Glow: 6 Great Things about Season 2

Season 2 of Glow arrived on Netflix this week, and it’s hard to believe, but it is even better than the first season. Aside from a killer soundtrack, which we’ve just come to expect from this show, there’s a lot to love. Here are a few of the best things about season 2.

Friendship

The strengthening bonds of the women was a highlight of season 2. In the first season, they were chafing against their new settings and getting used to each other, but now they’ve developed real relationships. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t plenty of conflict, but it’s all about the push and pull of daily life. Jenny and Melrose are perfect frenemies. Debbie and Tamme bond over motherhood. They all have a great time getting high together rather than planning their next match. Overall, the show does an excellent job of showing a group of women that support and promote each other, with few examples of them working against each other or tearing each other down. The big exception to this is Debbie’s response to Ruth’s casting couch moment, but it was important to show that women often felt you had to play the game to get ahead, so I don’t know of any other way they could have played it. Had one of the male characters made the case that Ruth should have gone along to get along, it would have had a completely different tone. From the gals all piling in to take Ruth to the hospital and their refusal to leave the waiting room at the hospital to their shared sense of loss at the show’s impending end, these ladies show us the meaning of friendship.

Betty Gilpin

Wow, Gilpin’s Debbie was outstanding. I love Alison Brie and her Ruth, but it was Debbie’s turn to be unlikeable this season, and yet even at her worst moments, you couldn’t help but love Gilpin’s talent. This woman needs more recognition for playing a very convincing emotional drunk. Joking aside, it was a wonderful performance. She showed us a woman who is not entirely successful at holding together a life that is breaking apart. I love how well we saw that she angry is at Mark and suffering from the breakup of her marriage, but not pining away for a man that, honestly, doesn’t deserve her. Watching the anger of her divorce give way to sadness and a realization of loss was very touching. The moments where she struggles as a mother were the most poignant, and that scene of her laying down to sleep next to her son’s crib did a lot to show us how low the character felt.

Women’s Lives

One of the things I wrote about for season 1 was how well Glow depicts the everyday lives of women, down to the minutia. Season 2 was the same, discussing everything from constipation to the lasting trauma of a miscarriage. The sexism these women face felt very real too. Debbie struggling to be taken seriously as a producer and an executive who tries to use his role as a gatekeeper to success were specific to the context of the show yet felt universal enough to be familiar to all women. Like before, the show managed to make us angry about the way things were and frustrated at how much hasn’t changed but also reminded us of the joy that exists in life.

The Intersectionality

One of my complaints about season one was how the issues of some characters weren’t well-represented. Happily, there was a lot more representation of diverse characters this season. I complained last season that all we knew about Tammé was that she had a son in college. This season we didn’t learn a whole lot more outside the ring, but that information became so much richer and more emotional. More than that, we saw the conflicted feelings both she and her son felt about her playing a role that she’s clearly amazing at, but that also relies on damaging and discriminatory ideas about African American women. Some moments were less overt, like Cherry’s frustration at learning they were making dramatic, and damaging, changes to her hair. Arthie continued to struggle with the offensive role of Beirut, and it was especially heartbreaking to watch all her attempts to reframe her character fail. Both Tamme and Arthie show the compromises people of color have to make when the roles available to them are limited and discriminatory.  Yolanda was a new addition to the show, and I think was well used to add depth to the cast (plus she gave us Ruth attempting to do the worm, which was hilarious). I loved watching her taunt and call out the other ladies on their discomfort with her sexuality. Her and Arthie’s blooming relationship was beautiful, and honestly one of the best developments of the season. All in all, Arthie was probably my favorite this season. That kiss…swoon. I’m so happy that we got a deeper look at more of the characters this season. I look forward to more.

The Menfolk

In a show that is undoubtedly about women, I think the men were deliciously complex. Sometimes they were horrible, and sometimes they were slightly less horrible. I’m not sure we could expect a lot more from the characters as they are. Sam is figuring out how he’s going to be a father to Justine, and though he’s not going to win any father of the year awards, he was able to be a loving dad who pushes his daughter to be stronger and be her own person. Could Sam be the secret feminist we’ve all been waiting for? No. Definitely no. But, I guess he has a few redeeming qualities. His friendship with Ruth is something I have mixed feelings about, given that he is such a giant a-hole to her almost all the time, but that scene where he talks about the emptiness left when someone leaves who you’ve let into your life was very heartwarming.

As someone who loves a good pun, Bash’s announcing at the wrestling matches was a thing of beauty. He had his own story arc going on, and it was interesting if distracting. As someone who lived through the ’80s and remembers people’s attitudes at that time, I was impressed at how they portrayed his realization that his closest friend was not only gay but had an illness that was (and is) truly terrifying. I’m all for coming out tales where a person finds that family and friends are supportive and loving, but sadly that’s not always the case, so I think it’s important that the show made Bash lose his mind a little over realizing Dorian was gay, even if it is ugly to watch. It’s painful to watch Bash struggle with his sexuality, but it at least helps him to be less of a one-dimensional character. That said, I felt like Rhonda’s immigration storyline was a little wedged in, and I think something better than the marriage could have been used to show Bash’s reaction to what was happening in his life.

Me Too

It feels like every show is doing a take on the Me Too Movement right now (not complaining), but Glow handled it particularly well. They managed to show how demoralizing it is to a woman without making it into an voyeuristic scene of a woman in distress. The range of responses gave it dimension as well. Spineless Glen turned a blind eye, even though we later see that he doesn’t approve, and Debbie lashed out at the victim for not playing the game. Sam got angry and smashed the guy’s windshield (but does that really change anything? No). Ruth also experienced real repercussions for what happened, and nothing she could do would make it better. The show may not have given us any solutions, but it did a good job of depicting the problem.

Aside from bigger themes and character development, there were some great scenes that I can’t wait to watch again.

The title sequence was beautiful. It was so reminiscent of local television commercials and public access programs. Sam may have hated it, but I loved it.

The PSA, which got Debbie and Ruth working together, was a beautiful monstrosity.

They did some great things with Justine this season, and the scene where Sam convinces her to be a little more her own woman was very uplifting.

The best, of course, was when all hope was lost and they decided to just go all in and stop trying to make the show appeal to a broader audience. That episode of the show within the show was a little bit like watching student art films in college. It was so strange and so terribly wonderful.

And, of course, Ruth seeking love. Ruth struggling up Russell’s stairs on crutches and then abruptly blurting out her excuses and justifications while asking for a second chance was very relatable and did a great job of making her look awkward without being artificially cutesy. As a little bit of a Ruth myself at times, I was glad to see her find someone who actually seems to be kind of a nice guy. I’m very, VERY glad they didn’t go with the tired old trope of her falling for someone like Sam. Plus, the first kiss was pretty dang awesome.

Season 3 hasn’t been confirmed by Netflix, but I can’t imagine they’d let this show go now. Fingers crossed.

Glow seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now on Netflix.