Imagine being offered your dream job by the person you have worshiped your entire life. If it doesn’t sound relatable, it’s because most glamor is only aspirational. We are not happy to say that Glamorous is missing what it has promised with its name. We might have also settled for a good depiction of what goes on behind the scenes, but we were left a little underwhelmed by it all. However, once we realized that the simplicity of the problem-solving methods was opted for to create the fantasy of effortlessness, we had a whole new perspective of the show. It was entertaining and easy on the brain cells, though it felt odd that Marco, the supposed protagonist, did so little in the way of solving the company’s problems. Regardless, after close to ten hours of its runtime, we are sufficiently satisfied, so here is a recap of Glamorous Season 1.
Spoilers Alert
How Does Marco Find His Place In Glamorous By Madolyn?
Marco is an aspiring beauty blogger who has so far amassed a following of 300 subscribers. His mother wants him to get a job so that he can start pulling his weight, but Marco’s heart is set on working in the makeup industry. As he resigns himself to take up a job he hates for the money, Madolyn Addison walks into his store and, impressed by the ideas he has for her brand, hires him instantly to be her second assistant. Marco is excited for his job, though he is having a tough time adjusting to his new environment. Everyone is welcoming towards him, but there are tensions brewing underneath the surface. Chad Addison, the Director of Sales and Madolyn’s son is very threatened by Marco, and we only come to know the reason a little later into the series. Initially, we thought it is because Marco brings something fresh to the table while all of Chad’s ideas are dated and safe, the exact opposite of what the company needs right then. However, we later realize that Chad is annoyed at the attention that Madolyn gives to Marco, something that Chad is desperate to get for himself. For the initial few episodes, Chad is a bit of a caricaturish villain, like Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, and he does everything to sabotage Marco’s efforts for Glamorous. But Marco takes it in stride and turns things around for himself. There is a point when Marco actually gets fired because he forgets important samples in an Uber. Marco manages to bring them back, and this is the start of his first love story (Parker) and a second chance at his career. But it is a while before Chad and Marco come around.
Chad wants his mother to sell Glamorous to Vendermiaire, a global beauty company that acquires smaller companies and brings them under its wing. Madolyn doesn’t like the idea but finds herself out of options when Chad tells her that the company is running in losses, and they need the money from the acquisition to keep running. While Madolyn is struggling with this new revelation and trying to come up with the idea that could potentially save the company, Marco manages the tempers and fears at Glamorous. When Madolyn finally comes back and asks Marco how Chad has been, Marco stands up for him and tells his boss how Chad has really come through for everyone. Chad is eavesdropping at his mother’s door, and hearing Marco say such nice things about him soothes some of his insecurity and teaches him to consider him an ally.
What Happens To The Sale Of Glamorous?
Mykynnleigh is the lawyer sent by Vendermiaire to negotiate the sale of Glamorous, and she is out for blood. Glamorous needs to prove that it has real value to its customers if it wants the sale with Vendermiaire to go through, and that is the idea that Madolyn was trying to come up with. But when she has no leads, Marco’s idea of using pride as their campaign, presented by Chad, hits the jackpot. However, the whole thing is not without its hiccups.
Venetia, Madolyn’s first assistant, is extremely paranoid about the whole process since she has dedicated herself entirely to Glamorous. Mykynnleigh had offered to set her up for a job interview with Revlon, but Venetia had decided to stay loyal to Glamorous. Venetia hoped for a bright future next to Madolyn herself, and the company’s current crisis meant that her own future was at risk since she did not have a “safety net” to fall back on. While the pride campaign is green-lit and almost ready to go, Madolyn and the rest of the company realize that they have come up with a catchy line, but they don’t really have a strong message. Therefore, with just seven days to go, Madolyn decides to rework the entire campaign. Her staff is finding very little success with it because none of them is able to hit the nail on the head. Venetia, upon the insistence of Mykynnleigh, comes up with a backup plan where the most recent campaign is collected and ready to go if Madolyn is not able to come up with anything by the end of the day. However, Venetia decides to check her impulse and trust Madolyn. She gives her the idea to model in the campaign herself, with the pictures being from the makeup room to convey the realness they want to project. The idea works, and Glamorous finally has the perfect campaign. Yet, this is not the end of the road.
Madolyn realizes that Mykynnleigh has a mole in the company that is helping them down value the sale price for Glamorous. When she initially suspects Teddy, her longtime friend and chauffeur, she places a sly trap where she discusses with her boyfriend, in front of Teddy, that the company has other offers that they are considering. The trick works, and Vendermiaire doubles its offer. That is when it is also revealed that it wasn’t Teddy but Madolyn’s boyfriend who was the mole. This revelation puts a pause on the whole story, and Venetia spirals with anxiety as to what it could mean for her future. Therefore, she goes behind Madolyn’s back and gives the formulation of Glamorous products to Mykynnleigh so that she can use them as leverage to get Madolyn to sign the deal. But of course, this was a foolish thing to do, and Mykynnleigh instead called off the deal by preparing to use the formula to make some knockoffs of Glamorous’ products that Vendermiaire would sell under its own name. This means that Glamorous must prepare to shut down soon. However, Marco, Chad, and Venetia came up with an idea that could just save the company. Venetia has been working on an organic product line, and she proposes that Glamorous sell out its entire present inventory and announce that all of its future products will be organic. Madolyn is ready to take the risk with this idea, and from the looks of its success, it might just save the company.
‘Glamorous’ Ending Explained: What Happens To Venetia And Marco?
The ending of Glamorous felt like a soft opening for Season 2. First things first, Chad finally tells Madolyn that he wants to start growing out of her shadow, and for that reason, he is leaving Glamorous. Though Madolyn is somewhat upset with this, she cannot stop Chad from finding his own way. Something similar is also happening to Marco, whose mother is moving elsewhere for a new job, and he must now look for new accommodation. He finds a really run-down place, and we doubt that he will last long in it. As for Venetia, she confesses to Madolyn about what she has done and is obviously fired. But she earns her place back when she selflessly helps Glamorous through a tough situation, and that gets Madolyn’s forgiveness and a promotion at the company to the position of Creative Executive.
Coming back to Marco, he finally takes a firm stand that he will not have anything to do with Parker, and even though he has some feelings for Ben, he decides to stay just friends. In the meantime, he has stirred up some trouble online when he seemingly shaded a popular influencer for returning her PR packages of Glamorous’ products. Naturally, as with a lot of fandoms, the influencer’s fans are after Marco’s blood even though he posts an apology video. At the end of Glamorous, we see the influencer reaching out to Marco with a note, asking to move on from it all. We suspect that she must want a collaboration with Glamorous or that she might have a bigger role to play in Glamorous Season 2.
On the other hand, Chad’s father makes an unwelcome reappearance right when Madolyn starts moving on with Teddy. We expect a beautiful relationship in the making, but something might just go wrong with Chad’s father involved. Finally, we see Marco making his way to see a transgender specialist, possibly to start the next leg of his journey toward his identity.
Final Thoughts
Glamorous was a softer version of The Devil Wears Prada while being LGBTQIA+ friendly. This show is pure fun, as long as a few things are not taken too seriously. We are also in awe of Kim Cattrall, and even though the show’s introduction doesn’t say it, she is the star that everyone counted on. We have enjoyed watching Glamorous, and it is really one of the more watchable shows of the year. Do not miss out on this.
