Pose: The Complicated Love of “Mother’s Day” (recap)

Pose is rushing through the calendar, bringing us to Mother’s Day this week in a tender and triumphant episode about the sometimes complicated love between mothers and their children.

Blanca’s Two Mothers

We saw an unprepared Blanca at her first Ball and how Elektra took Blanca in when she was at her lowest. In return for this past love, Blanca has some real talk with Elektra and reminds her that being a mother isn’t all basking in the glory of her children’s adoration. Elektra has been tough and unkind, and as a result she’s all alone in the hospital at one of the most important moments of her life. After she recovers, Elektra vows to be a better mother to her children, and she’ll start showing it by dominating at the balls. I have to admit, she lived up to her word with the tea her family was serving (you all have no idea how excited I am to make that pun).

Blanca also found out that her estranged mother had died. When Blanca goes to see her sister, the sister heartlessly trots out all the old misunderstandings and unkind attitudes about being transgender. Pray convinces Blanca to go to the funeral and make her peace with her mother. It’s as bad as Blanca feared, but Pray is the man of the hour for sticking up for her. Just before she leaves, an aunt shows some compassionate spine and invites her back to the family gathering. It’s no fairy tale, so it doesn’t go well, but one family member on your side is better than none. When Blanca wants to take the cookbook she and her mother had shared many fond memories over, things erupt and her brother-in-law becomes vile and violent. Blanca flees to the comfort of her new family and wants to honor her mother at the Mother’s Day ball. Ultimately, the sister shows up unexpectedly with the cookbook in hand and tells Blanca that their mother did love her and had a lot of regrets about the past, even if she wouldn’t accept Blanca for who she was. Blanca is trying to learn from her two mothers and be the best mother that she can, and it seems like she’s doing a good job of building a family of her own. Damon expressing his love gave her the opportunity to show her own love in a way that her mother wasn’t able to.

Patty and Angel

After Stan gets a promotion at work, his boss lashes out by giving Patty the address of Angel’s apartment. Patty tracks down the Evangalista apartment,  and thinking she’s a friend, Papi takes her to the Ball where she sees Angel walk. After the ball Patty asks Angel if they can talk, and now we have to wait until next week to see what’s going on!

The category is Perfect 10s: Face, Body, Realness

Elektra had her gender confirmation surgery this week, but the beauty of the experience was dampened by finding herself alone in the hospital with only Blanca to visit. She’s neglected her family, and as a result they compete at the ball without her. She seems to have made peace with them in the end though, and I hope House Abundance is able to regain its strength. Elektra’s taking big steps, and I think she’ll be much more satisfied with her life. I suspect she’s got some tough times ahead of herself though as she learns to live without the financial security she once had.

Ultimately the episode was about the challenges of maintaining relationships with and as flawed humans. In each instance this week, we realize that everyone missteps. Pray Tell’s discussion of his poor relationship with his father and how even now he struggles with blaming himself for his father’s abuse was heartbreaking. Over and over again we saw people trying to navigate their way through unfamiliar terrain, with differing degrees of success. From Patty’s trip through the looking glass at the ball to Elektra’s reemergence as a new, more maternal woman, everyone’s just figuring it out as they go along and getting back on track when they find themselves off course. It was lovely to see some hope for Blanca’s relationship with her family and powerful to see her acknowledging her own regrets about the end of her relationship with her mother.

I gotta admit, this week had me choked up and teary at times, but I also celebrated the triumph of Elektra’s outstanding win at the ball. The show manages to be bittersweet in all the best ways. My only complaint is that it feels like we’re rushing through the season and covering a lot of ground in each episode.

Pose airs Sundays at 9/8c on FX.