GLOW 2.9: Rosalie

Chris: A few years ago, Joel made a great point on the podcast about how most wrestling shows like Monday Night Raw are basically the same as The Muppet Show and now GLOW joins that list as it’s basically a show about a group of people trying to put together a show. I know Muppets on Broadway isn’t the same as The Muppet Show but it’s a decent enough time to mention because it’s one of my favorite analogies.

I’m still not sure at all how I feel about Ruth and Sam having possible romance feelings and that uncertainty isn’t by accident because it mirrors Ruth’s clear uncertainty because she felt so put off when Sam seemed like he didn’t want her around earlier in the year to now being included into Sam’s personal life once they’ve patched things up. However, once Sam starts to make a move, she runs off to the camera guy who I am also uncertain of.

Finally, I’d watch a spinoff show of Bash and Debbie trying to sell shows to investors.

Joel: You know what’s complicated? Relationships. Not just romantic relationships, but relationships of all kinds. It’s not always easy to fit your relationship with another person into an clear category. It happens on TV all the time, this is a friendship, that’s a serious romance, this one is high school girl style frenemies, over here we have roomates who love each other and express that love through insults. One thing that really stuck out in this particular episode was how GLOW was allowing the relationships between their character to feel messier and more complicated. Sam and Ruth’s relationship is the prime example. This could either be a mentor/mentee relationship, or a “will they won’t they” Ross-and-Rachel style long game. Instead, GLOW has intentionally put itself in an uncomfortable middle ground. Sam and Ruth don’t exactly feel like the “couple” of the show, but in the same way Russell is being presented as an obstacle in their relationship, however you define their relationship. It doesn’t necessarily like like the show is pushing them together, but is instead looking to explore the reality of two people interpreting their relationship with each other differently, and having to work through and dela with that.

In the same way, Sam’s relationship with his daughter has a nice, clean, TV version conclusion all ready to go. Everything is falling into place for that final scene where Justine’s mom sees that she is happier doing better in school, and becoming a better person living with her dad, with the outcome being that Justine will get to stay with Sam. But then we have that gut punch moment where Justine’s mother sees all that and still says “I’m taking her back with me.” Sam has an awkward relationship with Justine. Justine has a messy relationship with her mother. Now both of Justine’s parents are having to wade through their own not too great relationship with one another. Just like Sam’s relationship with Ruth, GLOW isn’t in a hurry to clean up this mess or give the story a quick, “television” ending. It’s a great episode and one that has the courage to have a lot of complicated things happen and not be in a rush to solve any of it.

One more note: Recently WWE was able to strike a deal with FOX to air Smackdown on FOX. It was a huge deal when it was announced, with a five year contract for $1 Billion. I can only assume that Vice and company were able to get such a major deal by following the Debbie and Bash playbook of marketing a wrestling show step by step.

Alexa: Well I guess we all knew this was coming but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I love the uneasy mentor-mentee aspects of Sam and Ruth’s relationship, and Alison Brie and Marc Maron have outstanding chemistry in that regard, but that does not mean Sam and Ruth need to become love interests. It feels forced, and their friendship has plenty of interesting territory to mine without resorting to that. And even after Ruth literally hobbles away from him and into Russell’s arms, I’m still not sure whether or not we’re supposed to be rooting for Sam and Ruth in the long run. Sam’s evolving relationship with daughter Justine is a far more compelling storyline in my view, which is why I hope her returning to Sacramento with her mother doesn’t mean she’s off the show. Finding out he’s a father to a tempermental teenager didn’t change Sam, but it did slowly and reluctantly bring out a softer side of him that felt genuine. In other news, if Bash wasn’t already my new favorite character this season, he definitely is now thanks to his unapologetic love for the Muppets. His and Debbie’s exploits trying to sell the show to another network are an absolute joy to watch. We’ve praised Betty Gilpin before for her ability to juggle comedy and drama with ease in the same scene, and Chris Lowell proves he is equally skilled in this episode when Bash learns Florian has died. One minute you’re cracking up at his antics, and the next your heart is crushed at his reaction to the news. It’s instantly sobering, just like a devastating turn of events in real life, and that jarring shift comes through in Lowell’s performance.