S03.E03: Desert Pollen

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Fed up with the ladies' sloppy performances and lack of training, Cherry takes them to a showgirl dance class which stokes Debbie's insecurities.

Original air date: 8/9/19

[thuganomics85]

Definitely something for everyone in the nudity department for this episode, with the show's first full frontal male scene AND and an extensive scene of Alison Brie dancing topless.  Well played, show!

Aww, man!  Cheryl and Keith are the best, but them being on opposite ends of starting a family is a situation that is always hard to resolve.  I hope they can figure it out, but I have a feeling this is going to be a bumpy road for them.  Sydelle Noel and Bashir Salahuddin really sold that final scene.

Bash bringing those two executives to the dressing room was all kinds of wrong and uncomfortable.  Glad Sam wasn't down with that at all.

Tamme and Shelia's acting class might have not been the smoothest, but at least there class doesn't also include a hitman that looks like Bill Hader!

Not surprised that Vegas showgirls go through rigorous training and exercise.

Debbie is becoming bulimic, now?  Uh oh! 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I love seeing Debbie and Ruth looking out for each other and trying to help each other. I know they aren't quite back to the place that they used to be before Ruth slept with Debbie's husband, but they're in a much better place these days.

I thought Tammé and Sheila both did well in their acting class and their teacher was a pretentious asshole.

Only Melrose would take being mistaken for a hooker as a compliment. I was afraid the hotel staff was going to bust her for being a hooker but I was totally wrong about where that storyline was going! I just hope that guy's pimp doesn't show up at her room demanding money.

[Lady Calypso]

Tamme and Sheila's acting subplot was pretty good. I love seeing more of these women. I really got a better feel of Sheila this episode, and it was great seeing Tamme so supportive. Hopefully Tamme is ok, but it doesn't look great that she's hiding health issues.

The dance class was fun. But it sucks that it led to Cherry and Keith having a difference of options about having a baby. I can see why, on Cherry's end. She's afraid of her career ending because of her friend's career ending. Plus, she never really thought about what would happen to her body if she got pregnant. It makes total sense. It's understandable that she's changed her mind, but it also isn't Keith's fault. I think this is a bump in the road for her and Keith, but I do hope things work out with them. It just doesn't look good right now and they may end up separating because of it.

I usually love Bash, but recognize that he tends to make some bad choices. Bringing those executives to the dressing room while the ladies were getting changed was definitely one of them. At least he figured out his mistake once the guys were starting to blabber on about showgirls' breasts and ushered them out the moment they got too raunchy.

The Melrose stuff took a turn I didn't expect. Not just male frontal nudity (when do we ever see THAT?) but the hooker twist.

I am glad for Ruth and Debbie to share a plot where they're not actually arguing. They're getting to a much better place, which is great to see. However, it's a shame to see Debbie take a turn at the end. 

[kieyra]

The show totally surprised me twice—first with the prostitution switch (maybe I should have seen it coming, but they got me), and then with Debbie’s cheerful bulemia. I’m guessing it isn’t her first rodeo, either, as she’s made reference to weight control stuff before. (Like going on her first diet at 14.) 

Ruth and Debbie getting along so well actually has me on edge and waiting for the moment that Debbie is reminded of Ruth’s betrayal in some way. I was actually waiting for something terrible to show up on the end of the tape of Randy, like something that had been recorded over that had to do with Mark and Ruth. Or even something with Mark and his new GF. But I guess they already did that with Sam’s dating video in the first season. 

Edit: Hmm. Three episodes down and no wrestling. I wonder if they needed a break from the physicality and maybe injuries.

Edited August 10, 2019 by kieyra

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I totally get that Keith is upset by Cherry changing her mind, but it's so much easier for him to say he wants to have a family because it doesn't change his career path at all. Not only will Cherry have to stop working the last few months of her pregnancy (or possibly half of her pregnancy), but she can't just go back to work the day after the baby is born. She will have to recover from childbirth and get back into shape.

I think what the dance teacher really drove him for Cherry is that once you're out of the game, it's hard to get back in. Obviously being a showgirl has some huge differences from being a wrestler/stuntwoman, but the point was that she was replaceable and now she has to fight to get her spot back. Cherry is Sam's go-to girl right now, but if he replaces her with someone else while she's pregnant, there's no guarantee that there will be opportunities for her afterward.

If Keith is dead set on having a kid, then maybe they should adopt and he can be the stay at home dad. That way, he gets what he wants and Cherry doesn't have to risk losing her career.

[dubbel zout]

On 8/9/2019 at 6:54 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Only Melrose would take being mistaken for a hooker as a compliment.

I loved that whole story line, and laughed so hard when she was fighting with the gigolo about who the prostitute was and who should pay whom. "I have a pimp!" Yeah, good luck explaining that night to him, dude! Hee.

[DoctorAtomic]

On 8/9/2019 at 3:14 AM, thuganomics85 said:

Bash bringing those two executives to the dressing room was all kinds of wrong and uncomfortable.  Glad Sam wasn't down with that at all.

But it gave us the great move of Debbie kissing the guy's hand.

On 8/9/2019 at 9:49 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Not only will Cherry have to stop working the last few months of her pregnancy (or possibly half of her pregnancy), but she can't just go back to work the day after the baby is born.

On top of that when she asked what they were going to do when she couldn't work, all he said was he 'was going to make some calls' when they returned to LA. Not really substantive there.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

3 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

On top of that when she asked what they were going to do when she couldn't work, all he said was he 'was going to make some calls' when they returned to LA. Not really substantive there.

I totally get that the entertainment industry doesn't always provide steady work, but yeah, the fact that they don't have a guaranteed source of income for an indefinite period of time when she'll be unable to work due to pregnancy doesn't seem like the best scenario for getting pregnant and having 18 years of another person to feed and clothe.

[txhorns79]

I'll just say that a hooker who not only fails to negotiate their rate prior to sex, but does not even make clear to their patron that they are a hooker, probably should find another line of work. 

On 8/9/2019 at 6:54 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I thought Tammé and Sheila both did well in their acting class and their teacher was a pretentious asshole.

He came off as condescending, but his point about Tamme breaking character to ad lib, and Shelia's appearance distracting from her scene, were right, IMO.     

[Blakeston]

The prostitute twist was entertaining, but it was also wildly implausible. The guy was hooking at that cheap Vegas bar, so why wouldn't it occur to him that a beautiful woman in that outfit might be doing the same?  Female prostitutes are a whole lot more common in Vegas than male ones.

The failure to establish a rate was even sillier - and it wasn't even necessary to the plot. The writers could have just thrown in the dialogue about $200 being a fair price before the screwing took place.

And what's the point of having a pimp if you're just walking up to women and propositioning them on your own? Who does he need protection from?

All of that said, kudos to the showrunner for not only giving us male frontal nudity, but giving us male frontal nudity from someone conventionally attractive! It's almost always done with an actor who's "unthreatening" (ie, average-looking or worse), but clearly the people making this show know their audience.

[Charlemagne]

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

The failure to establish a rate was even sillier - and it wasn't even necessary to the plot. The writers could have just thrown in the dialogue about $200 being a fair price before the screwing took place.

But it was necessary to the plot. The swerve here was that they were building tension toward the possibility that the guy was hotel security and was waiting for her to set the price. When they first showed the guy, he was talking with a waitress - but we couldn't hear what they were saying. The writers were sending signals that Melrose was playing with fire by pretending to be a prostitute only to pull a switch in the room after they had sex. If they set the rate before-hand, etc., then none of that is possible.

There is also the hints that it is a very strong possibility that the male gigolo is relatively new to the profession. 

[tennisgurl]

Oh no Debbie! It looks like she is going down some kind of bulimia hole, and given she references having diet issues, its probably not a new thing. At least it was nice to see Ruth and Debbie have a fun day together. 

The acting class with Tamme and Sheila was really good, and they both did a great job! Their teacher does seem like a pompous ass, but he wasn't wrong that Tamme shouldn't have gone off script, especially in what seemed like a serious scene. 

So lots of nudity this week, and its nudity for everyone! I am still not used to seeing dick on screen, its always gets a double take from me. Its not a bad thing, I am just so used to just seeing billions of naked women and the only dicks we see are usually for comedy. The reverse hooker thing got me, not gonna lie. I kept waiting for him to hotel security, him actually being the hooker cracked me up. Of course Melrose would take being mistaken as a hooker as a compliment. 

[Blakeston]

1 hour ago, Charlemagne said:

But it was necessary to the plot. The swerve here was that they were building tension toward the possibility that the guy was hotel security and was waiting for her to set the price. When they first showed the guy, he was talking with a waitress - but we couldn't hear what they were saying. The writers were sending signals that Melrose was playing with fire by pretending to be a prostitute only to pull a switch in the room after they had sex. If they set the rate before-hand, etc., then none of that is possible.

There is also the hints that it is a very strong possibility that the male gigolo is relatively new to the profession. 

If he was with hotel security, he would have asked her to leave the second she expressed enthusiasm for sex for money. There would have been no need for her to set a price.

As for him being new, I would certainly hope so. But he'd still be an idiot.

[dubbel zout]

25 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

If he was with hotel security, he would have asked her to leave the second she expressed enthusiasm for sex for money.

Putting under a spoiler because this didn't happen in this episode:

When Bash sees the guy in the bar and mistakes him for a repairman, Sandy breezily says something like, "Oh, no, he's a gigolo." So clearly prostitutes aren't a problem at the Fan-Tan as long as you're somewhat discreet.

[Charlemagne]

20 hours ago, Blakeston said:

If he was with hotel security, he would have asked her to leave the second she expressed enthusiasm for sex for money. There would have been no need for her to set a price.

As for him being new, I would certainly hope so. But he'd still be an idiot.

But he wasn't hotel security. That's the point. It was a swerve for the benefit of the audience in order to set up a comical point.

[kieyra]

For what it’s worth, it never occurred to me that the guy was a cop OR a prostitute. I though the setup was funny enough as it was (that Melrose was happy to get laid AND take money for it) and I wasn’t expecting any twist at all. 

[RunningMarket]

My initial thought was the guy was an undercover cop, but once the deed was actually done, I figured otherwise since I'm pretty sure even in TV land that's crossing an ethical line for police.

[kieyra]

1 hour ago, RunningMarket said:

My initial thought was the guy was an undercover cop, but once the deed was actually done, I figured otherwise since I'm pretty sure even in TV land that's crossing an ethical line for police.

(Unless it’s The Wire, hah.)

[DianeDobbler]

5 hours ago, kieyra said:

For what it’s worth, it never occurred to me that the guy was a cop OR a prostitute. I though the setup was funny enough as it was (that Melrose was happy to get laid AND take money for it) and I wasn’t expecting any twist at all. 

Yeah, me too. My impression is there's a cat and mouse game where the cop waits and baits the prostitute until there's an explicit quote. That never happened here and once sex happens, it should be moot as far as arrest.

Against my better judgment I am totally buying the new, improved Sam -- but not to the extent that he's the only male allowed in the dressing room. WTF was he doing there? He was all, "Dudes, ok, it's time to leave!" because those Coconuts guys were gross and Bash was out of bounds. But why was Sam even there?

[AllAboutMBTV]

Add me to the list of people who thought the gigolo was surely a cop (and a handsome one, too -- thanks, show!). Because: Snarky Melrose in a holding cell in Las Vegas? I would watch that.

[Clanstarling]

On 8/11/2019 at 3:15 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I totally get that the entertainment industry doesn't always provide steady work, but yeah, the fact that they don't have a guaranteed source of income for an indefinite period of time when she'll be unable to work due to pregnancy doesn't seem like the best scenario for getting pregnant and having 18 years of another person to feed and clothe.

All very true - but in my experience, few actually wait until everything is lined up perfectly (not to mention - as someone who did line up everything perfectly and then went through several surprise lay offs - there are no guarantees, ever.)

On 8/12/2019 at 5:10 AM, txhorns79 said:

I'll just say that a hooker who not only fails to negotiate their rate prior to sex, but does not even make clear to their patron that they are a hooker, probably should find another line of work. 

He came off as condescending, but his point about Tamme breaking character to ad lib, and Shelia's appearance distracting from her scene, were right, IMO.     

Not negotiating the rate up front is a pretty poor business practice in that field. Especially since he was the first one to mention rate, but let it slide when Melrose stammered and then said they could figure it all out later. 

I agree about the acting teacher. The point of acting is to disappear into the character, and as much as I love and felt for Sheila, the clothes were a distraction (though, really, it was just a stinking class and there wasn't any wardrobe for the scenes in any case, so he could have cut her some slack on that one - because her performance was actually very good) So...I guess I have mixed emotions on that one. LOL.

[iMonrey]

Quote

All of that said, kudos to the showrunner for not only giving us male frontal nudity, but giving us male frontal nudity from someone conventionally attractive!

I will be the lone dissenter in that, from a biological standpoint, a man would not be that flaccid immediately post-coital. So the nudity in this case seemed like a mistake. I mean I know there are limitations to what they can show but this looked ridiculous. Better to not show him frontal at all.

(I also don't think the equipment was impressive enough to make a living off of so . . . again, maybe best not to show.)

Edited August 19, 2019 by iMonrey

[Clanstarling]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I will be the lone dissenter in that, from a biological standpoint, a man would not be that flaccid immediately post-coital. So the nudity in this case seemed like a mistake. I mean I know there are limitations to what they can show but this looked ridiculous. Better to not show him frontal at all.

(I also don't think the equipment was impressive enough to make a living off of so . . . again, maybe best not to show.)

I'll grant you the post-coital status issue.

However, he wasn't stripping, working in a bordello with the goods showing, or in a porn flick. So making his living is based on his complete package, not on his "package," and the complete package was impressive enough to pull in trade. By Melrose's response, he also had an impressive skill set, which is more important. 😉

[DianeDobbler]

9 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

By Melrose's response, he also had an impressive skill set, which is more important. 😉

Didn't Melrose actually complain that he leaked or something, and he said he couldn't help it, it was physiological?

[Clanstarling]

7 hours ago, DianeDobbler said:

Didn't Melrose actually complain that he leaked or something, and he said he couldn't help it, it was physiological?

Not exactly, she was saying he ejaculated with vigor (gushing, or some other verb like that) and that was proof that he was having a good time - so she shouldn't have to pay him.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 8/9/2019 at 11:49 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I totally get that Keith is upset by Cherry changing her mind, but it's so much easier for him to say he wants to have a family because it doesn't change his career path at all. Not only will Cherry have to stop working the last few months of her pregnancy (or possibly half of her pregnancy), but she can't just go back to work the day after the baby is born. She will have to recover from childbirth and get back into shape.

What adds an extra layer to it is that I have always gotten the sense that between the 2 of them Cherry made more money. So her not being able to work because of pregnancy would be a significant hit to their finances.

[DoctorAtomic]

Yes I thought that was part of the issue too. He never seemed to have steady work. 

[Cheezwiz]

I loved everything about this episode! The tennis! The dance class! The acting class! Attractive male full frontal actually showing up on screen for a change! Melrose's hooker twist totally fooled me, I thought she was just going to have a roll in the hay with a random cute guy and pocket some cash on top of it. Surprise!

I thought both Tammye & Sheila did really well in their acting class - the instructor, while not wrong, was kind of a jerk. I really hope Tammye's health issue isn't serious, but it's not good that she's keeping it from everyone.

Feel bad for Cherry and her husband - she's not wrong to be re-thinking what pregnancy will be doing to her career and her body, but the second thoughts must have been a shock to her husband. That's a tough one to work through - hopefully she will sit him down and explain her fears more fully to him - I think he will listen once he cools down.

Oh, Debbie, no, no, no! Don't go down that eating disordered road!

[P2C2E]

I got the impression that bulimia is not new for Debbie. It is habit. It is familiar. And in a way, it's comforting.

[aradia22]

Ah! Faith from UnREAL.

I didn't love the dance class + tennis. I'm kind of starting to feel like I'm watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Also, is it me or were the dancers a little too thin and muscular for the 80's?

I enjoyed Tamme and Sheila in acting class.

LOL, he thought Melrose was a callgirl. Well, that's what you get for flirting like that. Who else responds "what do you want it to be?" when asked their name?  Oh my God, HE was the prostitute? Amazing.

No! How dare you, GLOW? Do not ruin Keith and Cherry!

When they cut to Debbie in her hotel room I was so worried she was going to purge what she just ate with Ruth. Sometimes I don't know how dark this show is going to get. And then she watched the video. And THEN she did it. God damn it, GLOW. Do they have new writers? This episode was the worst. 

[paramitch]

I thought this was a really good, moving episode -- it had so many layers and nuances, and I especially loved Ruth and Debbie's newfound return to friendship.

I also found Debbie's body issues and eating disorder very realistic and sad, and would imagine that it had a lot of meaning for Betty Gilpin, who has written about her own body issues and experiences. 

Which was why I loved Ruth's monologue to Debbie about what a gorgeous body she has, and how sexy she is. It's too bad she couldn't really hear Ruth or see the truth for herself.