I have become obsessed with You Can See Everything, the new documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim.
This obsession is based on its trailers alone. Here’s the official one:
While we wait for You Can See Everything to premiere in theaters on October 16th – and I want to be clear here: I think this may end up being one of the most heralded documentaries of all time – I’ve taken some time to revisit Nathan Fielder’s career.
My dudes Larry and Lou had pushed me and my wife to get on board with Comedy Central’s Nathan for You for years, and while I enjoyed the several episodes that I had seen well enough, I didn’t fully get what Fielder was about until I beheld in stunned amazement the glory of HBO Max’s The Rehearsal.
More recently, I decided to go back and watch Nathan for You from the beginning, and very quickly something clicked and I was able to see its brilliant vision play out over a glorious binge watch over several weeks.
For NFY noobs Cinema Scope lays out what you’re in for at first blush:
For the uninitiated, Nathan for You plays like a bizzaro Home and Garden TV reality show. It uses all of the language: the cheesy stock music, the camera wipes, Dutch angles, and, my personal favourite, the host walking towards the camera to make you feel like you’re watching a legitimate business remodelling show. It doesn’t feel like a parody—BUT IT IS.
But that’s only the beginning. Nathan for You evolves pretty quickly into something much more complicated and interesting. It’s often funny, but there’s so much else going on. For example, The Ringer talks about the brilliant series finale, “Finding Frances,” “…mutating from expert reality-show pastiche to detective-story psychodrama.”
Over time, Nathan for You became an examination of Nathan himself – his social awkwardness, his desire to understand the world on his own terms, and his quest to connect.
The single most fascinating thing about Nathan for You – and this journey continues into The Rehearsal and You Can See Everything – is trying to figure out how much insight we’re getting into the “real” Nathan Fielder versus the version of himself that he wants us to see.
And that, my friends, is the stuff of great art.
To help celebrate, here’s Pop Thruster’s ranking of every Nathan for You episode. The episode logline for each is followed by a few thoughts from your humble narrator.
If there’s a pattern to this list, it’s that while the baseline version of Nathan for You is quite good, the further it drifts from its own ostensible premise, the better it gets.
1) “Smokers Allowed” (Season 3, Episode 5)
Nathan assists a dive bar with getting around anti-smoking laws.
A Rehearsal-esque masterpiece: cinema verité melds with Nathan Fielder’s warped genius at a rando dive bar on the north side of Pasadena (mere minutes away from where I lived for many years). The questionable premise of a ridiculous (and funny!) gambit to skirt indoor smoking laws becomes the launchpad for NF’s vision.
Also, let me repeat this: I love you.
2) “Finding Frances” (Season 4, Episode 8)
Nathan continues to help William Heath, a Bill Gates impersonator from a previous episode, try to find his long-lost love.
A deeply immersive feature film length episode that showcases Fielder’s mastery as both documentarian and examiner of the human condition. This is the true link between NFY and The Rehearsal and now You Can See Everything. The Nathan for You series finale is funny at times, but that’s not the point. The twin subjects of the episode are Bill Heath and Fielder himself, and figuring out what the line is between what is real and what isn’t is compulsively entertaining. And that final scene with Nathan and Maci…
3) “The Anecdote” (Season 4, Episode 5)
Believing that his previous appearances on late-night talk shows were too boring, Nathan goes to great lengths to create the perfect talk show anecdote.
A captivating and hilarious tour de force that only Nathan Fielder, of all the humans on the planet, could have pulled off: an insane Rube Goldberg machine reverse engineering the perfect talk show anecdote.
4) “Shipping Logistics Company” (Season 4, Episode 6)
Nathan teaches an international exporter how to ship smoke alarms tax-free, which results in him having to form a band to give the concept legitimacy.
This is the single funniest episode of Nathan for You ever produced. If you disagree, that’s your (banzai) predicament to wrestle with. Beep!
5) “Haunted House; The Hunk” (Season 1, Episode 5)
Nathan tries to help a struggling haunted house. Nathan attempts to overcome his fear of the opposite sex by dating 10 women at once.
An early indication that Nathan for You would be far more than a show about helping small businesses with wacky marketing ideas. I would be all in on a full season of The Hunk – a hysterically cringey play off The Bachelor featuring our boy Nathan – no questions asked. One season? Let’s make that SEASONS.
6) “Electronics Store” (Season 3, Episode 1)
Nathan tries to help a struggling electronics store and ends up facing off against a large corporation.
The third season premiere is clear proof that Nathan for You was entering a new level of bizarre excellence. Nathan Fielder in progressively insane Hot Topic garb, an alligator protecting one dollar flatscreen TVs behind a two-foot red door. All of it is chef’s kiss great.
Just be aware that there’s a dress code.
7) “Gas Station; Caricature Artist” (Season 1, Episode 4)
Nathan helps an independent petrol station by coming up with the world’s greatest rebate. Nathan attempts to make a fledgling caricature artist famous.
Nathan’s diabolical scheme that forces people seeking a rebate on gas into an epic Hike to Nowhere in the SoCal hills is the first truly iconic moment in Nathan for You’s history.
8) “Horseback Riding; Man Zone” (Season 3, Episode 2)
Nathan comes up with a way for a farm to accommodate overweight riders, a women’s boutique attempts to appease male customers, and Nathan may have committed a hate crime.
It’s completely wild but in keeping with NF’s ranginess that this one pivots from the downright edgy move of using the Holocaust as subject matter on what’s ostensibly a comedy show (while inventing a real non-profit clothing brand, Summit Ice, in the process!) to lampooning Dude Culture.
In its honor, you know what I feel like? A mother-effin’ beer.
9) “Dumb Starbucks” (Season 2, Episode 5)
Nathan makes use of parody law to open up a coffee shop nearly identical to Starbucks in its branding and appearance.
By the time that this episode aired, I’m pretty sure my man Larry was (rightfully) bugging me to check out Nathan for You. But I recall seeing “Dumb Starbucks” featured on the local news in SoCal, and it’s what truly put it on my radar. The concept is the perfect distillation of what Nathan Fielder does best, blurring the lines between what’s real and fake, funny and weird.
10) “Nail Salon; Fun” (Season 3, Episode 7)
Nathan helps a nail salon overcome racial stereotyping while providing a service, and then tries to prove to the world that he is fun to be around.
The “fun” portion involves one of the more insane set-ups you’ll ever see on unscripted television. This is Nathan Fielder’s version of fun to be sure.
11) “Toy Company; Movie Theater” (Season 2, Episode 8)
Nathan shows a toy company how to market to children; a movie theater instates a no-sharing policy at the concession stand; Nathan reconnects with an old friend.
Attempting to stop people from sharing popcorn and snacks at the movies is one of the more absurd business-related schemes NFY has attempted (and that’s saying a lot), but the POPCORN SHARERS AND THEATER MASTURBATORS Corkboard of Shame payoff makes it all worthwhile.
12) “The Hero” (Season 3, Episode 8)
Nathan walks across a high wire for charity and attempts to prove that everyone has a hero within them in the finale.
Speaking of high wires, this one walks a very fine line on the ROI of spectacle, entertainment, and comedy versus legitimately screwing with someone’s life. I’m cool with it in this case… mostly.
This behind the scenes clip is (appropriately) just about as insane and riveting as the show itself.
13) “Andy vs. Uber” (Season 4, Episode 4)
Nathan re-teams with an old client to enlist several disgruntled taxi drivers for a plot to sabotage Uber’s business from the inside.
In some ways, this episode underscores the intellectual underbelly of what Nathan for You is trying to tell us about the impact of corporate America and unchecked capitalism on small businesses and the gig workers left in the shuffle to survive. I think?
14) “Souvenir Shop; ELAIFF” (Season 2, Episode 2)
Nathan sets up a fake film shoot in an effort to boost sales at a Hollywood souvenir shop, but he soon discovers that he may have committed fraud.
I adore when we get to see Nathan play film director within the show, where we get to see glimpses of what the “real” Nathan must be like behind the grand schemes he conjures up. That plus a full half hour dedicated to a hilariously dumb conceit to help fire up sales at a Hollywood gift shop hawking tchotchkes and the introduction of Bill Heath, “professional” Bill Gates impersonator, make this a special ep of NFY.
15) “Chili Shop; Massage Parlor” (Season 4, Episode 3)
Nathan helps a chili selling business by infiltrating a sports stadium to sell it. Nathan helps a massage parlor by encouraging/tricking clients to upgrade to a more expensive session.
The “chili suit” used to sell chili at a local hockey arena is equal parts ingenious, completely dumb as a business idea, gross, and hilarious. I was all in.
16) “Claw of Shame” (Season 1, Episode 7)
Nathan performs a daring escape in which he risks a fate that is truly worse than death; failed business ideas from the season.
Whenever Nathan for You turns the full half hour into a full-blown showcase for a single bit, we’re in for something special. This one features some of the best over-the-top inventions in support of bizarro payoffs the show has seen.
17) “Taxi Service; Hot Dog Stand” (Season 2, Episode 7)
Nathan tries to get press for a taxi company; Nathan goes out of his way to defend a hot dog stand’s reputation.
Getting cut in line is one of the many minor injustices we all suffer through in modern life. Wouldn’t it be nice if just ONCE one of those people got what they deserved? In Nathan we trust…
18) “The Movement” (Season 3, Episode 3)
Nathan attempts to get laborers to work for free at a moving company.
The lengths Fielder goes to in creating a… movement around an exercise craze that’s essentially free labor for a moving company are impressive, and Jack Garbarino proves to be the perfectly oddball cypher to front it.
19) “Computer Repair; Psychic” (Season 4, Episode 7)
Nathan helps a computer repair shop earn public trust; marketing becomes personal for a psychic.
Some NFY episodes are funny and weird (especially the “asexual” computer repair bit) on their own merits without necessarily having something deeper to say, and I’d say this one qualifies as one of those.
20) “Clothing Store; Restaurant” (Season 1, Episode 3)
Nathan convinces a clothing store to allow shoplifting and trains a new assistant; a restaurant owner is surprised when Nathan asks to be included in her will.
Most notably we get the introduction of Simon Kellogg here, the security guard dedicated to his job except… for one thing (okay, two things) that completely distracts him.
Oh, and also we get Nathan in maybe weird hats!
21) “Hotel; Travel Agent” (Season 3, Episode 6)
A hotel tries to appeal to sexually active parents, a travel agent finds out how to profit from her elderly customers, and Nathan shares his solution for never being late.
One can imagine the likes of Sacha Baron Cohen’s jaw hanging open at the boundary-pushing going on in the Hotel portion of this one (as originally aired on basic cable, no less).
22) “Mechanic; Realtor” (Season 2, Episode 1)
Nathan convinces a mechanic to verify his estimates with a polygraph test and rebrands Sue Stanford as the Ghost Realtor.
The mechanic bit is more clever than funny, whereas the Ghost Realtor bit gets bonkers for how much Sue Stanford (and her ghostbusting pal) play into it.
23) “Sporting Goods Store; Antique Shop” (Season 3, Episode 4)
Nathan attempts to secure an endorsement deal for a sporting goods store; an antique shop learns how to better utilize their “you break it, you buy it” policy.
Fielder’s gambit in the Antique Shop portion – entrapping drunk dudes to accidentally break things in a 24-hour antiques store en route to “free pizza” – reminds me a bit of a Slippin’ Jimmy con from Better Call Saul.
24) “Dating Website; Party Planner” (Season 2, Episode 6)
Nathan helps a dating website attract female users, helps a party planner reduce anxiety for her clients, and proposes a radical new weight-loss program.
The “radical” weight loss scheme is the highlight of this one, pushing a really good idea – set up personally directed dire consequences to help motivate weight loss – into sublimely cringe territory when we see those dire consequences play out on camera.
25) “The Richards Tip” (Season 4, Episode 2)
Nathan stages a stunt to make it seem like comedian Michael Richards left a $10,000 tip at a deli.
The multiple stages of set-up and subterfuge make this one worth the trip.
26) “Santa; Petting Zoo” (Season 1, Episode 2)
Nathan discovers the professional Santa he’s helping has a dark secret; Nathan’s attempt to market a petting zoo has unexpected results; a teen is caught doing graffiti.
We get the first of several appearances of the semi-creepy Santa, James Bailey, here, but the highlight is the cringe we get when Nathan kind of entraps a teen into defacing a poster of Nathan himself in a sexually provocative pose, shall we say.
27) “Pet Store; Maid Service” (Season 2, Episode 3)
Nathan places a controversial ad in a pet cemetery; takes tips from a focus group in order to become more likeable; comes up with a method to clean a house in six minutes flat.
The focus group spices up this one a touch as it’s always fun to see Nathan pivoting from his base deadpan personality into some other mode, but the bits in this one don’t land quite as much as most other episodes.
28) “Private Investigator; Taxi Company” (Season 1, Episode 8)
Nathan puts a private investigator to the test by allowing himself to be spied on for a day; Nathan brings a taxi company a solution for shy customers; Nathan is forced to include product placement in his show.
This one is probably best known for the first introduction of private investigator Brian Wolfe, who I frankly find to be one of the most annoying “subjects” featured on the show.
29) “Liquor Store; Exterminator; Car Wash” (Season 2, Episode 4)
Nathan comes up with a way to sell alcohol to minors, helps an exterminator land a hotel contract, and uses birds to draw customers to a car wash.
Leans more clever than funny. Three different biz ideas don’t tend to work out optimally over a crammed half-hour episode.
30) “A Celebration” (Season 4, Episode 1)
Nathan checks in with former guests of the show, including Brian Wolfe and the Ghost Realtor. Hosted by Anthony Napoli.
It’s interesting to find out what’s going on with some of the business owners from past episodes, such as the Ghost Realtor (who seems to have gone off the Ghost Hunting-meets-The Exorcist deep end), but not an especially memorable episode overall. And also, I find the dynamic between Nathan and Anthony Napoli to be ever so slightly unsettling.
31) “Funeral Home; Burger Joint; Skydiving” (Season 1, Episode 6)
Nathan helps a struggling funeral home. A burger joint is forced to stand by its claim that it has the best burger in Los Angeles. Nathan goes skydiving.
The rare Nathan for You ep that’s mostly forgettable.
32) “Yogurt Shop; Pizzeria” (Season 1, Episode 1)
Nathan gets buzz for a yogurt shop by creating a controversial flavor; Nathan comes up with a scheme for eight-minute pizza delivery.
This one feels like the warmup act that it is.
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See where The Rehearsal landed in Pop Thruster’s best 100 TV shows ever.