From the first scene, I was hooked. Ruth Wilder is auditioning for a part that she throws her soul into. She's fierce and really nails the short monologue. Except, she's acting out the wrong words.
Those words are written for a man.
When they point this out to her, Ruth is sad but still determined to book the gig, so she goes on to read the woman's part: one throwaway line about someone being on the phone for the boss. She doesn't get the job. But that scene is important because it establishes exactly where we are without pushing it down the viewers’ throats.
The viewer is taken into the heart of Los Angeles in the 1980s. Ruth is a struggling actress and not that great a friend. On the brink of giving up on her dreams, she goes to a casting call for a peculiar show. While there, she finds out that she and other eccentric women are the perfect fit for something that had never been seen on television back then: GLOW.
It stands for Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. You read that right.
All of these women have never stepped foot in a ring before, but now they must make it look like second nature.
What follows is some hilarity laced with social and political awareness that subtly reminds the viewer that while there's a rainbow after the rain, that doesn't make the rain any less unpleasant. Before I go too deep on you, let me say this: Alison Brie is perfectly cast.
You may remember the name from that series Community. But she looks like a totally different woman. In fact, she has such a whiny presence that she is that rare thing: a lead character that nobody likes. And not because she's a bad actress, but because she plays her part too well.
You are meant to think Ruth is selfish and indulgent and you also laugh at how awkward she is and how she attempts to make amends even when no one should forgive her. It's tough to steer clear of spoiler alerts so I will leave it at this: the layers of the characters are peeled off in each episode and there's always more to a woman than you initially think. That is the best thing about GLOW.
GLOW is on Netflix.