But Fielder has another a-ha moment when he draws a parallel between the cue-blind dating failures of pilot Colin with the rest of his flying peers who also can’t seem to build relationships. When Fielder learns that Colin can’t even get text chains to go more than a round or two, he theorizes that maybe that ungainly and slightly fraught period right at the start of a romantic relationship is similar to the dynamic of cockpit strangers tasked with landing a big metal tube full of people safely. If he can get Colin to learn how to be more self-confident and perceptive around women and apply that to a real romantic relationship, then maybe he can transfer that learned ease to any pilot so they can act on their true feelings in crisis moments and solve this aviation safety conundrum.
What sets this episode apart from the pack is Fielder’s gentle and compassionate handling of Colin, which reinforces what an expert technician he can be with tone. While all of Fielder’s now familiar tools are in play here—the fake terminal, his Fielder Method actors, and multiple rehearsal spaces for observation—this is a far more subtle episode led by a series of genuine conversations between Fielder, Colin, and Emma, the actor who likes the pilot and patiently works with Nathan to coax him out of his shell. Fielder could have punched down on Colin’s painfully quiet personality, but instead he goes to great lengths to make him comfortable, to find women who are sincerely attracted to him, and then to check in with the guy as the exercises unfold.
It’s a mode that Fielder rarely explores but this kind and empathetic version of himself is pretty powerful. He’s commanding with a soft touch and that’s such a weird 180 from his intense laptop-sling persona. There’s even great charm in the scenes where Fielder is utterly perplexed by the ability of his actors to kiss and be intimate with their scene partners as they play out Colin/Emma dating scenarios. It’s legitimately endearing that this version of Fielder can’t comprehend acting as an immersive experience, despite the fact that he himself has acted in plenty of shows.
It’s in that murky space that Fielder brilliantly requests that Colin act in a scene with Emma where he will play a guy who confidently asks a woman that he’s on a date with for a kiss. In assuming the guise of an actor, Fielder figures the pressure of the moment will dissipate because there is no Colin or Emma, just their characters. The outcome is both poignant and realistic, and it seems to galvanize Fielder’s theories enough so that he invites former NTSB expert John Goglia into his terminal where he shares his cockpit theory. It’s weirdly gratifying to see someone as no-nonsense as Goglia so accepting of Fielder’s work and open to his outside the cockpit way of thinking. The clown is accepted despite his honking nose. But the real challenge awaits as Fielder moves into a new rehearsal space…for a Congressional aviation subcommittee hearing.
Stray observations
- • Our host has always blurred the line between intentional psychological experiment and just plain social awkwardness. This week felt like he was closing in on the fascinating group experiments conducted by British “psychological illusionist” Darren Brown. If Fielder’s pack mentality appealed to you, then check out Brown’s specials, like Hero At 30,000 Feet or Apocalypse.
- • Wings Of Voice is back and is it any surprise that the judge’s lax gatekeeping standards means there are 40 singers “going home tonight”? (Where is he keeping these singers all season? Is there a shadow production happening in parallel to The Rehearsal production?)
- • “The Pack” of actors who follow Colin around like a theater group on steroids would have driven me mad.
- • Fielder labeling Paramount+ “the network with some questionable viewpoints” was perfect.
