A Guide to Nathan Fielder’s Work Before Watching ‘You Can See Everything’
I think Fielder is the only person who could make a Theranos documentary feel genuinely new. The story has been told as a cautionary tale, a crime thriller, a tragedy. But Fielder's whole body of work suggests he sees Holmes as something else: a person who built a world so convincing that she forgot it was a set. In "Nathan for You," he'd create absurd businesses and then watch real people bend their logic to fit the premise. That's exactly what happened with Theranos, just with billions of dollars at stake.
What I'd want to know is how he handles the fact that Holmes's deception was harmful, not just weird. His previous shows were low-stakes, even when they got uncomfortable. Here, the stakes are real lives and real money. I'm curious whether he can keep his playful distance or if he'll have to get his hands dirty. The trailer suggests he's doing his trademark deadpan interviews, but I'm hoping he lets the absurdity of the whole thing speak for itself, without forcing a punchline.
The deeper point is that Fielder's work is about how we all perform our roles in society. Holmes just performed harder than most. He might be the only filmmaker willing to ask whether she was a con artist or a true believer, and then refuse to answer. That's the kind of ambiguity that makes for a documentary that stays with you long after the credits roll.