1987, New York city. Pose (BBC2) bring the dark and somewhat hidden subculture of 'voguing' to light in an all glitz and glamour drama. It's impossible not to lose yourself in these diva's lives. From the darkest most heart wrenching moments to a celebration of black trans-gender resilience, this show will have you in tears of joy and sadness. The purity of emotion and truth intertwined with a sophisticated sense of escapism the characters make you feel their emotion.
"Ryan Murphy’s era-defining drama about voguing and the world of underground ballroom, in late 80s New York, is a classic tale for these times"
The pilot begins with the 'House of Abundance' walking their way to queendom in costumes stolen from a museum, stunning crowds as royalty and taking top scores across the board. We are also introduced to the hard truth of disease, coming out in 1980's America, trans sex work and following your dreams.
Pose has received a lot of attention since it's release, due to it being the biggest trans casting in scripted television history.
"I am trying to rein myself in, which is something that Pose refuses to do. So sod it – I am head over heels in love with this show."
"Pose offers something that is really rare in the TV world: it’s a show that manages to be both darkly sombre and completely uplifting. The drama, which is about New York City’s 1980s ball culture, focuses on the lives of trans women and gay men competing for glory in the ballroom while fighting for their lives on the streets."
Balls are described in the first episode by Bianca (MJ Rodriguez) as "a gathering of people who are not welcome anywhere else... [we] dress up, walk, dance for trophies." "A celebration of life that the rest of the world do not deem worthy of celebration." She then goes on to describe how "in our community the glory of your name is everything."
When MJ Rodriguez, who plays Bianca, found out she got the part "[she] just bawled, because at that moment I felt solidified,” She told the Motion Picture Association of America that, "[she] felt secure. I felt like, finally, I get to tell my story and the many stories of trans women who are not here today.” Alongside Rodriguez, Janet Mock, the writer, director and producer of Pose has chosen to display and take an interest into the implications of LGBT+ identities. In particular trans peoples' desire to pass as cisgender, the complications of gender-affirming surgery and transphobia especially in the gay community. This particularly strikes a sense of honesty and truth when considering Janet Mock is the first trans woman of colour hired as a writer for a TV series in history.
When taking all this into consideration Pose really is quite a statement; in times like today this raw truth and vulnerabilitly about topics that are normally so taboo, `I think it's encouraging that Pose has become so mainstream and people of all ages, backgrounds and opinions can watch and enjoy this tear jerking drama.
St.
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