Date of release: June 23, 2017 (Netflix)
This was a pretty good episode. It almost looks like the next few episodes will take on one or two characters of Sam’s wrestling cast and introduce them properly to the audience, giving them a backstory in the process, in addition to depth, and placing them in a playing field of emotion. In the opening minutes and during her conversation with Ruth, Sheila came over as a very emotionally troubled character who might not have any kind of connection to the world or a single human being due to her wolf spirit, and Carmen, also known as Machu Picchu, has gotten the opportunity to grow beyond her former self and become a more independent woman by letting her face off against the men of her family, showing that even in the late 1970s, early 80s, women had to fight to become independent, having to seek the permission of their parental units to do something they have been dreaming of.
I’m always shocked to see that parents were behaving like this when it came to their children of age, not knowing anything about what they want and forcing the kids to do the parents’ bidding instead, pushing their kids to take on the workforce paths their parents have entered on. I was happy to see that Carmen was able to deliver her stance, even if Bash somewhat had to forcibly direct her towards that character development, but maybe Bash playing his role as her boyfriend was all she needed to see that she was being appreciated in the gym and around the women, and that she really wants to wrestle and follow her dream, that this isn’t just a spur-of-the-moment opportunity for her. I would have loved it if the entire character arc of the episode had been about Carmen, because I loved that development, but then again, the show has quite a bunch of interesting women characters and the season needs quite a few more episodes to get to all of them.
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| In this business, you have to play a role to get acceptance from your family. |
Case in point: Sheila only needed three quick scenes to show what she is all about: Her hidden humanity when she was putting makeup on her face; her fear of discovery when Ruth accidentally saw her blond hair under the wig; and the delivery of her backstory when even I was about to cry because it seemed so real and grounded and understandable. I thought after one or two episodes that Sheila might become my favorite character and this is still true after four episodes. Except for the huge personal conflict between Ruth and Debbie, Sheila is the more intriguing character because her world has just been invaded by other people, which shocked her emotionally, and I’m all for emotions and trauma.
Also, Sheila’s inclusion into the group looks to her like a search for acceptance. Not only Carmen is looking for that, and Sheila probably doesn’t even know that she just wants acceptance, just wants to be called a “wolf,” instead of being recognized as a “freak” (that was a very touching moment). This episode delivered the backstories of two different characters and I found them both great. Damn, why do the episodes need to be so short after all? And why am I so inconsistent about that? First I say that I want to see more than the 37 minutes the pilot delivered, then I say that GLOW is perfect in half-hour form, and now I’m saying again that the episodes are too short? I’m like a Republican, always flip-flopping on an issue when it’s convenient for me.
In the meantime, the women banding together at the motel was a nice move to keep the characters in the same area, instead of seeing them disband after every training session, just so the writers can forget to pick those characters up at their respective homes and deliver stories there. It will also help the characters to become friends more quickly and establish friendships between the women (which they wouldn’t be able to do if they were still commuting between home and the gym). Carmen already learned to be more of a mature woman by looking at Britannica (I have loved Kate Nash for more than a decade now, and all of a sudden I see her in the nude – it’s like looking at Madeline Zima having sex with David Duchovny in CALIFORNICATION), and Sheila has learned to open up a little bit with the help of Ruth. Even Debbie realized she can’t just run away all the time when she sees Ruth around. Then again, she has been running away from home because her husband was around. Does that mean a fix of her friendship with Ruth is more probable than the rekindling of her marriage?
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| The She-Wolf needs some privacy. |
I have a few more words about that final scene of the episode. The show might have started with Ruth and Debbie being friends, but it’s almost like they were hating each other for the entirety of the show. It sort of reminds me of the rivalry between Paris Gellar and Rory Gilmore, and how they turned out to be best friends after a few seasons of GILMORE GIRLS. I would love for Debbie and Ruth to be directed towards the same story development – let them hate each other for a season, but in the end, they will become best friends again. It’s a version of the redemption arc which every show needs to have these days, and it would perfectly fit into the show’s chosen narrative. It’s how the show could end after a few years: Ruth and Debbie are best friends again after all the adventure and business nightmares they have gone through. Both understand each other completely after everything and maybe they will become BFFs for the rest of their lives, strolling into a fantasized spin-off show starring themselves.
