How To with John Wilson Asks “Why?”
HBO’s recently concluded comedy documentary series, How To with John Wilson, falls into the vein of other loosely scripted, comedy-documentary series, such as Nathan for You. It is not a surprise that Nathan Fielder produced this series, as the two share a similarly incisive and existential approach to the topic matter. The term “cringe” could be applied, but to label these shows as “cringe comedy” would be to sell them short, as often they are looking to find the truth that lies behind the discomfort. How To is no different, and through its singular, unbreaking point of view, the show studies the discomfort that often prevents connection.
Wilson’s perspective is the only one the audience sees. There is no camera crew or coverage of a scene; it is just Wilson and his camera wandering the streets of New York. Initially, it almost feels more like an off-kilter, quirky YouTube vlog, but Wilson’s goals are more ambitious than simply looking at his surroundings and point. He investigates them. While each episode starts with a question like, “how to make small talk,” “how to improve your memory,” or “how to make risotto,” Wilson and his inquisitive camera always look for what is behind the skill or interest and look for the reasoning. This is essential because as each episode descends into the bizarre and surreal, Wilson’s commitment to learning “why” and not looking away prevents the show from descending into cynicism or cheap jokes at the expense of the subjects.
For a show that goes into the world and homes of vapid spring breakers, grocery store inventory specialists, or anti-circumcisers, it could easily find an audience with a cynical approach, but that does not happen here. People who dedicate their time or even lives to bizarre hobbies and interests are easy targets for cheap laughs, but Wilson continually asks why people do the things they do without judgment. By just sitting and listening to them, Wilson uncovers just how even the strangest interests are based on the same desires for comfort, purpose, and acceptance that we all share. When the question of “why” is asked, the people Wilson interviews sometimes take an uncomfortable amount of time to consider, or they are excited to finally have an opportunity to share why they do what they do. And no matter what, Wilson’s camera does not break focus with cuts to people reacting or to relieve the tension. It remains calm.
Silence and patience are powerful tools. When sitting on the beach with a spring breaker that he has been following around for a weekend in the show’s opening episode, Wilson asks, “do I make you uncomfortable?” The spring breaker responds “yes,” noting the weirdness of being filmed and stared at. Wilson follows up immediately with another question, “why are you here?” This one takes the spring breaker a while to open up about. They dance around the question, talking about old pets they have lost, but then Wilson falls silent again, with his camera focusing just on the spring breaker’s anxiousness: dipping toes in the sand, crunching up an energy drink can. This silence could be a cruel way to draw out a joke; making people uncomfortable is a staple of online “cringe comedy.” But Wilson reveals this silence to be a patient one, genuinely waiting for a response. It is a silence that, though it is certainly uncomfortable, isn’t one at the subject’s expense, but rather one for both to meet each other in the middle of. When the spring breaker finally opens up, it’s heartbreaking, as he is trying to escape after the loss of a dear friend.
How To is unafraid to ask the difficult question of “why.” Not every answer is as difficult as the one discussed above, but Wilson understands that when you ask “why,” you must be willing to follow where the answer may take you, no matter how strange or difficult. Asking “why” can seem like a rude question, but Wilson shows that we only think it is rude because, often, we’re already judging the people we would be asking. It is easy to see something bizarre and against our own tastes and say, “I don’t get why someone would do that.” Asking the question with patience has the possibility to show us the uncomfortable reality that sometimes we are the ones who are closed off and unwilling to learn why we do the things we do ourselves. Wilson’s unblinking camera is content to sit in the discomfort and meditate on it. It forces the audience to understand that acting in bad faith, casting something off as “cringe,” reflects our own inability to ask ourselves these questions.
People are all just trying to get by and find some nugget of joy in life. By pushing through the bizarre, surreal, and uncomfortable, How To’s singular perspective, a camera that unwilling to look away, shows that asking how to do something shows interest in learning, but asking why a person does something shows a desire for connection, and get past the cynicism and sarcasm that can become what prevents us from accepting others and even ourselves. Often, just making an effort to learn about another person with patience and sincerity is all it takes to learn a little about yourself. You just have to be willing not to look away.
How To with John Wilson has recently been renewed for a second season.
