Girl power in the time of ‘GLOW’
Betty Gilpin
Underdog struggles meet the ennobling ’80s in “GLOW,” or Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, a series about women who grudgingly work together—to create a show where they tumble and tussle like their more experienced male counterparts in the physically demanding art form.
Cast by a dubious B-movie director, Sam (Marc Maron), the aspiring actors form a hesitant bond—gradually discovering the possible rewards and pitfalls of a show that teeters between exploitation and empowerment!
The Netflix show created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch and inspired by the 2012 documentary about the real GLOW, follows a fictional team and centers on down-on-her-luck actress Ruth, played by ex-“Community” regular Alison Brie.
Ruth is broke and unsure of her next career move, but tries to be optimistic. She is besties with Debbie (Betty Gilpin), ex-soap actress-turned-housewife. Not everything is peachy-keen, though—Debbie’s hubby Mark (Rich Sommer) is cheating on her with Ruth.
But the truth comes out at the most inconvenient time— and Sam, purveyor of schlock-and-awe, sees this genuine, girl-on-girl conflict translating tremendously to the small screen!
“GLOW” makes good use of its inimitable ’80s trappings, creating a world all aglow with visual curiosities—gravity-defying hair, aerobics outfits, analog technology—as well as some of the audible pop gems of the era, including radio hits by Pat Benatar and Scandal.
Alison Brie
Ruth, Debbie and the rest of the diverse wrestling troupe personify the struggling Western women of the era—their problems calculatingly mined for laughs and, in some of the ruminative scenes, tears.
Brie makes a successful jump, fully shedding her mousy, overachieving “Community” character for this show’s flawed but redeemable and sexy loser. There is ecstatic energy shared between her and Gilpin, who also recently played the wife of an unfaithful husband in “American Gods”—and this blonde revelation plays the scorned woman with palpable rage!
The humor and drama are felt and honest—thanks to Maron as well, whose Sam comes off as a gauche, smarmy, less-talented Stan Lee!
Just as important is former “Veronica Mars” actor Chris Lowell, who plays Bash, the fanboy TV producer who’s no stranger to the excesses of the endearing ’80s!
