By the end of “GLOW,” Ruth (Alison Brie) steps up to become the boss — the one that was hiding under her need-to-please personality. And it works, mostly. Who could have predicted that Debbie’s Liberty Bell (Betty Gilpin) would be thwarted from taking the crown? And by Tamee’s Welfare Queen (Kia Stevens), no less?
With the first series done, and the champions crowned, here are all the burning questions we have for the second season of “GLOW.”
Will Ruth ever stop being the worst?
Ruth was kind of the worst up until episode nine, when she admits publicly that she’s a horrible person. One that knowingly slept with her married friend’s husband — twice! — and made us suffer through cringeworthy characters like Kuntar and the Homewrecker before finally settling on Russian super villain Zoya the Destroyer.
And what of the abortion? Ruth opted for the procedure because she’s desperate to become a star. But she also clearly wants to be friends with Debbie again — so the chances of her bringing up that surprise pregnancy are pretty low, right?
And will Debbie leave her philandering husband once and for all?
Debbie’s husband Mark (Rich Sommer) is a condescending, cheating louse who sees Debbie as the perfect trophy wife. Though he may seem nice and supportive on the surface, Mark is a manipulative emotional abuser, trying to isolate Debbie from a career and friends that would give her a sense of independence. Debbie, you in danger, girl!
Sebastian clearly has a soft spot for Carmen. Now what?
Throughout the series, Bash (Chris Lowell) is surprisingly attentive to Carmen (Brittney Young). And in the finale, he again comes to Carmen’s aid with some quippy commentary, right when she starts to panic during her bout against Welfare Queen.
Sebastian and Carmen have a kinship based on feeling like they are disappointments to their families. Is it too much to hope this blossoms into a full blown romance in season 2?
Will Cherry take the cop show and leave her castmates in the dust?
Cherry (Sydelle Noel) has wanted to be a star for a long time and the cop show she auditions for — “‘Cagney & Lacey’ with a black girl and a Jew” — could be her big moment. But will she be able to choose between that and “GLOW?” Pilots can be a crap shoot, so maybe its best for her to stick with the GLOW squad. At least for now.
How much longer will the stereotypes go for?
Both Bash and Sam encourage the women to play with irresponsible stereotypes. Indian-American Arthie (Sunita Mani) suffers harassment in the ring as Lebanese terrorist Beirut; Tamee tries to explain to Sam that the persona of Welfare Queen as a black woman is a damaging one; and Jenny (Ellen Wong), perky Cambodian birthday party planner, reluctantly takes on the mildly offensive Fortune Cookie. Because this is the ’80s, these stereotypes will likely go on for as long as the show runs. But here’s hoping “GLOW” will find ways to skewer and subvert them in its second season.
