Glamorous (2023) follows Marco Mejia as he gets his dream job working for one of the biggest beauty brands in New York but has to do a lot of growing up too. The series is streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary:
Marco Mejia is an aspiring beauty influencer who works in the makeup section at the mall. His mother, Julia, is a lawyer who wants him to get serious and start a real job in life.
One day, he faces Madolyn Addison, the creator of ‘Glamorous by Madolyn’, Marco’s favorite beauty brand. Madolyn enjoys Marco’s unfiltered opinion of her products so she hires him as her second assistant.
At work, she meets Madolyn’s high-strung son, Chad, her ambitious assistant, Venetia, two designers named Britt and Ben, and the social media head, Alyssa.
Marco’s first week is a total mess as he struggles to keep up with the job demands. Meanwhile, Chad feels insecure because his mother considers the new kid’s opinion more important than his own.
He tries to get Venetia to help him sabotage Marco by convincing her that Marco is out for her job. He doesn’t succeed, but Marco is eventually fired after leaving some important samples in another person’s Uber.
He gets hired back after tracking down the passenger, Parker, and reclaiming the samples. Parker sends Marco his number and implies that he’s interested in him.
Ben is really into Marco but doesn’t have the courage to ask him out. Britt tries to facilitate something by getting them all to go to a drag bar together.
Ben tries to flirt with Marco but Marco is more interested in Parker at that point. Madolyn meets a man named James at the office and ends up going on a date with him.
Chad is attempting to convince Madolyn about a deal with a company called Vendermiaire to buy them out but she doesn’t want to let go of her legacy so easily.
When she learns that the company is hemorrhaging money and Chad tried to keep it a secret, she agrees to go through with the sale but by then, the negotiator for Vendermiaire, Mykynnleigh, finds out about the finances too.
She says that they need to prove to their prospective buyers that they have potential so Madolyn holes up at home to figure something out. Chad asks the other employees for ideas and Marco suggests launching a Pride campaign.
Mykynnleigh and the board love the idea and are excited to see what they come up with. Marco has an on-off relationship with Parker because he is embarrassed to be seen outside with him.
He also makes out with Ben while they’re on drugs but makes it clear that he doesn’t want anything serious. Britt and Venetia begin dating but as soon as things get serious, Venetia backs off and Britt accuses her of being afraid of commitment.
Venetia is always paranoid about her job and keen to get a promotion so she comes up with the idea to launch an organic line with the Pride campaign, an idea that Madolyn approves.
One week before the launch, Madolyn realizes that their campaign is too vague and doesn’t have a clear message so she asks everyone to start from scratch.
Everyone works round the clock with Chad and Venetia worrying because Madolyn keeps shooting down their drafts. Mykynnleigh also hovers around because Vendermiaire is also curious about what’s going on.
Madolyn begins dating James and he is a little cautious of Madolyn’s relationship with her long-time driver, Teddy. They finally deliver a successful campaign with Mykynnleigh promising an offer at the launch party.
Chad looks to his mother for too much approval, something he realizes with the help of Julia. He decides to leave the company once the sale is final so that he can do something on his own.
After being burned one too many times, Marco finally gets rid of Parker but he hurts Ben deeply in the process and doesn’t know how to fix it.
Venetia finds out that there was a recording device in Madolyn’s car and she takes it to Chad and Madolyn. They all assume that Teddy was the mole and use it to get a better offer from Vendermiaire but Mykynnleigh lets it slip that James was the real spy.
Madolyn puts a hold on the deal but Venetia is determined to look out for herself so she hands their proprietary formulas to Mykynnleigh to help push the sale through.
However, Vendermiaire uses the formula to create their own cheaper copies and backs out of the sale. Venetia finds a solution to their problem by suggesting they switch to organic and have a clear out of their original products.
She does feel the guilt and eventually confesses to Madolyn that she was the one who gave the formulas away.
Glamorous (2023) ending explained in detail:
What happens between Madolyn and Teddy?
After he is accused of being a spy, Teddy leaves Madolyn and brings in a replacement. When she disappears right before a big meet and greet, Chad calls Teddy to find out where she must have gone.
He finds her at her home and drives her to the location after giving her a pep talk. Teddy knows Madolyn the best because of how long they have worked together and he tried to warn her about James.
James says that Teddy has feelings for Madolyn and while he denies that he’s in love with her, he does say that he likes her. She says that she likes him too so they agree that the arrangement they had before where they were close friends works.
Madolyn’s ex and Chad’s father is in town and Teddy spends time with Madolyn at home so that she doesn’t run into him on the streets. He does show up unannounced at the office with his intentions unknown.
Where does Julia go?
Julia loses her job but when Marco finds out that Glamorous is looking for a trademark lawyer, he puts in her name. She begins working at the office with him and offers advice when he needs it.
She also spends a lot of time with Chad and helps him come to terms with some pretty big issues. When things are going downhill and the sale isn’t certain, Julia begins looking for other jobs.
She ultimately gets one in Phoenix, Arizona, and she tells Marco that she’s moving away so he’ll have to finally be independent in his life.
Does Madolyn forgive Venetia?
Venetia is fired from her job after admitting the truth to Madolyn and she moves in with Britt to save on rent. When Chad faces an issue with a supplier, he has to go to Venetia for help.
She solves the issue and does not ask for anything in return, something that Chad makes sure to tell Madolyn.
Venetia is allowed to come back to collect a box of her old belongings but it is in Chad’s office. He reveals that it is her office and Madolyn comes in to say that she is the new Creative Executive.
What happens between Marco and Ben?
Marco runs afoul of a social media influencer and faces heavy backlash from her fans so he tries to find her so that he can apologize. He does this with Ben’s help after making peace with him.
They don’t succeed but things are back to normal between Marco and Ben but it isn’t clear whether they will date again or not. The sure thing is that Marco is over Parker who tries one last time to get what he wants.
What is in store for Marco?
Marco has to look for a new place since his mother is moving away and he crashes on Britt’s couch for a few weeks. He ends up agreeing to share a place with Dizmal, the friend he made the drag bar Venetia took him to.
During her return party, Marco dips out and when she goes to his desk looking for something, she finds a card for a transgender specialist that implies Marco is trying to understanding what gender he identifies with most.
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