Pose

[SmoothLover]

They should not have devoted the entire episode to Candy's death. The script felt contrived and having the spirit of Candy have conversations with everyone became redundant. And it was easy to predict that Porter's character would decide to take the pills.

I do not know about anyone else, but I cringe whenever they take the AZT because they have no idea what it did to people's bodies as the years progressed.

[east side story]

I’m very hot and cold with this show, but admittedly have enjoyed my viewing experience more so than any other Murphy production. That last episode, however, really got me. I was fine until that Stephanie Mills scene, which reduced me to tears. A truly magical moment.

Candy finally got her 10’s.

[Jordan Catalano]

Yeah that character who’s been pretty much I awful since episode one and spent the first part of this episode being even more obnoxious than ever sure did deserve an entire episode centered around how wonderful she was. Makes perfect sense in Ryan Murphy land.

[east side story]

Does this show have issues with writing? Yes.

Does it all seem a little too earnest? Yes.

Are some of the performances cringe-worthy at times? Yes.

But I will continue to watch because whether you like the guy or not, Ryan Murphy is providing a platform for the underrepresented. A contemporary Norman Lear, he is shining a light into the often ignored margins of our society. Listen, I loathed everything about Glee, and could never take more than three episodes of even his Jessica Lange-led projects, but he is providing work and entertainment that would otherwise not exist. By extension, he is changing lives and the landscape of modern television.

But yes, Glee was an abomination. 

[Jordan Catalano]

What you're essentially saying is that people should just take what they can get. And I get it and I ain't mad at you for it and I'll continue to watch "Pose" for the same reason and that it has some actors I really love. But what I'm saying is that if these past two weeks are any indication of things to come, we can expect the downfall of quality here has just begun. 

[Miles2Go2]

The good news is a perusal of IMDb indicates that Murphy didn’t direct any of the upcoming episodes. However, he still has a co-writing credit. Unfortunately, the director of the first 2 episodes of the season (the strongest of the series in my opinion) is not attached to any of the upcoming episodes. But as others have said, I’ll continue to watch. I’ll watch because it’s groundbreaking television and because I lived through this era albeit more via the mostly cisgender gay white male community who occasionally went to Sunday drag shows in Oklahoma, but lost many friends to AIDS.

[SmoothLover]

It will be kind of fun if the dancer gets into Alvin Ailey.

[Kristie-K2]

Billy Porter....Emmy Nomination.....Best Actor.....So happy for him

[luvcaroline]

Kristie-K2 said: "Billy Porter....Emmy Nomination.....Best Actor.....So happy for him"

Also, Pose is nominated for best dramatic series!

[Kristie-K2]

That is Amazing......

[uncageg]

Disappointed that only Porter got nominated.

 

Seems people have different thoughts about Candy.  I really liked the character.

[Miles2Go2]

I just thinking the acting in most instances can’t match that on other shows. Having said that, I still think it’s an important show and is giving important visibility to many of the cast who probably haven’t been given much opportunity to act before.

[uncageg]

I think it is capturing the community and the time period pretty well. 

That mish mash of years for the Solid Gold segment was strange though. That show didn't happen, which we may find out, and the some of the music they used had come out a few years earlier. At least the Janet Jackson song had.

[Jordan Catalano]

And the Madonna vogue audition without any Madonna music was odd.

And one more thing - Blanca needs to paint her goddamn walls already. She’s lived in that apartment for years at this point, don’t tell me they can’t go into a store and steal a few cans of paint.

[SmoothLover]

I am so happy for Porter's nomination as well as the series nomination. I liked the audition episode tonight. It had a little NYC whimsey to it, where people arrive everyday with a dream and a some romantic notions.

[uncageg]

Jordan Catalano said: "And the Madonna vogue audition without any Madonna music was odd.

And one more thing - Blanca needs to paint her goddamn walls already. She’s lived in that apartment for years at this point, don’t tell me they can’t go into a store and steal a few cans of paint."

 

Yeah, I immediately wondered if they couldn't use her music due to rights or something. But that would seem weird. I was thinking at first that we might get a surprise cameo from her but after her music wasn't being used, that left my mind.

The walls don't bother me. Lots of places like that back then and in a lot of cases, landlords wouldn't let you paint.

 

[Bettyboy72]

I think Damon is a really mediocre dancer. In the last episode when his teacher pulled him out to show the class he was marking during the number. I just can’t buy he’s an amazing dancer.

That being said I enjoy this show more than any other at the moment. The characters are great and it’s Murphy’s most consistent show.

[Miles2Go2]

I agree about the dancing. None of these “dancers” would’ve made it as voguers back in the day. I also agree with another poster on another thread that they’ve pushed out drag queens to rewrite history to make it almost exclusively about transgender people. Not every person who wore a dress back then was seeking gender reassignment surgery.

I thought this was a slight improvement over the week before which I thought was pretty bad, but it didn’t accomplish much other than perhaps leading Damon & Ricky to reconcile. I’m not sure what the point was in having them audition for the Blond Ambition Tour. We knew to be historically accurate, they wouldn’t get the job plus they’d have to probably leave the show while they were on “tour.” But most importantly, finding out they weren’t cast was handled in the most anti-climatic way possible.

With the expert acting, directing and writing occurring on Big Little Lies, When They See Us, Euphoria, and Years and Years, this really pales in comparison in almost every way. I know many trans actors and actresses haven’t been given as much opportunity to hone their craft so it’s laudable that they’re given that opportunity here. On the other hand, Transparent and Euphoria (to name two) have proven that trans actresses can do outstanding work when given good scripts and direction. So that suggests the biggest hurdles for this show are the writing and direction. It’s doubtful they’ll feel the need to fix that. They’re being lauded (including award noms) for what they’re doing now and viewership is reportedly growing so why would they?

I know they’re partially just going for Camp, but they also want us to care about these characters and as written, they come across as less than three-dementional. Electra is the least believable. One minute she is ready to have Damon hobbled and then after very briefly talking to Bianca, she changes her tune. Still, in this day and age with that THING in the White House, I’m glad this show exists. I’ll keep watching. I just wish it did a better job of honoring those who lived and died during this important era (and those who still fight today). Instead it often feels like we get cardboard cutouts walking through important events of the era. I loved the first episode of the season. For me it’s the best episode of the season thus far. I hope they can return to that.

[uncageg]

I also agree about the exclusion of drag queens. They are and were a very big part of the community. The drag community did a lot of fundraising during the AIDS crisis and beyond.

[LuPita2]

Loved this episode, I have missed seeing Ricky as much this season. Great dancer.

The walls don't bother me. Lots of places like that back then and in a lot of cases, landlords wouldn't let you paint.

Exactly. They are poor and the apartment's walls and furniture represent that. Wouldn't make sense otherwise. 

[SmoothLover]

I think the show has good intentions and has a lot to say about community. Even though the characters within the community can get catty with one another they still have each others backs when push comes to shove. So I am willing to overlook the quality of the production in terms of writing, acting and historical accuracy. When I put all of that aside and open myself up to the world of the characters I find I rather enjoy the show even when some episodes are better than others.

It is like I love the movie TRICK. If one wanted to get critical it could picked apart to the bone. But the intentions are pure and the Village sequences make a lovely background to the story. The movie makes me feel good and Pose does the same thing though its bravery in it's themes and the communities it represents.

[uncageg]

Tonight's episode just crossed my mind. I am willing to bet that either Elektra or Blanca will take over emceeing the balls temporarily and it will cause even more of a rift between houses. Just a thought.

[uncageg]

Well I was wrong! They went in another direction.

A nice "side" episode. So nice to see Candy. Nice performance by miss Ross.

[Miles2Go2]

It was a really good episode. This plus the first episode of this season are the highlights for me.

[uncageg]

And I LOVE that Bernhard did the nod to Prince. One of my, and many others, favorite songs by him!