Admittedly, I’ve never gone down the Tim Robinson rabbit hole, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this show. I know people found him quite funny in The Detroiters, but having not seen it (even as a Michigander!) I was diving into the unknown. To be fair, even after watching the whole season, I think in some respects I’m still in the unknown as to what the hell I actually just watched. Given that it’s been confirmed for Season Two, I know I’ll have another shot in the future to dissect Robinson’s brain, and I think I’ll need it. Much like Nathan Fielder, Tim Robinson is entirely his own being of “story teller.” Let’s dive in so you can see what I mean…
1.“Life Goes By Too F**king Fast, It Really Does.”
We open with William Ronald Trosper (Tim Robinson) out at a lovely dinner with his loving family. His wife, Barb (Lake Bell), his daughter, Natalie (Sophia Lillis), and son, Seth (Will Price), are all out celebrating his new project at work. He’s heading up a large mall development deal, and it’s a promotion for him, so it’s a big deal and worth celebrating. Cue the event announcement the next day, wherein Ron promptly takes his place on the stage. He goes to sit down, and the chair breaks, resulting in Ron on his ass and his head up a coworker’s skirt. Awkward. Very, very awkward.
Unsurprisingly, Ron is pretty upset and wants an apology from the company for the damage to his reputation. Well, ok, you lost me now, Ron. I get that it sucked and it was embarrassing, but an apology? Buddy, you’re not gonna get one. What he gets instead is a typical corporate run-around where you call this number in order to email this place, which has you call another number just to email another place, which eventually deposits you right back in a circle jerk to where you started. But Ron’s becoming obsessed with this rabbit hole. But he’s losing it in all aspects. He snaps at his son, forgets to hire security for the dig site, so now his boss is pissed, so really, Ron, how well do you think this is actually going? Finding an abandoned warehouse with some porno pics and a big red ball? Not to mention someone showing up to smack you and tell you to stop looking? I don’t know, dude, is it worth it to continue?
2. “New blood. There’s 5 Rons now.”
Barb wakes up to find Ron out for a run. Out for a run or being chased? Regardless, she needs him home because there’s some Natalie wedding drama. Oh, did I tell you? Their daughter is getting married in the 
midst of all this. Apparently, her fiancé, Tara (Grace Reiter), wants a different venue now. Or rather, it was the original venue they wanted, but it was unavailable, and now it is, so they want to switch. But Ron’s also got job pressure over a big TV interview, and you know the whole weight of the conspiracy theory now hanging over him, not to mention tension with that coworker, Amanda (Amelia Campbell), whose skirt you saw up. HR is not all over that or anything…
But it turns out the guy who hit him and told him to back off was paid a lot of money to do so. His name is Mike Santini (Joseph Tudisco), and he’s trying to warn Ron to back off. These aren’t good people, and you don’t want to get involved. For Ron, it’s more than just pride at this point. It’s a puzzle that needs to be solved. Perhaps over family bonding with the new in-laws and Twister? Because that game is not ever awkward…You know what else is awkward? Someone stalking you from inside your own house…
3. “@BrownDerbyHistoricVids Little Bit of Hollywood? Okayyy.”
Turns out there is someone in the closet, but he’s drunk and in the wrong place, so no worries, I guess? But Mike shows and gets even further in this with Ron. Meanwhile, Natalie’s fiancée is having a meltdown over Twister, as expected. But Ron’s super paranoid at this point. He couldn’t sleep and began insisting on 
getting a security system. He knows he needs to track down some information on the abandoned building he ended up in. He uses a coworker’s name on the form, the same douche who tells Ron he’s not invited to the party he’s hosting. Ok, probably rude to call him a douche because I get it. You don’t want the boss around, cramping people’s styles to the point they can’t let go and have fun. But the way he did it was so cringey.
But the show must go on, and Ron is trying to track down any lead he can get his hands on. Finds a number to call, ends up on hold for over 5 hours. Checks in on his cameras only to see his son drinking. Oof, that’s a big conversation to have with a high schooler. You know what else is on the camera? Some creepy mother fucker just sitting in the yard…hmm, how about a big ole NOPE?!
4. “Bahld Harmon birthplace (disputed).”
We start this episode by going back 6 years, where Barb is interested in starting her own company. But so is Ron. He wants to start doing Jeep tours through the woods. I don’t fault Ron for his idea. He wants to offer an experience. But the sad reality is that it’s not an experience people are going to sign up for. It’s something 
they can just do themselves. Unless you’re going to someplace like Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon, where renting a tour might be cool, it’s not a business that’s going to take off. Let alone in Canton, Ohio. But they both take a leap together. Fast forward back to the present, Barb’s seeking final investors to work on getting her product to market, and Ron is back at his old job. Ouch. But also, someone is scamming him by sending his email to modeling agencies. But he’s honing in on something being wrong with the office chairs and tries to get one smuggled out. In typical Ron fashion, it doesn’t necessarily go according to plan at first.
Little things keep off-setting Ron’s life. A weird bug crawls into his phone, which means his house needs to be fumigated. This leaves the family staying with Natalie and Tara, and not everyone’s excited about this. In fact, Ron’s worried that his daughter might not be as happy as she seems. Even if she’s ready to get married, is she being treated the way she should? And I felt like this was a really important scene to have. It’s clear that Ron hasn’t always been the best or most present father, so seeing him take a moment to acknowledge Natalie was really nice. But she’s also worried about him. Enough to track him and notice that he’s not exactly going where he says he’s going… But the conspiracy is winding up, and Ron’s getting right into the middle of it.
5. “I won. Zoom in.”
Ron is honing in on a drug conspiracy with the chairs being used to smuggle something in by removing a part. One of the phony photos online leads to a real person, which in turn leads to a class of people who are actually learning social skills and posing for photos. Mike scores the name after winning a weird tabletop guessing game. And maybe now they’re really onto something.
Meanwhile, as the family vacates Tara’s in order to return home, Ron sees Tara embrace Seth and encourage him. His radar is up, and he’s worried about his son. As you should be! Catching him on camera drinking is a big deal, and you should be seriously concerned as a parent. The question is how you’re planning on handling it past just one conversation. But it’s hard to be the best dad when you’re chasing a weird conspiracy.
Ron faces mild confrontation at work when a coworker returns post-accident. The two had clashed before when Ron wasn’t invited to his party, and now the injured workmate has some comments and revisions for the project. Bad start. Then Ron has a sit-down with his boss (Lou Diamond Phillips), which is weird and overall not great. Strike two.
But the kicker is ending up at a coke bar tracking down a lead, wherein a fight breaks out, and Ron gets away back to the actor’s place to track down an email and name. Except the fight follows, and Ron ultimately ends up in the hospital with a bruised windpipe. But he’s finding a really good friend…nay, brother in Mike, and one has to wonder if anything could sour this budding bromance.
6. “Happy Birthday, a friend”
AWOOOO, the boss is on a boys’ trip with other rich guys, but it’s not all wolf calls and alcohol. Tension and questioning attitudes lead the way, and now the boss man wants to make revisions. Except he’s the only one who had this experience, so the team isn’t hitting his marks the way he wants. Poor, little rich man indeed.
Ron visits the social skills class to end up chasing someone down, yet ultimately loses him. He also has an awkward HR supervised visit with the coworker, Amanda (Amelia Campbell), whose skirt he saw up. It’s all so awkward and forced. But Ron’s trying desperately to stay in as many good graces as he can. Since he’s not on the best of terms with his boss at present.
Speaking of presents, it’s Seth’s birthday!!! The boss arrives at the party to have a working conversation. Mike arrives with a gift but is turned away by Ron. And then Seth vomits all over the floor from drinking during his candles and song. Ouch. Not to mention Barb being pissed that Ron said he’d address it and clearly hasn’t. Seth’s also been working on a secret project with a friend, and I’m wondering how many secrets this kid could be keeping from mom and dad…
Turns out the mystery bug is from Hungary, which confirms the drug chair import theory. Ron continues tracking leads and sees a mysterious color pattern online. Which matches the tattoo of the man at the social skills class who ran. Plus, it turns out Mike left a pretty sweet note for Seth. But Ron’s head is reeling after a threatening phone call, and during a visit to the job site, he pushes his boss. The stress of all of this is building too much. He’s starting to crack. But he manages to infiltrate the building he needs to and finds…well, what do you know…he finds a room utterly full of chairs.
7. “I said to my dog, “How do you like my hippie shirt?””
The utter satisfaction of realizing you’ve found evidence to prove you were right. The joy. The glee. The 
amazement. On the flip side, Ron’s also on suspension from work for pushing the boss, and in his panic, he rushes to adopt a dog. He’s unraveling so badly. Poor Ron. He continues trying to track down any and all leads, including porn photos. And now he has your family pictures, Ron. But his daughter is trying to help him, and it’s really cute to see their little detective duo discussions. And I love that he made a spreadsheet to track various leads. It’s absolutely something I would do.
But Natalie helps him track down the purchasing manager for the city. Ron sees her, and she admits she only has the title. She hasn’t worked since she got sick, and while it isn’t fully clarified what she’s sick with, it’s 
clear she’s not in the office and therefore not overseeing anything. Ron’s getting closer and closer, but he also has things to mend along the way. He apologizes to Mike and gives him all the new dirt.
But now it’s time to support his wife at a fancy dinner. There’s tension between the two, and you have to wonder how the night will go. Ron gets a call regarding who helped orchestrate the whole thing, and it’s none other than the woman who invested in his wife’s business. Oh dear. He’s convinced he’ll speak up and say something. But unsurprisingly, he doesn’t, and he has a touching moment with his wife. But is that it? Is it over?
8. “Minnie Mouse coming back wasn’t on my bingo card.”
The finale opens with a wedding, though not Natalie and Tara’s wedding. But a man visiting was gunned down, and I was seriously wondering what the hell was going on. Though apparently, this man is tied to the 
boss. But back to Ron, he’s talking with Barb, and even though some things had been misconstrued, they just want each other to be happy. Ron tells Natalie to drop the whole thing, and Tara overhears things, causing a fight and Natalie coming home for a while. Seth finally opens up about not wanting to play ball anymore and his interest in studying art instead. He’s into stop-motion, which has been his secret project and why he’s been struggling so much between expectations and desires. Maybe now the drinking can end.
Mike’s pissed that things are over, and we see a bit more of his angry side. Ron wants to assist Mike with something else in his life and goes to hopefully make amends with his daughter. Except it isn’t his daughter. It’s the daughter of the man who donated his heart to Mike. And while it started innocently enough, it passed into not-okay territory, and she had to take a restraining order. Jesus, who have you gotten involved with, Ron?!
He’s taking the dog for a walk, and she runs off. He tries to track her down. Ron needs an ego boost and asks for some social media bragging. But it doesn’t go according to plan since the dog was being abused and mistreated, and now returned to this house. Damn, you’re having a rough go right now, Ron. But he feels like he’s getting closer to some resolutions. He spends some time with the boss and figures out another possible lead and how maybe even the boss could be involved. He goes to search the business files, and I feel like I must have gotten so involved in watching because my notes trail off, and then it all culminates in the big reveal…That it’s Amanda’s boyfriend?????? What the ever-loving f*ck?
I have to admit, I followed the conspiracy pretty well this whole time, but you finally lost me. I don’t even know what else to say. Except that the show has already been confirmed for a second season, so I imagine we’ll have lots of juicy stuff to dig into again. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Robinson has had a plan all along, and it’s just going to get even crazier. Perhaps we didn’t fill in all the holes and follow thoroughly, but hey, we do want you to watch THE CHAIR COMPANY for yourself, if you haven’t yet. I’ll have to watch whatever comes next. Robinson can’t spin a web this weird and not expect me to watch along.
