GLOW vs. Vegas
Of course this moment of cutesy bliss is short-lived.
At the end of my review of GLOW: Season 3, I mentioned a trio of series in which the moment two characters who’ve been dancing around their intense, seething attraction finally collide in bed, and get married… and soon after, each series is toast.
It’s a very tough gamble for showrunners. How long should a romance be dragged out? When is the right time to give closure to fans and the characters? And if the network wants the series to continue, can the production last beyond one more year?
Actors know when character arcs are done, and no matter how much money a network may toss into their laps (plus the showrunners), there is a point when a series needs to end, and with dignity.
The examples I cited ended either disastrously, meandered into insignificant storylines, or just ran out of steam in spite of stars staying to the bitter end. Every show has its natural lifespan, and creators know when it’s time to put something special to bed, wrap it up, and let fans enjoy the, um, ‘afterGLOW.’
Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch haven’t reached that point, but I’m sure they know when it’ll be time to close the chapter on the lives of GLOW’s characters, and hopefully they’ve penciled an endpoint for everyone, and as writer-producers, won’t succumb to the financial teasing of a network hungry for More.
S3 is a different animal, but it is ultimately pleasing (a few snags excepted), and perhaps its 10 episode slate is perfect, because it ensures there’s no fat, dead ends, and the least flawed tangents possible. Where things will go in S4 are anyone’s guess, but fingers crossed there’s a solid plan, and when the bell chimes, everyone walks away satisfied they’ve created a small gem in television.
Coming shortly: Elvis gambled on Serious Drama in the problematic but intriguing southern steamer Wild in the Country (1961), scripted by Clifford Odets, directed by Philip Dunne, and meddled by studio Fox and Col. Parker. Twilight Time’s new Blu is gorgeous, and I’ll have plenty of thoughts on what could’ve been.
Thanks for reading,
Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com
Category: EDITOR'S BLOG
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