GLOW – Say Yes

By: Ellie Dolan-Yates

Carol Channing (who we later learn is Bobby Barnes [Kevin Cahoon]) is singing a song about the Fan-Tan, “Until you play the Fan-Tan, it don’t mean a thing.” This plays over clips of the girls warming up and performing. Following the opening credits we see Ruth (Alison Brie) and Russell (Victor Quinaz) lying in bed. Russell is trying to strike up conversation, but Ruth says she’s sick of talking to him since they speak everyday on the phone. As Ruth is showing Russell which walls she stares at, she notices the watch that Sam gave her on her bedside table. She looks at it as Russell carries on talking and hides it away. Ruth says that they should move in together when they get back. Russell slightly entertains the idea, but then says he wants to go out and see Vegas.

Debbie (Betty Gilpin) and Chad (Eric Lutz) are having sex when they hear loud music coming from another room. Debbie tells Chad to ignore it, but instead he decides to get into the rhythm! Debbie tells him to stop and we see her banging on Cherry’s (Sydelle Noel) door. Debbie tells her it’s too early and too loud. She asks what’s going on, but Cherry says she’s just starting her day. In the hallway Jenny (Ellen Wong) asks Dawn (Rebekka Johnson) if Keith (Bashir Salahuddin) is cheating on Cherry. As they speculate, Debbie tells them to go back to their rooms. Sam (Marc Maron) is stood waiting for the lift when Ruth and Russell emerge. Awks. Sam makes a dig about Ruth taking him for steak, but Russell just laughs it off.

Sam joins Debbie and Bash (Chris Lowell) for a producer’s meeting. Bash mentions how much money they are making, but Debbie mentions how much she is missing her son. Rhonda (Kate Nash) appears, much to Bash’s distraction. Debbie mentions how they’ll need a new ref, but no-one is really listening. In the end, Rhonda suggest that Sam should be the new ref. Bash loves the idea, but Sam isn’t so sure. The waiter Steve (Murray SawChuck) approaches Bash and tells him that he’s not just a waiter, he performs magic too. After showing off a few of his tricks, which Bash watches eagerly like a child, he asks if Bash has any room for him in the show. Bash and Rhonda are impressed, but Sam and Debbie are clearly not. Debbie tells Bash that they need a ref not a magician and tells him to stop thinking about it. She repeats herself as he pretends to do a magic trick.

Cherry is making the point to Debbie that she is a voodoo priestess and doesn’t want anyone else doing magic. Debbie points out that Cherry doesn’t actually know any magic tricks, but Cherry says the magician can teach her. Carmen (Britney Young) says it will be good to have magic in the show. Her and Kurt (Carlos Colón Jr.) run through a routine where the magician has made one of them disappear. Cherry is less than impressed. As Debbie tells Cherry to have the night off, Cherry leaves angry. Kurt asks if Cherry is single now.

Ruth and Russell are visiting a pawn shop. As Ruth notices the dentures that are on offer, Russell goes to check out some cameras. Ruth sees a tray of watches. When the shop owner (Frank Ridley) approaches her she says that she does have a watch, but it isn’t hers. When she mentions that she’s there with her boyfriend, the owner shows her some rings. She tries a few of them on when Russell catches her through the lens of the camera he is playing with. He makes a joke about her getting engaged to six people after being left alone for two minutes. As Ruth jokes about getting married at the Fan-Tan, the owner says if Russell doesn’t buy her a ring someone else will. (We’re looking at you Sam.) Ruth says that she would like to buy the camera for Russell, but he’s not sure. He asks her what if they break-up? Ruth writes a check for $375.

Sheila (Gayle Rankin) is practicing her acting skills in the corridor when Sam tells her to go back to her room. She explains that Ruth has asked her not to go in their room because Russell is there. Sam invites Sheila in to read his screenplay with him. Once they are finished he asks for Sheila’s opinion. When she tells him that the woman in the screenplay just listens and asks questions, Sam starts to get annoyed with her. Sheila asks him if she could be an actor looking like she does. Sam says it works great for a wrestling show and then tells her to leave. Bash is getting in the elevator when he meets some egg jugglers and is instantly captivated. As he is leaving, he gives them cards and tells them to ring Debbie to iron out the details. Oh, Bash!

Stacey (Kimmy Gatewood) is telling Yolanda (Shakira Barrera) that she loves a drag show. Ruth speaks to Sheila and apologizes for her having to leave the room whilst Russell is there. Sheila tells her that Sam took her in to which Ruth responds, “I hope it wasn’t too crowded with all the hookers.” Her face drops when Sheila says that just the two of them read a scene from his screenplay. Russell notices her disappointment and asks if she’s ready for dinner, but she says she wants to join the girls. As Carol interacts with the audience, Ruth asks Russell to switch seats with her so that he is sat next to Debbie and she is sat next to Sheila. Carol continues to make jokes with the audience, but Ruth is talking to Sheila about reading Sam’s screenplay. She’s clearly jealous. Carol catches them talking, but they don’t hear her calling them out. Reggie (Marianna Palka) gets their attention. Carol tells them only Cher can talk through her show and approaches them. She notices Russell is the only man amongst all the GLOW girls. As she asks where everyone’s boyfriends/husbands are, Yolanda leans into Arthie (Sunita Mani) in the background and laughs. Debbie mentions that hers is at home with his secretary. Carol says she’s heard about Debbie and that she couldn’t find a boy to take her bags all week. Burn! When Carol learns that Russell is only there for the weekend, she tells Ruth to go and have sex with him instead of being at her show. She kicks them out. Her attention turns to Sheila and she makes a dig about her appearance, which clearly upsets Sheila. As Carol starts asking questions, Sheila fires them back at her.

Ruth is moaning to Russell that Sam never lets anyone read his screenplays. Russell catches on that Ruth wanted Sam to ask her to read it and tells her to tell Sam that he hurt her feelings. Ruth says that she’s being crazy and Russell agrees. He says she’s been nuts all weekend. I wonder why… He mentions all the things she’s talked about and done over the weekend and that she’s obsessed with Sam. Ruth disagrees and says she was joking about moving in together. They argue about talking every night when they’re interrupted by some newlyweds. They ask Russell to take photos of them. Debbie is at Cherry’s room asking her, based on her recent behavior, if she wants to quit…and Bash can replace her with a sword swallower. Cherry invites Debbie in and Debbie tells a juggler to make himself comfortable in her room.

Carmen is braiding Kurt’s hair when he asks her how she can do the same show night after night. He says she’s proud of her, but she can do better. She says that she can’t leave GLOW as the others depend on her. She asks Kurt to bring her back a T-shirt from his travels. Rhonda has brought Bobby back to her and Bash’s room. Bash is sleeping, but she wakes him up. Rhonda introduces Bobby and says she’s going to teach him how to sing. Bobby asks Bash if he can work for him. Bash says that he will see his early show as he and his wife like to go to bed early. Bobby sarcastically says that so do he and his wife. Bash now seems unsure.

Debbie and Cherry are getting high in Debbie’s room. Cherry is talking about Keith and babies. Debbie starts to whisper about how things would be easier when Cherry tells her that she doesn’t have to whisper. Debbie plants her head into the pillow and screams that it would be easier if she’d never had a baby or got married. Cherry asks if Debbie wants to go to the hot tub. She says yes, but then decides that she’s too high. Also, it would be awkward to go downstairs since she’s slept with most of the male staff. She suddenly remembers that she left a juggler in her room, but he’ll leave when he gets hungry.

Ruth and Russell are sat at the slot machines joking about the married couple they saw earlier. Ruth agrees that she couldn’t afford the camera and Russell says he shouldn’t have called her crazy. They agree to only talk every other day. They share a kiss and follow Carol’s earlier orders to go upstairs. Carol is performing “Say Yes” for Bash whilst we see Sam working on his screenplay. Ruth is saying goodbye to Russell, but Bash says no. It seems that what happened to his butler and best friend Florian, how he died, is still playing on his mind and he doesn’t want to involve himself in anything related to Florian’s way of life. As Bash says Rhonda would still like singing lessons, we see that Sheila has been watching. An upset Bobby is taking off his wig in his dressing room when Sheila comes in and answers one of his questions from the show. She says she loved it. He asks her how long it’s been since she washed her outfit and, after taking a moment, she hands him her wig. He starts brushing it and as tears well up in her eyes. He asks her whereabouts in Baltimore she’s from.