Mj Rodriguez as Blanca Evangelista. (Photo credit: Jojo Whilden/FX)
FX’s Pose is a show that just keeps getting better and better with each episode. You might have read my first episode review, and you might have read I had some things I initially worried about, such as how it seemed like the “good” characters were all lighter-skinned than the “villain” character. But now that wer’re several episodes in, I’m so glad that everyone, including Elektra Abundance, have been fleshed out to be fully-rounded characters with wants and needs, good sides and bad sides. And overall, Pose is just one of the most joyful shows on television, despite focusing on some heavy issues, such as the handling of the AIDS crisis during the 1980s. In fact, I’d asked on Twitter this question a few days ago:
Is there any prestige television show that’s actually happy? Most prestige shows deal in drama, which might make us believe that happiness isn’t worth investigating or reveling in. Just thinking out loud.
— Monique Jones (@moniqueblognet) July 11, 2018
And while many people told me Sense8 is one such show, I think Pose also fits the bill. At its heart, it’s a show about family, love, and acceptance, as well as the bravery to go after your dreams in a world that’s dead set against you. It’s a show that teaches empathy while entertaining. It’s absolutely great. Also, a kid who went to school with my kid sister, Ryan Jamaal Swain, is on that show. Even though I don’t know him, my sister does, so I want him to do well.
Thankfully, Ryan can keep repping Birmingham proudly, since he’s going to play Damon for more than just one season! Pose has been renewed for Season 2, and I’m so excited! I’m also relieved, since I’d been hearing rumblings about the ratings not being all that great. But I’d also been hearing that the ratings had been building each week the more folks learned about the show, so I guess the latter turned out to be true.
Pose is definitely a show that deserves a second season. In fact, I’d say a second season is necessary for show like this, since it’s such an important show. I know the word “Important” gets bandied about a lot in the Prestige Television age. But I honestly do feel Pose is a show that has captured lightning in a bottle, and it’s a show that is not just a fun hour of television, but it’s also a doorway for other trans actors and creators to break into Hollywood. Just to prove my point: Indya Moore is now going to star and executive produce a modern TV take on Frankenstein called Magic Hour. Another case in point: Janet Mock has made history as the first trans woman of color to write and direct TV. Just think of the other trans women of color who have been inspired by Mock, Moore, and the other women who are a part of the show both behind-the-scene and on camera.
So, in short: Hooray for Pose! I can’t wait for Season 2!