I’m Late To The Party But Pose Is Really Good!
Yup. It’s better late than never, but I’ve recently binged on a simple but fun show called Pose. Co-created by the campy mastermind behind shows like America Horror Story, Feud, and Glee, Ryan Murphy has another winner in his back pocket with Pose.
But I guess you already know that. However, what’s so great about it? Well, in honor of the upcoming second season (premieres on June 11th on FX), let me break down the important points on why this is awesome show. Well, at least for me.
First of all, I was attracted by the cast. I’m a huge fan of Evan Peters I find him extremely underrated, and this show proves my point. He’s well capable of delivering mature performances despite his young age and boyish appearance. He’s perfectly suited for the role of Stan Bowes. He’s a young husband, a father of two small children who’s greatly dissatisfied by his marriage, job and pretty much life. He begins an affair with Angel Evangelista (Indya Moore), a transgender sex worker, and finds it hard to navigate the dual life. His wife (played by Kate Mara) eventually finds out about his arrangement and well… I’m not going to spoil it for you.
But aside the in the closet, conformist lifestyle of the yappie men in the 80’s corporate America, the series touches down on so many related issues. The macho, alpha male dominance of the Gordon Gecko type of executives that were rampant in that era, the casual drug habit that they had, the backstabbing, the manipulation and so much more. But what the show really brings to the table is the looming fear of the then unknown AIDS disease, the Latino ball culture world, the downtown social and literary scene. Plenty of the actors in Pose are either gay, trans-gender or both, and I really applaud that. The representation of the LGBT community is strong with the show (as expected from a Ryan Murphy series), but the honesty regarding the problems and the stigma that they face is refreshing. The show is not trying to sugarcoat the issues or diminish their importance in painting the bigger picture.
Billy Porter and Mj Rodriguez are on top of their game here, the soundtrack is really off the hook, the elaborate costumes are outstanding and the entire show is just amazing. It’s really worth the binge. I highly recommend it. The first season was truly amazing. I can hardly wait for season 2 of Pose.
