Pose’s First Season Ends in Triumph

Pose ended it’s first season with as much heart and joy as we’ve seen all season. No matter how difficult the theme or painful the emotion, this show always brings us back to love. Let’s talk about what we loved the most in season 1.

First and foremost, the balls. As someone who grew up far from the ball life, this was an introduction to a world that I’d only heard about before. Pose’s balls were a raucous and vibrant. The central figure of the balls was Billy Porter’s Pray Tell, and he was a delight to watch every week. Whether he was praising a perfect face or calling out someone for bringing Rayon onto the floor, the man was entertainment embodied. If you want to see stage and screen presence, Billy Porter does not disappoint and this role was made for him. I read that the balls are filled with the gentry of the 80s ball world, so now I want to go back and rewatch to see who’s there. Watching this I felt like I do every year when I see the Tony’s. It’s a glimpse of a bright, beautiful world that feels a little like a fantasy.

The very talented cast made each character whole and well-defined. I loved watching them walk, dance, sing, and fight, but the strength of the actors in showing the character’s hopes and fears was compelling. The vulnerability of the characters is what pulled us all in and made us care, and everyone was vulnerable. There was a moment midseason when Elektra is looking at her body in a mirror, and she looks so incredibly fragile in that moment. It broke my heart. And, in all honesty, going into the finale I was terrified that she or Angel was going to get killed. I mean, it’s a Ryan Murphy show, so I didn’t think it would really happen, but just seeing how exposed and vulnerable those two were at times was frightening. It’s not just them, if this showed us nothing else, we saw that everyone has their own fears and insecurities. Sure, the love and family in the show was inspiring and definitely what brought us all back week after week, but the character’s vulnerability and resilience in the face of a world that doesn’t care is what made the love and family all the more worthwhile.

Pose also didn’t shy away from any topic. The AIDS epidemic, privilege and inequality in the LGBTQ+ community, misunderstandings and prejudices about individuals who are transgender and how they are fetishized…everything was on the table. Everything was unpacked and laid out for us to see and understand, which will hopefully increase awareness. You can read endless articles about how important this show is and what it is doing, and that’s all true. But with all the important messages and deliberateness of this show, what we carry away from it is love and family, because that’s what the show is really about. The show isn’t just showing us a cast of characters that are generally not given space and representation, it’s making us care about and relate to individuals who are generally under-represented and often maligned on screen. Obviously, I’m speaking as an outsider to this world, but I imagine that the representation in this show is inspiring to many. FX has made a lot of noise about how Pose features the largest cast of transgender actors as series regulars and the largest recurring cast of LGBTQ actors every in a scripted series, not to mention breaking ground with Janet Mock as the first transgender woman of color to direct an episode of television. I hope young people everywhere are seeing this and feeling inspired to live and hope.

My one issue, particularly with the finale, is that I wish House of Ferocity hadn’t been so utterly destroyed. Granted, watching Elektra’s scorched earth campaign as she read them was gloriously vicious, but honestly, I just felt bad for the fledgling house. Sure, they’re a little more certain of their superiority than they ought to be, but come on now. Show me a person walking the floor that isn’t just a little full of themself. There doesn’t always have to be a bad guy, and I just wish they’d been able to share in some of the triumph.

I’ve barely talked about what happened or how talented the cast are, but you should just go see for yourself. The season starts off a little slow and it takes a while to get up to speed, but once things get going, it’s wonderful.

Pose has already been renewed for a second season. I think we can expect good things. Although, this first season will be hard to match. Angel has a new sense of independence and self. No offense to Evan Peters, but I really hope we don’t see much of Stan in season 2 (Patty can stay). As Elektra so elegantly stated, there’s no place for the bridge and tunnel crowd here. Blanca has laid a lot of potential responsibility on Angel, and it looks like she plans to be ready when the time comes for her to take over House Evangelista. Blanca was a good mother again and again, but now she’s got receipts in the form of a giant trophy that says, “Mother of the Year.” I don’t know what’s on the horizon for our favorite mother. Her positive status is bound to become more relevant, and I really hope our gal gets some romance in her life. I don’t think anyone believes Elektra is completely reformed, so I guess we’ll see where she heads next season as she gets back on her feet. Damon and Ricky are going to be apart, so you know there will be drama there. Papi is back home, but he’s still got a lot to figure out about what he’s going to do with his life. Pray Tell has a budding romance, so it will be nice to see that bloom. I wonder how the House of Ferocity will seek revenge.

What were your favorite moments from season 1?

Pose will return next year on FX. Season 1 is available now on the FX app and online.