GLOW Episode 1 "Pilot" Review

Chris: This show has already made me a happy camper just from the pilot. First of all, I’m happy Alison Brie is in a leading role because I’ve enjoyed watching her in just about everything I’ve seen her in but it was almost always in a supporting role and I’m glad she’s getting an opportunity to carry the lead. I’m happy that this show is taking pro wrestling seriously while also highlighting the overwhelming silliness of 1980s wrestling. To the best of my knowledge, the most dreaded “f word” in pro wrestling wasn’t used in the pilot and that may not seem like a big deal on the surface but to lifelong wrestling fans that may be watching, saying the word “fake” is a good way to get them to cut your show off. By recognizing that wrestlers are predominantly actors that focus heavily on physicality, it’s a big step that the creative team behind the show is taking “the business” seriously and it’s a great way to engage non-wrestling fans. I also do appreciate the use of real-life wrestlers such as Kia Stevens (Awesome Kong, Kharma) and John Hennigan (John Morrison/Johnny Mundo) to give the show some more validity because for a second, I thought Marc Maron was about to teach these ladies about wrestling or just throw them in a ring and have them magically know what to do. Also fun note about “attacking the ropes” or falling onto the wrestling mat, it all hurts...a lot. Also, there’s a lot of be said on the lack of taking women’s wrestling seriously and viewing women wrestlers as sex objects first and foremost in the 80’s and how we’re just now finally moving away from that in 2017 but I’m sure that subject will come up in a future episode.

Joel: When it was first announced that Netflix would be doing a show based on wrestling set in the 1980s (specifically based on the GLOW organization) I had that simultaneous excited/nervous feeling that you get when a niche that you enjoy is about to get some mainstream exposure. Even to this day, pop culture isn’t exactly kind to the world of professional wrestling. Wrestling is still, more often than not, presented as a low brow form of entertainment, put on for a less than intelligent audience. After all, how dumb do you have to be to enjoy a sport where everybody already knows the outcome and is just playing along? I think this is why the “You know it’s fake right?” question still comes up in this day and age where mainstream wrestling doesn’t pretend to be anything but. After all, if you’re still enjoying this silly nonsense, the only possible explanation is that you’re not in on the big secret that none of it is real. You’re watching a sport that doesn’t have any real stakes.

Which brings me to the pilot episode of GLOW. Right off the bat, the first thing I want to make note of is the main character is an actress, or at least an aspiring one. In fact, many of the women in the starting lineup have primarily acting backgrounds. There is at least one person who has a wrestling background, but of the characters we meet in the first episode, it’s important to take note of what isn’t there. There are no athletes. People who couldn’t make it in a real sport and are now trying to break into a fake sport. It’s the showmanship that’s on display and important here. The wrestling organization is treated as a show first and a sport second. And while we could go on for days about whether or not wrestling is a sport, and if wrestlers should be considered athletes and so on and so forth, I’m aware that this show is made primarily for people who don’t watch wrestling on a weekly basis. And for that audience, it’s important to see wrestling as a fictionalized drama. One of the more common responses to “You know it’s fake, right?” is something along the lines of “So is Game of Thrones.” Being quote unquote “fake” isn’t any reason to dismiss it as and less entertaining or worthwhile, as all the other “fake” tv shows that exist.

There’s never a moment in the first episode where the idea of wrestling being scripted is brought up as an issue. It’s something that is taken as a given and never even really discussed. The episode ends on a fantasy sequence of two wrestlers in a match, it’s Sam (the director played by Marc Maron) seeing for the first time the potential that he has in front of him. But it takes time to show a wrestling match. Not an amazing one by any means, but one that sharply contrasts the very little bit of physical action we’ve seen up until this point. Just because two people are “pretending” to fight, doesn't mean it’s something that can be done easily. The little bit of in ring action we see is terrible, because none of the character have any experience. Wrestling is still hard. It requires training and hours upon hours of practice. We get to close out the episode on a high watermark of what a wrestling show could be when it all comes together with the pageantry and the fireworks, and we can compare that to what we see in the ring during this episode to know that these characters have a long way to go before they get there.

Alexa: So I’m the non-wrestling fan of the bunch, and GLOW still managed to hook me from the pilot episode. My primary exposure to wrestling is watching Wrestlemania every year, aided by Joel’s impressively thorough PowerPoint presentation beforehand to catch up on the ongoing storylines. Joel and Chris both make an excellent point about GLOW never pretending the wrestling isn’t scripted but also never dwelling too much on that fact. Its frank depiction of both the performance and the physicality that wrestling requires takes what could easily be seen as a silly premise (struggling actors with big hair and loud costumes learn to wrestle?) and keeps it grounded. It may be “fake” but there are real stakes for each and every character, from the desire for some semblance of upward career mobility to the very real physical demands to the need to work through an emotional conflict I won’t spoil here. The fact that GLOW treats its subject matter with respect is key to its success, both in terms of the wrestling itself and the feminist themes it upholds.

We first meet Alison Brie’s Ruth sinking her teeth into a scene meant for a man during an audition, bemoaning the fact there are no decent roles for women. For many of the performers introduced in the first episode, their best shot at a career comes with a substantial dose of objectification. And though I’m only a casual wrestling watcher, even I remember when the WWE finally gave its women wrestlers a decent belt devoid of pink butterflies in 2016, 20-some years after GLOW takes place. Even from the first episode, GLOW treats its ensemble of women as real, hardworking people who deserve to be taken seriously but are not - a struggle some women athletes and actors (and women in general) unfortunately still face every day.

Ironically, the scene stealer of this female-driven show is its sole male regular. I don’t know if the role of GLOW director Sam Sylvia was written specifically for Marc Maron or not, but his performance is perfection. It’s also great to see Alison Brie take on a meatier role. She’s much more rough around the edges here than in her typical wide-eyed comedy roles, and I think the pilot just scratched the surface of her potential. I also get a distinctly Orange is the New Black vibe from the show’s large ensemble of rag-tag women (OITNB creator Jenji Kohan is an executive producer). I hope GLOW will take a cue from that show and delve deeper into its supporting cast as the series goes on, including familiar faces like Scott Pilgrim’s Knives, Mr. Robot’s Trenton and British pop star Kate Nash, whom I adore. The other potential wrestlers packed a lot of personality into their brief appearances in the pilot. Given how well executed this first episode was, I can’t wait to see how the rest of the season unfolds.

New to wrestling and want to know more? Chris and Joel have a wrestling podcast called Classy Ring Attire available on iTunes! Follow them on Twitter for more info.