Two new drops on Netflix are reviewed here; one Limited Series on current University politics and drama, and a thriller film that packs a lot of action, if not much plausability.

The Chair (Netflix USA) - Sandra Oh, a consummate actress who deftly does both drama and comedy, stars as the new English Department Chair, Professor Ji-Joon Kim, of a struggling Ivy League-type University in this brand new six-episode Limited Series. It’s deep, it’s smart, it’s funny, and it’s real - with some embellishments here and there. As the first female, woman of color selected to this position, the screenplay makes a great job of showing how in this world of social media, of intergenerational faculty politics, and university administration issues, holding such a position is like walking blindfolded into a minefield. There’s a lot of honest drama played out over the series, and what’s impressive is how the shafts of humor are so effective.

While Sandra Oh does lead the cast, what’s truly enjoyable with the series is how it works as an ensemble piece. The different professors, the Chair’s daughter and her father, are all great counterpoints to the academic life we’re treated to, and brings home how life exists beyond the ivied walls of the universities. The little sequences that deal with lectures and tutorials are done intelligently, giving us a glimpse of why English and literature are still such great subjects, and help enrich the world. Throughout the series, even when the comedic and romance elements are at the fore, there’s a bittersweet note wafting in the air, and you’ll come to appreciate this as a note of reality that you don’t often find in other series of this genre.

Sweet Girl (Netflix USA) - Without a doubt, we’ll be seeing this film shoot up the Most Watched charts of Netflix Philippines. After all, it’s got Jason Momoa leading the cast and that’s a sure bet that the female audience will be swooning, while the male audience will be present for the guaranteed action aspects of the film. And on both counts, the viewers will not end up disappointed. Jason’s hulking presence is in practically every scene for long stretches of the film, and when the action scenes do arrive, they’re physical, bloody, and visceral. Jason plays Ray Cooper, while young actress Isabela Merced plays his daughter Rachel. They’re both pugilists, and the film opens with a prologue about a cancer-stricken wife/mother, who expires because some generic drug was suddenly pulled out of the market because the big, bad branded pharmaceutical firm that first developed the drug, wanted to make more money.

It’s a promising premise, but unfortunately, it’s offered in very broad strokes just to establish a villain. And what does ensue is a revenge thriller that pretty much plays it by the books and offers no surprises. No surprises that is until about 3/4 into the film, a reveal that comes out of left field is suddenly dropped on our collective laps. Many may not have seen it coming, but precisely because it’s outlandish and strains disbelief. The cast does what it can, given the narrative, and you’ll snicker when Momoa is asked to play fragile and sensitive. If anything, it’s Merced (who we enjoyed in Instant Family and Dora) who actually has the more intriguing role to play and more than lives up to the billing as a co-star. There may be enough to enjoy here, if you’re not asking for credulous or plausible.