Nathan For You
“Pet Store/Maid Service”
Season 2, Episode 3
Chad White, Pet Me Like I’m One Of Your Maid Girls, Tries Too Hard
In today’s day and age, pets can become a big part of the family. Owners often give their furry little friends their own clothing, specialized food, and even houses. But is it possible we can become too reliable on the love we draw from our pets? Do we give them too much attention; some of which that can be guided towards our loved ones or our dreams? No. Animals are cute and that’s why we domesticated them. We give them the greatest of gifts. And when they die, we give them the same treatment as we give other members of our family.
Nathan Fielder traveled to a pet store that was having trouble with business. They’ve tried print ads as well as internet ads but they can still barley drum up customers. The plan was to advertise the pet store on a gravestone in a local pet cemetery. Owners mourning their four legged or winged friend would see the ad, forget about their pet and go buy a new one. A ballsy move yes but it makes sense. Wouldn’t it make since to move on quickly while you still have a chance? To get into the cemetery, Fielder had to bury a pet. There’s no funny way to put this so I’ll just say he got a fly.
It’s fitting to note that since the first episode, we’ve only seen the comedic side of Fielder. We never get to see him emote unless he’s defending his manhood (like when he said he didn’t masturbate to internet porn). But it’s finally once the fly dies we see the emotional side of Fielder. He lets his soft side show in his time of grief. This is when he throws the best pet funeral around. In the finale, a three ton tombstone is craned in on top of his fly’s grave. On it reads an ad for the pet store. This move is pretty bold when you think about it. People come to the graveyard to grieve but are being bombarded with an eyesore of an ad. But this move should prove positive for business at the pet store.
Fielder has been described as unlikeable by some people on the show. He notes that this is bad for him because he needs to be liked in order for his show to be successful. What’s one thing that we all wish we could do when we find out someone doesn’t like us? That’s right; hire a focus group! Fielder instituted the help of four people from the most important demographics he needs to hit: Asian, black, Hispanic, and old. The four people followed Fielder in a large white movie truck fitted with bolted down tables, hidden cameras and walkie-talkies. They give him suggestions that turn him into something he can’t recognize and it ends up going horribly awry. And every minute of it is funny. He goes from clean cut to positively douchey back to clean cut again.
For the last segment of the episode, Fielder is helping a maid service. Speed is the key for them so Fielder suggests the largest scale clean that anyone has ever seen. 40 maids were brought in to a man’s home to clean everything in under six minutes. Planning the process was particularly interesting. Fielder rented a bus so that all the maids could arrive at the same time. He went to the house before hand to get exact measurements that were needed for each maid to clean their own section. Seeing the whole operation in action is crazy. 40 people in a massive cleaning frenzy is very satisfying. The scene was even funnier with the juxtaposition of the frantic cleaning and Fielder and the owner of the house’s discussion about the latter’s relationships.
Should you watch Nathan For You Pet Store/Maid Service?
This is the funniest episode this season that oddly ties into last season. It’s not as big and Nathan isn’t threatened as badly as he was in the previous episode. However, it’s still a tight episode that holds its own.