Chris Lowell (right) portrays producer Bash Howard on Netflix’s GLOW. | Photo: GLOW/Netflix
Now in its second season, Netflix’s GLOW has increased LGBTI representation introducing a lesbian character and finally shedding a light on a rumored, heartbreaking gay storyline.
Featuring Orange Is The New Black’s Jenji Kohan among the producers, the show is a fictionalization of the actual 1980s all-female wrestling show of the same title, an acronym for Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling.
This second series, which premiered on 29 June, received ten Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
GLOW promotes body positivity
The gorgeous ladies of wrestling in a scene. | Photo: GLOW/Netflix
Set in LA in 1985, the show has been a frontrunner in representing female sexuality and promoting body positivity. Similarly to OITNB, GLOW features, in fact, characters of different ethnic backgrounds and challenges beauty standards and gender stereotypes alike.
Among all the glitters, spandex costumes and spectacular stunts, the series also tackles relevant issues. The two seasons, in fact, portray sexual assault, single parenting and women’s reproductive rights in a refreshing, relatable way.
Yolanda: ‘I love girls’
Every 👏time 👏Yo-yo👏 speaks👏 her👏 truth👏
Posted by GLOW on Thursday, July 12, 2018
*** Warning: this article contains spoilers ***
A new wrestler was introduced earlier this season. A dancer who got into stripping to ‘piss her ex-girlfriend off,’ Yolanda (Shakira Barrera) has always been open about her sexuality with her new co-workers.
At first, this new character struggles to fit in the gang. However, she ends up winning the girls’ hearts and, particularly, Arthie’s (Sunita Mani).
The two girls share a dreamy La La Land-inspired dancing sequence in The Good Twin (2×08), showing an incredible chemistry.
They kiss in the ring in the season finale and possibly start dating when they all move to Las Vegas to perform in the live show.
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Bash and Florian’s heartbreaking ending
Despite being a female-forward show, GLOW also features complex male characters, such as cynical director Sam Sylvia (Marc Maron) and naive, multimillionaire producer Bash Howard (Chris Lowell).
This season finally clarifies the nature of the relationship between Bash and his friend and butler Florian (Alex Rich).
Despite already hinting at a possible romance between the two in season 1, Bash’s homosexuality was never addressed explicitly. Unlike Yolanda, Bash is still in the closet. He tries to conceal his attraction to men by showing interest in the girls on the show.
Season 2 starts with the audience wondering where Florian might be. Visibly worried about his disappearance, Bash starts looking for him in gay clubs. His uncomfortableness with his own sexuality grows until the turning point. Bash receives a call from the hospital: Florian has passed away.
Bash (Chris Lowell) between Carmen (Britney Young, left) and Rhonda (Kate Nash). | Photo: GLOW/Netflix
Asking for explanations, he’s been told Florian’s cause of death was ‘technically pneumonia,’ implying the man has died of complications due to HIV/AIDS.
Not ready to come to term with his own sexuality, Bash reluctantly proposes to a surprised Rhonda (Kate Nash) in the season finale, right after having his house bleached by professional cleaners due to his AIDS phobia.
In this heartbreaking scene, Bash cries with his head in his hands outside his villa. In the background, cleaners are getting rid of every possible memory of Florian.
A possible season 3
The finale leaves the audience with questions that a third season might answer. It’s still unclear whether this is an actual possibility, despite the show’s creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch believe moving to Vegas was far from being a happy ending.
‘We didn’t think Vegas was a purely optimistic place. It’s a place that, at least for us, makes our hair go up on our arms as in, “Oh no, what’s going to happen there?”,’ Mensch told The Hollywood Reporter.
‘It’s a place that makes us deeply, deeply uncomfortable and that was exciting for us to take the story, and the women, there to see what happens.’
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