Representation in television is important, especially in times like these. It gives audiences that support that they may or may not have. It does this while also entertaining audiences with astounding storylines. Pose is one of the many TV shows to show the significance of representation. FX aired the season 2 premiere of Pose last week. Pose has been praised for its diverse cast, including Billy Porter, Indya Moore, and Dominique Jackson and the performances that the cast give.
Season one starts off with the protagonist, Blanca (Mj Rodriguez) starting her own house and becoming a mother, which was a safe space for LGBTQ youth in Ball culture. As season one continues, Pose shines on ball culture and how it was dominantly POC. Not only does it show ball culture, but it shows the effects of HIV/AIDS in the LGBTQ+ community during the 80s. Season one ends off with Blanca winning Mother of The Year and feeling accomplished, Angel (Indya Moore) looking ahead to the future and focusing on herself, Damon (Ryan Jamaal Swain) going into his second year at The New School for Dance and Elektra (Dominique Jackson) living with the House of Evangelista.
Season 2 begins with establishing itself in the 90s, where Madonna’s song, “Vogue” is topping the charts and AIDS/HIV affecting more people in the LGBTQ+ community. The season 2 premiere for Pose shows a lot of promise for the rest of the season with Blanca and Pray Tell (Billy Porter) getting into activism and bringing the others in the House of Evangelista to join them. This season seems to shift its focus towards activism and going into more depth with representation with not only Pray Tell using his influence as an emcee at the balls, but Angel getting into modeling through the Fresh Faces contest. One of the most emotional scenes in the episode was the scene where the group ACT UP walked into the church and were getting beat by the police for protesting. This scene truly set the tone for the rest of the season and it was critical for that scene to be shot the way it was because it showed the courage and strength that the LGBTQ+ community has always had.
I am excited to see what else is in store for the storylines of the characters this season,
especially with more activism being shown through Pray Tell and Blanca. I have no doubt that Pose will have another successful season.