Mayday, mayday, planes are crashing on the newest season of HBO’s The Rehearsal, and it’s making viewers question whether they ever want to get on one again. (Cue the inevitable Boeing jokes.)
Known for transforming everyday problems into elaborate psychological experiments, The Rehearsal is back for a new season with Nathan Fielder, the show’s creator and star, turning his lens on the airline industry.
The first episode of Season 2 opens inside a cockpit in the middle of a dispute between a pilot and co-pilot, who are arguing over landing procedures. Moments later, the plane crashes in a fiery explosion. However, the crash is only a simulation, which viewers find out when the camera pans to reveal Fielder calmly standing in the wreckage.
This is the most insane tv out there #therehearsal pic.twitter.com/rmXh6kB2AE
— Egotistical (@TristanBeMe101) April 21, 2025
The takeaway of the simulation? Poor communication is one of the leading cause of plane crashes.
“The captain has made a decision, the first officer understands it’s wrong, but the first officer doesn’t have the ability to speak up about it… Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to be the No. 1 contributing factor to aviation crashes in history, and it’s not solved,” Fielder says to ex-National Transportation Safety Board member John Goglia in the episode.
As soon as the episode aired, viewers flocked to social media to praise Fielder for the brilliance of his show, while also declaring how spooked the episode really left them.
After all, it’s been quite a year for plane crashes, with the Jeju Air Flight plane crash, the Potomac River collision, and the medevac jet crash all occurring within a few weeks of each other.
getting off a Boeing pic.twitter.com/yOnFVgOpst
— ᐱ ᑎ ᑐ ᒋ ᕮ ᒍ (@Andr3jH) April 14, 2025
Needless to say, aviation safety was already weighing heavy on viewers’ minds, and now, thanks to The Rehearsal, it’s all some people can think about.
“Had to watch the crash montage before getting on a flight tomorrow. Thanks Nathan,” one Redditor announced.
Me to the pilot of my next flight after watching #TheRehearsal pic.twitter.com/Z6gHhBwMG2
— Raven Brunner (@raventbrunner) April 21, 2025
Heading to the airport after #TheRehearsal S2E1 pic.twitter.com/D5m33bjwOJ
— Cloudbuster (@kungfukenny2000) April 21, 2025
im like 10 minutes into the new the rehearsal and in never going on a plane again lol
— tyler (durden) (@TAXlDRVlER) April 21, 2025
#TheRehearsal has me so stressed for an upcoming flight oh my god, my life hangs in the balance at the mercy of a capricious relationship between pilot and co-pilot
— gunaaa (@gunaaa) April 21, 2025
People on social media joked that the Federal Aviation Administration was probably spiraling after The Rehearsal called them out Sunday night.
The FAA after that “The Rehearsal” episode pic.twitter.com/ZgVfh9rMNG
— DRPHILGOOD (@Drphilgood92) April 21, 2025
Viewers also took note of how many plane crashes shown in the episode wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for some serious biases on the pilots part, arguing that this is a perfect example of the real-life consequences of anti-DEI policies and beliefs.
I’ve seen so many weirdos on here in months go like “yeah I wouldn’t trust a woman as a pilot”And then the new episode of The Rehearsal is just the actual words uttered by pilots before they crashed and its all men arguing with eachother and men being dismissive of women
— aves (@yurisluttt) April 21, 2025
The intro to The Rehearsal season 2 simulates so many plane crashes where male pilots belittle female first officers that it kinda makes a great argument for no-DEI causing all the aviation disasters
— sovereign simp-izen (@TooMuchWit) April 21, 2025
For all of our sakes, let’s just hope the FAA and airlines watch and learn from The Rehearsal—flying a plane is a lot like being in a relationship; it requires good communication to survive.
The post Nathan Fielder’s ‘The Rehearsal’ Freaks Viewers Out About Plane Crashes appeared first on The Daily Beast.
