The Curse: 10 Hilarious Moments from Nathan Fielder's Comedy Show

Introduction

The Curse, the latest show from the mind of absurd comedian Nathan Fielder, with Emma Stone as his co-star, was filled with hilarious moments. Fielder and Stone portray newlyweds Asher (Fielder) and Whitney (Stone), the presenters of a new television show that focuses on their attempts to enrich a local community with their eco-conscious housing. Airing on Showtime, The Curse has a 10-episode run. While Nathan Fielder is known for his awkward persona and comedy that blurs the line between fiction and reality, The Curse sees him in his first role in recent years that isn't simply an elevated version of himself. The Curse also allows Emma Stone to stretch her excellent natural comedic abilities. Like its title, there is also a focus on a supposed curse that is impacting the couple as the show together comedic elements and high drama. Shows from Fielder have been plenty funny, and The Curse is no different with its hilarious moments.

The pile of chicken on a bathroom sink in The Curse

Chicken In The Bathroom Of The Fire Station

Paranoid of the curse that he believes is following him, Asher has repeated run-ins with chicken in The Curse. The first mention of this is in episode 3 when Nala (Hikmah Warsame), the child who cursed them, wishes that the chicken from his dinner would disappear. Later on, Asher finds that the meat is missing from his meal kit. What seems like a simple shipping error comes back to haunt him in episode 6, however, when the two visit a local fire station to film segments for their show Fliplanthropy. In a funny but eerie turn of events, Asher finds raw chicken sitting on the sink of the bathroom. He initially believes that Dougie (Benny Safdie), the show's producer, put it there, but CCTV footage disproves this. Even though it's hilarious to see Asher try to convince himself of the validity of the curse, it's clear from the look on his face that he's shaken. It also shows just how comedic but awkward The Curse simply is.

The CCTV footage from the fire station in The Curse

Asher's Awkward Dirty Talk

Throughout the show, there are plenty of uncomfortable moments between Asher and Whitney, but episode 5 has one of the best. In between filming, Asher tries to exchange dirty talk with his wife but is met with quite a hostile response. After asking a boom operator to refrain from recording in between takes, Fielder's character takes a moment to mutter, 'Maybe I can record you some time,' followed by his explanation of wanting to hear Whitney's orgasm. This scene is a great example of why Stone is so brilliant in The Curse. Perfectly portraying the fed-up wife of a man she's slowly losing respect for, Stone's character immediately shuts him down and is disgusted by his comments. Despite the boom operator claiming they weren't listening in, it's implied otherwise, which must have been a painfully cringey thing to possibly hear. However, this isn't unusual for Fielder, as his show The Rehearsal had plenty of cringeworthy moments.

Emma Stone as Whitney arguing with Nathan Fielder as Asher in The Curse

Asher's Self-Deprecating List

In episode 3, Asher and Whitney fret that their show will not air after rough clips are shown to a focus group. While the two watching a video of the group's response to them isn't directly funny, it's the result of it that is hilarious. The focus group raves about Whitney but struggle to connect with Asher, which is no surprise given the kind of characters Nathan Fielder plays. In a brief shot during episode 5, the camera looks over Asher's shoulder to find him creating a list called 'Jokes for Show.' The list was filled with comments from the group, with bullet points such as 'Be self-deprecating (eg, James Corden).' Another hysterical point from this list was 'Your energy bill will be cheaper than my haircut,' which Asher then says to a potential buyer on camera later.

Asher's list of jokes from episode 5 of The Curse