Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t already watched The Chair Company’s latest episode on HBO or via HBO Max subscription, so be warned.
More On The Chair Company
Now three-fourths of the way through the season, Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin’s The Chair Company finally gave its main character a clear and unignorable victory! At least, in as much as a room in a government building packed to the gills with chairs without an easy way to look inside the lot of them can be considered a victory. For Ron, though, any amount of progress is worthy of celebrating, and I really, really wish the happiness on his face in those final moments was permanent.
However, there are still two more episodes to completely sink everything, and I’ve no doubts this is the calm before a devastating storm. I have an endless line of questions about so many details that we’ve seen — example: was Douglas hired completely by accident? — but Episode 6 retouched on a story point that I 100% need to get cleared up before it’s all over.
How WIll Ron’s HR Ordeal With Amanda Play Into Big Mystery?
For all of the supremely awkward situations that Ron finds himself in, few have had the recurring power of his ongoing HR situation with Amanda. For those who need reminding: she was the co-worker standing over Ron after the mystery-inciting chair collapse in the first episode, with everything beneath her dress directly in his eyeline.
I fully expected that privacy-encroaching accident to be more of a limited-scope hindrance for Ron’s daily worklife, and not something that would get stretched out across the entire season. But here in Episode 6, Ron and Amanda are being required to interact with each other under observation, leading to one of the funniest ways muffins have ever been used as a prop. Ron, who is acutely unattracted to any coworkers, finds it all a waste of time, while Amanda herself seems to want Ron to have been lustily looking up at her hoo-hah, unless her crumb-licking was just a way to bait him.
Just when it appears as if this storyline would go away, one of the HR reps voices a hesitation to close the case, saying:
I don’t know, Diane. It’d be unethical for me to leave the office without being a hundred percent sure this is a safe working environment for Amanda. Frankly, for everyone.
And then he gave her this face:
Later in the episode, Ron notices the man asleep in one of the inner offices, which has been completely transformed into the epitome of coziness; it legitimately looks like a bedroom inside a ski lodge. Ron gives it a curious lookm but then has to return his focus to his own issues.
But was that reveal actually meant to be the overall punchline to this case of questionable untoward behavior? Does it all just come down to this one guy wanting to prolong this one assignment because he has access to an upper-echelon napping spot?
Or do this man’s intentions to stick around Fisher Robay have more to do with him running daily surveillance on Ron? That seems less likely given the nap break, but isn’t out of the question.
Perhaps it won’t be the HR investigation itself, but rather Ron’s ongoing “connection” with Amanda that will factor into the upcoming climax. And yes, I used the word climax intentionally, despite Ron being a happily married man.
Other Questions I Have After The Chair Company Episode 6
Is Jeff Really Just A Powerful Moron?
A unique and A+ casting choice in a show that’s maxed out on them, Lou Diamond Phillips has earned his share of attention by way of fan theories, since he’s not outwardly a celeb that would be brought in to portray a completely meaningless character. And since bosses are always guilty of something in shows like this, I assumed he’d spark at least one disturbing reveal. But the bit of extra time spent with him in this episode only seemed to prove one shouldn’t judge a dumbass by their job position.
Will any of Jeff’s fellow super-rich business men return in some way, or was that all just meant to shine a light on how shallow and empty Jeff’s head is? Also, how ruthless will he be in responding to Ron’s shove?
Will Mike Remain A True Friend After Ron’s Shitty Behavior?
Despite being such a consistent skuzzball, Mike has proven himself to be as dependable as any other character in this show, even if his reliability smells way worse than others’. Unable to fully grasp Mike’s worth as other stressors pile up, Ron may have totally fucked things up by not allowing his new buddy to go to his son’s birthday party. Granted, Ron was fully in the right for making that call, because Mike lives a singularly disgusting life that horrifies me, but that doesn’t mean he’ll self-awarely understand that and forgive Ron instantly.
How Will Ron Make His Discovery Public?
Stumbling across a treasure trove of chairs must have seemed like the biggest “eureka” moment of Ron’s life, but how does he get that discovery to inspire others to launch a large-scale investigation into Tecca and its seemingly infinite web of influence and corruption. Or if not corruption, then at least confusion.
My 5 Favorite Lines From The Chair Company Episode 6
- RON: Seth! Goddammit! Now the door has a little mark on it.
- I can’t stop thinking there’s metal in my body!
- DOUGLAS: I’m going to come in dressed as a chicken tomorrow.
- RON: Oh my god, you’re right, because they’d have to keep the bathrooms open, because they’re eating all that fried shit.
- JEFF: Sorry, I circled a few times. I saw the right address, but I thought it was a barn because of the barn garage. I didn’t know you lived in a barnhouse.
Two episodes left! Two episodes left! The Chair Company will air its final pair of episodes on HBO over the next two Sunday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET.