NETFLIX ORIGINAL | 'Glow' Season 1
Set in 1985 LA, 'Glow' (the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) is an American comedy-drama Netflix series following struggling actress Ruth Wilder, who ends up on a women's wrestling television show with twelve other women.
The interesting thing about this show is that it's a fictionalised account of the 1985 television series 'Glow' created by David B. McLane, centred around a variety of… colourful (to put it mildly) charters, and over the top sketches performed by actresses, models, dancers, along with stunt women hoping to get their big break through wrestling.
The original program was ran for four years, between 1986 and 1990, though much of the original cast left unsurprisingly due to the 'blue' style comedy infused in each episode. What this means is that it is risqué and largely about sex, often using profanity and sexual imagery that audiences mostly find offensive, and that's exactly what this new incarnation has taken.
More often than not, this Netflix program is down right disgusting, making you question why you're wasting your time with a show like this in the first place.
Women's wrestling isn't something that is taken too seriously, but in itself, wrestling isn't something that is expected to be taken seriously for the audience to enjoy it. Now, in modern culture, wrestling is absolutely huge, even providing an initial platform for future Hollywood starts like the beloved Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, and John Cena who has had some success outside of the wrestling circuit. Even in the 80s, Hulk Hogan really found his footing in the world of wrestling.
But the show doesn't necessarily promote women in the light they might expect. Another thing that makes 'Glow' off-putting is that it often takes itself to onerously, grossly mishandling extremely sensitive issues such as miscarriage in the opening two episodes, hardly empowering the show's female characters and grossly objectifying them instead. And more often than not, 'Glow' plays into racism and racial stereotypes, which is really disappointing.
The show should be centred around a 'likeable' band of misfits, much like that of the creator's previous success in 'Orange Is The New Black', but there is little to like about these characters. Unlike 'OITNB', 'Glow' at least tries to grasp the comedy and does a relatively good job for what it is, but what it completely fails to do is get any sort of grip on the drama. It's so 'claw your eyes out' bad that you just wish they would tap out.
While stars Alison Brie ('Community', 'Mad Men', 'BoJack Horseman') and Betty Gilpin ('Nurse Jackie', 'Elementary') have amicable on screen chemistry, the show focusses on the surface, with far too many misplaced 'jokes' on Brie's character's appearance, proving the show's lack of real depth. With such a great on screen diversity and a strong female cast, it had so much going for it but failed to live up to viewers' standards and expectations.
Even with the fun 80s soundtrack, 'Glow' is really difficult to like: from the c-bombs galore, unnecessarily graphic nudity, almost unbearably sexualised female characters, and insensitivity that puts the audience off, despite it being praised by critics, it fails to really impress.
It may have a promising trailer, but the reality is it may have you wailing for it to end. Your eyes may very well hurt from rolling!
Despite, decide for yourself. 'Glow' Season One is on Netflix now.
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