Pose — Page 4

I agree it was a weak episode, the weakest of the season which started out on a high note, but Murphy directed the episode (the first of the season) and I just think he is largely style over substance especially when he’s directing from scripts he helped write. He does not seem to have a good ear for dialogue and ways to capture the natural way people talk while also making it compelling. It’s more noticeable here because you have many actors and actresses who are relatively new to acting professionally so can’t really sell the clunky dialogue. Sadly that includes Sandra Bernhard who, while not a novice, is not a good actress. Billy Porter and Indya Moore are doing the best job on the series. I also was impressed with Hailie Sahar’s acting in this episode.

I see some similarities with Glee. Both were rightfully considered ground-breaking, but it quickly became clear it was more stylized with no understanding on how to develop storylines or three dimensional characters. However, I watched Giee until the end. I will also continue to watch Pose whatever its flaws. It’s a much more important series than Glee which makes the mishandling of it so frustrating.

I admit I’ve never watched AHS. But my favorite Murphy-related production is HBO’s adaptation of The Normal Heart, which goes to my point that Murphy does best when he is directing scripts he didn’t have a heavy hand in writing. Yes, he has a co-write credit, but it is based largely on Larry Kramer’s play. That movie never fails to leave me a sobbing mess.

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.

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.

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.

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

That is Amazing......

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.

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.

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.

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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.

Updated On: 7/19/19 at 10:43 PM

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.

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.

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