Pose: Season 3/ Episode 2 – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

With so much getting progressively worse, real conversations are had that act as jarring wake-up calls.

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Episode Name	Intervention
Directed By	Steven Canals
Written By	Steven Canals & Our Lady J
Aired (FX)	5/2/2021
Newly Noted Characters
Thomas	Curtiss Cook
Angie	Eisa Davis

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Recap

You Slipping Out Here – Elektra, Ricky, Lulu, Pray Tell, Angel, Lemar

While most eyes are on Pray Tell, this doesn’t mean no one is clocking Lulu and. For as it is agreed upon that House of Evangelista will reunite, once more, to get the money Pray Tell needs for rehab, Elektra clocks Lulu being on drugs, and for that, she is forced to become a “Behind the Scenes Bitch.” Though Elektra isn’t just clocking Lulu for drugs, but Ricky for lack of style. Which perhaps is meant to set up why he hasn’t been getting booked lately?

Either way, with Lulu out and Ricky struggling, it seems the ball would be difficult. However, Pray Tell is pushed to step in for Lulu and do a lip sync, and while Lemar isn’t happy the House of Khan is washed at the ball and even comes for Pray Tell’s neck, he gets his. Specifically, when Lemar brings up one of Pray Tell’s fellow emcees dying at the bar, Pray Tell decks him and lays him out.

Meet The Parents, And Nearly Curse One Out – Christopher, Blanca, Thomas, Angie

Being that Blanca is working against what she has been told are the odds, it makes meeting Christopher’s parents daunting. After all, she has been told she is a brick since coming to New York, including by her own House Mother. Add in Christopher is basically a Huxtable kid, with his mother Angie, an attorney, and father Thomas, while not an OB/GYN, a psychologist, there is that doctor and lawyer pair. This makes Blanca being from the projects and barely getting her diploma at 21, with her being trans? Oh, it makes her paranoid and on the lookout for an issue.

Which, with Angie, she gets, but whether or not Angie is trying to be hostile or simply understand? That’s hard to say. All we know for sure is that she recognizes that Blanca will not be able to have biological kids, which means she has to change expectations for Christopher and herself.

Yet, despite what Blanca feared would ultimately happen, Christopher doesn’t abandon her once her truth is out there, he defends her. In fact, he damn near pushes the idea that if his mother, and father for that matter, have an issue, they can expect to see him less because he loves Blanca.

Love Me At My Worst – Blanca, Pray Tell, Angel, Lil Papi, Ricky, Elektra

With $2500 in prize money, Blanca and members of the House of Evangelista have an intervention and present Pray Tell the opportunity to go to rehab. As you can imagine, this doesn’t go well at all. For every person who speaks, a read is delivered that is harsh and biting. Even Blanca and Elektra are read for filth and treated as if it was Lemar talking about Pray Tell’s drinking.

Thus, the intervention doesn’t go anywhere. But, because Pray Tell is so committed to drinking, Ricky leaves. Also, because of Pray Tell’s actions, Angel signs up for an outpatient rehab because she sees how bad things can get in Pray Tell’s display.

Yet, despite hearing some of the meanest things imaginable said, Blanca sticks by Pray Tell, and when he is ready for rehab, off they go to upstate New York.

Collected Quote(s) & .Gifs

You were given nothing and made everything.
— Elektra

Commentary/ Review

Highlights

Christopher Standing Up To His Mom

What Blanca heard from many in her family, including Elektra, develops that perception, as a culture and internally, of things will go wrong, and you should expect it. Now, did Elektra try to clean it up before the conversation was over? Yes. However, what she says and what Pray Tell said will surely haunt Blanca.

But thankfully, despite her fears, all it took was mentioning how she felt once for him to stand up and utilize the show’s reach to present the idea that, despite your fears, people like Christopher do exist. We can’t say in what quantity, but they do in fact exist.

Pray Tell Gunning Down Everybody!

Being that Pray Tell knows everybody, both when they have been at their best, worst, and most vulnerable, him going off like that was uncalled for, yet also jaw-dropping. Especially since he seemed ready with the way he fired off shot after shot. Leaving you to wonder, while Blanca can take it, which makes her training to be a nurse a good profession, will everyone else expect an apology? For there was a moment it seemed Lil Papi and Elektra were going to jump Pray Tell for what he said.

The Scene When Ricky Leaves Pray Tell

While it is unfortunate MJ Rodriguez and the rest of the cast have yet to be nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes, at the very least, Billy Porter shows up, shows out, and does pick up wins. For as Pray Tell, you can see his veterancy amongst the cast. He challenges them in scenes, nurtures them, and, when necessary, obliterates them.

However, in the scene between Pray Tell and Ricky? When Pray Tell was shifting between not caring if Ricky would leave to having a breakdown when he realizes Ricky wasn’t playing, that was the performance. The kind that you can foresee possibly being used for Billy Porter’s nomination reel.

Low Point

Hold Up, What Happened To Damon?

So, Damon went to Charleston to be with his cousin, relapsed, and he’s gone? As in, is Damon dead? I don’t know about you, but that came a bit out of the left field and didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. For one, what led him to go down to Charleston, and what happened to his dance career? Then two, are we going to recap what happened in the three years between the two seasons? It seems a lot of stuff happened to set up this season, but we’re not really looking into anything. Which feels less like us moving ahead to get to something juicy and more so creating a series of plot holes.

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