Money's in the Chase

"Money's in the Chase" is the tenth and final episode of the first season of GLOW. It is the tenth episode of the series overall. It was released via Netflix on June 23, 2017.

Synopsis
On the day of the big taping, Sam attends to unfinished personal business, while Ruth scramble to make last-minute changes to the lineup.

Plot
The girls gather stuff up for the big performance. Ruth tells Jenny that she doesn't think they need a sewing machine. She replies that if a costume rips, they'll need to fix it fast. Sam pulls up. She asks him what's going on, saying that she left a million messages with his service. She recoils, saying he smells like a distillery. He says that's what happens when you drink for three days straight. She says she told everyone that he was at Esalen, meditating. She tells him to take a shower and meet them at the Hayworth. He asks why. She explains that they're making GLOW, that Bash's mom gave them a ballroom. They're hanging on by a thread. He tells her the bombshell he recently learned: that Justine is his child. He says he didn't handle finding out well, that he's no father figure. She tells him to stop feeling sorry for himself and go talk to her. He says he doesn't know what to say to her, that he doesn't even know which room is hers. She grabs him, telling him to come on. Arthie asks him how the meditation was. She asks what the smell is and he calls it "bourbon and despair." He asks where Justine is and she says that she probably spent the night at Billy's. He curses, asking who Billy is, and Ruth comments sarcastically that he sounded very paternal. Arthie explains that Billy is a pizza delivery guy. Ruth tells Sam that Justine won't miss shooting the pilot. He sighs, saying that he thinks she's gone, that he would if he were her. Ruth says that if she's anything like him, she's stubborn and confrontational. She tells him to go find her, but to brush his teeth first. She'll keep things moving.

Ruth approaches Debbie, who is packing all her stuff in her car. She asks if she's moving out and she says that she can't work things out with Mark if they're not living in the same house. Cherry says that it doesn't look like a friendly chat. Carmen asks if they should go over and help, but they all agree that they shouldn't. They ask Ruth if everything's okay and Ruth tells them that Debbie is getting back together with Mark and bailing on the show. Carmen asks who she's going to fight and she admits she doesn't know. Cherry says they'll figure it out and they should go make a show. Everyone piles into the car and they head off. The group assembles in the Howard Family Ballrom of the Hayworth. Tammé asks how they're going to fill all the seats. Bash greets them, saying that he, Florian and some of the bellhops have been working on it all morning. He speaks into a microphone, which immediately squeals. Ruth calls on Sheila to fix the sound problem. One of the cameramen asks if the director is around. They need to position the tripods. She tells them there's to be no tripods. One replies that the network said to keep it simple, but Ruth tells him that the director is going for something a little different, visceral shots. It'll all be handheld, moving around with them. They should both pace the perimeter of the ring. One of them points out that if they do that, the viewers will see one of them in every shot. She says they'll figure it out. She reassures the girls that they have time to figure everything out.

Justine and Billy are sitting down to play board games when the doorbell rings. Billy's mother tells Justine there's someone there to see her. It's Sam. She asks how he found her and he says the called the pizza place and ordered a pizza. He shook down the kid who brought it and he sang like a canary. He says he's just there to talk and Justine tells him she doesn't have anything to say to him. He says he's sorry he tried to sleep with her, that he never would have if she had just told him that she's his daughter. He says that he gets there's no great way to deliver the news, but he doesn't get her coming out and pretending to audition for his show, then following him around like some crazed fangirl. It made things worse. She says she just wanted to meet him. It wasn't a diabolical plan. He asks if her name is really Justine. She says that it is - Justine Victoria Biagi. He says it's a nice name and asks if she's coming to the show. She admits that she doesn't actually care about wrestling and didn't do any of this so that she could wrestle. He says that it can only get better from there, at least, he thinks so, or hopes. She stays silent and he leaves.

As the girls get ready, Dawn applies glitter unibrow to Arthie. She and Stacey both agree that they like it, but Stacey comments to Rhonda that she actually doesn't like it at all, that it "looks crazy." Ruth tells them all to talk with Jenny about costumes once they're done with hair and makeup and to stretch with Cherry if they're just waiting around. Melrose asks who put her in charge and she asks if she wants to do it instead. Rhonda asks if Sam is okay and Ruth says that she wouldn't call it okay, but he'll be fine, being Sam. Bash arrives, asking where Sam is. Ruth tells him he had a "family emergency" and Bash comments that he doesn't have any family. Ruth says that that's the emergency and they'll need him to announce. He loves the idea - he says he brought his tuxedo and was born for it. She wrote all of his lines. He says he'll probably embroider them, looking at her cards and asking about the newly described tag-team match that's ending everything. Melrose, Sheila and Tammé sneak a peek at the audience, which is sparse. Tammé comments that if you want people to sit, you have to give them something. Melrose says that she has $300 cash in her bag. Sheila has $5, minus money for ice cream. They run to a showing of Back to the Future, offering $10 each to get people to sit to watch the show. Melrose comments that the movie is sold out until midnight, so they're never going to get a seat for that anyway. A guy asks who they are. Sheila says that they're the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling and if he wants to see more, he's going to have to take the money and meet her at the Hayworth.

Bash puts on his tuxedo and makeup, glitter on his eyelids. Jenny fusses with a sewing machine and Bash greets Glen Klitnick. Bash leaves the room and Glen greets Cherry as "Detective Chambers," telling her that she knocked her audition out of the park. He claims his lips are sealed on whether or not she actually got the part, but he heard that they're setting her up for a costume fitting next week. He says she'll have to give Sam and Bash notice. She asks if she can't do both, but he thinks that would be too confusing for the audience. He leaves, wishing everyone good luck. Cherry looks troubled. Outside, Bash introduces the show, but struggles with microphone feedback. He encourages everyone to cheer, boo and be a part of the show. A woman boos. Bash begins the show, introducing Rhonda as "the smartest woman in the world, Britannica!" He says that her brain is four pounds heavier than that of the average girl. With her is her trusty, GLOW-bot. Her opponent is introduced as being from the dusty, dangerous deserts of Lebanon - Arthie as the terrorist Beirut. Sam says that they'll do anything to win, hijack the whole match if she has to. Britannica, however, has brains, brawn and beauty - a triple threat. The match begins and the two go at it. The crowd is stirred up as Britannica goes on the attack, encouraging her to break the terrorist's arms. Beirut, however, escapes, and slams Britannica down, using her signature move, the Lebanese Cannonball. A man curses her and spits from the audience. Someone else throws a beer can at her. Keith asks what their problem is, telling them they have to go. He warns them to not make him come out. Backstage, Rhonda, who got it, is patched up by Arthie. She says it was really intense and Arthie agrees that everyone out there hated her, really hated her. Rhonda says it's a good thing.

Back in the ring, Reggie Walsh as Vicky Viking takes a pounding from Cherry Bang, Junkchain. She then gets the upper hand. Glen seems to be getting into the show. Keith tells her to get out of the corner as the pounds into Junkchain with her Bronco Buster. Bash asks if Junkchain will be able to hippity-hop her way out of the Nordic Nightmare. Keith asks if she's okay and she tells him that she got the part. He says he's too excited to concentrate and she admits she doesn't know what to do. He tells her it's a leading role and they need to celebrate once the show is over. Vicky edges back in and they get back to wrestling. Backstage, Ruth is dealing with Stacey and Carmen, who needs to be ready in five minutes. Stacey tells Carmen to quit blinking. Ruth asks her how she's doing, referring to her panic attack in the rehearsal match. Carmen, breathing heavily, comments that it's a big crowd. Ruth tells her that at the beginning of every play, she picks something in the audience to look at, like a funny shirt or a broken chairback, then focuses her attention on it like a laser beam and it helps. Carmen suggests that she might take one of Bash's Quaaludes instead. As Sam arrives, Bash introduces the third match - Melrose vs. Sheila the She-Wolf. Sheila arrives, chained and growling. She breaks free of her chains and Bash screams that she's loose. He rings a bell and the fight begins. He says that it's not a beauty contest anymore, it's a wrestling match. Sam watches, and so do Debbie and Mark from the audience.

Debbie heads to the bar and gets a shot of tequila. Sam asks what she's doing. She's the title match and she needs to be backstage getting dressed. She tells him that he left, so everyone else had to make decisions. He tells her that the whole thing builds to U.S. vs. Russia and she tells him that Ruth has a contingency plan. She could wrestle herself and it would be entertaining. He calls her a quitter and she throws it back at him, downing her shot. She suggests some coffee for Sam. She returns to Mark, who asks if she wants to get some dinner. She says she wants to stay and support the girls, who worked really hard. He scoffs, saying that he's trying to keep an open mind, but he finds the whole thing silly. She says that this is exactly what he said about Paradise Cove. Bash welcomes the audience to the second half of the show and introduces the next match - Welfare Queen and Machu Piccu. Welfare Queen comments that it smells like donkey doo. Machu breathes deeply. Bash calls Welfare Queen a parasite on the economy and the crowd cheers for Machu. Carmen follows Ruth's tip and smiles, getting into things. She surges forward and the match begins in earnest. Welfare Queen pulls food stamps out of her breast pocket, tossing them to the ground. She says that she takes so much money from the government, she just throws it away. She stuffs them in Machu's mouth and beats her down. The crowd jeers, and Welfare Queen comments that she's cheating the system. Bash suggests that she's trying to bore Machu into submission. Machu gets back up and slams Welfare Queen. Welfare Queen flips her back over and Machu is downed. A man in the audience tells her she's got this. She gets back up and Power Bombs Welfare Queen. Bash says that justice has been restored. The bell rings and Machu is the winner. Sam, watching, grouses about the camera-people being in each other's shots. Justine appears, saying that maybe next time he should give them some direction. He tells her to next time not run away so that he has to come looking for her when he's supposed to directing. She says the costumes look good and it might cut together. He agrees that it might.

Bash announces the final showdown for the first GLOW crown. From Bolshevik Russia, it's Zoya the Destroya, and from the rice fields of China, Fortune Cookie. Bash says that the Red Menace is certainly looking menacing. Their opponents are, from the Sunshine Senior Living Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, Edna and Ethel Rosenblatt, the Beatdown Biddies. A man shouts from the audience, calling them lame. Edna and Ethel argue who will wrestle first, but Zoya and Fortune Cookie surge at them both. There's not much to it and a man again shouts it's dumb. The crowd is decidedly not into the match. The Biddies surge forward, but they both get kicked out of the ring. Bash declares Russia and China the night's winners and everyone boos. Then Zoya turns on Fortune Cookie, attacking her. It's now Russia vs. China. Zoya asks Fortune Cookie if she's ready. She agrees that she is, and gets suplexed. She is counted out. The audience jeers, and Zoya says they love to hate her. The crown is brought out by Florian. Zoya says that nobody can defeat her, that everyone is much too sissy. From the crowd, Debbie declares that she'll fight her. Zoya calls her a "bored housewife in dress." She calls herself a proud American mother. She speaks of freedom, saying she'll kick her Soviet ass back to Siberia. She pulls off her shirt, revealing her Liberty Belle costume. The audience goes wild.

Debbie tells Mark that if it's too silly for him, he can leave. Liberty Belle enters the ring. They fight, set to the song "Invincible." It is a wild match, complete with the special move that Debbie developed. It works and she downs Zoya. She is the winner and GLOW champion. Ruth tells her that she flew, and she goes to get her crown. Bash enters the ring, asking for her name. In a southern accent, she declares herself Liberty Belle, a small-town girl trying to do the right thing, what any American would do in the face of evil. She puts on the crown, but Welfare Queen enters the ring and snatches it, placing it on her head instead. She tells her that if she wants the crown back, she has to fight her for it. Debbie tells her it's over, but she replies that Sam changed it. Welfare Queen shouts to the crowd that America has turned it's back on her long enough. Tonight she takes back what she deserves. Bash says he can't believe what he's seeing. She slams Liberty Belle to the ground. He tells her to give back the crown, but she knocks him down too. Keith rings the bell and declares Liberty Belle out. Welfare Queen is the new champion. Bash says that's all they've got. Debbie exits the wrong, cursing him and asking him what that was. He says they had their sneaky little plan, and he had his, one that wasn't predictable. Zoya argues that theirs wasn't either. Sam says that the American hero winning the crown was totally predictable. Debbie asks if it's now about trying to win the crown back from Welfare Queen and he agrees that the money's in the chase. He says he's going to roll credits over the mayhem. Ruth tells Debbie their match was good. She says that she's sure she'll hate it when she sees it, but it felt good. Ruth tells her they were great, asking if she wants to grab a drink. Debbie tells her they're not there yet.

The credits roll over the chaos of the cast in the ring. During the credits, Sam works on editing the footage while Bash frets about the tape having been needed twenty minutes ago and that Glen has probably canceled them already. Sam finishes up and rewinds the tape. Bash races to deliver it. He hands it off to a K-DTV technician, who pops it in. The girls of GLOW gather before a TV at the hotel. Arthie asks if people are going to like it, wondering if maybe they really can't wrestle. She says she can't watch and gets up to leave, but they stop her and shush her. The show begins.

Guest starring

 * Britt Baron as Justine Biagi
 * Kimmy Gatewood as Stacey Beswick
 * Rebekka Johnson as Dawn Rivecca
 * Sunita Mani as Arthie Premkumar
 * Kate Nash as Rhonda Richardson
 * Marianna Palka as Reggie Walsh
 * Gayle Rankin as Sheila the She-Wolf
 * Kia Stevens as Tammé Dawson
 * Jackie Tohn as Melanie Rosen
 * Ellen Wong as Jenny Chey
 * Chris Lowell as Sebastian Howard
 * Bashir Salahuddin as Keith
 * Casey W. Johnson as Billy Offal
 * Rich Sommer as Mark
 * Andrew Friedman as Glen Klitnick
 * James Bachman as Bruce
 * Arturo del Puerto as Arturo
 * Andy Umberger as Patrick O'Towne

Co-starring

 * Alex Rich as Florian
 * Christine Elliott as Regina
 * Mario Revolori as Dude
 * Steven Allen as Spitter
 * Jason Medwin as Angry Dude #1
 * Derek James as Angry Dude #2
 * Winston James Francis as Goliath Jackson
 * Mike Ostroski as Technician