The Netflix Lounge Club

[Perfect Cell]

Spoiler

The part where she convinces the other tryout to do a "backstory" with her for their in-ring workout, and then immediately turning on her when it went sideways was amazing. She became defensive when questioned, but when the prospect of her getting cut popped up, she didn't hesitate to chime in with why she was a much better candidate... even though the whole situation was her fault.

Acting auditions being so cutthroat, this probably wasn't the first time she had to do that. But I still found it funny that she brought it on herself, partially due to her own arrogance at assuming this was the way to impress them, and that she knows best.

 

[Roose Bolton]

Just finished the pilot. At first I was uncertain, but then came the character of Sam Sylvia, who is surely the second coming of Dennis Farina and whose basic attitude towards life is to be commended.

Spoiler

The last five minutes, with Ruth proving to have a moral compass on par with her Hype namesake and Sylvia's subsequent Journey-filled fantasy completely won me.

Very interested to see where it goes.

 

[Perfect Cell]

"She has nothing. No man, no love, no friends. Her hair is brown. The color of ****."

Poetry.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

First episode:

Spoiler

The show nails the 80's setting by not going too overboard with calling attention to it which was something I felt STRANGER THINGS did admirably. Is it obvious it's the 80's? Yes. Do the characters take part in things which were culture wide in the 80's like aerobics classes and doing Coke? Yeah, but it's matter of fact and not just hitting you over the head every five minutes with it. It's just the setting for the story, not necessarily being done for nostalgia alone.

As someone that had an acting phase in my life, short lived as it was they nailed the razor's edge existence and dehumanizing aspects that's many who want to break into film or TV go through. So... Maybe it's projection on my part but I found Ruth incredibly sympathetic and understood her ****** choices and brittle character. I don know how much of this is totally fictionalized, like if there was a real Debbie and Ruth, but the setting of the gym and especially the always interesting Maron (Anyone that has heard Marion's podcast or stories about being a road comic in the 80's knows he is perfectly cast here) all added up to a first episode that for sure is enough to make me want to hang in there for the next episode.

 

[Guts]

I propose Black Mirror to be one of the shows.

 

[Perfect Cell]

I propose Black Mirror to be one of the shows.

I'll count that as a vote for August, then.

Watch GLOW. Posthaste.

 

[Perfect Cell]

Through episode four. The ancillary characters are starting to flesh out a bit more, which is nice. I would say that the show is decidedly funnier as it progresses, too.

Spoiler

The bit with Sam, the dog, and his ex-wife from episode 3 was hilarious. Same with the party at Bash's house. I want a drug-dispensing robot.

 

[dude stannis]

Mirror actually fits, because Death Note is out at the end of August.

GLOW 2nd episode:

Spoiler

The miscarriage stuff is exactly as scummy a way most angles in WWE are born out of. That's actually frighteningly accurate.

Also the way Sam Sylvia treats Ruth is also frighteningly accurate to how we treat Ruth.

 

[Perfect Cell]

Mirror actually fits, because Death Note is out at the end of August.

GLOW 2nd episode:

Spoiler

The miscarriage stuff is exactly as scummy a way most angles in WWE are born out of. That's actually frighteningly accurate.

Also the way Sam Sylvia treats Ruth is also frighteningly accurate to how we treat Ruth.

Like when Randy Orton told Rey Mysterio that Eddie Guerrero was in hell... like a few months after he had died. They nailed that bit.

 

[Roose Bolton]

"Kuntar"

Yeah...Yeah I giggled when I heard that.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Episode Two:

Spoiler

This one was in its way more dramatic than the first. I like the way the show illustrates a time in entertainment across the board where things were much more Wild West. Are there scummy people in entertainment still? Sure, especially in wrestling, but there is also a more corporate attitude across the board. Even the Internet has a certain code of conduct behind the scenes these days that's even independent personalities abide by or they pay some public price. The show is taking place in an era where there was a freer time , though I can see some also just saying it was more honest in its attitudes. I still have tons of sympathy for Ruth, while getting Debbie as well, obviously. The supporting cast gets more time to shine too and we see more of the quirky personalities.

My favorite part has to be the sleeper hold sequence. When the feral girl scurried out out of the ring you knew **** got real. Of course, ironically given the female cast, Maron is the MVP of the episode. He's the X-Factor that takes the show to the next level. A scumbag you can't help but be entertained by.

 

[dude stannis]

Episode 3

Spoiler

I really don't have much to add so far. It's a consistently entertaining show, though perhaps not elevating itself just yet. I feel like Mothers and Lovers either doesn't happen or it does and Ruth and Debbie end up starring in it. Ruth and Debbie are interesting in that, despite Ruth doing something horrible and Debbie being more instantly sympathetic, having the easy go to sympathy to milk, and being pushed as their top star might go to her head.

 

[dude stannis]

Episode Two:

Spoiler

This one was in its way more dramatic than the first. I like the way the show illustrates a time in entertainment across the board where things were much more Wild West. Are there scummy people in entertainment still? Sure, especially in wrestling, but there is also a more corporate attitude across the board. Even the Internet has a certain code of conduct behind the scenes these days that's even independent personalities abide by or they pay some public price.

I think despite being a publicly traded company, WWE is still run by a bunch of carnies and tasteless scummy stuff like the [BLACKOUT]miscarriage[/BLACKOUT] still slips through. As for Ruth and Debbie, I feel like we're going to see the worst sides of both of them as the season progresses.

 

[Perfect Cell]

Episode 5 features an appearance by:

Spoiler

He plays a TV executive who Sam and Bash are looking to secure broadcasting rights with... and Sam pitches GLOW to him as "porn you can watch with your kids... finally". So... that's... yeah.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Episode 5 features an appearance by:

Spoiler

He plays a TV executive who Sam and Bash are looking to secure broadcasting rights with... and Sam pitches GLOW to him as "porn you can watch with your kids... finally". So... that's... yeah.

That line was one I read in a review and made me go... Yeah, this might be worth checking out.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Episode Three:

Spoiler

I just finished this one and I was thinking at first it was a bit all over the map, not bad but I wasn't sure how it fit in with the previous episodes. The other two felt more dramatic with an underlying feeling of occasional over the top humor that was based in dark comedy. Upon finishing it though I think it's fair to say that the humor in this episode won out, but it also got more engaging now that the wrestling showmanship seems to be taking center stage. Bash is a funny character and Sam needed someone other than Ruth to bounce off of. We knew Sam was scummy but now we know he's as delusional as any other character on the show with pretensions of talent equal to Ruth or any other character on the show.

I still wanna find out how much of the story is fictionalized. Bash's observations though seem spot on about how such a thing would be conceived.

I didn't notice in if this was so for the first episode but the last two had female directors, which I think is interesting. With so many outlets these days for original programming like Netflix it hopefully means more people are getting a chance to helm things behind the camera. I actually thought this episode was really well shot. The scene with Sam and Bash talking by the fire place outdoors looked great.

Onto the next episode.

 

[Perfect Cell]

Episode Three:

Spoiler

I just finished this one and I was thinking at first it was a bit all over the map, not bad but I wasn't sure how it fit in with the previous episodes. The other two felt more dramatic with an underlying feeling of occasional over the top humor that was based in dark comedy. Upon finishing it though I think it's fair to say that the humor in this episode won out, but it also got more engaging now that the wrestling showmanship seems to be taking center stage. Bash is a funny character and Sam needed someone other than Ruth to bounce off of. We knew Sam was scummy but now we know he's as delusional as any other character on the show with pretensions of talent equal to Ruth or any other character on the show.

I still wanna find out how much of the story is fictionalized. Bash's observations though seem spot on about how such a thing would be conceived.

I didn't notice in if this was so for the first episode but the last two had female directors, which I think is interesting. With so many outlets these days for original programming like Netflix it hopefully means more people are getting a chance to helm things behind the camera. I actually thought this episode was really well shot. The scene with Sam and Bash talking by the fire place outdoors looked great.

Onto the next episode.

Spoiler

Episode 3 definitely took things to more absurdist lengths. I mean, I was only 3 when the 80s ended... were personal robots commonplace? Between this and Rocky IV, it sure seems like it. I hope so. That, and they played up Bash's childlike nature by having his party be completely catered by candy and fruit punch. Although, to be honest, if I was rich... candy all day. I still found this episode to be one of the funnier ones I've watched so far, so I enjoyed it.

 

[dude stannis]

Yeah, still only three eps in, I think there's a real manchild aspect to Bash we're going to see. He's possibly even exaggerating his wealth.

 

[Perfect Cell]

Yeah, there's the fact that his [blackout]"butler" is his childhood friend, and Sam mentions that Bash's parents are the real source of his lifestyle[/blackout]. That seems to imply that Bash deliberately wants to put on an appearance of lavish living. There's also a part in Episode 5 where [blackout]Sam is confused about why they even need to seek out Jack Kelly for production support, since he assumed Bash covered that entirely[/blackout].

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Spoiler

Episode 3 definitely took things to more absurdist lengths. I mean, I was only 3 when the 80s ended... were personal robots commonplace? Between this and Rocky IV, it sure seems like it. I hope so. That, and they played up Bash's childlike nature by having his party be completely catered by candy and fruit punch. Although, to be honest, if I was rich... candy all day. I still found this episode to be one of the funnier ones I've watched so far, so I enjoyed it.

Yeah, still only three eps in, I think there's a real manchild aspect to Bash we're going to see. He's possibly even exaggerating his wealth.

Yeah, there's the fact that his [blackout]"butler" is his childhood friend, and Sam mentions that Bash's parents are the real source of his lifestyle[/blackout]. That seems to imply that Bash deliberately wants to put on an appearance of lavish living. There's also a part in Episode 5 where [blackout]Sam is confused about why they even need to seek out Jack Kelly for production support, since he assumed Bash covered that entirely[/blackout].

Spoiler

I assumed that the drug dispensing "robot" was a nod to Rocky IV since that automatically came to my mind too. And no Bri... There were no real interactive personal robots like that in 1986. Of course... The song The Look by Roxette didn't come out until 1989 and it was in that episode so...
C'est la cybernetic vie?

Bash is definitely of a variety of manchild that you see in fiction, and yeah,
there's no doubt his wealth is gonna turn out to be more hollow than at first glance. Which is par for the course in Hollywood then and now I suppose. I loved when he showed up unexpected to the gym and his reaction to the "script" Sam wrote was essentially "When Do They Get To The Fireworks Factory?!" This was the most over the top episode so far and I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. I understand the impulse to play that up but the first two episodes was sort of more a drama with black comedy undertones. On the other hand... Episode three was really entertaining.

 

[Perfect Cell]

You just crushed my hopes and dreams. My hopes and dreams of owning a personal robot. What am I going to get now? Google Home? It doesn't even move around.

It might dispense drugs though, I haven't looked into it much.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

You just crushed my hopes and dreams. My hopes and dreams of owning a personal robot. What am I going to get now? Google Home? It doesn't even move around.

It might dispense drugs though, I haven't looked into it much.

I think the AI's need the drugs to cope with dealing with us squishy humans all day. I mean look at the Androids in DBZ. You can't tell me with those haircuts and fashion sense that they aren't coked up out of their minds?

Come to think of it... 18 would probably make a great addition to the GLOW cast.

 

[Perfect Cell]

Episode 6:

Spoiler

I can't decide if my favourite character is Justine, the punk fangirl of Sam, or Gregory, the motel owner. This episode featured both pretty heavily. It also featured a teenage Bris, which sounds like the most unpleasant thing possible. And an unconventional, yet topical, explanation of the Palestinian/Israeli relationship. Which, of course, was explained during a drunken wrestling promo. Basically, this was a damn fine episode. One of the things I appreciate about this series is its ability to give spotlight to the background characters, while still moving the Ruth/Debbie storyline forward. A lot of ensemble series struggle with that, but GLOW seems to juggle its responsibilities pretty well. The one issue I might have with this episode was its editing. There were a number of jarring cuts between scenes, and it kinda halted the momentum in spots.

However, it did give one valuable life lesson, that everyone should take to heart: "Maybe you give pleasure with mouth, you don't talk so much, you don't say wrong things". - Gregory, a scholar.

 

[Kane52630]

Glad to see more people are checking this show out.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

I've been wondering, is Glow a show you can get into if you don't watch wrestling? It looks like an interesting show but I've never been a fan of wrestling itself.