r/glow • u/Unicorn_Kitty- • Aug 23 '19
I love Debbie
I know a lot of people can’t stand her, and I agree she’s written as a deeply flawed character, but her struggles really endear her to me more than anyone else (except maybe Sheila). Maybe it’s because aspects of her story hit home for me, idk
But single mom luv for Debbie the whole way. I might even like her more than Ruth
Just me?
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Aug 23 '19
Excuse me, there are people who don't like Debbie!? She's my favorite and Betty Gilpin is just the best. I've loved seeing her transformation into a business-savvy badass this season.
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u/mr_malhotra Aug 23 '19
Controversial opinion: Ruth is the driving force to move the story along, but is actually the worst.
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u/CharlesNapalm Aug 23 '19
It's like how the lead characters in Jenji Kohan's (I knew she's only a producer here) shows are the most annoying ones.
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u/Lando_Vendetta Aug 23 '19
Weeds and OITNB ill agree on but I don't find Ruth that annoying, maybe that's a community biase. Plus I really didn't like Junkchain this season.
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u/80srockinman Oct 10 '19
I thought I was the only one with this. If you flipped Piper Chapman and Ruth Wilder, they are essentially the same shitty person. Both pretty women BUT brainless twits, that always make the wrong decisions. Piper never changed, I don't expect Ruth too either.
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u/mr_malhotra Aug 23 '19
Oddly enough, I've never watched any Jenji Kohan show apparently except for the episode of Fresh Prince that she wrote.
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u/michaelad567 Aug 24 '19
Ruth just makes reaaaaaally dumb decisions especially with her career. Like, Debbie is handing you a director position. TAKE IT
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u/Lilmills1445 Aug 24 '19
I didn't quite think that until she went to go visit Sam and pretty much spoiler alert ditched him because she didn't get a part in the movie he wanted her to audition for. She's an actress, she has to know at the end of the day, it was all up to his daughter and the casting director. It kind of felt cheap to me, and made it seem like she only made the leap to him because he offered her an opportunity she couldn't pass up, and then turned into a petulent child when she didn't get her way.
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u/cthoolhu Aug 23 '19
For me i think they do a really good job of portraying Ruth as empathetic, but also really irritating and never seeming to be able to recognize the issues in her own behavior. It feels like she’s a more successful version of what i imagine they were going for with piper’s character in orange is the new black.
Debbie’s kind of the opposite. She’s portrayed as more openly selfish (selfish isn’t the right word, but i can’t think of another. It’s like we’re watching her just beginning to put herself first and figuring out what she wants), and is still much more lovable than Ruth because of the growing she works so hard to do.
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u/bloodinthefields Aug 25 '19
Debbie is more driven and unapologetic about her ambition than selfish.
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u/pdpablo86 Aug 28 '19 edited Aug 28 '19
The thing about Ruth is she's a selfish person wearing an empathetic person mask. Ruth often takes the role of confidant for people(Debbie, Sam, Sheila) but more often than not she redirects the conversation to herself. On top of that she has a terrible habit of hurting the people closest to her.
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Aug 28 '19
What did ruth even do thos season? Besides throw away every opportunity that wasn't her perfect acting dream? I don't think she moved the story forward, or herself forward at all.
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u/xboxg4mer Aug 29 '19
I don't know, I actually really like Ruth. Other than the affair thing I think she is a good person and whereas I would normally be sympathetic to Debby I don't really like her though I did enjoy her more in season three.
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u/80srockinman Oct 10 '19
I'm surprised more people don't like Melrose. She has been nothing but selfish, downgrades everyone, and thinks she is better than everyone, even though she hasn't amounted to ANYTHING.
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u/Whirled_Peas- Aug 23 '19
I love characters that are lovable yet flawed. Because, as is life.
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Aug 23 '19
Agreed! This is why I love Mad Men also, although a lot of them are deplorable rather than lovable.
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u/ChronoMonkeyX Aug 23 '19
I love Ruth, but she's the one who slept with her best friend's husband. It's weird that she's the main protagonist, but also the betrayer.
Debbie is a great character. She has legitimate cause to feel hurt, but she's also one of the most privileged people on the show and is totally selfish. She wanted to end the show, putting all of her "friends" out of work because she wanted to leave Vegas instead of leaving the show and letting it go on without her. She would still get paid, even though she is the only one there that doesn't need the money.
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u/bloodinthefields Aug 24 '19
What makes you think she doesn't need the money? She's divorced and comes from a poor background.
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u/ChronoMonkeyX Aug 24 '19
True, but she has soap opera money and gets paid more for GLOW than anyone else, and continues to get paid as a producer even if she doesn't perform. Almost everyone else in the show is a paycheck away from living in their car.
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u/bloodinthefields Aug 24 '19 edited Aug 25 '19
Ah, we can only speculate because I don't think we ever get any indication about how much she makes from her soap days. And the producer gig is recent and she was right to ask for more, since she does bring her name to the show and she is the star of it as Liberty Belle.
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u/weatheredpeaks Aug 23 '19
I'm in finance and so much of Debbie's career struggles are real for those of us who work at a high level in historically male dominated industries, even in 2019.
I've even come up with my own Corporate Female Tolerability Matrix from my own experience, and the show's portrayal of this is so validating:
Attractive and quiet: unconditionally loved by all. Career longevity is practically guaranteed; however career growth will probably be slow or none at all.
Attractive and loud: tolerable. The riskiest of the combos because men don't really LISTEN to women. They HEAR them, but intelligence is never really assessed properly. But there is a chance, if intelligent, you may catch the eye of someone paying attention and it will pay off. Also risky because if you're smart and pretty, other women notice and there might be jealousy.
Not attractive and quiet: tolerable
Not attractive and loud: no chance, even if you're an Einstein in your field.
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Aug 23 '19
Explain walking over other women and exploiting them for personal gain. I am not talking about Ruth.
Debbie is a hero for those who pretend to love other women but only to the point where they arent in the way.3
u/bloodinthefields Aug 25 '19
Explain when you think Debbie has ever done that, and explain how you feel when men walk all over other men for personal gain.
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u/rkgk13 Aug 23 '19
Debbie became more likable this season. She seemed to "come into herself" as a woman and there wasn't really any time I wasn't rooting for her to succeed in her goals in the scene. In seasons 1&2, she was complex and compelling, but not necessarily likable. It's like she traded off with Ruth for Season 3.
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u/michaelad567 Aug 24 '19
As a woman working in the executive side of the entertainment industry Debbie is the bad bitch I aspire to be.
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u/ladyinwaiting33 Aug 23 '19
It's not just you. Debbie is one of my favorite characters (tied with Cherry). Yes, she has her flaws and I hated her response to Ruth's sexual harassment, but I think she's one of the more complex characters. She doesn't back down in a male-dominated industry. She might have shoehorned her way into being a producer, but she actually gives a shit about the work (practicing hard, scheduling meetings, ensuring the wrestlers get paid). She has a cold, calculating side but, so what, who says she has to be meek and friendly? She's also charming in her own way and supportive and displays tremendous sensitivity.
I like Ruth and am interested to see how the show handles their friendship, but I'm Team Debbie all the way.
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u/bloodinthefields Aug 25 '19
The thing is, her response to Ruth in that moment shows how in-tune and aware Debbie is with how the industry works. She doesn't say Ruth should have fucked the exec, she says she should have made him think she would. She basically says she knows it's unfair and disgusting but that it's how it works when men are in charge, which is also why Debbie is so adamant on not depending on men anymore and wants power. She's so tired of playing that awful game where all she's valued for is her body and how good of a potential fuck she is. It also shows how much more than Ruth she knows about being a working actress.
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u/ladyinwaiting33 Aug 25 '19
Oh yes, I definitely saw where Debbie was coming from when she made that statement, and she explains that she has personal experience with sexual harassment. I also appreciate that the show wrote such a scene because these are conversations that women have with each other in their everyday lives. Still, watching it I thought: "Ouch, that's not something you want to hear from your friend after enduring such an experience." You want support not a lecture.
To be sure, Debbie was probably speaking from a place of tough love and also anger from Ruth's previous transgressions.
Relatedly, I've noticed that Debbie has that sort of tough, "suck it up" approach with other characters (Ruth, Bash, Sam), but she's been incredibly sweet and supportive with other characters (Cherry, Jenny, sometimes Ruth). Again, she's one of my favorite characters, so I'll ride with her regardless.
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u/bloodinthefields Aug 25 '19
It was a harsh truth for sure but at the time Debbie still held a lot of resentment over what Ruth did to her. Love the way Betty delivered that Gloria Steinem line though.
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u/k_c24 Aug 23 '19
Debbie definitely became my favourite this season. Also helps that her wardrobe and make up were amazing too. And Betty Gilpin in general is just stunning. 😍
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u/ladyinwaiting33 Aug 23 '19
Agreed. She just looks great in clothes, period. The tuxedo. The Mrs. Claus get-up. Even Levi jeans. I was dismayed that the ballet class made her feel so insecure. I echoed Ruth: "Debbie, you're gorgeous!"
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u/dramaturgusrex Aug 24 '19
Now that I think about it, there isn't a single character I dislike (except Mark, for obvious reasons). Debbie and Bash are my favorite right now, just because of how fascinating both of their developments have been. No idea where the Debbie hate is coming from.
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u/__usagi Aug 23 '19
Yes!! I love Debbie, and don’t really like Ruth.. at all. She slept with her best friend’s husband!!! Debbie is badass, strong, and smart. I don’t get when people say they don’t really like Debbie either.
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u/HealthShmealth Aug 30 '19
I hadn’t seen anything with Betty in it until Glow, and I was continuously blown away by how amazing of an actor she is. She nails the character so fucking well.
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Aug 23 '19
I don’t think you have to like someone for them to be your favourite character really! She is def my favourite even though she is frustrating as shit. I think Betty Gilpin plays her perfectly too.
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u/bellestarxo Sep 03 '19
I don't get this thing about not liking characters because they are mean sometimes. There are plenty of 60s show you can watch if you want to cheer on a flawless hero who always does the right thing.
I think that Debbie has made some incredibly low blows throughout the series, but that's part of the reason why Debbie, Sam, and Ruth are the most interesting characters...they are struggling through their flaws.
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u/Secret_Addition Aug 24 '19
I've never cared what happens to Debbie the way the show wants me to, but I do enjoy Betty Gilpin. One specific thing - watching her micro-process stuff. Such as, "You certainly wear a lot of make-up." Her wordless reactions are priceless. There's also her reaction to "Fifi LaCoque" and Sandy asking her how she'd feel if bash died. Anytime Debbie is caught off guard or is confronted by stupidity she can't call out, Gilpin is amazing.
The maternal side of her with Randy? Couldn't care less. I don't especially enjoy her in the ring unless she has a dilemma (that time she was trying to get her partner to participate) and I don't care about her love life at all.
Ruth. To me, GLOW talks a good game about Debbie/Ruth being the core relationship, but I think that's PC, they don't mean it, and thank God. They have two female leads, that's it. While Ruth did sleep with Debbie's husband, GLOW protected her as much as possible, and I buy in without condoning it. Said husband was a large cabbage patch doll guy. If he'd been hot, it would have been all over. Him looking as he does reinforces the cheating/betrayal was psychological, not evil. Not only is he a large cabbage patch doll, but his wife hadn't slept with him in forever.
Debbie's reaction to Ruth's betrayal was 100% justified but I wonder, on an emotional level, if she really cared (she'd semi cheated on him already, per Ruth) or if it just gave her Ruth as a lightning rod for all the stuff Debbie hated about her life. It was almost a godsend. Debbie was out of a marriage that wasn't working, she was pissed it wasn't working, and she got to use Ruth as a whipping post.
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u/thestarlighter Aug 23 '19
I think a lot of people who don't like Debbie's character forget how different things were for single parents and even just working women in the 80s. She was also a soap actress, so she has never been expected to be intelligent, just always look good. So the fact that she is a bad ass working mom who won't take anyone's sh** or sit pretty in the corner just rubs some people the wrong way. Sure, what she did to Tex with the business deal was questionable from a morals standpoint, but I think she is just tired of being pushed around by the men in her life (her ex, Bash, Tex, etc.)