Did Ryan set Natalie up? After the suicide, Ryan lies to his boss about whether there was a signal. Does he do that to save Natalie, or to cover his own ass?

That's a good question. I don't think I've come to any opinion on it, but it sure did spawn a lot of thinking so bear with me while I add my two cents :). It seems the point exists to show some cognitive dissonance: we haven't been following the people being fired so we really don't know, nor are we really capable of understanding, what it is they're going through as it relates to them. Instead, we're invested with Ryan and Natalie's task and what they have personally invested in it. As such, we expect them to remain calm, cool, rational, etc. Ryan does this very well whereas Natalie doesn't. For her, it's her first real experience whereas he's been through the ropes. This a perfect reflection of their personal schemas which are subsequently reflected in their thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and finally, actions. In short, this scene epitomizes exactly who these people are at this particular point in their lives. I don't think Ryan does anything because he's so detached from emotions. He can't relate. Perhaps it's never happened to him before, but either way, he sees it as "just doing my job" whereas to Natalie, it means a lot more because there's more at stake withall that "baggage" and she knows it - that's why they differ in their methodologies of how to go about firing someone. In the end, they both have a piece of the puzzle the other is missing, enabling them to grow and learn from one another. But back to what he tells his boss - is it really lying if, at the time, one lacked the self-awareness to make that connection? I think by the time he's asked this question, he knows better and answers it truthfully from his perspective at that point in time. The suicide itself becomes a validation of Natalie, another mechanism in the story for Ryan to change by.

One way to see it is that Ryan is a "don't fix it if it ain't broke" kind of guy, and in order to preserve the status quo, he decides that both Natalie and his boss need to be taught a lesson. imho, Ryan must know, from experience, that some people will kill themselves, and it's only a question of time, before Natalie has to confront that situation, something she's clearly not capable of doing.

Interesting quotation from the NYT. I had never considered Up in the Air, or any of Jason Reitman's films through a political lens. The theme that struck me the most in UIA was self-imposed alienation, or Ryan's "cocoon of self-banishment" described by Natalie. Although we see Ryan receiving some happiness from the emotional connection formed between himself and his sisters, and his subsequent attempt to deepen his connection with Alex suggests he longs for companionship, I'm not sure that the movie suggests that emotional connections will sustain Ryan. Maybe it's a "good" thing that Alex rejects Ryan-after all, wasn't his attraction to her based on the fact that she reflected his no-nonsense, no-strings attached attitude about relationships? Ryan may have been changed by the events in the movie, but that doesn't mean he's going to stay that way. In that sense, I agree with the NYT author who suggest the movie is an "indictment" of the corporate executioner. Maybe Ryan loves his self-alienation and despite the events of the movie, will revert back to his old, selfish ways.