The Chair Company Recap: No Way Out

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That’s exactly what makes *The Chair Company* so great! The latest episode, hilariously titled “New Blood. There’s 5 Rons Now,” is even stranger, funnier, and more unsettling than the first. With the show’s basic idea now clear, Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin are free to fully embrace its wonderfully bizarre and nightmarish world. I can’t wait to see what happens next week.

The show still has a compelling story, with several plotlines developing at once. It feels like even small moments and conversations now could become important later on. Essentially, it’s about a man who believes he’s uncovered a crime involving a chair company, and his life spirals out of control as he investigates. The main story is easy to follow, even if some of the side paths are a bit confusing.

The episode starts with Ron still shaken up after his strange encounter with someone who seemed to be connected to Tecca. It’s understandable, especially after receiving a frantic text from his wife saying, “Oh my god, come home now!” The crisis isn’t what he feared, though – Natalie has decided she wants to change their wedding location at the last minute and needs Ron to talk to her future father-in-law to get his approval.

We’ll come back to that later, but Ron and The Chair Company have more pressing issues right now. At work, Ron begins the next step in figuring out who attacked him, trying to trace the culprit using a floral shirt and baton left at the scene. He rushes an expensive fingerprint kit for immediate delivery, then goes to the store where the shirt was purchased. However, Jamie is tailing him in her car because he’s also scheduled for a major TV interview about the mall. He uses her poor driving skills to shake her off, leading to a fast-paced chase. She nearly collides with a large truck when Ron runs a red light, and he drives away feeling somewhat guilty as he hears her yelling and crying.

What sets *The Chair Company* apart isn’t the story, but *how* the story unfolds. For example, there’s a shirt salesman who speaks very carefully, almost sounding like something from a Yorgos Lanthimos film. He pretends to recognize the shirt Ron asks about, pointing out stains and using a ball to act out a man straining against his buttons—someone “at their limit.” But he doesn’t actually remember the buyer. It’s all a trick to get Ron to buy another costly membership, a decision Ron regrets when he’s flooded with pointless notifications from other members.

The interview seems to go smoothly, though with this show, you can always expect the unexpected. Ron sincerely apologizes to Jamie, who then invites him to church, but gets no response. What’s more troubling is the HR representative who keeps questioning Ron about the accidental incident with Amanda. The training video about inappropriate behavior is amusing, but I especially enjoyed the HR rep’s awkwardly worded questions—like directly asking about kissing or sex—and Ron’s dramatic denials about ever being attracted to Amanda. It’s understandable why HR would be skeptical when Ron claims Amanda “looked completely different” in high school.

Back to the case, Ron has a breakthrough that proves to be right on the money. He remembers the peeping tom in the video had a dirty shirt just like the one worn by his attacker, which helps him locate the man hiding near the office. Nearby, he finds a food container from Jan’s Café, a busy diner where Ron’s attacker works as a security guard.

This is where things get interesting: Mike Santini, who initially seemed like Ron’s biggest enemy, unexpectedly becomes his only real ally. It would be simple if Santini was working for Tecca, trying to intimidate Ron to cover up a scandal, but it turns out someone secretly hired him to simply frighten Ron. Like Ron, Santini is also in the dark about what’s really happening.

Honestly, I’m starting to think Ron might be way off base with his claims about the company. This whole investigation feels like it could be a dead end, or at least go in a direction he never saw coming. Then again, maybe he’s spot-on, but because he’s coming across so strongly, no one will take him seriously. It’s even possible he’ll be proven right in the end! I’m genuinely not sure how it’s going to play out, and you know what? I’m kind of enjoying the mystery of it all.

Ultimately, *The Chair Company* focuses more on its characters than on delivering a complex, suspenseful plot. It’s significant that Jamie perceives both good and bad qualities in Ron – he’s generally a caring father and boss, but has a hidden, darker side, especially when his family is threatened. It’s often difficult to interpret Ron’s intense emotional outbursts. While these reactions are usually funny, given Tim Robinson’s typical comedic style, *Friendship* showed that those quirks could also be signs of deeper issues like selfishness or mental health struggles. This new series feels similar, even though we’re generally inclined to sympathize with Ron.

Ron agreed to help Mike confront a man named Jim X, planning to meet him at the storage facility where Jim works. Mike even offered Ron a gun to ensure they got answers, but Ron refused to use it. He couldn’t bring himself to threaten someone with a weapon, believing he was a good person and desperately wanting to protect the things he cherished, like his intimate moments with Barb.

Let’s quickly check in on Barb’s family, the Trospers. Ron’s wife and children aren’t very developed characters, but it doesn’t really impact the story. This time around, Seth simply accepts a toy hat Ron pretends was a gift for him – it actually came with a fingerprinting kit. Natalie, meanwhile, wants to have a wedding in a haunted house. That’s the extent of their storyline in this episode.

It was genuinely heartwarming to watch Ron manage to get Natalie’s future father-in-law, Terry, to agree to their plans for the venue. Terry’s subtle approval and Natalie’s joyful response created a truly sweet moment. But given the show’s nature, it was clear that happiness wouldn’t last—and it didn’t. Ron immediately received a disturbing text message saying “no way out,” along with a recent photo of him taken near the broken closet door.

The latest episode, “New Blood. There’s 5 Rons Now,” ends on a truly unsettling note – similar to a classic cliffhanger – with Ron heading towards a closet while everyone else continues game night nearby. The eerie feeling is amplified by the music. While this episode’s bizarre direction – some are comparing it to the style of *Mulholland Drive* – might not appeal to all viewers, those who embrace the show’s unique atmosphere will find it full of hilarious and strange moments. And it seems like things are only going to get even stranger as the series progresses.

Company Secrets

Knowing we’re both from the Detroit area, I’m guessing ‘Erebus’ refers to the popular haunted house in Pontiac that many people I know went to as kids. However, the place Natalie is looking for is actually a made-up haunted barn located in Ohio.

When Brenda saw Ron searching on the floor, he quickly said he’d dropped a Hershey’s Hug candy he was planning to eat later.

• “I’m right about a lot of things that people have zero clue that they even know is going on.”

It’s amusing to watch Ron and Mike’s little disagreement, particularly when Mike starts throwing boxes at Ron after getting outside.

Mike plays a radio show for Ron featuring the comedians Wazey Waynes, who perform in a shockingly crude and nonsensical manner, mostly by yelling and using profanity.

• Terry really didn’t like the Trospers’ now-dead dog.

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2025-10-20 05:55