Summary

• "The Curse" showcases Nathan Fielder's comedic genius in a role that goes beyond his usual persona, while Emma Stone excels in her natural comedic abilities.
• The show cleverly blends comedic elements with high drama, focusing on a supposed curse that impacts the couple, resulting in hilarious and awkward moments.
• From Asher's awkward dirty talk to his painful comedy classes, "The Curse" provides plenty of laugh-out-loud moments while showcasing the comedic talents of the cast.

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.

10 Chicken In The Bathroom Of The Fire Station

Episode 6: "The Fire Burns On"

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.

9 Asher's Awkward Dirty Talk

Episode 5: "It's a Good Day"

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.

8 Asher's Self-Deprecating List

Episode 5: "It's a Good Day"

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.

7 Asher's Painful Comedy Classes

Episodes 4 & 7: "Under the Big Tree" & "Self-Exclusion"

On multiple occasions, Asher attends a comedy class to try and enhance his image. In episode 4, the group tries to make each other laugh using just facial expressions and no words, and are successful in doing so. But when they get to Asher, the face he pulls is accompanied by an unusual noise that is simply uncomfortable, fails to get a laugh, and based on the look he gives afterward, even he knows that he's made a fool of himself.

In episode 7, his attempt to try and develop a sense of humor is even more uncomfortable when the theme of the workshop follows self-deprecation, and when the teacher encourages Asher to stretch the truth, he retorts with "There’s one thing I’d like to stretch a little bit. My penis!” The group then dissects the joke, assuming it was a reference to masturbation when in reality, it was another recurring mention of Asher's penis size, which makes the scene even funnier due to the misunderstanding.

6 The Fake Buyer Bursting Into Song

Episode 5: "It's a Good Day"

In episode 5, Asher and Whitney lose potential buyers for one of their homes and are forced to convince strangers off the street to play the part for the show. While it's bad enough that a frustrated Whitney has to smile through the awkwardness while trying to maintain that the random couple touring the house fits the ideal she has, the filming session is a disaster overall when the couple wants to share their own narrative. To make matters worse, mid-way through the shoot, the man randomly starts singing "Stand By Me" with no musical accompaniment, leaving Whitney, Asher, and the crew to painfully listen.

5 Asher Tries To Jump A Wall, Badly

Episode 3: "Questa Lane"

In episode 3, Asher finds Nala and her sister squatting in one of his and Whitney's properties, which leads to a hilarious chase through the neighborhood. Not only does he look ridiculous chasing these young girls, which at a closer analysis is rather odd, but it gets even funnier when he hits a wall, literally. Trying to catch them, he tries to jump the wall, and audiences are treated to a hysterical shot of Fielder's legs waving in the breeze.

4 Watching Paint Dry

Episode 6: "The Fire Burns On"

One of The Curse's more subtler comedy moments came in episode 6, which had a scene dedicated to the process of paint drying. Dougie shows Whitney a cut of an episode, involving a scene with the fake buyers painting over some local graffiti. As they paint, there is a discussion of the paint's properties, how quickly it dries, and how it came from a recycling program.

This scene does drag a little, but that's part of the humor, and by the end of it, Whitney realizes that the tone of the show isn't working. Considering it was established from the beginning of The Curse that Dougie was a childhood bully of Asher's, perhaps this was a bizarre way of him trying to sabotage the show. Either way, the ridiculousness of this big segment dedicated to false excitement over paint is nothing but funny.

3 Dougie Swears At A Kid

Episode 4: "Under the Big Tree"

A darker plot beat from The Curse focuses on Dougie's grief over his wife's death, and how the drunk driving accident she died in was caused by him. In episode 4, Dougie awakens and finds himself in possession of some car keys that do not belong to him, and eventually discovers that they belong to some teenagers. It's then revealed that the previous night, he'd bought alcohol for them, and confiscated their keys after being haunted by his wife's death. While this was a morally good move, upon returning the keys he ends up calling one of the teens a "spoiled brat" and flips him off before driving away.

2 Whitney And The Statue

Episode 7: "Self-Exclusion"

Episode 7 saw Whitney purchase an offensive statue from a mini golf course, the very same one that her friend Cara (Nizhonniya Luxi Austin) had pointed out to Dougie and voiced her hatred toward. In what can only be considered a power move, considering the strain their relationship goes through with each episode, Whitney decides to gift it to Cara. However, when she tries to put it in her trunk and drive away, it falls from her car and into the street.

What makes this scene even funnier is the defeated look she gives it discarded on the ground, unbothered that such a complicated piece of art is being treated like trash. To make matters worse, she then leaves the racist statue on Cara's doorstep as a joke but leaves the other woman appalled. Hilariously, Whitney's thought process behind this is that Cara could rechannel her work as an artist with it, although it's unlikely Cara can see her viewpoint.

1 The Curse Promo On Jimmy Kimmel

Fielder Proved Why His Characters Are So Funny

While it wasn't a scene directly, Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone's interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote The Curse absolutely proves why the show is so funny. Throughout the segment, Stone is nothing but herself as she discusses the dynamics of Asher and Whitney's relationship, but Fielder takes the opportunity to steal the show. Portraying what can only be assumed as a fictionalized version of himself, much like in Nathan For You, Fielder uses some great physical comedy through his facial expressions and attempts to light up a cigarette. This promotional gag not only proves just how strong Fielder is with these awkward and absurd comedy shows, but it also teases audiences on the kind of humor that can be expected in The Curse.