![]() ![]() In a similar vein, HBO Max's subversive hit "The White Lotus" has been widely celebrated for its astute criticism of white economic privilege and the problematic nature of the tourism industry in regions that have been subject to white western colonization. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. One has to wonder what more we could have seen or learned about Brienne, had her character received the same care and focus as Jamie's. In "Game of Thrones," aside from some woefully disappointing writing choices for resident bad boy Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Jaime's growth into a semi-reformed anti-hero after being cut down from his hubris is interesting and enjoyable - and it would have been impossible without the companionship of an even more interesting character like Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie). The unsolicited white male rehabilitation storyline is a fixture in nearly every genre of story, and frustrating as it may be, it's not always a pain to watch. "The Chair" unfortunately isn't the first case of an interesting female character, character of color, or otherwise marginalized character being pushed to the side for a white man's redemption arc, or some long-winded, flashback storytelling into why an awful white guy is awful (spoiler alert: it's never actually his fault). Kim's young daughter JuJu (Everly Carganilla). ![]() Sprawled across the show's six, roughly 20 minute episodes are scenes of Dobson showing up late to classes, performing a Nazi salute as part of a tasteless joke, and refusing to apologize to students who confront him, interspersed with charming sequences of him being a wonderful babysitter to Dr. The problem, however, isn't that he's sympathetic - it's that too much energy and airtime are given to make us sympathize with yet another white man who can't seem to get his act together, and makes this everyone else's problem. Kim faces as chair of an under-enrolled English department, but she's instead forced to clean up mess after mess created by a drunken, reckless and politically insensitive Dobson.Īudiences of "The Chair" can certainly sympathize with Dobson, who recently lost his wife and seems to have a strained relationship with his young adult daughter. That problem is Pembroke English professor Bill Dobson (Jay Duplass).ĭuplass is charming as ever in "The Chair," but there's nothing more frustrating than seeking out a show for fresh storytelling that centers the experience of a marginalized person and instead being hit with a storyline focused on a bumbling, white male doofus. Kim overcome barriers and rise to the occasion. Still, there's one pretty big problem that makes the show difficult to enjoy for audiences who wanted to see a story about a woman like Dr. "The Chair" has a lot going for it - namely, Oh's presence, but also smart commentary and realism on the pressing issues facing American universities today. Ji-Yoon Kim, the newly appointed chair of the English department of a small liberal arts school called Pembroke, Oh's meteoric rise comes at a time of scandal and uncertainty for her department, and it doesn't help that she's a woman of color subject to the racism and misogyny inherent to academia. The following contains spoilers from "The Chair," including its finale.īy now Sandra Oh's hive of devoted fans have likely binged all six episodes of her new Netflix dramedy, "The Chair." As Dr. ![]()
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