Sandra Oh Fights Academic Patriarchy in The Chair
By Tom Soares
When the subject is career advancement in a male dominated field, what could possibly be worse than succeeding an incompetent white man in a position of power? That’s what Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim is up against in The Chair, a brand-new dramedy produced by Netflix and starring Emmy-nominated actor and Grey’s Anatomy alum Sandra Oh.
Created by actor, writer and producer Amanda Peet, and executive-produced by Oh and David Benioff (Game of Thrones), Peet’s husband, The Chair shows what happens when Ji-Yoon becomes the first woman at Pembroke University to head the English department.
Charged with the mission to revitalize an antiquated and eroding department, and increase enrollment numbers, Ji-Yoon soon realizes that she may have inherited a huge mess generated by decades of academic patriarchy.
“I feel like someone handed me a ticking time bomb because they wanted to make sure a woman was holding it when it explodes”, she frustratingly blurts out to a coworker, Prof. Yaz McKay (Nana Mensah), during a heated exchange where Ji-Yoon gets confronted on her day-one promise to not let the department be ransacked.
McKay’s friendly reminder comes just at the right time, as Ji-Yoon bends backwards to address her colleagues' needs but can’t help sympathizing with Prof. Bill Dobson (Jay Duplass), a close friend who’s the epitome of white privilege, and the department's previous chair.
Dobson, who recently became a widow and empty-nester, is an infuriating man-child who’s constantly told to get his act together, and seems to get away everything, from urinating in a public space to accepting rides from female students to using a Nazi salute during class, never worried about his students or Ji-Yoon, who he’s in love with.
A brilliant comedy with great performances from Oh and Duplass, and from Holland Taylor and Bob Balaban - who play Joan Hambling and Elliot Rentz respectively, two elderly English professors struggling to remain relevant in their field - The Chair consistently finds a way to insert the most acidic bit without losing sight of it’s social commentary on patriarchy, misogyny, ageism and racism.
Amanda Peet’s writing is sharp, bold and a very pleasant surprise. Mostly known for her acting career and recurrent special guest appearances on TV shows like The Good Wife, Peet’s screenplay demonstrates a superior level of sophistication and authority, while the quality of her work as an executive producer surpasses that of her husband on Game of Thrones.
Of course, The Chair is by nature sure to enrage a certain portion of viewers with its display of male incompetence and complacency, however those who are truly dedicated in the fight against gender inequality will appreciate the insights, independent of sex, race or age.
The Chair will be available on Netflix Aug. 20th, and it defies expectations with a very well-written script, singular humor and superb performances by Sandra Oh, Holland Taylor and many others. Captivating from beginning to end, the show holds no punches from its portrayal of academic life and the men who most often than not are unqualified and undeserving of the position they hold.