With an outstanding ensemble cast and sharp writing to ground its outlandish subject matter, GLOW is a knockout.
Are you hiring actors to play wrestlers, or are we the wrestlers?
–Ruth Wilder
Yes.
–Sam Sylvia
Let me say this from the outset: I don’t give a shit about professional wrestling, be it men’s or women’s. I can only name three wrestlers, and that’s only because The Rock, Hulk Hogan, and John Cena have become celebrities whose spheres of influence have managed to extend beyond the constraints of the WWE. It is the near opposite of almost all the culture and entertainment I love, and you may feel the same way. Still, do not let that dissuade you from watching GLOW, Netflix’s new series about female professional wrestlers based on the real 1980s show of the same name. It’s smart and hilarious, subtle and heartfelt — four words I wouldn’t use to describe the “sport” of wrestling itself. GLOW is fantastic, and you’ll be missing one of the best shows of the year if you let something like distaste for professional wrestling get in the way.
Ruth is desperate for work, any work, but there may be a reason that she’s not even getting the limited parts that do exist for women. Ruth is an adult version of a high school theater kid, a hyperactive ball of overacting and enthusiasm that makes her exhausting even if her heart is in the right place. Things are no better for her best friend, Debbie Eagan (Betty Gilpin, Nurse Jackie), a former soap opera actress whose push for better plots ended with her character written into a year-long coma and subsequently recast. So when the casting director calls offering Ruth a role in an “untraditional” television production, she agrees to audition without any further questions.
Even if you aren’t a wrestling fan, it’s impossible to not appreciate the physicality and commitment of GLOW’s actresses and, by extension, their real world inspirations. GLOW presents wrestling as a meat ballet where much of the bruising is real, even if the stories’ consequences aren’t. It’s soap opera gymnastics, equal parts acting and athleticism. Brie, Gilpin, and the other actresses are really throwing each other around for your amusement, and you can’t ignore that.
Of particular note is Britney Young’s portrayal of “Machu Picchu,” a big-bodied woman who grew up in a family of wrestlers, but even so struggles to earn her father’s approval for GLOW. What is Young’s career story like? It’s not hard to imagine hundreds of rejections for her, even if I hope Hollywood isn’t as superficial as I fear it is. It shouldn’t be, because she is fantastic in GLOW, providing the show’s emotional heart. Her interactions with the show’s producer, trust fund baby Bash Howard (Chris Lowell), are an odd pairing and an endless delight.
Marc Maron, probably best known for hosting the podcast WTF with Marc Maron, has never been better than he is here. He finds surprising nuance in Sam’s sarcastic persona, pushing him into a vulnerability that no other role has ever demanded of him. Every actor involved in GLOW is working beyond their comfort zone, from Maron baring his soul to Brie baring skin. Betty Gilpin wrote an article for Glamour about the struggle for confidence when you’re concerned that everyone is only looking at your body. It sounds like the experience of making a show about, starring, produced, and largely written and directed by women was a liberating one for all involved parties, and the results are evident and transfixing onscreen. Yes, GLOW deals with stereotypical storylines for female characters; career vs family, pregnancy, physical ability, and sexism all appear in the show, but how they are dealt with is a breath of fresh air.
I worry I’ve undersold just how funny GLOW is. The scripts are snappy, and the comedic timing is note-perfect. You will laugh out loud consistently. I’m unabashed at how much I enjoyed this show, and I literally stood up and cheered during the season finale. I even found myself appreciating wrestling a little bit more, though I probably won’t be tuning into Wrestlemania anytime soon. What I will be tuning in for is more GLOW as I’ve already rewatched half of the first season, and I eagerly await an announcement about the second. Don’t miss out. This is one of the best shows Netflix has ever made, and among the best shows of 2017.