LADIES WHO CRUNCH
BIG HAIR, BIG ISSUES: HOW GLOW SEASON 2 IS SET TO TIGHTEN ITS GRIP…
Starring Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Sydelle Noel, Britney Young, Marc Maron On Netflix Eta 29 June
It’s a very strange sensation doing quiet, very emotional scenes, with full wrestling hair and make-up on,” says Betty Gilpin. The actor is back in the ring as Debbie Eagan – aka ‘Liberty Belle’ – for the new season of Netflix’s hit comedy GLOW. As revealed at the streaming service’s recent ‘See What’s Next’ event in Rome, round two for the Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling promises to be a different beast. Viewers can expect a shift in focus from a group of women finding their place in the world to that same outfit trying to claim a piece of it for themselves.
Yes, the show still rocks the same neondrenched, ’80s-glam look. But the storylines – unlike the wrestlers themselves – are set to pull absolutely no punches this time round.
Kicking off a couple of months after the first season’s finale, GLOW S2 sees the ladies – along with director Sam Sylvia (Marc Maron), producer ‘Bash’ (Chris Lowell) and a bunch of new crew members – tasked with making a recurring show. The first half of the season throws the spotlight on a whole host of hot topics, including gender exclusion, class, single parenting, racial stereotyping, divorce and sexual harassment, to name but a few.
Although firmly rooted in the Reagan years (the era of the real-life GLOW), the show speaks to our present moment. “It was written before the #MeToo movement was at the forefront of our industry,” explains leading lady Alison Brie (who plays Ruth, aka ‘Zoya the Destroya’). “But we shot it amid all the controversy that was going on. It was really interesting to shoot because – with all the #MeToo stuff happening – it has certainly made me stop and think about my experiences in this industry, and if and when I’ve felt objectified or put in an uncomfortable position, and how often we’ve tried to excuse away certain behaviours.”
split personalities
No spoilers, but Brie’s comments relate to a specific moment mid-way through the season that will likely leave viewers reeling. “The characters are struggling with a whole new array of challenges,” she teases, “including things like small-time fame, having fans – and the whole way people are perceiving them on the show.” GLOW S2 explores the contrast – and tension – between private and public personas. In Season 1, almost all the ladies adopted overly stereotyped characters, both to spark interest in the show and to create clearly defined hero versus villain matches. Picking up the thread,
Season 2 focuses on what happens when you have to live with those alter egos; across the board, there’s inner and outer conflict.
Despite upping the dramatic ante, GLOW hasn’t forgotten about giggles. Delivering serious messages in a comic register has been the show’s forte from the off; if S2 gets heavier, it also gets wittier, sharper, funnier.
“Something I love about GLOW is how lighthearted and positive it is,” says Brie. “I think we need positivity right now, but it doesn’t mean we have to shy away from real issues. And comedy has always been a tool to hold a mirror up to society and human behaviour.”
GLOW’s makers have set out to show not only the positive action that was required for change in the ’80s, but also the cost with which it came. The end result is a second season intent on covering fresh territory and delving deeper into characters who demanded more screen time. “I felt we barely scratched the surface with the first season so I hoped and felt like we had to have a Season 2,” enthuses Brie. “Just like now we have to have a Season 3… right, Netflix?”
‘COMEDY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A TOOL TO HOLD A MIRROR UP TO SOCIETY’ ALISON BRIE