When I first saw the trailer for season one of Netflix's "GLOW," I wasn't sure how to take it. Something seemed off to me. I'm all for wrestling themed shows; as a kid, I grew up watching WCW and WWE's Monday night battles with my dad. That love for wrestling continued to grow as my little brother got into watching it with us, and when we finally saw a live show, he and I painted our faces like Sting. It's fake but its amazing! The fans are incredibly invested. When we saw Summerslam, people were dressed as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, and just as every Catholic knows to end a prayer with "Amen," the arena was filled with wrestling's religious chant of "WHOOOOOOO!"
But personally, wrestling has lost much of the enjoyment factor as I've gotten older. The "characters" lack the larger-than-life quality that so many wrestlers of yesteryear had. The faces of WWE aren't as charismatic as they once were. That left a bad taste in my mouth, and seeing the trailer for "GLOW," left me with the assumption that it would be as lackluster as wrestling has become.
I don't think I have ever been so wrong about something before. "GLOW" has easily become one of my favorite shows, and its an utter joy. It's funny, and it approaches the underdog story in a new way, taking inspiration from something many forgot about or never heard of; the real-life "Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling."
"GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling" is a documentary on Netflix in which sparked the idea for Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch. If it isn't clear, I think their spark has resulted in their striking gold!
Season one of the Netflix show follows the formation of the wrestling show that premiered in 1986. The various characters take inspiration from real life "Gorgeous Ladies of Wresting" wrestlers, with Alison Brie's Zoya the Destroyer being a clear incarnation of Lorilyn Palmer's Col. Ninotchka, and Britney Young's Machu Picchu finding its source in Emily Dole's Mountain Fiji.
The writers do take liberties and mix the facts with their own brand of fiction. In doing so, season one follows as these women struggle to find their place, and come to form something special not only for themselves but in something that resonates with fans alike. The season comes to a close as they film the pilot for the women's wrestling show, ending on the ambiguous "will they get a season," simultaneously asking the same question about the fate of the Netflix original.
I watched the first season four times, back to back to back to back because it's enchanting. All of the women are strong actors, perform their own stunts, and excel in their comedic timing. Jackie Tohn is continuously hilarious, while Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin prove that as a duo they stand as a tour de force. In the center of the "I am woman, hear me roar!" mentality, we have the eccentric producer Bash Howard and chauvinist Sam Sylvia, played by Marc Maron, whose abrasive style of humor balances the show in a surprising and delightful way.
Betty Gilpin as Debbie/Liberty Bellhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iM7W1Dvl6Q
Season one oozed magic, while season two took a few minutes to get back on its feet. The sophomore season opens with the "back from summer vacation" vibe that many television shows suffer from when returning from hiatus. By the third episode, however, the feeling is gone. As it turns out, the girls produced a hit, gaining success from their pilot, and season two explores the directions they take to hold that success.
Netflix's second run quite strongly moves the story forward, again blending fact and fiction. Additionally, it brings about deeper developments for the four emerging leads; Alison Brie's Ruth, Betty Gilpin's Debbie, Marc Maron's Sam and Chris Lowell's Bash. This, however, differs from the show's freshman run as the storyline more evenly divided among the supporting characters. But in the sacrifice of moments like "The Dusty Spur's" touching Shelia the She-Wolf's episode opening, these four character's stories intermingle and help drive the plot forward in full throttle.
Alison Brie as Ruth/Zoya the Destroyerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iM7W1Dvl6Q
In that speed, we witness an actual reenactment of a real "GLOW" episode from the 80's, and a finale that greatly differs from the premiere season. Rather than face the ambiguity of success, the reality of failure is instead presented. "GLOW" is canceled.
The girls, however, find hope in the prospect of bringing the show as a live performance in Vegas. Again, the show played reality, asking if they'll be canceled in. Thankfully life did not imitate art this time, and the show has been signed on for a third season.
The interesting thing here, however, is that the real-life "Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling" always filmed live in Vegas from the get-go. That leaves some speculation for moving forward... new network, new wrestling personas? This departure from the actual trajectory of its real-life inspiration begs such questions, including, where is the story going now?
In real life, Bash Howard's counterpart Matt Cimber left "Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling" and produced "POWW: Powerful Woman of Wrestling," in which some of the Gorgeous Ladies jumped ship. It would be interesting if the Netflix dramedy followed this path. While Col. Ninotchka didn't make the jump, "POWW" featured its own Russian lead, Sasha The Russian. Maybe Ruth jumps ship to "POWW" in order to star as the lead, something Debbie/Liberty Bell stole from her (with the friendship/acting rivalry continuing as a dynamic between them).
Staying within that vein, Bash and Debbie definitely got closer in season two. Despite him marrying Rhonda at during the finale, what if a relationship blossoms between him and Debbie, as my brother suggested after he viewed the season? He went on to suggest
"But she [Debbie] remains with "GLOW" out of loyalty to Sam and due to the fact that she is the shining star of that program already. Then the feud would be deeper between her and Ruth, and a feud between Bash and Sam would begin, as they have competing shows."
With the romantic relationships between these characters as well (as Sam began to fall for Ruth) a lot of potential drama develops. If my predictions (and my brothers) are correct, just remember it was said well in advance here before it came to the small screen.
Alison Briehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZqDO6cTYVY
There are so many directions the show can take, and I for one can't wait to see where it goes! "Glow, Glow, that's the name, women's wrestling is the game!" (Flahive, Mesch, Rothchild). The show is amazing! It's always funny, the wrestling is enjoyable, and these actresses clearly know what they're doing. And the dramatic moments shine as well, particularly with Betty Gilpin, who shows she is a tremendous talent. She definitely deserves the Emmy!
All I know is that whatever happens in the junior season, it'll be amazing!
Betty Gilpinhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iM7W1Dvl6Q
