Emmy Episodes: GLOW

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the third year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

GLOW: Season 1, Episode 5 “Debbie Does Something” (B+)

I remember watching the pilot of this show, which is already in its second season, about two weeks after it started and enjoying it well enough, but not figuring I’d have much time to watch it. Over a year later, the show ended up with a handful of Golden Globe and SAG nominations, and then managed to earn an Emmy bid for Best Comedy Series with both of its main stars snubbed. The only one who wasn’t was Betty Gilpin, who I found to be terrific in the fourth and final season of “Masters of Sex.” In addition to being the second (after the pilot) of six submitted episodes for Best Comedy Series, this is also Gilpin’s selected showcase. It’s a pretty terrific one too, as Debbie, clearly resistant to the idea of being part of the show they’re filming because of events I missed, gets taken to her first real wrestling match, and has an epiphany when she realizes that it’s all a soap opera. The wrestler being a big fan of hers was a big win, and getting to sleep with him helped her to move on to the realization that she should in fact do the show since she could be great at it. I’m not sure it’s the showiest role, but Gilpin is superb, and I’d be thrilled if she won. Alison Brie, who didn’t get an Emmy nomination, is excellent as well, putting on a Russian accent to help sell the chairs through reverse psychology and show her worth. The pizza delivery guy subplot and the crank calls were entertaining also, and I’m very much looking forward to watching the remaining four submitted episodes.