Poor Jun-yi (Sandra Oh). A Korean-American English professor at the fictional Pembroke College, she is made the chair of the department (hence the name of the show “The Chair” on Netflix) where she is immediately asked to sack a couple of tenured old colleagues (aka old codgers) played by Bob Balaban and Holland Taylor.
As if that weren’t enough, Jun-yi is tiptoeing around a possible romance with the bad boy professor Bill Dobson (Jay Duplass) who is adored by his students until an old photograph of him clowning around in a Nazi uniform is discovered.
Oh, and did I mention Jun-yi is a single mother who has adopted a daughter (Everly Carganilla) that is the cutest thing you ever saw with the freshest mouth you ever heard?
Not sure how accurately this show portrays the state of academia (I’ve been told it does, albeit somewhat exaggeratedly). But my sense is that anybody who is promoted into a position of authority in a university has to put aside his/her love of pure learning in favor of an educational administration that is more concerned about perception of political incorrectness and diminishing endowments than the Groves of Academe.
“The Chair” also captures (satirizes?) the student body’s activism and their whipsaw reaction to any hint of perceived racism or sexism.
Despite the seriousness of these issues, the show has its amusing moments. A kid’s Korean birthday party is a hoot, Duplass’ drunken antics are always worth watching, as is Holland Taylor’s elderly horny professor performance.
But what really holds everything together is Sandra Oh. Not only do you sympathize with her plight, but you also love how she can express any emotion in the universe with her eyes. When she gives a speech about why she wants to teach, and not just be an administrator, you want to high-five her, and promote her to Dean of Students if not make her Czar of all the Russias. In either position, she’d kick some major butt, all right.
Really enjoyed this short series; left me wanting more! The cast was perfect and the storyline was really brought to life. Sandra Oh’s character’s missteps in her personal life as a parent and as a misplaced lover in her relationship made me feel closer to the story. And her character’s daughter gave new meaning to SPUNK.