Disclaimer: I’m a blind film critic. This series has audio description on HBO MAX, narrated by Dave Wallace.

I don’t even really know what to say. if I had reviewed this based on the pilot, it certainly doesn’t reflect the series as a whole. Tim Robinson is an acquired taste, but he can be very rewarding. I was critical of Friendship, because I wanted to see his character flip more of a switch when Paul Rudd’s character entered, and he’s basically already obnoxious, a victim of Billy Madison syndrome. It’s that belief that you came here for a very specific brand of comedy, but while most comedies have their characters reach enlightenment and become better people by the end, Friendship was more of a demolition into madness. So, he had to reverse it, and put the different side at the front, and the Tim Robinson brand grows as the film progresses.

With The Chair Company, i find it next to impossible to quantify the experience, which seems to try and defy genre. At times, it feels as oddly complex as Severance, and others, like his typical manchild brand of humor. He still seems like a guy I don’t want to know, but as the series takes some wild turns, he does react in ways that shape his character. He should feel more well rounded, as the show is at least twice the length of Friendship.

Robinson stars as a somewhat hapless project manager in charge of building a mall and making it interesting. At an event, he is embarrassed when his chair suddenly breaks without reason or provocation. His company reacts to it irrationally, he reacts to it irrationally, and I didn’t think I was in for a good ride. However, I like to try and not give up after the first episode, and there was something afoot going on in The Chair Company that was just out of reach.

He eventually tracks down the company, and becomes lost in a corporate conspiracy cover up you wouldn’t expect from a company that makes chairs. he runs into people he can’t trust, people he can, dangerous people, and all of this because he wants to file a complaint over the quality of a chair.

if you’ve ever bought a product before, and it sucked, this show is for you. Robinson is on a manhunt, and it is for justice not just for himself, but any consumer who has ever bought a product only to be consumed by corporate lingo, links that go nowhere, and call centers with AI and never ending holds. Oddly, Robinson is playing an Everyman, despite him being so odd he can’t be directly compared to you or anyone you know. He’s still playing his brand, and he relies on a typical and relatable scenario like Friendship, but he’s willing to make this so much weirder. When someone asked me to explain it, I said, it’s like ordering Ice Cream, and finding a handgun. You’re not sure how you got here, or what to do with it. I’m not sure how I got here, or what to do with it.

I’m fresh because of the audacity. I’m fresh because there isn’t anything like it. I’m fresh because voices like Robinson’s are needed, as he continues to dare to be very different. this is unlike any other comedy on TV, and it is worth at least a glance, but be ready for a strange trip. The ending of the season is so bold, I’m thankful HBO picked it up for another season, because I can’t imagine that being the final thing in this story. Dave Wallace was the perfect narrator for this, constantly matching the beats, and using the well written audio description to make this very black, very dark, very strange comedy a reality.

The Chair Company will keep you up at nights, not because it is frightening, but because you won’t be able to stop thinking about it. A truly singular vision from a mad genius. Don’t let it be spoiled for you.

Fresh: 7.9/10