The Chair, a comedy series starring Sandra Oh, Jay Duplass, Holland Taylor, Bob Balaban, Nana Mensah, David Morse, and Everly Carganilla, is now streaming on Netflix. Daniel Gray Longino directed the series written by Amanda Peet and Annie Wyman. There are a total of six episodes and you will not get enough of Oh in each of them.
The synopsis reads – The Chair follows Dr Ji-Yoon Kim (Sandra Oh) as she navigates her new role as the Chair of the English department at prestigious Pembroke University. Ji-Yoon is faced with a unique set of challenges as the first woman to chair the department and as one of the few staff members of colour at the university.
– Netflix’s The Chair Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
The story is about Dr Ji-Yoon Kim, the first woman of colour assigned as the Chair at Pembroke University’s failing English department. Ji-Yoon is quite nervous about being assigned such a big position. But little did she knows from her first day itself, she’ll be bombarded with a streak of challenges and high expectations from the Dean and her staff.
As The Chair, Ji-Koon has to let go of three old and highly paid professors enrolling hardly any students. She also has to get tenure for Yaz McKay (Nana Mensah), a young and only Black English professor at Pembroke. Deciding for Yaz means upsetting the old professors. If that wasn’t enough, there’s more drama in life because of her colleague and lover Bill Dobson (Jay Duplass) and her daughter Ji Ju (Everly Carganilla).
Throughout the six episodes in the Netflix series, we see Ji-Koon trying to handle everything that’s coming her way. She invites too much trouble to herself while trying not to hurt anyone’s sentiments. But we also find why Ji-Koon is not direct like any other white person as the Chair would’ve been. The series also sheds some light on how the teaching goes on in English department and how the perspective change about stories with time.
I liked the sepia tone of The Chair. It reminded me of Russian Doll, and the filter seems apt to define a show whose humour is based on someone’s unfortunate circumstances. There’s subtle humour without the characters trying to do/saying anything overtly funny. In all six episodes, it’s Amanda Peet and Annie Wyman’s writing that packs a punch.
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Sandra Oh is a delight to watch in The Chair. About doing comedy after serious shows, Sandra told AP, “Killing Eve’s darker elements make it hard for me to shoot the show. I feel like I’ve wanted to live in a comedy space.” Her chemistry with Jay Duplass is amazing, and together, they have some good scenes. Holland Taylor amuses you with his act, and the rest of the cast also puts up a fantastic performance that amps up the humour.
The Chair Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, the Netflix series is entertaining. There are just six episodes, but you’re hooked on finding out what happens to Sandra Oh’s character Ji-Koon in the end as she is entrusted with a slew of difficult duties. In the series, we also get to hear some Korean. Believe me when I say that the ending will make you smile.
The Chair is now streaming on Netflix.
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