GLOW - Candy of the Year

While Sam tries to navigate this new relationship with his daughter (who tries to serve her punk rock singer boyfriend with merch, eventually at odds with a crude local telling her to fuck off when asked to move out of her line of sight while trying to watch her man perform), his resentment towards Ruth remains, due to her main titles sequence at the mall (clearly bothered that it was probably good, not at all involving his creative process as director). Ruth almost doesn’t even get a chance to make the three-match-act cut on the show, saddled with newcomer, Yolanda. Ultimately, this does Ruth well as Yolanda has plenty of dance moves (the genesis of hip hop in the 80s is visible here) that encourages her to step out of her comfort zone and learn a choreographed act that doesn’t involve actual wrestling, opting instead to work out a clever performance that uses music inside the ring. While Sam rejects Yolanda and Ruth’s actual performance, at first (not because it isn’t good but due to his continued anger at Ruth for supposedly going behind his back without his approval), but Debbie and Bash counter-argue that he was the one voicing against a series of repetitive matches, wanting to make sure the audience was introduced to more than just women wrestling, avoiding the “drag” that led to disinterest in the product. Sam still is bluntly mean-spirited and foul towards Ruth, while she remains gracious for the chance to continue to perform, not lowering herself in returning an outburst right back to him. Toleration for this kind of behavior says a lot about how Ruth feels for G.L.O.W. even as Sam should be reprimanded and taken to task for such treatment…which is the point of the show spotlighting the working environments of the past, to see what women had to endure in order to survive. With the introduced subplot involving Debbie, as producer, trying to insert her own advice/opinion into how G.L.O.W. should be presented before an audience, the obvious attention to the struggles women fight against is prescient and purposely timely. These stories are definitely worth elaborating and G.L.O.W. is seemingly just the proper platform to give them a presence. I especially enjoyed the dinner conversation between Debbie and Tammé, fondue and champagne prepared for Sam and Bash, although neither shows out of sort of macho solidarity…Debbie learns of Tammé’s experiences in a tough work force, and the opportunity on this show for so much more than what life has afforded her. Debbie is encouraged by Tammé to assert herself and continue to fight to make her voice important. And despite Sam’s bossy setbacks, Debbie won’t falter, making sure to get in her own thoughts and feelings when able. While the choreographed performance between “Zoya” and “Junk Chain” isn’t my own cup of tea, their efforts do pay off, with Sam looking into the monitor inside his office as his camera operator, Russell, inspires Ruth to perform playfully in character…Sam clearly is fighting away feels for Ruth that unexpectedly emerge.

Included among the other cast members, Sunita Mani’s “Beirut” terrorist character has left her wanting to update the offensive caricature to something more worthwhile, contemplating a “fiery phoenix” rising out of a bomb vest explosion, but her idea is undermined by Stacey and Dawn, fortunate to go on before Arthie, introducing to Sam, Bash, and Debbie their own “transformation”, going from old ladies with curly wigs to mutant humans named Ozone and Nuke after Melrose sprays them in the eyes with hairspray. Arthie is left without a gimmick that is catchy while Carmen has spent the majority of her time helping others determine their own character acts, both cut because of Stacey and Dawn stealing Arthie’s idea.  Sheila “She Wolf” and “Brittanica” Rhonda work straight chain wrestling, with Rhonda introducing a male mannequin as her “date”. So Ruth and Yolanda aren’t up against a whole lot of serious competition. Sam just has to bury his disregard for Ruth for “the better of the show”. Ruth losing her stature as the show takes shape, having to work extra hard to get any attention, and the efforts to reinvent her own story on G.L.O.W. is a major reason I think this season will really be quite special. Not sure how I personally feel about the hint of Sam and Ruth having a “thing”, or even her and Russell. I just still feel her and Debbie is the real relationship that has the most depth and deserves greater dramatic devotion.

The title of the episode refers to using candy as a means of providing extra energy to the crowd in attendance of the show, NERDS, in the case of what Debbie proposes to Sam. Sam considers it odd and snarls his nose as always.

4/5