Written by: Kevin Berge
I get we're just going for the right aesthetic, but why is no one here in character? (Image Courtesy of: bleedingcool.com)
Quick Take: GLOW Season 2 carries forward all the characters and stories of the first with strong focused narratives that embrace what makes the show unique. With strong comedy, subtle drama, and a love and joy for wrestling, this is another top notch season that should not be missed.
GLOW Review: Season 1
***This review will contain spoilers for the entirety of season two of GLOW, expecting the reader has seen the series. If you plan to watch the second season but have not done so, do not read ahead.***
The conceit of modern day comedy is that it's not all that funny. Sitcoms and sketch comedy feel like a dying art, and, in their place, there's these strange hybrid series called dramedies. Many lean so heavily into the drama they hardly feel worthy of the label of comedy.
While I personally don't mourn the death of the more vulgar and ridiculous shows, it is disconcerting that so few genuinely seem to understand what pulls in fans of comedy. It's nice that more time is being spent making these characters feel real, but where's the fun?
GLOW may be the strongest dramedy series I've ever seen because it has the perfect focus to balance the two sides. The drama of GLOW is its character's lives and their struggles. The comedy is the ridiculous and over-the-top work they do inside that ring.
Sometimes the lines blur particularly in the second season. When The Welfare Queen is wrestling Liberty Belle, Tamme is dealing with having to perform while her son watches and judges. While Sam tries to be an honest father for Justine, he often can be ridiculous and even absurd in his actions.
Still, the focus is clear. This is a story about a group of women coming together as friends through a mutual ridiculous but emotional sport. Once again, the show is the best attempt to present professional wrestling to wider audience ever conceived because the joy of the activity is the fundamental crux of the series.
The drama of this second season in particular is actually stronger than the first due to building upon the foundations already established in the first season. At a mere ten episodes of run time, it still feels like there's so much more to know about these people and their lives.
Ruth remains the heart of the series thanks to a strong performance from Alison Brie with Ruth the one who cares about wrestling more than anyone else as she has no fallback. When Debbie fractures Ruth's knee, episode seven brings the best emotional scenes of the series to date as Ruth pours out her heart.
***This review will contain spoilers for the entirety of season two of GLOW, expecting the reader has seen the series. If you plan to watch the second season but have not done so, do not read ahead.***
The conceit of modern day comedy is that it's not all that funny. Sitcoms and sketch comedy feel like a dying art, and, in their place, there's these strange hybrid series called dramedies. Many lean so heavily into the drama they hardly feel worthy of the label of comedy.
While I personally don't mourn the death of the more vulgar and ridiculous shows, it is disconcerting that so few genuinely seem to understand what pulls in fans of comedy. It's nice that more time is being spent making these characters feel real, but where's the fun?
GLOW may be the strongest dramedy series I've ever seen because it has the perfect focus to balance the two sides. The drama of GLOW is its character's lives and their struggles. The comedy is the ridiculous and over-the-top work they do inside that ring.
Sometimes the lines blur particularly in the second season. When The Welfare Queen is wrestling Liberty Belle, Tamme is dealing with having to perform while her son watches and judges. While Sam tries to be an honest father for Justine, he often can be ridiculous and even absurd in his actions.
Still, the focus is clear. This is a story about a group of women coming together as friends through a mutual ridiculous but emotional sport. Once again, the show is the best attempt to present professional wrestling to wider audience ever conceived because the joy of the activity is the fundamental crux of the series.
The drama of this second season in particular is actually stronger than the first due to building upon the foundations already established in the first season. At a mere ten episodes of run time, it still feels like there's so much more to know about these people and their lives.
Ruth remains the heart of the series thanks to a strong performance from Alison Brie with Ruth the one who cares about wrestling more than anyone else as she has no fallback. When Debbie fractures Ruth's knee, episode seven brings the best emotional scenes of the series to date as Ruth pours out her heart.
These two are as creepy as ever and slightly more likable. (Image Courtesy of: digitalspy.com)
No one though goes through more of a tumultuous emotional roller coaster than Debbie though with Betty Gilpin stealing the show. Channeling her frustration over getting divorced into her work, Debbie almost plays the villain in this season, stomping over Ruth to get half-earned and often poorly conceived satisfaction.
While many in the series could use more of a focus than they get in season two, the other characters that stand out are Sam as he finally seems to grow up through his complicated relationship with Ruth and Bash whose story is uniquely subtle.
As the company's financial backer, Bash came off first as an undeveloped millionaire, but, in the second season, we see what he truly cares about. He pours his heart into the wrestling because it is all he has especially after his butler Florian dies. His relationship with Florian is not fully developed, but it's clear that the death affected him.
It hit him so hard that he made the sudden rash decision in the finale to marry Britannica so that she can stay in the country. It's clear he has no real feelings for her, but he seems to have himself fooled. This will likely be explored more in-depth going forward with the troop heading to Las Vegas.
It would have been nice to see more of the main cast developed here. Kia Stevens gets to show off in Tamme's one focused episode "Mother of All Matches", but she almost disappears after that. Others including Carmen, Melanie, and Sheila remain complete mysteries despite two seasons of story.
This doesn't take away from this season which is clearly still the Ruth and Debbie show, but there's a community vibe here that is being underexplored. This is a show that is driven by Ruth's joy for wrestling and the way it has brought her together with so many new friends, but it's time now to let those friends shine through as well.
The cast of the show is immensely talented. The writing continues to be top notch. Some of the episodes such "The Good Twin" and "Every Potato Has a Receipt" are fantastic showcases of direction and storytelling rarely seen in TV shows. There's so much more here to explore with GLOW, and I will gladly take it all in.
While many in the series could use more of a focus than they get in season two, the other characters that stand out are Sam as he finally seems to grow up through his complicated relationship with Ruth and Bash whose story is uniquely subtle.
As the company's financial backer, Bash came off first as an undeveloped millionaire, but, in the second season, we see what he truly cares about. He pours his heart into the wrestling because it is all he has especially after his butler Florian dies. His relationship with Florian is not fully developed, but it's clear that the death affected him.
It hit him so hard that he made the sudden rash decision in the finale to marry Britannica so that she can stay in the country. It's clear he has no real feelings for her, but he seems to have himself fooled. This will likely be explored more in-depth going forward with the troop heading to Las Vegas.
It would have been nice to see more of the main cast developed here. Kia Stevens gets to show off in Tamme's one focused episode "Mother of All Matches", but she almost disappears after that. Others including Carmen, Melanie, and Sheila remain complete mysteries despite two seasons of story.
This doesn't take away from this season which is clearly still the Ruth and Debbie show, but there's a community vibe here that is being underexplored. This is a show that is driven by Ruth's joy for wrestling and the way it has brought her together with so many new friends, but it's time now to let those friends shine through as well.
The cast of the show is immensely talented. The writing continues to be top notch. Some of the episodes such "The Good Twin" and "Every Potato Has a Receipt" are fantastic showcases of direction and storytelling rarely seen in TV shows. There's so much more here to explore with GLOW, and I will gladly take it all in.