The Chair (Netflix) - Review

 I know I usually review books on this blog, but I was so captivated by this show I had to review it! 

The Chair is a romanticisation of the study of English Literature at university. It isn’t at all how it was, but it is how you will remember it. It is certainly how I will remember it. The glow of nostalgia turning seminars into experiences that built you into who you are today, forgetting that back then you thought your identity was already rock-solid. Great teachers are transformed into gods, who you feel like you know, who’ll you’ll never get to see again once you leave. You feel invincible when you’re there. Those two hours of discussion feeling like the most important words you will ever mutter, and when it’s good, when it’s really good, you’ll even get to enjoy writing it down. Slaving over minutia in phrasing or whether you need to emphasise your point one last time. Finding that perfect metaphor. The Chair showcases all of that in earnest and sometimes painful detail. It was a delight to watch. 

We follow Dr Ji-Yoon Kim, played by the incomparable Sandra Oh, as she forges ahead in her career: she has been made the Chair of the English department as her colleague, William Dobson (Jay Duplass) has stepped down from the position after the death of his wife. We first see him as he sends his daughter away to college and he drowns his sorrows in the airport bar. This aptly sets up their two characters for the next six episodes, Ji-Yoon is attempting to make something of her life whilst it seems that Bill is determined to destroy his own. After making a bad-taste joke in one of his seminars, a 2-second video of Bill doing a Nazi salute soon gains college-wide traction, and Ji-Yoon and Bill are forced to deal with the repercussions. Along the way, there are the complaints of the ageing department that they are being forced into retirement; Professor Joan Hambling (Holland Taylor, delightfully so) and Professor Elliot Rentz (Bob Babalan) fighting against the system that wants to see them gone. In solidarity with Ji-Yoon is the fresh-faced Professor Yaz McKay (Nana Mensah), who is hoping to be given tenure. 

The episodes are short and witty. The romance between Ji-Yoon and Bill is palpable. (Bill has that dishevelled but attractive look nailed down. He’s Nick Miller if Nick Miller stayed at Law School). Ju-Ju (Everly Carganilla), Ji-Yoon’s daughter, is adorable; a bright little actress helped along by great directing and editing, keeping her dialogue sharp and hilarious. Their relationship reminds me of Lilo and Nani, from Disney’s Lilo and Stitch, argumentative and loud but ultimately loving, the two of them trading of swear words and Ju-Ju declaring that Ji-Yoon “takes away everything good!” 

In a world where so much of our media that attempts to provide social commentary is biting and negative (think The White Lotus, a show framed around a looming death and where characters ultimately disappoint us; or Succession, a show for which we greedily watch the rich and powerful and hope that they fail), The Chair strives and succeeds to be earnest and warm. The show focuses on family, and on people trying to do their best and hold onto their dignity in the face of a changing world, on people who just don’t know how to accept change. In between the scenes discussing institutional racism and the rise of neo-nazism in America, we get moments of levity and of love. The bonding between Bill and Ju-Ju, laughter and support between Ji-Yoon and Yaz. It’s warm and happy, whilst being modern and honest. It asks us to challenge the characters we have already deemed likeable, whilst also asking us to sympathise with those who seem out of touch. 

***

If you will divulge me, I’d like to dip into some spoilers. There is a moment, 10 minutes into the last episode, when Ji-Yoon is in conversation with a student, Lila (Mallory Low), who she is trying her best to help. “You’re putting me on a lifeboat.” Lila says. Ji-Yoon nods, ever-so-slightly. “Do you have one?” Lila asks. 

Then we cut to Ji-Yoon, alone in her bathroom, sobbing. It’s one of the harsher moments of the series, and it stands out as a bold editing choice. It leaves you speechless and answers the question posed by Lila. No, she doesn’t. 

But then her daughter, who she has been struggling to communicate with because she is adopted and beginning to realise what that means, climbs onto her lap, and hugs her. Ji-Yoon’s father (Ji Lee) tells her not to cry because she might frighten Ju-Ju. In Korean, Ju-Ju responds, “I’m not scared.” Ju-Ju understands, and in that moment, Ji-Yoon breaks out into a smile as she hugs her daughter even tighter. We realise that yes, she does have a lifeboat. Maybe not a professional one, but she has her family. It is a beautiful moment of connection and allows the audience to feel that Ji-Yoon is safe. 

Then we cut to Bill opening his door to his student Dafna (Ella Rubin), and the fear that he is in danger creeps up even higher. But, in a beautiful, beautiful moment of subversion, Dafna reveals that no, she is not there because she wants to sleep with him—she just wants him to read her first novel. And I am so glad because pop culture has done the student-teacher relationship trope to death. 

This sequence defines the beauty of The Chair, as it reminds us, over and over again, what kind of show that it is. It is kind, and it is realistic in its kindness. Realism these days tends to be synonymous with harsh negativity, so much so that we have forgotten that sometimes good things happen in the real world too. 

***

Back out of spoilers now. The show is slightly let down by its ending, I must say. I found that everything wrapped up far too quickly but that didn’t negatively impact the overall experience. I had a wonderful time with this show, and I know you will too. 

4.5 out 5 Stars!