Pose Season 1 Ep. 1 Recap

Photo: JoJo Whilden/FX

In this era of cinematic, "peak TV," television of virtually all genres and subject matter is viewed under a magnifying glass by increasingly savvy viewers hip to every plot twist or hint of symbolism. When it comes to stories about disenfranchised groups, the heat from the metaphorical magnifying glass gets even hotter, as these shows--from Insecure and Atlanta to HBO's equally praised and reviled Looking--often get tasked with not just being good, but with representing the full breadth and scope of the communities they represent.

Of course this is logically impossible, but on an emotional level makes complete sense. When you're used to being the sidekick and finally get to see yourself as the hero, you want every stitch of the costume to be right.

It's with this expectation Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's creation Pose makes it debut. Set in the New York LGBT ballroom scene of the 1980s, the show--clearly indebted to the iconic 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning--puts a laser focus on the struggles and triumphs of outcasts who form families of their own when shunned by their biological ones.

The pilot highlights the struggle part of the equation early on, as Blanca, the black sheep of the House of Abundance, learns she's HIV positive and Damon, a closeted aspiring dancer, gets beaten then kicked out of the house by his homophobic father, and shamed by his mother, who reminds him he'll contract AIDS and die if he doesn't repent of his "sinful" lifestyle. Despite the lurid creativity of the world in which it is set, Pose is not interested in being a nostalgic, escapist fantasy.

What Damon initially lacks but Blanca has in spades is resilience. She explains to ballroom emcee Pray Tell (played by the inimitable Billy Porter) that knowing her status has given her, a young transwoman, something missing from all other areas of her life: certainty. She's on borrowed time, which leads her to make big changes, like getting her own apartment and breaking away from her verbally abusive house mother Elektra to form her own house. We're also introduced to Angel (who bears a striking resemblance to late ballroom legend Angie Xtravaganza), a House of Abundance member who defects to Blanca's newly christened House of Evangelista. Angel also works as a prostitute, and catches the eye of Stan, a yuppie from Jersey who recently landed a job with Donald Trump. Instead of sex they talk and listen to music, and later share a sweet kiss in the car to Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill." But Stan is also married, a point he coldly hammers home when Angel later surprises him outside his office building.

While Blanca and Angel are veteran street survivalists, Damon is barely keeping it together, dancing to earn spare change (where he runs into Blanca) before getting robbed while he sleeps on a park bench. He eventually accepts the offer to join her house after initally blowing her off, and gets a crash course in vogueing and ballroom style. However, Damon is still filled with self-doubt and lies about turning in his application to a prestigious dance academy. A furious Blanca manages to talk main instructor Helena St. Rogers into giving him an audition, which leads to one of the best, if not the best scenes of the pilot. Damon's performance to Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" is beautiful in its awkwardness and effervesence, as he gives himself over to the music and the full vibrancy of his personality springs out; then, once the music stops, he pushes it back down just as quickly, turning his back to the instructors and crying. If that didn't hit you right in the feels, Helena dropping her no-nonsense demeanor and hugging him probably did the trick, along with the good news he got into the program.

Damon's performance, along with all the ballroom performance scenes, are thrilling to watch. Elektra's stunt to steal historic royal couture from a local museum then serve that shit for the gods, regally holding out her hands to be cuffed by the police as she and her children are taken away certainly deserves 10's across the board. I mean slay girl. Slay. I also love that Murphy, Falchuk and the writing staff (which includes activist and author Janet Mock) are not shying away from serious topics like AIDS, drugs or prostitution as a means of survival, and depicts these things as unfortunate, but routine facts of life for the characters.

However, it is not a perfect episode. At times, the dialogue could be very on the nose, at times almost stilted. Blanca and Elektra's big confrontation is a prime example. I know the kids can be dramatic, but their fight felt more like a tv show within a tv show than two people having an actual conversation. Elektra's delivery was so extra it obscured much of the emotion. Also, as uncomfortable as it may have been, it may have helped if scenes like the one between Damon and his parents had been given a more room to breathe; in particular it felt like the actor portraying his father was rushing his lines, racing against some imaginary clock.

But there is still much to like about Pose, and hopefully the series will take as much interest in delving into the characters' inner lives as it does in them getting their lives on the ballroom floor.

Other Thoughts:

• Loved the low key cameo from a real life ballroom legend, as one of the judges featured was Jose Gutierrez of the House of Xtravaganza. Yes boo, that Jose. 

• While his story arc is the one I'm least interested in, I like how the show draws a parallel between Stan and the other characters. While his life is much easier and privileged, Stan is in his own way an outsider in the upper crust, whitebread world the ballroom kids imitate and want to inhabit so badly.

• From Kate Bush and Eric B. and Rakim to Chaka Khan and Patti Labelle, the musical choices were ace.

• Blanca may have lost the challenge to the House of Abundance, but she did gain a new member. Lil' Papi is gonna break some hearts on and off the floor. 

• Angel is impressed Stan landed a job working for Donald Trump and is equally impressed by his golden toilets. Well child it was 1987, and the greed is good mentality was still in full effect. But she gon' learn. 

• Who knew Dawson liked that booger sugar?

Those One Liners 'Tho

• "Why don't you give mother a Sominex instead?"

• "Ideas are ingredients. Only a real mother knows how to prepare them."

• "It's fleet week. And I'm not talking about enemas children."

• "Girl, I'm going to eat you like an after dinner Rolaid."

• "Halston...for JC Penney?!"

• "Back it up! Be kind to one another. Damn!"