GLOW is a Netflix original series based on the 80’s television show Glorious Ladies of Wrestling. With a lot of the same writers and producers from Orange is the New Black, it came as little surprise that I was pulled into a ladies wrestling show in the same way I never thought I’d get into a ladies prison show. But Jenji Kohan and others have done it again as they draw you into the characters and the setting of wrestling ring/prison just sort of keeps the drama rolling.
The cast has a few great actors, Alison Brie (Community, Mad Men), Marc Maron (Maron), and Betty Gilpin (Nurse Jackie, American Gods). There’s even a special appearance that I missed the first time through by a current-day lady of wrestling and daughter of wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, Brooke Hogan.
Ruth (Alison Brie) is an out of work actress in 1986 when she gets an opportunity to audition for GLOW. At first, she’s unsure about the fit, but after accepting that GLOW might be her only chance at a job, she gives it her amateur all, but it’s barely enough to make the next round. Ruth hits a low point in her life and makes a somewhat fortunate mistake of sleeping with her best friend’s husband. When Ruth is about to be cut from the auditions, her best friend/former soap opera actress, Debby (Betty Gilpin), shows up and actually kicks Ruth’s butt in the wrestling ring for sleeping with Debby’s husband and both of them are offered roles on the show.
Despite, or perhaps because of, the rift between Ruth and Debby, they make great opponents in the ring and as they and the others improve their wrestling skills, B-movie director Sam (Marc Maron) is scouting locations and securing sponsors. All preparing for the main event of the series premier. Will they get everything together in time? And if they do will it just be to flop in front of a live studio audience?
Again, like with OITNB, the supporting actresses are great comic relief and each such interesting characters in their own rights. I can’t wait to see more of their crazy backstories and funny contributions to the wrestling show in season 2.
One more thing that can be said for the show, for anyone who read my OITNB review, you may know of my usual dislike for Jenji Kohan’s main characters, and while Ruth definitely has the same poor decision making problem as Piper Chapman and Nancy Botwin, she’s also just as clever as them and perhaps just a tad less self-absorbed.
TL;DR: OITNB in the 1980s – prison + wrestling = Unexpected, Nostalgic without being a Reboot, Funny Awesomeness
-Morgan@1063RL