Spoilers under.
Lastly, a present that fills the hole Ugly Betty left behind. Jordon Nardino’s Glamorous brings the glitz and glamor again to the small display screen, choosing up the mantle from fast-paced, fashion-forward comedies like Youthful and The Daring Kind. Fortunately, Glamorous is simply as vibrant as every of those reveals, however extra queer than something we’ve seen on Netflix shortly. It’s a grown-up Heartstopper with Emily in Paris sensibilities, one thing of a Queer as Folks for Technology Z. Every thing from the witty dialogue riddled with popular culture references to the soundtrack (hi there, Kylie Minogue) is homosexual as hell.
However don’t let the present’s glittery packaging distract from vital conversations, notably across the that means of Satisfaction in a company context, gender expression and exploration, and the trials and tribulations of queer courting. The collection additionally welcomes Kim Cattrall in her most Samantha Jones-adjacent function since Intercourse and the Metropolis as Madolyn Addison, a retired supermodel and founding father of the titular make-up firm. Seeing her again on display screen in such a big function is nothing however a delight, and she or he can also be credited as a collection producer.
In Carrie Bradshaw style, the finale opens like each different episode this season with Marco Mejia (Miss Benny of their first starring function) narrating through magnificence vlogging. This time round, there are a couple of much less make-up metaphors as he unboxes press samples for Glamorous by Madolyn’s official YouTube channel to almost one million subscribers — a step up from the Instagram Stay broadcasts from his childhood bed room set-up from earlier episodes.
Sadly, Marco throws some shade to Waverly in the course of the broadcast, a “main influencer,” sparking a traditional magnificence vlogger conflict. Marco has come a great distance from dropping make-up samples in an Uber, however he nonetheless manages to stumble round in his overconfidence. His misstep results in enjoyable hijinks like disarming threatening glitter bombs obtained within the workplace and monitoring down Waverly at their New York lodge to make a proper apology after the failure of comical, tearful YouTube video apology.
Though he wasn’t capable of get previous the “riptide,” or what Waverly’s followers name themselves, the search permits Marco to recruit Ben (Michael Hsu Rosen) for help and rekindle their friendship. Candy Trekkie Ben has been via the ringer with Marco because the again burner possibility in a painful love triangle. Marco leads him on any time issues get rocky together with his self-proclaimed “finance bro” boyfriend Parker (Graham Parkhurst), who he satisfyingly dumps within the penultimate episode.
The season dedicates fairly a little bit of display screen time showcasing Parker as a strolling crimson flag who can’t reconcile his attraction and need for Marco together with his incapability up to now an individual who prefers a face beat and a vibrant pink stiletto to conformed masculine aesthetics. Parker’s therapy of Marco will get more and more abusive, and it was irritating to look at Marco having to be taught the laborious classes by returning to him many times simply because Parker has zero p.c physique fats and works out at Equinox every day. As his mom Julia (Diana Maria Riva) reminds him, nobody has made him rethink the way in which he presents himself since he wore painted nails to highschool for the primary time — it was excessive time Parker obtained kicked to the curb.
The finale doesn’t give us a romcom ending for Marco and Ben, however they do get to bounce their emotions away one final time to “Cry For You” by September on the The Hinkle Room, the present’s go-to queer bar in Bushwick, whereas Parker and his new, identical-looking boyfriend watch from the sidelines. Their return to a cordial friendship feels satisfying and earned, and the door appears open to additional romantic exploration if the present returns for a second season.
Fairly than a romantic conclusion, the endgame of the season for Marco is his relationship to himself. He ends the season confident as he strikes out of his childhood dwelling and in with Dizmal (Damian Terriquez), The Hinkle Room’s witty DJ and emcee who occurred to be searching for a roommate. Marco even will get a hand-delivered peace providing from Waverly, a letter telling him to be good to himself. In the long run, Marco’s courting journey serves as a deeper exploration of id, slightly than ending in partnership.
Again at Glamorous HQ, the cope with acquisition firm Vendemiaire has formally fallen via and Venetia (Jade Payton) continues to drag double obligation as each Madolyn’s assistant and savior of the corporate. Her thought to discontinue the present make-up formulation in favor of an natural line is profitable and gives the corporate with a wanted infusion of money. In comparison with Marco’s messy back-and-forth with Parker, Venetia and Britt’s (Ayesha Harris) office romance is the healthiest, most tender relationship of the season. They supply mutual help for one another and transfer via battle in a mature method, a well-needed wholesome relationship baseline for this present with chaotic trysts.
When the brand new natural line faces provide chain points, Venetia as soon as once more swoops in to save lots of the day. “I solely seemed out for me as a result of nobody else was,” Venetia says, and she or he’s proper. She has labored as Madolyn’s assistant for 3 consecutive years and not using a promotion, and though she is the rationale Glamorous’ Satisfaction marketing campaign was profitable, took the lead in reformulating the whole make-up line into natural merchandise, and lives and breathes her job, she remains to be ignored by Madolyn. At this level, the corporate ought to in all probability be referred to as Glamorous by Venetia. Fortunately, her laborious work is lastly acknowledged within the finale with a well-deserved promotion—one she fought laborious to get.
We will’t neglect about Madolyn’s son Chad (Zane Phillips), who has determined it’s time to go away his nepo child job for greener pastures. Giving his discover to Madolyn causes a wrinkle within the penultimate episode, leaving his mom to gaze sadly at outdated pictures of her son as an alternative of attending a meet-and-greet on the firm’s stock blow-out sale. In the end, she involves phrases together with his departure, providing her blessing at his goodbye social gathering.
We don’t get to know a lot about Chad past his obsession with health and his need to really feel validated by his mom, however Phillips brings a enjoyable power to the present harking back to Ugly Betty’s Daniel Meade as the corporate’s resident meathead. The finale ends with Chad’s father, Madolyn’s ex-husband whom she avoids in any respect prices, showing on the Glamorous workplaces. Though his id isn’t revealed, we’re left with Chad and Madolyn’s shocked expressions, which don’t bode properly for issues to come back at Glamorous.
Seeing Kim Cattrall play one other high-powered, profitable, fashion-forward girl in New York is ravishing. She cements herself as a homosexual icon on Glamorous who chooses tv tasks which can be largely queer-centric (she was within the Queer as Folks reboot as properly). Madolyn pours every part into her firm, and thru her, the present introduces considerate questions on what it means for outdated luxurious manufacturers to maneuver towards progressive beliefs in significant methods, or if that’s even potential inside a capitalist context. The finale sees Madolyn’s dangers, initially impressed by Marco’s visions within the pilot of a future-thinking model, repay. Glamorous returns to equilibrium.
Sadly Madolyn’s enterprise into courting isn’t as profitable and she or he refuses to simply accept an apology from James (Mark Devlin) for his betrayal again in episode 7. “To me,” she says in her most Samantha second of the season, elevating a glass to herself after slamming the door in his face. In her final scene of the season, Madolyn has absolutely reconciled together with her driver Teddy (Ricardo Chavira) who she initially mistook as a company spy. As they share a late night time drink, Teddy admits he’s “in like” with Madolyn, however each withhold from taking issues additional, for now.
As we all know, and after a lot fanfare, Catrall will probably be again for the upcoming finale of And Simply Like That… Whereas we await what could also be an unsatisfying cameo, there’s greater than sufficient Cattrall to go round on Glamorous.
Michel Ghanem is a contract author primarily based in Vancouver. He has written about TV for The Lower, W Journal, TheWrap, Primetimer, his Substack publication, and elsewhere. Comply with him on Instagram: @tvscholar.