Spoilers ahead!

My god. Last night's episode of Pose was, in my opinion, the best of the season thus far. We got to see, for the first time in television, two dark skin Black men of different generations, who are HIV positive, make love. This may not seem as shocking as the fact that it was Pray Tell and Ricky, but to those who understand the systematic oppression of Black gay men in film and television, this hits many ignored intersections. Let's start with the fact that these two characters have been portrayed as villainous throughout the show. The fact that we got to see them be gentle, open, and versatile, was a good choice on the writers’ end. (Even though Ricky's confession to Damon about exposing him to the virus put him back in his villain role.)

As if that wasn't enough, tempers flared and shade was thrown after Damon's graduation from The New School for Dance. Graduating from any establishment is a sensitive thing, especially for queer folk who are most likely bullied through the education process. We see the tension escalate at Damon's graduation party where an inebriated Angel throws shade at Damon's success, which leads to all the tea being spilled about her drug use. This eventually leads to Blanca and Elektra finding out that Pray Tell has been sleeping with Ricky — something that is highly regarded as taboo in the ballroom community. Rumors of house parents sleeping with their children still plagues the community low-key (but that's a different article for a different day.)

The episode ends with Angel, Papi, and Damon leaving The House of Evangelista to pursue their dreams, leaving Blanca sad and alone. And thus the cycle of motherhood. Elektra made a good point that good mothers set their children free to the world and take on new kids. Hopefully, we'll see that happen in season 3. Overall, this was the spiciest episode of the season and I'm glad to see that the cast is truly ACTING now, and are no longer laying down when they're supposed to be standing up.

Heyy Friend

I caught up with series extra Daria Dee (She/Her) @itsMeDaria and asked her to share her experience working on Pose.