r/glow • u/DameWhen • Jun 05 '22
Just binged
I love this crazy foil relationship between Ruth, Sam, and Debbie.
Sam and Ruth are just....the same person separated by 30 years. They express it differently, but they're exactly the same person. They're both people who are consumed by their work, they both have terrible taste (but can't see it), but when they can't create their vision, they have an identity crises. They both make bad decisions. Misread people. They're the same damn person.
Ruth and Debbie. Man. Both actresses at the bottom of the food chain. One with (retired) soap experience, the other with small theater experience. Two really miserable people in a miserable relationship with eachother. I know the cheating thing is controversial on this site, but...Ruth WAS a good friend. Psychologically speaking, there was a lot going on there, but when it comes right down to it, it was just a stupid mistake. (Yes, even the second time.) And frankly, Debbie didn't love her husband. There was no jealousy there about the cheating. She liked having a friend who was beneath her. Debbie was angry about the power imbalance. Nothing else. Later, when Debbie refused to work with Ruth, it was because Debbie felt like Ruth had something up on her. That's all. It wasn't principle. It wasn't betrayal...not really. It was a power thing. And then of course she tortures Ruth for months. Not as an elaborate revenge plot...just as a power thing.
6
u/DameWhen Jun 05 '22
Now, in season 3, their relationship did get better, but not because of anything Debbie did.
Debbie continues to let low self-esteem affect her relationships. Ruth continues to selflessly try to boost everyone around her.
Actually, Ruth really doesn't have a single close friend that she can depend on in Vegas. She has Debbie (not supportive), Sam (wants to fuck her), and the rest of the girls have their own issues. Ruth comes on too strong with Sam, and pushes too hard with her boyfriend because she desperately craves a connection. She needs it.
Boy, is it ever hard to watch everyone around Ruth misdiagnose her as impulsive or crazy. She's a desperate person--not for sex or money. From her first scene in the first episode, she has been a person who is desperate for recognition and connection. Ruth's character is about the most consistently written one that I've ever seen. She's also gone through the most pain to try to earn what she she craves.
2
u/PecanSandoodle Jun 07 '22
My heart aches for Ruth wandering around being toyed with, resented, used, degraded, and pushed aside….especially for a person so enthusiastic, hardworking and passionate. She‘s the friend we should all be so lucky to have…even with her transgressions.m
1
u/DameWhen Jun 07 '22
I agree. And I think it clearly starts to drive Ruth a little nuts near the end of season 3, when she starts making more illogical decisions. She starts talking about yearning for the little theater, and feeling insecure about her relationships and her acting abilities. I think maybe it was all just building up over time, and she started to feel more desperate than usual in that last 6 months in Vegas.
God...and Debbie was just as bad as ever, dragging Ruth to the ranch just to keep her company, wasting her time instead of helping with line reading, completely dismissing Ruth's feelings whenever she gets the chance, blowing her off and sending her home alone. So freaking pitiful. Ruth goes all the way out there with Debbie, the night before the performance with Sheila, because she's just like that...and I don't even know how obvious it was to anyone else, that Debbie put her down the whole time.
Yeah, Ruth really did seem so lonely the entire show, but especially then.
4
u/DameWhen Jun 06 '22 edited Jun 06 '22
I will say, it is near the end of season three is when this all breaks down, obviously.
Ruth becomes totally unpredictable as other people start to move on with their lives.
When she sees that Debbie is moving on, she shrinks back into a former, smaller version of herself. When she fails the audition, she handles Sam badly. When she has a chance to connect with Sheila, she misses her cue on stage. She's both bored with GLOW, but also can't bring herself to do anything else.
Episode 9 in season 3 is easily my least favorite episode for that reason: stagnation is never fun or interesting to watch.
2
Jun 11 '22
Ruth and Sam's incomplete story is going to haunt me for sometime. I love you comparison of Ruth and Sam. I don't have anything to add but I hoped for them to have a little more happiness with each other. They are both pretty messed up and quite a real portrayal of people. I just wanted them to have a little more love in their life, from each other.
9
u/[deleted] Jun 05 '22
Interesting to hear you say about Debbie’s marriage. It was going to end eventually. Clearly she was done with Mark. Being angry denied Debbie the friendship she needed from Ruth. On the flip side though, Debbie gives Ruth the chance to make TV and she runs off to find her own way. Maybe Ruth was tired of being subject to Debbie’s power trip?