Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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“Love’s In Need of Love Today” is otherworldly in more ways than one as a death scare leads to Pray Tell seeing an old frenemy.
| Network | |
| FX | |
| Director(s) | Tina Mabry |
| Writer(s) | Our Lady J, Brad Falchuk |
| Air Date | 7/23/2019 |
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Recap
If It Ain’t One Thing, It’s Another: Blanca, Pray Tell, Judy
Thanks to AZT, Pray Tell’s platelets (they form clots to help you from internally bleeding and bruising) are low, and he faints at a ball. With that happening, he finds himself unable to plan his AIDS Cabaret and so the work is left to Blanca. Someone battling her guilt for pushing Pray Tell to go on AZT and surprisingly not going gray from all the stress she is under between running a business and planning this event.
Pray Tell, This Is Your Life: Candy, Costas, Pray Tell
But perhaps Pray Tell needed a break? One which comes from being hit with a sedative when he is placed next to someone dying. Leading to little Miss Candy showing up and solidifying her place as Pray Tell’s grim reaper. One who doesn’t make the afterlife seem all that bad but Pray Tell doesn’t really want to go there. The place has his rapist of a stepfather, who preyed on him since he was 12, and while Costas is there, the place clearly isn’t for those who still have it in them to live.
Though a fun fact, for a lack of a better term, we learn while there is that Candy had AIDS. Now, why do we learn this after death? I can’t say. At best, let’s just call it backtracking so that even if Candy didn’t get fleshed out much when alive, she can be more than quick wit, ready to cut someone, queen.
Singing, Dancing, & A B*** Stealing Pearls: Frederica, Blanca, Pray Tell
Frederica remains a serious piece of work. One who seemingly wanted to extend an olive branch, join the cabaret, maybe turn over a new leaf, but that was all a ruse. What she wanted was Blanca far away from her shop so that she could guy the place, board it up, and chain the doors. All the while enjoying the cabaret, even performing and seeming like a gracious outsider.
However, Blanca doesn’t take being made a fool of and writes it off. HELL NAH! Her house calls out Frederica, in front of her old shop, and thanks to Pray Tell, fresh from a duet and the hospital, he gets the other houses, including Wintour, to help protest and cause issues for Frederica. Someone who was not expecting any serious backlash.
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- Is Candy in heaven or hell? She says to Pray Tell she’ll see him in hell, but she makes where she is sound quite lovely. Well, minus the fact Pray Tell’s step-father is there.
- Where was Blanca’s employees while the salon was being gutted or did she not hire anyone yet?
- Will Pray Tell’s childhood be addressed more or was this a one-off thing?
- What happened to Pray Tell’s dreams of designing clothes? Why isn’t Blanca pushing that?
Review
Highlights
The Singing!
I’m not a Broadway baby and, as shown by the few I have gone to, I don’t venture too far away from jukebox musicals. Yet, I must admit I loved the performances this episode. Couldn’t tell you any of the songs sang, but it really makes you appreciate how versatile each actor is.
I gotta say though, I will forever be thrown off when I hear Blanca sing because there is such a disconnect when she goes from her talking voice to singing voice.
The Community Coming Together
While we’ve seen the community come together for death, many times, it’s nice to see them also come together to fight for or against something. We don’t see a huge amount of battles for the living on this show which aren’t solo or just with their close family. So to see a close rank moment for Blanca’s establishment was sweet and definitely sets the second half of the season on a high note.
Addressing Pray Tell’s Past Life
When you think about it, outside of Blanca and Damon, we don’t really know or have seen much of anyone’s families. We just are left assuming they were disowned, kicked out, and abandoned. So while it was short and traumatic, learning a bit of Pray Tell’s past was nice. Here is hoping, as his, and others, have a perilous future, we may get to learn their past – before they possibly die.
Blanca and Angel’s Relationship
While only in one scene, you have to really admire the special relationship the two have. For while Pray Tell has this father or older brother thing going, between a mother or younger sister, there is just a distinct dynamic between Angel and Blanca which makes you believe, if the show ever goes there Angel has to play the role Blanca usually does. As much as she wants to break down into a pool of her own tears.
On The Fence
The Return of Candy
Speaking of the dead, while I do love seeing Miss Candy, the sudden reveal of AIDS and her playing a ghost gives me pause. If only because it seems like they are backtracking now, filling in the blanks of a character who was more one-liners than a fully formed character. Which I appreciate, to a point, but considering how devasting her death was, this whole ghost thing takes away from it. Also, it pinches a nerve since it teases the idea Pray Tell could die soon. After all, can you imagine Candy showing up throughout this season, and the next, being the gremlin on Pray Tell’s shoulder asking if he wants to die now or still postpone the journey?
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