'Glow' season 3 review: The Netflix show continues to hit home runs as stories get meatier and characters more human
Spoilers for 'Glow' Seasons 1 and 2 ahead. This is a spoiler-free review of 'Glow' season 3
From the time Ruth (Alison Brie) got frustrated about not getting a meaty role to audition for in season 1 to her getting frustrated about lack of job satisfaction from wrestling, we have felt nothing but love for her.
We loved her for being the flawed woman who slept with her best friend’s husband, for being the scrappy optimist who refused to take no when her ideas were overturned by an unenthusiastic boss, for being the woman who decided to get an abortion when it wasn’t the right time for her, for being the strong victim who refused to let a powerful sexual predator’s unwanted advances slide, and for the understanding friend who forgave her friend for finally letting out all the anger she was holding in her chest by breaking her leg.
This season, we see Ruth in a new light.
She no longer has the wide-eyed wonder about putting on the best wrestling show ever.
As we hear her say in the trailer for season 3, she has a job she loves, a boyfriend she loves and overall a life she loves—but she still isn’t happy.
Ambition is what drives her, and the monotony, surrounded by the excitement of Las Vegas, is no longer cutting it for her.
She now finds herself in a world where everyone around her seems to be more enthusiastic about the future.
The gorgeous ladies of wrestling are in Sin City, they see no reason to take full advantage of that. As far as they are concerned, this opportunity is for a limited period only.
In the joys and tribulations of their life in Vegas, though, we see the women tackling some important issues—the way only ‘Glow’ knows how.
From aging in showbiz to being taken lightly at business meetings, and racism to homophobia, there is quite a bit that the show addresses this season.
If you loved seasons 1 and 2, you will not be able to help yourself but binge-watch the whole season.
One of the ways in which the Netflix show has widened its horizons this season is by giving us a better picture of all the women who were more or less sidelined previously.
We understand the backstories of Arthi (Sunita Mani), Jenny (Ellen Wong) and Yolanda (Shakira Barrera), and we can’t help but fall harder for these women.
Every character, ones who were introduced in season 1 and even those who came in during season 3, have been fully fleshed-out.
Debbie (Betty Gilpin), meanwhile, gets more humanized, in a way, this season. And so does her ex-husband. We see that she is more than just a woman who is angry with the world, the best friend she loved and the man she promised to love.
She is an ambitious woman who is faced with the same challenge most ambitious women are—Can you put career before maternal duties?
Are you a monster for missing the milestones in your child’s life? Can you have it all?
None of the questions are answered universally, but we see them getting answered in Debbie’s world. Her journey in the show, particularly in this season, is worth watching.
Sam (Marc Maron) and Bash's (Chris Lowell) stories also get heavier and meatier this time around. They both turn new leaves in their lives and you cannot help but admire them for it. They are two of the most well-written characters we could have asked for in a female-dominated show.
Netflix will give you one of the best streaming experiences you have ever had with season 3 of ‘Glow’ and this statement is not made lightly.
Do not forget to check out 'Glow' when it premieres on Friday, August 9.
