GLOW - Debbie Does Something

While Ruth (Alison Brie) begins to assimilate a character out of her numerous failed personas, Debbie (Betty Gilpin) continues to struggle with her new choice of profession, having not yet found the inspiration needed to fully embrace the GLOW ideal. Bash has a television station exec passing by to introduce him to the ladies, with the clear understanding that sponsors to support the show is important. A patio company could very well be a key sponsor if Bash and Sam can carry two of the girls along in the hopes of securing the owner’s approval for the show. This is where Ruth might finally realize her character, coming up with a Russian communist, complete with dialect and jargon. The show not only uses this to hint at a programme with Debbie (who has claimed the All American Heroine gimmick), but a later conversation about the babyface/heel partnership certainly reinforces it.

Recognizing pro wrestling as a soap opera in itself turns a corner with Debbie considering she comes from the background of the daytime variety; she accompanies Carmen (Britney Young) and Melrose (Jackie Tohn) to a male wrestling show and learns more about the inner workings of what makes it tick. The face (Kevin Kiley, Jr. AKA Alex Riley) is a working class hero who arrives on a motorcycle and lost his girl (brainwashed against him) to the heel (Joey Ryan), a ruthless “monopoly man” who bought out his company and unemployed his fellow co-workers. That is the plot of the programme according to Carmen, considering Riley (known as Steel Horse) her favorite wrestler. Debbie wants to meet him and Melrose just eventually seems like dead weight (she only came along because staying at the hotel has been such a drag) as Carmen introduces Steel Horse to them (Carmen’s pop is such a wrestling hero she can get access to the talent due to his rep). Debbie and Steel Horse get into a conversation, eyes to eyes, about his work with Ryan. Because the two seem to click, Carmen and Melrose are rushed out of the Riley’s dressing room. Arriving back at the hotel room early the next morning (past the curfew assigned to them by Sam Sylvia), Debbie is met by Cherry, up for a morning workout, and waxes about how the sex was exhausting (and physical) but something about her husband is hard to duplicate. Yeah, she has hot sex with a well-built, muscular hunk and still feels as if he doesn’t quite “get her” like the perfectly average husband. Just the same, Debbie awakens Sam demanding she get a heel counterpart for the show.

While at a tasty freeze, it is revealed that sexy Rhonda (Kate Nash) is “shagging” Sam to Ruth. Ruth gets Sam’s attention with her Russian persona, unveiled and successful at Patio Town much to their relief. The ribbon-cutting opening gets an extra response as a result of Ruth’s “evil commie” character. While Ruth is in the backseat amusing Sam with her continued Russian spiel, Rhonda is obviously jealous of her attention, fleeing to pee. Ruth and Sam discuss their mistakes, how her adultery and his frankness can get them in trouble. It is a candid, on-the-level exchange where exposing their human errors in judgment helps the two of them come to an understanding about where they are at in life. To me, this is the good stuff the show can only benefit more from.

Little subplots included involve Justine (Britt Baron) smitten with the pizza delivery guy (Casey Johnson), as Stacey (Kimmy Gatewood) and Dawn (Rebekka Johnson) prank call their fellow lady wrestlers. Melrose and Cherry continue to have friction as the curfew and training create quite a bit of animosity. Will this ever improve? Wrestling fans will notice the first two wrestlers battling it out as Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian, actually often associated as heel allies, not enemies.