Nathan for You has been one of the most consistently funny shows for the past few years. Riding off the success of shows such as Shark Tank, Nathan for You has found its way onto my TV year in and year out. The premise is that a young Canadian will help struggling business owners to increase profits. But that does not even begin to tell the whole story. Rather than by following traditional strategies to maximize revenue, Nathan Fielder looks for the most extreme. And the hilarity of the situation is heightened by Nathan's deadpan approach. Comedy Central has knocked it out of the park with this show. And when a feature length finale was announced for season 4, I was excited.
While other episodes focus on business ideas, Finding Frances focuses on reuniting a lost love. Bill Gate's impersonator William Heath recounts to Nathan about his biggest life regret: not professing his love to a woman named Frances some 50 years ago. But this simpler approach does not lead to less extravagance on the part of the show. Key scenes include creating a 47 year high school reunion and faking a sequel to the Matthew McConaughey film Mud in order to steal yearbooks from an Arkansas high school. To see the rest you just need to watch the episode.
This finale excels in ways that the show had never previously. The comedy is still there, yet a tragedy is revealed at the same time. The exploration of what love means is fascinating. Nathan has quietly been exploring this topic throughout his seasons, but this finale expands on his ideology. Through a series of events, Fielder begins a non-sexual relationship with a prostitute. Through their conversations, Nathan begins to wonder if this is the first real companionship he has ever felt. The viewer is left empathizing with his plight to find love through this self realization. As Nathan contemplates Heath's quest for love, he begins to realize that he too is rapidly heading down this road. Nathan's thoughts are summated in this quote from the show: “A part of me wondered if Bill was just a bored old man looking for an adventure to keep himself busy, or maybe when you prioritize your career for too long, you just become desperate for any human connection.” Through Nathan for You, Nathan himself may have lost sight of any real connection, through no fault of his own.
Surprisingly, Finding Frances took me to place I never thought Nathan for You would, or even could. Yes I laughed out loud many times throughout the episode. But I also cared the titular character, something that many comedies struggle with. We laugh along with the characters, but we feel with them as well.
When should you watch?
Opening Night (Had this been released to theaters, I would have gone out and paid money to see it on the big screen. Thankfully, it is streaming on comedycentral.com right now)
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