Slouch. Submit.

"Slouch. Submit." is the second episode of the first season of GLOW. It is the second episode of the series overall. It was released via Netflix on June 23, 2017.

Synopsis
Cherry tries to whip the final group into shape, while Sam sets out in pursuit of a star for his show. Ruth acts out an uncomfortable scene.

Plot
Ruth is nearly run over as one of the other auditionees for GLOW pulls up in the parking lot. The auditionee, [[Melanie Rosen|Melrose], gets out, rifles through her purse, and curses herself, as she forgot her shoes. She says that she knew there was a reason why she was supposed to go home, and Ruth tells her that she thinks she has an extra pair in her trunk. She says she's a size seven. She pulls them out and offer them to the woman, saying they're from her waitressing days. The woman asks if she waitressed at a nursing home in Poland. Ruth ends up wearing the spare shoes, giving the ones that she was wearing to the woman. Inside, she looks over the other auditionees.

Sam Sylvia enters as the girls are playing around. He says that he came back and for everyone not to applaud at once. He says that it's the light of day and he wants to know who he hired, who they are. He enters the ring and asks that when he points at each of them, they're to tell him their name and if they have any special skills, hidden talents, or favorite sex positions. He asks if anyone wants to go first and Melrose clears her throat. He calls "underwear-as-outfit girl." She introduces herself and her nickname. She says that her special skill is that she's not boring, that she can wake up in the morning with absolutely nothing to do and be in a Van Halen video by the end of the day. She adds "any position with my legs over my head." He says he likes her vibe.

He turns next to Sheila, who he calls the "wolf lady," asking for her story. She says that she has a very acute sense of smell. He asks her what cologne he's wearing and she replies Drakkar Noir. He says that it's a trick question, that he's not wearing cologne, but he does spray it on his clothes if he forgets to do laundry. He tells her she did a good job and asks where his actress is. Ruth raises her hand and he asks her if she knows any good party tricks. She tells him that she can do Audrey Hepburn winning an OScar for Roman Holiday. She does her imitation of Hepburn. Everyone stares silently and Sam sarcastically calls it "very winsome." He asks where her friend is, "the smoking hot blond who kicked your ass the other day," referring to Debbie. Ruth says that she's probably at home with her baby. He asks why she's not there and Ruth tells him that she's not supposed to be, that she wasn't auditioning. Tammé Dawson agrees that "she just came to stomp the homemaker." The others nod. Ruth says that she sees what happened, that they thought that was real. She says that they planned it. Jenny says that it makes total sense, given that Debbie was on a soap - Laura Morgan on Paradise Cove, until she had to have reconstructive surgery after a year-long coma. "Also known as getting written off the show," comments Ruth. Sam asks for her name, and Jenny gives it as Debbie Eagan, saying that she was also in an episode of Murder, She Wrote. Cherry asks if they're all done, saying that some of them like to work. She asks if they're starting and Sam agrees that they are. He asks them to stretch while he goes to have a pee.

He does go to have a pee, as well as a smoke. He then rifles through some lockers and Cherry finds him there, asking him if he's still doing blow. He tells her that he's just checking driver's licenses because women lie about their ages all the time. She asks him what happened to "that coach" and he says that he fired him. Cherry is shocked that he would fire the only guy they have with any wrestling experience. He says that he doesn't want to make a dumb wrestling show and just take things out of the playbook. She asks if he's trying to mess this up, too, and he shoots back that he gave her a job and he doesn't see a lot of other directors giving her on-camera work. She says that she won't get into a pissing contest with him, seeing as they both haven't worked in a while. They should just get back out there and deal with the amateurs he hired. He says they should do that and touches her on the hip. Melrose walks in, asking if they were about to bone. Cherry replies that she's married. Sam says that they did once though in 1978 - him, her and her husband. Cherry tells Melrose that she should pee if she needs to. She tells him not to bring stuff like that up and he says that history is a beautiful thing. He says that he hasn't talked to her since her miscarriage. She says that it was two years ago and she's fine, asking him to keep her business to himself. He rifles through a bag, finding a number of playbooks and a planner labeled with Ruth's name. He rips out a page, saying that he has his methods and to trust him. Melrose walks out of the bathroom stall, quipping "Who doesn't trust a man with a mustache full of coke?"

Sam returns to the ring, saying he has to leave and that Cherry is going to be training them for the day. "Excuse me?" asks Cherry. He tells her to come on, that she's a "bonafide badass" on the outside, but a marshmallow on the inside. He asks why she looks so surprised, saying he wants to see some moves when he gets back. He says that if she needs help to ask the one from the wrestling family, Carmen. Ruth asks where he's going, that he can't just leave, but Cherry takes charge, asking Carmen to help her out. They demonstrate a "lockup," which Carmen describes as being kind of like dancing when you first start out. Cherry tries out a headlock and orders the rest of the girls to pair up and give it a shot. They start partnering off.

Debbie sits at home, watching a television show and breastfeeding her baby, Randy. She cries out after a particularly painful bite and asks him why he's smiling. She calls him a biter and gets some ice from the freezer. The doorbell rings. It's Sam. He introduces himself, mentioning the skit she had done at the gym. She says that it wasn't a skit and she doesn't have time for whatever he wants. He asks what he's holding. It's a Pound Puppy, for Randy, or so he says. She points out that it's actually a rabbit. He asks if he can come in.

Back at the gym, the girls continue practicing the moves. Cherry has melrose and Ruth pair off. She pulls a surprise move on Ruth, which does not go over well with Cherry. She says that the whole point is to win, and Cherry tells her that the point is to do it safely, that she could have seriously hurt her. Ruth shrugs it off, saying that it's all part of the process. Cherry tells melrose that she doesn't have time to deal with those who don't take things seriously. melrose scoffs that she doesn't even know her. Cherry says she thinks she does - she never had a real job, her daddy pays all of her bills, but she doesn't let anyone know unless she gets really drunk. She drives a limo because she wants people to think she's interesting. "Tell me I'm wrong," she says and walked away. To this, melrose replies that she got her job because she had sex with the director. Cherry turns back, telling her she got the job because she's a pro and she knows how to make the moves look real. melrose finds it amusing that anyone could think it looks real. It's fake, she says. Cherry tells her to come at her and make it look as real as she wants. Everyone else steps out of the ring. They square off. melrose raises her arms and moans. She comes at Cherry, who quickly puts her in a headlock. She passes out. "That's lunch," Cherry tells the others.

Back at Debbie's, Sam says she has a nice place. Debbie asks if he wants to buy it once she and her husband get divorced. "So you're gonna leave him?" he asks, and she asks he wants to have sex with him too. She says she has no idea what she'll do. He tells her that his own wife cheated on him with his Steadicam operator. He walked out, quitting the marriage, his movie and even left his dog behind. He got on a plane for Vegas and two weeks later woke up feeling a lot better about himself. She calls it great advice - that she can just leave her baby on a stranger's doorstep and get blackout drunk. She asks why he's there, if she broke something on his set. He says that he's been raking the gutter and she came out of nowhere, like a Greek goddess, and he saw it like a vision. He wants her in the middle of the ring. He says that he wants her to be his lead - he's got girls who can do the splits, cut hair, but he doesn't have a star. She tells him that she can't handle this, and she isn't acting anymore. He calls bull, saying that she's pretty, has big breasts, and the soap writers just didn't count on her having brains. She asked too many questions, maybe improvised a few too many lines, and then boom. She admits that she was punished. He tells her that he doesn't want to punish her. He wants her crazy faces of agony, he wants to put her on television. She says he's just saying it to get her to join his circus. He admits this is true, but says he needs her anyway. She asks if there's a script, then wonders why she's asking that. He tells her to just come down for an hour and if she doesn't like what she sees, he'll drive her home. She asks what about Ruth, and he tells her not to worry about it, that he cut her on the first day of callbacks.

Ruth and melrose order food from a burger joint, Stacey and Carmen sitting at a table. melrose sits and smokes a joint. Ruth tells her that she doesn't think that she's allowed to do that there. melrose says that she needs to chill out because some crazy stunt-person just tried to murder her. Carmen tells her it was a sleeper hold, and melrose replies that it was a lawsuit. She asks who Cherry thinks she is - that before that morning she was just another schmucky actress in a Kmart leotard and now she's knocking people unconscious. Carmen points out the director put her in charge, and melrose replies that she could have died. Stacey quips that perhaps she did, that they all did and this is the afterlife. Ruth asks if she's already high, but she says that nobody passed it to her and she's been waiting politely. melrose gives her the joint. Ruth says that she thinks Cherry is doing the best she can. melrose asks she's big into dictators. Ruth tells her that she doesn't know how things work in the music video world, but Cherry's trying to make them into an ensemble. Usually in their industry it's every man for themself, and it's almost always a man. She likes the idea of a woman in charge, that it's as good as it gets. melrose tells her that if she's so into the sisterhood, she shouldn't have had sex with her friend's husband. Ruth tells her that she didn't, but melrose doesn't believe her. Their order arrives.

They return to the gym, where the moves are going well. Cherry tells them they're doing great and to move on to back bumps. She pairs off with Carmen and then Melrose decides to give it a go next. She tries and fails at the move three times, then shouts about being injured. She appears to be bleeding and Arthie moves in, saying that she can help, that she's pre-med. Melrose, however, pulls out a bottle of ketchup from the restaurant, squirting it on the floor. She makes a crack about Cherry's miscarriage. Cherry tells her to get out, and she says she would be delighted. The other girls look on in shock at her as Sam and Debbie enter. He introduces Debbie as the new star of GLOW, calling her "Debbie Morgan." Cherry asks where he's been and he tells her he's been working his ass off finding Debbie. He asks if he's insane, why Ruth is still there. Debbie demands that he take her home right away. He tells her to give him a second and Cherry says that they have some stuff related to her miscarriage to show him. He asks her what she's talking about and she says that now she has his attention. He asks her to give him a minute and tells Debbie it's going to be alright. Sheila warns Debbie to not stand up straight, that she has to be submissive. She tells her to slouch toward the ground. "Now, slouch. Submit. She might kill you." Sam promises Debbie that they're going to sort it all out. He asks everyone can just be nice. He tells Debbie that he knows he lied, but it's not about the lie, it's about where it takes you. She says she'll give him fifteen minutes, but only because it's rush hour. Sam heads into the ring, muttering that it'll still be rush hour in fifteen minutes.

He asks Cherry what the deal is with the whole miscarriage thing that Sam was talking about. Cherry turns to Melrose, suggesting that she show him. Melrose, outside the ring, comments that it was just a one-time thing. Cherry says that she likes attention so much that she should just show him. So Melrose gets in the ring and explains just what she did. Sam says it was terrible, that he didn't buy a single second of it. He says to not throw the baby out with the bathwater, then, realizing what he just said, says that maybe it's a wrong metaphor. He says that he knows she was just being an asshole, but that there's something there - there would be context, circumstances and characters if this was a real scene. He says to get inside it - was the miscarriage an accident, or maybe bad sushi. Justine suggests that maybe she was kicked in her stomach by her Guatemalan swim coach who was jealous that she lost her viginity to the captain of the diving team. Sam says that's good, that he likes that, though they could lose the swim coach idea and have a better assailant, asking what animal would kick a pregnant woman in the belly. "What kind of homewrecker would do that?" He asks Ruth, saying it doesn't seem like too much of a stretch for her. He tells her to join them in the ring. She says she's not feeling well and Sam tells her that Gene Kelly had the flu when he did the title number in Singin' in the Rain. Ruth admits this is true and gets up. Sam says to look at this asshole, who doesn't care about anyone else and is going to destroy lives, even tiny ones that haven't started yet. She's a horrible person who doesn't deserve to live. She says that she does, and he tells her to just take some direction for a minute. He's trying to see if the skit works. He tells them to circle each other.

He joins them in the ring. He tells Melrose that they're going to work on her side, that you can't rely on a blood rig to sell a performance. He asks who she was before she lost everything. She starts to answer, and he interrupts, saying that she was smart, ambitious, talented, but nobody sees it. They only see the blonde knockout. She points out she's not blonde and he tells her to shut up. Stacey says they're talking about her, and Dawn tells her they're actually talking about Debbie. "That makes sense," Stacey agrees. Sam continues to lay out the scene, saying she's a fertile harvest goddess, and to strut like she owns the ring. She tries, but he calls it a saunter. He says everything is ideal until the homewrecker arrives, one who has no man, love or friends. He tells her to lunge and miss, that it's time to act. Now it's time kick Melrose, ruining three lives in the process. Ruth asks if she can do the lockup instead. He tells her no - it's time for the kick. She does so and Melrose flails back, screaming. He tells her to give words to the pain. He gets the ketchup bottle and sprays it, saying to add a little fun back in. That, he says, is a miscarriage. Cherry and Ruth both look annoyed, but Debbie looks interested.

Ruth cleans up in the bathroom. Cherry joins her husband, Keith, in the car. He asks how his star is, if she has her own dressing room yet. He sees she's upset and asks her what happened. She says that it just got a little intense, but she's fine. Sam knocks on the window of the car. She opens it reluctantly and he asks Keith how he's doing. Keith says he looks terrible and he admits he's not aging well. Cherry asks what he wants. He says he knows it was tough, but he's a director and he's going to do what he needs to get what he wants. He tells her that if she keeps doing what she did that day, he'll double her salary, as an actor and trainer. She says she'll think about it and she'll see him tomorrow. Keith asks her if that was a "yes," saying that they need to redo the bathroom. Ruth meets Sam and Debbie outside, asking if Debbie is joining the team. Debbie says that it's hard to pass up a starring role. They're going to pick up Randy from her parents house and then she needs chow fun from the Two Panda Deli. Ruth asks if she's fired. Sam tells her "No!" asking if she's an idiot. She's chum, blood in the water. Debbie's the hero and she's the villain. Everyone will hate her. Ruth cries that she doesn't want everyone to hate her. Sam says the desperation makes her unbearable. He says to take in that he doesn't like her and try not caring. And to relax, because the devil gets all the best lines. He drives off. She nearly gets run off by Melrose, who tells her to "Watch it, homewrecker!"