[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for The Rehearsal, Season 2 Episode 3, “Pilot’s Code.”]
I do know you possibly can say this after just about each episode of The Rehearsal, however emphatically, what the precise fuck??
The primary two episodes of The Rehearsal Season 2 have already got offered loads of jaw-dropping moments. From the season opener’s “friendship flowers” incident to final week’s callout of Paramount+ for eradicating the Summit Ice episode of Nathan for You, there’s been quite a bit to digest. And but, this week’s episode, “Pilot’s Code,” simply ranks amongst the wildest shit Nathan Fielder has completed onscreen but — and that’s saying quite a bit.
The episode opens with an fascinating, although comparatively light-weight, primer as Fielder makes an attempt to carry out a character switch on a cloned canine. It’s finally a little bit of failure, as although one clone has a single breakthrough second, not one of the topics actually take to the unique pet’s character.
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That’s when Fielder decides it’s time to check out his theories on himself… and when the true fireworks begin.
After finding out some of the well-known pilots of latest instances — Captain “Sully” Sullenberger, who’s greatest recognized for touchdown a aircraft within the Hudson River — Fielder decides to see if he can soak up Sully’s traits by recreating his upbringing. “Look, what you’re about to witness goes to appear bizarre,” Fielder warns earlier than the grand reveal. That reveal? Fielder strolling into an outsized room fully shaved and dressed as a child.
†From there, it’s a surreal nightmare as he speed-runs Sully’s life, full with monstrous puppet mother and father, breastfeeding simulations, and Fielder straight-up masturbating within the cockpit of a aircraft. (After I let you know I full-on screamed on the display screen greater than as soon as, I’m actually downplaying my response.)
This isn’t the primary time Fielder has turned his absurd concepts on himself: He did so repeatedly on Nathan for You (most notably with the “Claw of Disgrace”) and in Season 1 of The Rehearsal. This time, nevertheless, he takes it additional than ever earlier than.
One of the crucial ridiculous, although shockingly plausible, revelations Fielder has on account of his experimentation straight pertains to Sully’s declare to fame, the Hudson River emergency touchdown. Within the latter components of his memoir, Sully begins to persistently reference completely different songs. Nonetheless, there’s one band, Fielder notices, that Sully appears to return again to notably usually — Evanescence.
In response to his personal writing, the airline captain had one thing of an infatuation with the emo hitmakers. Fielder relates this to pilots’ tendencies to maintain their emotional struggles to themselves, as emotions of hysteria or despair can lead to one dropping one’s plane license. After “residing as him for therefore lengthy” and simulating the touchdown within the Hudson, Fielder takes it one step additional by suggesting that Evanescence could secretly be the explanation Sully was in a position to pull off such a exceptional feat.
As offered in The Rehearsal, there’s a 23-second hole throughout the emergency touchdown the place Sully doesn’t converse a phrase. It simply so occurs, Fielder explains, that the refrain to Evanescence’s beloved observe “Deliver Me to Life” can also be 23 seconds lengthy — and Sully’s iPod was discovered within the aircraft wreckage. Is it attainable Sully spent that third of a minute listening to “Deliver Me to Life,” and that’s what gave him the energy to ask his co-pilot for assist and finally avert catastrophe? Fielder thinks so.
However, maintain on, did Sully really take heed to “Deliver Me to Life” whereas touchdown US Airways Flight 1549? Wanting Sully himself confirming someway, it’s unattainable to know. Although, we will at the very least examine to see if Fielder’s math actually provides up.
Firstly, let’s tackle the details that The Rehearsal unequivocally will get right. For one, Sully’s iPod was certainly recovered within the wreckage, as confirmed in his memoir, Highest Obligation: My Seek for What Actually Issues, and an essay titled “What I Received Again.” He additionally does write about about Evanescence in his memoir and has talked about the band in passing all through the years, like on this interview with Runner’s World.
The place Fielder’s idea will get just a little hazier, although, is on the subject of the precise numbers — the time period Sully remained silent within the cockpit and the size of the “Deliver Me to Life” refrain. In response to the official transcript, Sully really stayed mum from 3:29:45 to three:30:11, that means he saved to himself for 26 seconds fairly than 23. So far as the epic hook of “Deliver Me to Life,” it’s just a little extra subjective. There’s some wiggle room relying on when precisely you contemplate the refrain to have began and ended, in addition to which one of many a number of situations of the refrain you’re particularly taking a look at. By my depend, nevertheless, the primary refrain lasts about 21 seconds, and the following two final about 25 seconds. Not far off, maybe even inside the margin of subjectivity, although completely different sufficient to warrant mentioning.
In fact, we’re splitting hairs right here. As talked about, sure particulars are as much as interpretation. Plus, who’s to say that Sully wanted to take heed to the whole thing of the refrain? Or how lengthy it took him to seek out his iPod, put in his earbuds, pull up the track, scroll to the refrain, and hit play? Or if, maybe, he merely recalled the refrain mentally, resulting in a slight variation in tempo and, because of this, size?
So, no, in all probability, Sully didn’t take heed to “Deliver Me to Life” by Evanescence whereas performing what is perhaps essentially the most well-known aircraft touchdown of all time. However that’s simply it… “in all probability.” The truth that there may be sufficient coincidence to not totally rule out the likelihood is, admittedly, insane. And as we realized in The Rehearsal Season 1 Episode 3, perhaps the phantasm is sufficient. I, for one, suppose it’s an entire lot extra enjoyable to consider that Fielder’s recreation is precisely what went down on that fateful day.
New episodes of The Rehearsal premiere Sundays on HBO and Max.