The newest hit to come out of Ryan Murphy’s (Glee, American Horror Story) collective conscious, POSE, premiering on FX, hits all of the marks.
Taking place in 1987 NYC, we begin with a museum raid, courtesy of an underground LGBT group referred to as the House of Abundance. The gang steals all the clothes they can manage; an affair that lasts no longer than a few minutes before they take off to a cross-dressing ball (in contemporary terms, “ball culture” refers exclusively to competitions in which competitors walk or dance in drag attire for prizes.)
Then it gets good!
Although the group wins the contest, the police arrive in hot pursuit. And in panning from one outfit to another, as the cops cautiously approach our robbers, it’s evident that POSE shines in the chaos it ensures – with flashy colors and sharp contrast between contestants. There are jumps that really accentuate the dynamic POSE is trying to set – excitement. POSE revels in the fast pace, in turn, emulating how quickly things can happen.
And FX holds no shortage of talent, as POSE assigns the likes of Evan Peters (American Horror Story), Kate Mara (House of Cards), James Van Der Beek (CSI: Cyber), Billy Porter (Kinky Boots) and Angelica Ross (Danger & Eggs) to its roster, diving completely into the counterculture of the house system.
In keeping up with the authenticity, POSE crafts a tale of self-acceptance, as Damon Richards (Ryan Jamaal Swain) is rendered homeless and Blanca Rodriguez (MJ Rodriguez) is kicked out of House of Abundance. The latter forms a new house by which the former, as well as several others, join. All this happens within the hour. Not to mention the substories between Stan Bowes (Evan Peters) and Angel (Indya Moore), alongside Blanca’s HIV diagnosis, the prerequisite to her ejection from House of Abundance.
Either-way, POSE promises a shake-up, with grandeur as it’s lead controller.
New episodes of POSE premiere on FX every Sunday. A previous interview with POSE star Angelica Ross can be found here.
