as a show like The Rehearsal can be serious. While last week’s installment is likely going to be a standout episode of television (this year or any year, for that matter), I do think more of the ultimate takeaway from “Star Potential” will be Nathan’s squabble with Paramount. As truly incredible as that moment is, I think in the grand arc of this show, it’s an individual beat that runs the risk of overshadowing the season. In short, Fielder needed to get this flight back on course; it’s time to get serious.

But the beauty of The Rehearsal is that even the show’s perception of seriousness is, frankly, completely absurd. The show’s opening sequence about Achilles is an effective micro-framing of the macro thesis around learned behavior. As a person in the world, certain aspects of learned behavior are easier to grasp. It’s easier for me to learn not to touch a hot stove than it is to, let’s say, shift whole aspects of my personality. Others can take lifetimes to undo. These lessons, in a vacuum, are effective, but this is the first time this season I’ve felt reaching or grasping to draw a throughline for its thesis, even if some of the individual arguments presented are deeply entertaining in their executions. Driving collected air 300 miles to spray in front of a dog, combined with the quote about Steve Jobs and the pan to the Jared Fogle Subway ad, was the episode’s biggest punchline for me. As was the vision of seeing three rehearsal variants of Monique and Bogdan, almost as if they’re mimicking each of the cloned dogs. These instances, in isolation, are good gags—and I certainly admire the commitment to a bit—but come across as forced in service of building towards Fiedler’s larger eureka moment.

I’m almost—almost—inclined to let him off the hook, given the electric nature of what unfolds next. Nathan’s attempts to get into Sully’s psyche aren’t inherently surprising, especially given the elaborate roleplaying nature at the heart of the show. What I didn’t anticipate, however, were the lengths Fielder was willing to go to get into the mind of this century’s most notable pilot. No amount of warning could prepare for the visual of Fielder getting waterboarded by the breastmilk of a giant Paper mâché version of Sully’s mother. Or the idea that’s footage of Fielder masterbating in the middle of an airplane on the Warner lot in the middle of Burbank.

What was less shocking is that much of Fielder as Sully—a phrase I hope is as insanely fun for you to read as it is for me to type—boils down the exploration into family and compartmentalization. Here, both themes of The Rehearsal’s two seasons are openly on display, and how they intersect with one another is fascinating. Not only are there Sully’s familial issues, but Monique and Bodgan’s martial spats around having children, which are the central tension of the performance of their respective Fielder Method actors. I continue to be endlessly fascinated by Fielder’s obsessive focus on the family unit and what it may mean (or not) for him to not have access to that. However, the real focus of this season is the idea of separating the personal from the professional, and the real emotional toll it can take on a person in a high-stress environment, which serves as the peg upon which the back half of “Pilot’s Code” orients itself around.

This all builds to that euphoric suggestion that Evanescence was the literal soundtrack to the Miracle on the Hudson. As with last week’s reveal that Paramount had no clue Fielder was planning his take down of them, I’m utterly fascinated to see if someone asks Sully about the notion in the next few days. But the fact that there’s even enough of a possibility here to suggest this was the motivating factor is an incredible discovery and arguably makes Fielder’s whole experiment worth it.

It’s still too early to tell if Fielder’s implication at the start of the season—that a clown could change the world—may ultimately pan out in any massive policy shifts. However, even through three episodes, The Rehearsal is proving a strong case for leniency or larger considerations around pilot mental health. While it’s taken a lot of utterly bizarre (and entertaining) pathways, this ultimate conclusion is no less meaningful or significant as a result. The montage of concerned pilots at the end of the episode paints everything in such stark relief that I would hope people recognize the need for a serious conversation around the topic. For as farfetched as Fielder’s methodologies are, you can’t knock the results of what we’re seeing unfold in front of our very eyes.

Stray observations

• Quote of the week: “I’m so sad about Steve Jobs.”

• …what is Bogdan’s Silicon Valley job that he and Monique have a spare “up to $50,000” sitting around to clone a dog once, let alone three times!1

• When Fielder revealed that the chorus of “Bring to Me Life” is 23 seconds long, I legitimately felt like I was levitating. What a moment!

• Jeff continues to do himself no favors, huh?2

• Speaking of Jeff, both Moody and Cindy are actively posting on TikTok now, with a recent video from Moody asking, “Question for the ladies what are your thoughts on Captain Jeff?? Do you actually like guys like that?” He also posted a May the Fourth video this morning as he flew back from Mexico to Houston. Cindy’s videos are very much about her desire to become an influencer. I’m sure both parties are NDA’d to hell and back (there’s a comment on the linked video from Cindy where someone asks her to break the NDA for $5) about their experience, but it will be fascinating to watch the both of them engage with and about the series over the next few weeks. 3

• Never in a million years did I think that the big walls that were going up would translate into what we saw with Baby Fielder/Sully. Good lord.

• Which HBO star did a better Southern accent: Fielder or Parker Posey? As someone from South Carolina, I’ll go with Posey.

• “Bring Me to Life,” really?! The song that’s used in the middle of the Ben Affleck Daredevil film when Jennifer Garner is practicing her skills to go after Daredevil himself? That song?!

• Discussion point for the comments for those willing to engage: what song would you listen to calm yourself down if you had to land a plane full of people on the Hudson River?4