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 fourth 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 2, Episode 4 “Mother of All Matches” (B)

This is a show that I actually enjoyed watching quite a bit when I sampled the six episodes submitted last year for Best Comedy Series consideration, and I debated continuing to watch the whole thing since it was really entertaining. It turns out that the show didn’t perform nearly as well this year, earning just a nomination for supporting actress Betty Gilpin, who was also the only performer honored last year. I liked Gilpin a lot on the final season of “Masters of Sex,” and I’m glad to see her continue to get recognized. Her role in the recently-cancelled film “The Hunt” about liberals hunting conservatives was a puzzling choice, and so I hope she’ll stick to fare like this. This episode got much more personal and intimate than other half-hours I had previously watched, dealing extensively with two of its characters and culminating in an impactful staged match. Debbie was very prominently featured, so angered by her ex having his secretary call her to ask what kind of bed she had so that he could get the same one that she had to do everything possible to rid herself of all of his possessions. It’s a pretty fantastic performance, and though she’s the greatest definition of a longshot, this is a solid submission. The more emotional storyline featured Tammé visiting her son at college and being embarrassed to tell him about what she did for work. Comparing her to a minstrel character wasn’t kind, and his face watching her lose and be shouted at to get a job was tough. Complimenting her on the physical strength it took to throw a white woman across the ring was a nice way to salvage that situation. The only other regular cast member we saw was Alison Brie as Ruth, who knew just what to do when the crowd was turning against the prescribed victor of the match. I’ll be more than happy to check this out again should it earn any future nominations.