Glitter, feminism and cobra twist : enter the ring with GLOW ! A series about the crazy story of a women's wrestling show that actually aired in the United States. While season 2 has just been released on Netflix, it's time to look at the first episodes of this sitcom that smells of sweat and cheap hairspray. Between a coke director, a son to mom producer and failed actresses, the show features a real team of broken arms… So put on your most beautiful sparkling leotard, there will be sport! Let the match begin!
Aaaah the 1980s. His patriotism exacerbated in times of the Cold War, his kitsch music at will, his cheesy SF films and his reductive vision of women. It's been a long time since the decade of faceted balls and elephant pants inspired the writers. This is now done with GLOW which revives this mythical period, lost somewhere between bad taste and splendor.
The limits of the fever of the 1980s
The framework is extremely important here. It must be understood that at the time, it was totally inconceivable to imagine women fighting in tight outfits on television at prime time. A revolution. If women's rights have come a long way since the period of the Mad Men secretaries, the old mores still have a hard tooth. And it's not easy to get rid of it in a world full of clichés.
The clichés, Ruth, she knows. A passionate young actress, she is desperately looking for a role that lives up to her ambitions. But apart from a few lines and a close-up on her pretty buttocks, not much to put in her mouth. Exhausted, broke and downright lacking in self-confidence, Ruth is at the end of her rope. Until the day she finds herself in the middle of a casting for a mysterious "alternative" program…
The role is beautifully interpreted by Alison Brie (Community, Mad Men…) which has metamorphosed for the occasion. Permanent in the fashion of the time, without makeup, cheesy clothes that do not particularly highlight it … Yet she appears beautiful and so touching in the skin of Ruth. A particularly endearing character despite her repeated dumplings, the actress tries to find her place in a world that leaves her few opportunities. And against all odds, wrestling will become for her a way of existing.
A nice line-up of losers gathered around GLOW
You will understand, no need to be a fan of Hulk Hogan to appreciate GLOW. Moreover, most of the protagonists initially see wrestling as a stupid entertainment. It's mostly about being able to make a place in Hollywood, escape a rotten family life or just be able to eat. Even the director doesn't care. This misunderstood genius (according to him) with a mustache full of coke simply wants to finance his next film. A potential SF turnip that clearly deals with its mummy issues. Certainly not the next Woody Allen.
Basically, basically, no one really believes in the project. Apart from this young producer of tunes who devotes a strange cult to this discipline that he considers an art. Strange passion for a son to mom. But obviously, and without spoiler, everyone will more or less get caught up in the game. And that's where things are going to get interesting.
A brilliant series
Fundamentally feminist and anti-racist without ever forcing the line, GLOW is a particularly intelligent series. A story that largely recalls Bliss and her roller derby players. No wonder when you know who is behind it. Showrunner Jenji Kohan, to whom we owe Orange Is The New Black, is part of the team. Without warming up his old recipes, it seems that Kohan has found his magic formula. A female lead role that arrives in a universe that is totally foreign to her, surrounded by touching and very worked characters that are just as interested in. Maybe even more.
Anyway, the showrunneuse manages the quite unlikely feat of making love wrestling to an audience not really predisposed to subdue WWE. The portrait she draws of the characters is insanely accurate. For there are neither wicked nor good guys here. Only protagonists with their own personality and the interests of each. No judgment, no glorification. Just humans trying to get by. And of course ordinary girls who will become mega badass by necessity. Enjoyable.
The series gives us a complex and realistic portrait of the 1980s, all against a Madonna background. With its ultra-caricatured characters ranging from the Queen of the allocs to Beirut the terrorist, through Britannica the gifted British, GLOW reveals itself as a fine criticism of American society. Worse than inspiring, female wrestlers become true role models. It would almost make you want to get in the ring.
Glow Trailer
