‘The Chair Company’ Star Lou Diamond Phillips Addresses Ron’s Work Suspension and Teases Season 1 Finale (Exclusive)

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Chair Company Season 1 Episode 7, I Said To My Dog, ‘How Do You Like My Hippie Shirt?’”]

The Chair Company‘s latest episode sees Ron (Tim Robinson) in the metaphorical dog house when it comes to work as he’s suspended for shoving boss Jeff (Lou Diamond Phillips) at their work site, and his first thought is to adopt a dog he promptly names “baby,” and ignores the outward concern his family shows as paranoia begins to consume him.

While the revelation shocks Ron’s wife Barb (Lake Bell), Ron’s focus on uncovering the conspiracy behind the chair company responsible for his workplace embarrassment at the start of the season remains a driving force. As he digs deeper in Episode 7, Ron begins to believe that said company is in cahoots with the government, reselling old chairs and pieces of chairs to workplaces at a markup.

Although this theory isn’t fully confirmed, Ron’s preoccupation with learning more leads him into the belly of the beast, attending a party celebrating his wife’s recent partnership with a woman named Alice Quintana (Kathryn Meisle), who apparently took the phony photographs on Tecca’s website, the company apparently behind the chair conspiracy.

When Ron realizes the position he’s been put in, Alice threatens him, saying she’s just invested in Barb’s company, and revealing Alice’s involvement with Tecca would only harm his wife. As Ron comes to terms with this idea, he rejoins Barb at the party after his confrontation with Alice in a private home office.

The question is, will he be welcomed back to work after this revelation? Phillips tells TV Insider of the shove that landed Ron with a suspension, “It was such an overt gesture, and we’re all very HR aware these days in the corporate world… There obviously had to be repercussions with Ron pushing Jeff,” Phillips points out.

“It’s interesting because it raised questions for me about their relationship. Obviously, Jeff gave him the leadership position with this mall, which is a big deal, and for whatever reason, has a soft spot for Ron.” Phillips goes on to share, “I’ve even asked Tim, ‘Why does Jeff like Ron so much?’ And Tim always gives me this,” Phillips says with an exaggerated shrug. “So it’s still yet for me to figure out.”

As for what fans can expect from Ron’s potential return to work, Phillips further reveals, “We will see the discussion around that fateful moment. A very painful rehashing of it. And the resolution… It’s something that we’ll have to revisit, but certainly it opens up a lot of different interactions between Jeff and Ron that I think people are really going to dig, to be honest.”

In other words, stay tuned to see what’s next for Ron and his job as the finale approaches, and let us know what you thought of the conspiracy twist in the penultimate installment in the comments section.

The Chair Company, Season 1, Sundays, 10/9c, HBO and HBO Max 

—Additional Reporting by Leah Williams