By Eva Bajema
Fabulous outfits, the 80s, drama, a story of friendship and emancipation. That’s Ryan Murphy’s Pose in a nutshell. Netflix describes the series as follows: in 1987, a diagnosis spurs ball fixture Blanca to start her own house in the Bronx, where she soon takes in homeless dancer Damon and sex worker Angel.
This series takes you along with multiple characters, each chasing their own dreams but also having their own struggles. Main character Blanca gets diagnosed with AIDS, which triggers her to start her own house and make a lasting impression on the world. The first person she takes into her house, Damon, dreaming of becoming a professional dancer, goes to New York after being thrown out of his parents house. There, he falls in love with bad boy Ricky, who soon also joins the house of Evangelista. Then, there’s Papi, who finds himself dealing drugs after having had a rough childhood. Blanca’s best friend and fellow trans-woman Angel also plays a big part in the series. She hangs out at the pier, trying to make a living, when a white suburban man catches her eye. This relationship makes for an interesting dynamic, a coming together of two very different worlds. This illustrates one of the great strengths of the show. This series offers its viewers a great amount of variety and a look into the complexity of being a minority.
While watching, the series takes you from electric ballroom scenes which make you feel empowered to heartbreaking scenes on how AIDS wrecked the LGBTQ-community. With no doubt, you will go from laughing at the bitchy scenes at the ball to crying together with the characters whose lives are made so difficult by narrow mindedness and disease.
Besides it being a wonderful series of 8 episodes, it also marks a historic moment featuring the largest cast of LGBTQ-actors ever assembled for a series. Blanca, played by MJ Rodriguez and Angel, played by Indya Moore are trans-women both in the series and in real life.
All in all, I can only recommend you watch this series and get swooped away by it yourself.
Edited by Amelie de Paepe