'Glow' season 3: Ruth and Debbie's relationship is the perfect representation of all female friendships ever
Netflix has had many amazing shows that put women in the front, back and in between, but none of them probably come close to 'Glow', which will soon premiere its season 3 on Friday, August 9. Narrating the story of a group of women who wrestle for a living, 'Glow' sees women in charge, women who fight back when they are backed up against a wall, women who overcome the scraps handed to them and climb to the top, women who love unconditionally, women who put their career above everything else, women who are unafraid of crying their eyes out, and women who know that nothing will be handed to them on a silver platter.
We also get to see beautiful friendships blossom between these women. In fact, it is potentially one of the only shows to explore female friendships to their full potential. These friendships are complicated and convoluted, but in the end, they are real, organic and beautiful.
However, there is no relationship within the realms of 'Glow' that is as complicated as that of Ruth (Allison Brie) and Debbie (Betty Gilpin). The show started with these two, and they are the ones to take the story forward at every pivotal moment, and yet there have been moments where they have both done despicable things.
If we were to take an inventory, everything started with Ruth sleeping with Debbie's husband while she was pregnant, and when Debbie finds out, she is unable to contain her anger. In many ways, she joined Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling to punish her, but it was also to support herself and her baby after divorcing her husband.
Guilt-ridden, Ruth becomes even more of a pushover than she already is, supporting Debbie's demand to be the star of the show, while she portrayed the antagonist. However, despite bending over backward, she does not get Debbie's forgiveness, and even when they do share moments of tenderness, the realization of Ruth's betrayal hits Debbie, who as we have seen can be nasty and bitter when angry.
During the course of the last season, we see her victim-shaming Ruth after she was sexually harassed by a network executive. We also see her try to sabotage her date when Ruth finally finds a man she wants to date. However, the icing on the cake was when Debbie, in a fit of rage and cocaine-induced high, breaks Ruth's leg during a match between Liberty Belle and Zoya the Destroya.
That match, however, is what it took to fix their friendship – as cracked it may forever be. Debbie finally got the opportunity to fully release her anger, while Ruth no longer needs to carry around the burden that she is the only one to do something unforgivable. As convoluted as justification maybe, most female friendships work by this illogical logic.
While Ruth and Debbie’s relationship explores the scope of female friendship on a much grander scale, it is representative of what it means to be a woman who platonically loves another. There is a lot of competition, a little bit of taunting, a dash of backstabbing and a whole lot of crying, and forgiving. In the end, you have each other’s back and you become a unit when the world turns against you.
Season three will further explore their friendship and the evolution of their relationship in Las Vegas, and it is a beautiful journey. Don’t forget to stream the new episodes when it gets added to your Netflix library on Thursday, August 8.