S02.E01: Acting Up

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Convinced Madonna's "Vogue" will lead to mainstream acceptance, Blanca encourages the House of Evangelista to follow their dreams despite putting her own on the backburner. Meanwhile, Pray Tell joins an activist organization fighting for the rights of HIV positive people.

Original air date: 6/11/19

[heckkitty]

Pretty good. I liked Pray protesting & fighting the good fight, I just wish he hadn’t gone from “don’t drag me in there with your privileged white people” & fully woke in like 5 seconds. Really glad to see Sandra Bernhard though. Otherwise, looks like lots of the same as last year, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I hope they get some new plot lines. The coming up this season doesn’t have me completely optimistic in that regard. Electra is bitchy, Angel is making dumb mistakes that are working for her for now but make me really, really worry for her. I hope sleazy photographer doesn’t decide to try to wreck her life. 

Edited June 12, 2019 by heckkitty

[LittleIggy]

“I’m joining your house. You’re welcome, bitches!” 😆 Elektra is baaaack! 

[Coltee Gal]

20 minutes ago, heckkitty said:

Pretty good. I liked Pray protesting & fighting the good fight, I just wish he hadn’t gone from “don’t drag me in there with your privileged white people” & fully woke in like 5 seconds. Really glad to see Sandra Bernhard though. Otherwise, looks like lots of the same as last year, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I hope they get some new plot lines. The coming up this season doesn’t have me completely optimistic in that regard. Electra is bitchy, Angel is making dumb mistakes that are working for her for now but make me really, really worry for her. I hope sleazy photographer doesn’t decide to try to wreck her life. 

Back then you had no choice but to get fully woke with the quickness - esp if you were HIV Positive. ACT UP was a powerful force unlike any other at the time

[heckkitty]

6 minutes ago, jayfay said:

Back then you had no choice but to get fully woke with the quickness - esp if you were HIV Positive. ACT UP was a powerful force unlike any other at the time

I agree. But he was utterly dismissive of it, then heard 5 seconds of testimony & woke up. I wish he hadn’t been so negative to start I wish he’d been interested in act up in the beginning. But I don’t know, maybe there were sudden changes of heart  when it was going on, & it’s realistic. It just  didn’t really speak to me the way it went down. 

[LittleIggy]

That “paupers’ cemetery” island was so unspeakably sad.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Enormous and gargantuan misstep to have Pray Tell bring in politics as he did into the ballroom.  Turning so viciously on a Queen of that community?  Ruinous to what he built.  The absolute last thing any of those folks needed was a stark reminder of the real world.  The ballroom was their escape.  And Pray Tell brought it all home in a vicious, mean, and cruel fashion.  Smashing the trophy was tectonic.  The whole moment was a massive violation.  YMMV.

The trip to Hart Island was a great concept to open the season.  The execution was incredibly clunky.  The power of the trip was obvious and it should have been allowed to stand largely, organically, on its own.  Instead, we got a lecture/history lesson.  That scene should not have been verbally expository.  The Pose audience, of all audiences, would and did get it.   The pictures were unspeakably profound and tragic.  The words got in the way.

The jump to 1990 was entirely unrealistic.   Nothing had changed?!  Everyone's living arrangements were virtually identical?  

The Ford Agency?  Notorious for maltreatment of models.  Is that to become part of this story?  Or is photographer dude gonna be a one-off of evil?  The one truly powerful moment for me was when, for whatever reasons, Angel took the nude posing as a violation.  I bought it, even though s/he had been through much worse.  Not a lot of words spoken, either.

For camp, Elektra sure delivered in her valedictory at the dinner table!  Girl's still got it.

[Dee]

Billy Porter is coming for ALL the emmys this season!

[LittleIggy]

28 minutes ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

Enormous and gargantuan misstep to have Pray Tell bring in politics as he did into the ballroom.  Turning so viciously on a Queen of that community?  Ruinous to what he built.  The absolute last thing any of those folks needed was a stark reminder of the real world.  The ballroom was their escape.  And Pray Tell brought it all home in a vicious, mean, and cruel fashion.  Smashing the trophy was tectonic.  The whole moment was a massive violation.  YMMV.

The trip to Hart Island was a great concept to open the season.  The execution was incredibly clunky.  The power of the trip was obvious and it should have been allowed to stand largely, organically, on its own.  Instead, we got a lecture/history lesson.  That scene should not have been verbally expository.  The Pose audience, of all audiences, would and did get it.   The pictures were unspeakably profound and tragic.  The words got in the way.

The jump to 1990 was entirely unrealistic.   Nothing had changed?!  Everyone's living arrangements were virtually identical?  

The Ford Agency?  Notorious for maltreatment of models.  Is that to become part of this story?  Or is photographer dude gonna be a one-off of evil?  The one truly powerful moment for me was when, for whatever reasons, Angel took the nude posing as a violation.  I bought it, even though s/he had been through much worse.  Not a lot of words spoken, either.

For camp, Elektra sure delivered in her valedictory at the dinner table!  Girl's still got it.

I needed the exposition. Not being a New Yorker, I knew nothing about the island. Don’t generalize about the Pose audience.

[TrininisaScorp]

Hart Island was a gut punch to start the season. The camera widening to the sea of remembrance rocks got me.   It's June 12th, and I'm a long time Orlando resident.  Today is Pulse Remembrance Day, and the entire community feels all the feelings today.  I maybe should have thought of that and watched this another time.  😞

That said, I always appreciate the interjections of humor on this show:  Elektra literally flipping the table made me CACKLE.  Oh, Elektra, I missed you girl.  Ferocity gon' learn TODAY.  LOL. 

Man, I think I forgot how beautiful Angel is.  Just gorgeous.  Did her and Papi always have a little thing?  Clearly, he has a crush on her and I assume they are going to explore that a bit.  (shallow) Did the actor playing Papi hit the gym?  Ok, cutie. I see you. (/shallow)  I hope this modeling thing doesn't come back to bite them all in the ass...that photographer was pure evil and that lady at the agency didn't give me good vibes. 

I was 7 when Vogue hit the scene, so a glimpse of the "real time" impact is cool.  Getting to feel the force of what this mainstream song did for and to the ballroom scene is going to be interesting.  How much will be appreciation? How much will be appropriation?  

I stan Billy Porter.  (If you haven't seen his THR Roundtable clips, I highly recommend) So, I'm biased, but even when I don't totally agree with Pray Tell, I LOVE the choices that Billy makes in his acting.  

[bobbyjoe]

Quote

Billy Porter is coming for ALL the emmys this season!

Well, then we know who will be the best dressed!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

For anyone who wants to learn more about Hart Island/Potter's Field:

The Hart Island Project helps locate AIDS victims buried at Hart Island (click the red "play" button to listen to the interview)

Hart Island Project website (includes interactive map of those buried)

NY Times: Dead of AIDS and forgotten in Potter’s Field

Rare photographs of Hart Island
 

Edited June 12, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I am here for all the awesome 90s music and fashion!

Ugh, I hate seeing how predatory some photographers can be with vulnerable young models who are desperate to start their careers. I was certain those pictures would resurface at the most inconvenient time similar to what happened to Madonna, so I hope that they got every last negative. I was surprised that the photographer didn't tell the modeling lady anything about what happened or somehow blackball Angel.

Loved Elektra's Marie Antoinette runway look! She looked gorgeous but the carousel at the bottom of her skirt was amazing. Pray Tell was totally out of line yelling at her for not showing up to the church protest. What makes it even worse is that he didn't give a shit about Act Up or protesting a week earlier but he thinks that because he cares now, Elektra has to fall in line. As mother, Blanca is the one who should have chastised Elektra for not showing up, but even that should have happened at home, not on the runway.

I loved seeing how confident Angel has become at the balls. Part of me hopes she doesn't get too successful in modeling because I know she will end up being anxious that people will find out her secret and she will worry herself sick.

While I understand doing a time jump, it didn't really work for me because it seems like they're picking up exactly where the show left off at the end of last season and just scooching the timeline along for the sake of the music. Like am I really supposed to believe that Elektra has been living there for TWO YEARS and just now got fed up enough with Blanca's rules and eating off paper plates to leave? 

[peridot]

I don't get how LuLu and Candy were so vicious in the finale, but Blanca was chatting with them in the ball like nothing happened.  

Elektra was nice for a while, then lost her damn mind and flipped the table over.  I bet later on, she'll rejoin the house yet again.  Are there no consequences for bad/cruel behavior?

It does look like they are gearing up for a Papi/Angel romance.  It looked liked he almost killed that photographer. 

[SimoneS]

Great season two premiere. I loved the 90s music and style. And with the exception of the actress playing Elektra, the acting has majorly improved this season. Thank goodness. Billy Porter continues to shine above all. What a talent!

My heart broke for Angel when the photographer exploited her desperation. I cheered when Papi beat the shit out of him. Blanca is a fierce mother who does not play. Don't mess with her children. 

Blanca and Pray Tell dealing with their diagnose and the damage that the disease wrought on their community was really sad. The AIDS protest was well done. I had forgotten how intense they were in the 90s. I have never been a Sandra Bernhard fan, but she is a force in this role.

Elektra is back to being obnoxious, but I loved her Maria Antoinette look and act on the runaway. Very well done even though Pray Tell went off on her.

[LittleIggy]

Time jump: That’s sure is one long Al B. Sure tour!

[ElenaFR]

Elektra is back. Wowzers. Still can't act but oh so fun. 

[islandgal140]

I kinda wished they had stayed in the 80s for another season but I understand why they didn't. 

Not looking forward to Blanca's disillusionment when the song Vogue doesn't make the impact she thought it would. Sadly, it would be another 20+ years before trans make real strides although there are baby steps along the way. However, I think RuPaul and his song "Supermodel" came out 2-3 years after Vogue. 

Knowing this show, there is no way Angel's modeling career ends in anything other than failure and/or tradegy. I think transgender models really started getting work in the last few years.

Interestingly, I just looked up "1st transgender model" and found that in the 1970s there was a black transgender model but she kept her gender a secret.  Her name is Tracey "Africa" Norman. In the mid-1970s, Norman was the face of Clairol's Born Beautiful hair color (No. 512, Dark Auburn). She had an exclusive contract with Avon. She did several photo shoots with Essence. She was a house model in Balenciaga's Paris showroom. She had also been born male, although almost no one knew her secret. When word did eventually get out, the work dried up.

https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/16/entertainment/tracey-africa-norman-transgender-model-feat/index.html

[Dee]

Janet Mock, Tracey "Africa" Norman Talk Breaking Barriers, Being a "Heroine for Brown Trans Girls"

[mtlchick]

10 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

The trip to Hart Island was a great concept to open the season.  The execution was incredibly clunky.  The power of the trip was obvious and it should have been allowed to stand largely, organically, on its own.  Instead, we got a lecture/history lesson.  That scene should not have been verbally expository.  The Pose audience, of all audiences, would and did get it.   The pictures were unspeakably profound and tragic.  The words got in the way.

The part I put in bold...I enjoy Pose a lot.  I was also 9 going on to 10 in 1987, and 12 going on 13 in 1990.  Anything about gay culture flew over my head because I wasn't exposed to it or too young to get it.  Vogue was a song that I danced around to in my basement.  My first real lesson on HIV and AIDS was hearing about some boy in Indiana who was 18 and died of this disease but was rejected by his classmates because of something that happened to him that wasn't his fault  (The Ryan White Story is also one of my favourite biographies ever.)  And incidentally, it was Truth or Dare that was probably my first exposure to any sort of gay culture.  It's eventually over time that I watched and read stuff about the epidemic and even now there are things I haven't known until shows like this come along.  So for you, Hart Island should have been left to verbal exposition.  And while I will agree that something was weird about the execution of the opening scene, I knew NOTHING about Hart Island and how they disposed of the bodies at that time because I was simply too young to know about it.   And if I got something out of that scene, then Pose is doing exactly what it is setting out to do. 

That all said...2 years later and most of the house still don't have jobs?  That's a pretty big stretch. I had a feeling that Elektra was going to flip a table, but I still enjoyed it.  Never change, girl.   And her Marie Antoinette look was beyond fitting. 

1 hour ago, SimoneS said:

Blanca and Pray Tell dealing with their diagnose and the damage that the disease wrought on their community was really sad. The AIDS protest was well done. I had forgotten how intense they were in the 90s. I have never been a Sandra Bernhard fan, but she is a force in this role.

It was probably the first time that she didn't bug me at all.  As for Pray Tell's suddenly being "woke" (how I despise that term); I would have liked it more if there was some sort of progression through the time jump instead of "bitch don't make me go into that meet---we have to stand up and act up NOW!"  and then going hard on Elektra that she didn't go.  We have seen Elektra have some sort of (tiny) heart and like anyone else, very aware as to what is on in the community.  But I think she would be the type that being an activist is beneath her and living her life within reason works better.  

A good start to the new season, but I am concerned the Eileen Ford stuff (Hi, Mrs. Sting!) is a plot device that will make Angel more miserable and lead to something more tragic. 

[AgentRXS]

Angel looks stunning in 90s fashion. I know it is wishful thinking that she survives long enough as model to pay for her transition surgery, but I want that happy ending for her.

Oh, Blanca. How I wished "Vogue" worked out the way you wanted it to. I wonder what she is going to make of Rupaul in a few years.

The time jump is really not that much of a stretch--we left off in 1988. "Vogue" was released in the spring of 1990. We only jumped 2 years.

It did bug that the conversations picked up right where we left off instead of what was supposed to be 2 years ahead. I know NYC was cheaper at the time, but am I really supposed to believe that they kept that apartment going on Blanca and Elecktra's money alone? Blanca is a tough mother, I would imagine she would at least have her kids working at McDonalds or something rather than no money coming in whatsoever.

I loved the Hart's Island stuff--stuff like that should never be forgotten. Woke!Pray did start to bug me, and I don't blame Elecktra for going off. It's great that Pray is suddenly a super activist, but not everybody feels comfortable putting themselves out there like that. He was wrong for that whole ballroom mess.

Edited June 12, 2019 by AgentRXS

[Empress1]

11 hours ago, TrininisaScorp said:

Man, I think I forgot how beautiful Angel is.  Just gorgeous.  Did her and Papi always have a little thing?  Clearly, he has a crush on her and I assume they are going to explore that a bit. 

I loved how he didn't even think about going after the photographer. Angel is crying, pouring out her heart, and he's like "Mount up, where he at?" Same with Blanca - "someone did WHAT to my baby?" And the whole time I was thinking "Get the negatives!" and then she asked where they were, and I was thinking "YES!"

Angel really is stunning.

1 hour ago, AgentRXS said:

It did bug that the conversations picked up right where we left off instead of what was supposed to be 2 years ahead. I know NYC was cheaper at the time, but am I really supposed to believe that they kept that apartment going on Blanca and Elecktra's money alone? Blanca is a tough mother, I would imagine she would at least have her kids working at McDonalds or something rather than no money coming in whatsoever.

Right - Angel hasn't worked in two years? Or were we supposed to think that she'd been working the piers for the last two years but Blanca just found out about it? But if that were true, wouldn't she have been contributing financially?

3 hours ago, SimoneS said:

The AIDS protest was well done.

That was based on a real ACT UP protest, although the real one took place in 1989 - 111 people did get arrested IRL.

"Y'all some hard-hearted hoes." I adore Billy Porter.

Edited June 12, 2019 by Empress1

[Ohwell]

I love me some Pray Tell but I did think he went over the top when he went off on Elektra in front of everybody at the ball.  I understand that he was emotional but damn....

[justmehere]

I still say that Elektra's strident presentation is a deliberate act (and speech pattern) rather than bad acting. We've seen her quite different in vulnerable moments. She wasn't given much in this episode beyond going off at someone but there's a lot more there.

I agree that Pray Tell was out of line, but converts are often over the top in their zealousness.

Re: time jump:

In two years, any or all could have had jobs and then lost them again. Angel might have worked at Show World but only recently gone back to the piers, or gone back and forth. Who knows how many times she and Blanca have had that same conversation about not working there. (P.S. She broke my heart w/ "paying" the photographer and then confessing it to Blanca and Papi; I'm definitely still worried about repercussions.) 

Elektra w/House Evangelista for two years: Maybe Elektra was willing to play along for a time out of gratitude (which we have seen - she has trouble with vulnerability, but she has shown it to Blanca) -- Blanca took her in at a terrible time in her life and pushed her toward/into a fantastic job that suited her and wasn't demeaning. Things might have only reached a head recently to where Elektra couldn't suppress her desire to be in charge. (Oh, the fireworks ahead in House Ferocity!)

That tour Ricky is on is pretty long...

I'm wondering about Damon and dance school. He must be pretty advanced or even finished by now.

They could have handled some of it better -- a line about having just lost a job or how long Elektra played the good daughter.  It was an extended episode and they packed a lot into it, but they couldn't detail everything in the skipped period. It felt almost like another pilot episode for a new dynamic. 

[howiveaddict]

4 hours ago, mtlchick said:

A good start to the new season, but I am concerned the Eileen Ford stuff (Hi, Mrs. Sting!) is a plot device that will make Angel more miserable and lead to something more tragic. 

I knew that was Eileen Ford. Did not know who was playing her until I went to IMDB.

[TiffanyNichelle]

5 hours ago, ElenaFR said:

Elektra is back. Wowzers. Still can't act but oh so fun. 

Yup. I loved her freak out and flipping the table for the drama of it all even if the acting is a little eh. I'm glad the show is back but I can't stop worrying about them all. Last season ended on a high note that I'm scared that they will then flip it around and this season will be very sad.

Quote

Not looking forward to Blanca's disillusionment when the song Vogue doesn't make the impact she thought it would. Sadly, it would be another 20+ years before trans make real strides although there are baby steps along the way. However, I think RuPaul and his song "Supermodel" came out 2-3 years after Vogue. 

I agree. It's not until really now that everything is happening that Blanca thinks is right about the corner.  I would like to see another time jump so that they can see the release of Supermodel though.

Edited June 12, 2019 by TiffanyNichelle

[SnarkEnthusiast]

The most unrealistic thing about the (multi-year?) time jump is that both Pray and Blanca's largely untreated HIV has barely progressed and remained magically asymptomatic, but I'm happy they're doing well. So they've kept their status secret from the entire house for years?

Well, I see Elecktra's acting hasn't improved over the hiatus. Yes, it's better when she's playing softer emotions, but her entire role is to be The Bitch! The woodenness of her delivery really takes me out of the dramatic confrontations. It's especially glaring when her sparring partner is someone as talented as Billy Porter.

I have no idea where the chemistry between Angel and Papi came from, but I am very into it. Talk about an upgrade from clammy Stan. The actor playing Papi has such an expressive face when he's joyful, it's adorable. I knew they were going that direction as soon as they zoomed in on how Papi's face lit up watching her walk. I love how supportive and protective he is of her. Although I wonder if Blanca will object to two of her "children" starting a romantic relationship.

Not wise of Blanca to quit her job when she's seemingly the sole source of income in a household of about 15 people.

Beating up that sleazy photographer is definitely going to come back to bite them, right? Even if they were morally in the right, they can't just expect to physically assault a personal friend of Eileen Ford (and then send Angel - so stupidly - back to her to get signed! Use the photos to sign with another agency!) and get away with it, right?

My crush on Indya Moore gets bigger with every episode.

[Dee]

So was Pray Tell the only Evangelista/Evangelista-adjacent family member to go to jail? Because the smash cut from the Act Up protest to Angel's photo shoot was rather abrupt.

[HorrrGoodnight]

I really enjoyed the premier. I only vaguely remember the AIDS crisis as being something I heard about a lot on TV. Whenever I see in depth representations,(ie Philadelphia, Dallas Buyers Club) it's really mind blowing. 

On another note, I kept asking myself "How many times is Blanca gonna claim Vogue as the vehicle of acceptance?" It was nice to see her so happy at first but then she got a little obsessive about it. 

I have no doubt that Elektra will be back but what do we think she's been doing for all that "finery"???

[Ohwell]

7 minutes ago, SlutAssBitchAssHor said:

I have no doubt that Elektra will be back but what do we think she's been doing for all that "finery"???

From what I saw from the previews of upcoming episodes, it looked to me like she got hooked up with some old rich dude and things got dangerous.  I could be wrong but that's what I thought I saw.

[SnarkEnthusiast]

40 minutes ago, SlutAssBitchAssHor said:

On another note, I kept asking myself "How many times is Blanca gonna claim Vogue as the vehicle of acceptance?" It was nice to see her so happy at first but then she got a little obsessive about it. 

Blanca's fixation on Vogue was a little tween-y, but it was a nice platform to highlight the dichotomy between her optimistic "this white pop star popularizing our culture will be the key to our assimilation" versus the cynical but more accurate take of "this white lady is appropriating our culture for homophobic suburban white kids and the song will have zero impact on our circumstances"

Your username makes me laugh every time.

 

(source)

I am READY. Look how smitten! A great little detail from Angel Curiel (Papi's actor) that really conveys that giddy "developing a crush but not quite aware of it yet" feeling.

[Irlandesa]

20 hours ago, TrininisaScorp said:

Did her and Papi always have a little thing? 

I don't think so.  Last year she was in her thing with Stan and he was too busy selling drugs, even though he wasn't supposed to.  They interacted but I don't remember anything super significant. 

But they were definitely sparking in this ep. I also think the actor has more charisma than Damon and Ricky so I'm glad it looks like he'll be doing more this season.

[Dee]

25 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

 They interacted but I don't remember anything super significant.

She was really upset that Ricky snitched about Papi to Blanca.

[tennisgurl]

So thrilled that this show is back! It’s kind of weird that they had the time jump considering how little things changed, but it is interesting seeing society and the fight against HIV/AIDS progressing. And while I think Pray (as much as I utterly adore him) screwed up yelling at Elektra in the middle of the ball, his reactions and bafflement to Elektra's super elaborate Marie Antonette bit were amazing. “Oh, there’s a whole plot here, your still going.” “Y’all really built a whole guillotine.” 

Edited June 13, 2019 by tennisgurl

[Scarlett45]

I just got back from vacation and loved the DVR was here go greet me with the season 2 premiere. 

I second everyone’s statements here- my heart just broke for Angel, YAY that they got the negatives. 

The time jump doesn’t bother me. Many of these shows are “seasonless” but if we ended in late 1988, and it’s spring 1990 that’s only a year and a half. I can see everyone all living together still especially since Blanca just got the house together in season 1. 

Question- was the young man that died in the beginning of the episode the gentleman Pray tell was seeing at the end of season 1? Perhaps they couldn’t get the actor back or they wanted Pray Tell single of certain story lines. 

[Dee]

6 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Question- was the young man that died in the beginning of the episode the gentleman Pray tell was seeing at the end of season 1?

Yep. It was his ex-Keenan, the bartender.

[LittleIggy]

2 hours ago, Ohwell said:

From what I saw from the previews of upcoming episodes, it looked to me like she got hooked up with some old rich dude and things got dangerous.  I could be wrong but that's what I thought I saw.

I interpreted the preview as Electra being a dominatrix and something goes awry. Admit it, Electra would be a great dominatrix!

[RealReality]

On 6/11/2019 at 8:56 PM, LittleIggy said:

“I’m joining your house. You’re welcome, bitches!” 😆 Elektra is baaaack! 

I missed evil Elektra!  It was good for her to be humble for a minute, but I need her and her terrible overacting, fabulous fashions and creula di ville realness. 

[RealReality]

3 hours ago, SlutAssBitchAssHor said:

I really enjoyed the premier. I only vaguely remember the AIDS crisis as being something I heard about a lot on TV. Whenever I see in depth representations,(ie Philadelphia, Dallas Buyers Club) it's really mind blowing. 

On another note, I kept asking myself "How many times is Blanca gonna claim Vogue as the vehicle of acceptance?" It was nice to see her so happy at first but then she got a little obsessive about it. 

I have no doubt that Elektra will be back but what do we think she's been doing for all that "finery"???

I feel like Bianca's overhype over "Vogue" is setting the stage for a major letdown when she realizes (I think?) that the song didn't really promote a ton of acceptance of the trans community.  That pray was right and it wasn't their invitation to the table of being mainstream.  But I don't remember much about the 90s so maybe "Vogue" really made a difference.

Im sure there were a ton of performers who pushed forward the cause, but I personally felt like it was mama ru who really finally broke that barrier.  Though, I'm sure she would acknowledge that she stood on the shoulders of others.

[RealReality]

7 hours ago, SnarkEnthusiast said:

The most unrealistic thing about the (multi-year?) time jump is that both Pray and Blanca's largely untreated HIV has barely progressed and remained magically asymptomatic, but I'm happy they're doing well. So they've kept their status secret from the entire house for years?

Well, I see Elecktra's acting hasn't improved over the hiatus. Yes, it's better when she's playing softer emotions, but her entire role is to be The Bitch! The woodenness of her delivery really takes me out of the dramatic confrontations. It's especially glaring when her sparring partner is someone as talented as Billy Porter.

I have no idea where the chemistry between Angel and Papi came from, but I am very into it. Talk about an upgrade from clammy Stan. The actor playing Papi has such an expressive face when he's joyful, it's adorable. I knew they were going that direction as soon as they zoomed in on how Papi's face lit up watching her walk. I love how supportive and protective he is of her. Although I wonder if Blanca will object to two of her "children" starting a romantic relationship.

Not wise of Blanca to quit her job when she's seemingly the sole source of income in a household of about 15 people.

Beating up that sleazy photographer is definitely going to come back to bite them, right? Even if they were morally in the right, they can't just expect to physically assault a personal friend of Eileen Ford (and then send Angel - so stupidly - back to her to get signed! Use the photos to sign with another agency!) and get away with it, right?

My crush on Indya Moore gets bigger with every episode.

OMG, angel is so gorgeous.  I don't even understand it.  

Blanca feeds off her emotions and intuition...yeah it probably wasn't smart to walk out on elektra when she did it.  It probably would have been smarter to encourage Damon to get a job washing dishes to help pay rent and buy outfits (if he is old enough).  So yeah, leaving her job wasn't smart, but don't trans women get their nails done too?  The elektras of the world aren't doing their own nails!

I think Blanca told angel about her HIV status.

[Scarlett45]

When Blanca’s Dr was informing her of “we know people who care about the less fortunate” I assumed the rich white queens they were talking about were funding drugs coming in from Mexico or Canada and were having doctors distribute them to people less fortunate, not that she had to go in and take the drugs after people died! Of course I’m not blaming the Dr for doing what she thinks is best to get medicine for her community, but damn talk about “left overs”. The poor brown members of the community are left with the “left overs” just to stay alive. 

[HorrrGoodnight]

7 hours ago, RealReality said:

I feel like Bianca's overhype over "Vogue" is setting the stage for a major letdown when she realizes (I think?) that the song didn't really promote a ton of acceptance of the trans community.  That pray was right and it wasn't their invitation to the table of being mainstream.  But I don't remember much about the 90s so maybe "Vogue" really made a difference.

Im sure there were a ton of performers who pushed forward the cause, but I personally felt like it was mama ru who really finally broke that barrier.  Though, I'm sure she would acknowledge that she stood on the shoulders of others.

I agree with you (and others) that Blanca is in for a huge disappointment. I ALWAYS get annoyed when shows set things up by making sure you don't miss the set up lol. This is a personal problem, as I realize it may take other people a few times to get that it's a set up. I'm so detail oriented that it hurts 😆

[RealReality]

35 minutes ago, SlutAssBitchAssHor said:

I agree with you (and others) that Blanca is in for a huge disappointment. I ALWAYS get annoyed when shows set things up by making sure you don't miss the set up lol. This is a personal problem, as I realize it may take other people a few times to get that it's a set up. I'm so detail oriented that it hurts 😆

Yeah, the writers were just short of having Blanca declare that the song was going to cure HIV.

I just hope she doesn't crash too hard.

[tennisgurl]

Poor Blanca is really getting her hopes up about Vogue, I hope she isnt too disappointed when this one song and dance doesent really change much for trans acceptance. 

Angel really is just unbelievably beautiful, like oh my god. It seems like she and Lil Pappi have a thing going on, considering how close they seem to have gotten and how he almost beat that sleazy photographer to death. Or if they dont have a thing going on, they sure will soon!

Heart island was so terribly heartbreaking, I had never heard about it before this. All those people just dumped in the ground is just so...oh. 

Pray seems to be getting close to a breaking point when it comes to AIDS and watching so many people die with no real hope on the horizon. His freak out at Elektra was so awkward to watch, and so inappropriate, no matter how selfish Elektra is. The Ball is a place people come to for momentary escape and to celebrate their community, not to be judged for not being the 1990 version of Woke enough or to be reminded of how much things suck. He seems to be fully jumping on the activist train, and new activists do tend to be super passionate, but I hope he finds a balance soon. Passion is great, but taking it out on the wrong people in the wrong place wont end well. 

I kind of wish we had stayed in the 80s a bit longer, but early 90s hasn't been explored too much in television in awhile, so this could be interesting. We are getting closer to history that I might actually remember! 

[lovett1979]

Am I the only one who thought the photographer did not deserve that kind of treatment? What did Angel expect when he said that he knew who she was, and that he wanted her to pose for him for his "private collection"? She said yes, and was having a fantastic time during the photoshoot. Then all of a sudden, she's miserable and looking like she's being exploited like Coco in Fame. But she still let him take the pictures! Then regretted it and, instead of going to him and pleading for them not to be released (which I don't think he was going to do), they beat him up? Violence is never ok, but it's also pretty stupid when it's a friend of a person you are trying to have hire you.

Regarding Hart Island, I've lived in NYC my whole life and never heard about it. But the exposition was a little too "expositiony" and by the time they got to the rock garden, things were self-explanatory and didn't need the lecture.

I only recently watched season 1 so it's pretty fresh in my head. I think Papi has always had a little thing for Angel, though she was wrapped up in her own storyline for it to go anywhere then. But now...

Billy Porter was on Colbert last night and said that he used to attend the Balls when he was young, but didn't walk in them. I think it's really interesting that he really knew this world.

[12catcrazy]

So I'm super thrilled that Pose is back!  That being said, I still think Elektra's  over the topness (i.e. "overacting" by the actress) is  part and parcel of who Elektra is supposed to be.    This is a person who you know grew up watching every Joan Crawford/Bette Davis/Marlene Dietrich/name any actress/so-called "women's films" from the 30s through the 50s.   These movies were a staple of tv when I was growing up (60s - 70s) and Elektra is projecting that kind of drama.  The clothes, the furs, the just too much of everything is just enough, along with the Attitude in Spades.  Hollywood fantasy which average women drank up and America's Drag Queens took as inspiration.  

And kind of a weird question from me here: Angel is stunningly beautiful - probably one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen on tv.   You can see how the straight men all want her, but I don't get the thing with Pepi.  Isn't he supposed to be gay?  Why would a transgender woman be that attractive to a gay man, who logic would tell me would want a man and not a woman?   What am I not getting here?  

[Angelsmom1009]

So glad this show is back! I binged season 1 on Netflix and fell in love with it, there’s definitely room for growth but it’s on a great path 😁

So count me in as another New Yorker (just outside of NYC) who knew OF Hart Island but didn’t really know the details of what was there. My heart broke at the sight of all those coffins and all of those rocks. And to be discarded so coldly even in death because everyone was so scared of this horrible disease...I am reminded of how far we’ve come in some sense when it comes to HIV/AIDS education. I was a teen in the 90s and I remember those protests. Myschool was somewhat progressive in the sense that it preached abstinence but if you choose to have sex, protect yourself. This was also shortly after Magic Johnson announced his diagnosis aka confirming to the public that this wasn’t just a “gay disease.” I hope Blanca and Pray make it to then. 

Oh Blanca, with her optimism about “Vogue” opening the door for the trans community, instead of recognizing the appropriation that it was. I wonder what the trans community thought about it at that time. And although I think it’s nuts that she quit her job (because she seems to be the only one that works) I get why she would; she’s on borrowed time and she doesn’t want to waste it. She started her house under the same pretense, so I wasn’t shocked by that. I also was not surprised by Pray’s outburst at the ball. It was uncomfortable but this man has buried friend after friend, boyfriend after boyfriend, and the public, the government, etc was turning a blind eye to it, or acting like they deserved it. You add on someone from their own community (Elektra) that is seemingly dismissive of the crisis...he snapped. 

And Elektra aka Cruella de Ville, I missed her campy evilness. I’m surprised she lasted as long as she did at Evangelista. My first thought when they pointed out the new fur is that she got herself a new sugar daddy. Time will tell i guess.

Angel and Little Papi...yeah I’m all for this.  There is some serious crushing going on there.The way he looked up at her as she walked melted me. And Indya Moore is so ridiculously beautiful, I can’t even. IIRC, Indya actually was a working model but left the industry because they felt jaded by it. So their experience should translate well into Angel because it’s coming from an authentic place. I knew that photographer was going to be a creep but I didn’t know the extent of of creep he would be. Angel didn’t deserve that in any way. So glad they got those negatives.

That tour Ricky is on is awfully long, isn’t it?

[Angelsmom1009]

31 minutes ago, 12catcrazy said:

And kind of a weird question from me here: Angel is stunningly beautiful - probably one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen on tv.   You can see how the straight men all want her, but I don't get the thing with Pepi.  Isn't he supposed to be gay?  Why would a transgender woman be that attractive to a gay man, who logic would tell me would want a man and not a woman?   What am I not getting here?  

In the first season, Papi said even though he preferred the ladies, he was an “equal opportunity lover” and had slept with men in the past. So I guess if you had to put a label on it, he would be bisexual. That being said, what I’ve been learning in this age of “political correctness” (I HATE that term but I can’t think of a better one at the moment) that when it comes to gender and sexuality, it’s so fluid that there’s no point in labeling it. There are people who identify as cis/Hetero in love/relationships with people who identify as trans (Laverne Cox and her boyfriend come to mind). There are people are who identify as polyamorous but are in committed relationships with one person. The actor who plays Angel, Indya Moore, identifies as non-binary.  I figure the easiest thing to do is just label the individual however they want to be labeled, if they even want to be labeled. I hope this helps 🙂

[12catcrazy]

Thank you Angelsmom1009.  I don't remember some of the details of season 1 such as Papi being into women and men, so it's good to be reminded.  Plus I guess there are some people who have that affect on others in the way they are so attracting to people, whatever their sexual identification.  

Upthread there was mention of a trans model from the 1970s (and it wasn't generally known she was trans).   This brought to mind another model of the 60s & 70s who is rumored to be trans but denies it.  Her name is Amanda Lear and the most famous photo of her was the cover of a circa 1973 Roxy Music album where she was  walking a panther.    For those of you of a certain age, she was also the Hostess of this bizarre special version of a Friday night music show called The Midnight Special.  The special was called "The 1980 Floor Show" and starred David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust phase and included an incredibly beautiful (and stoned) Marianne Faithful as well as a 60s band called The Troggs and a LA based prog rock flamenco band called Carmen.   Amanda Lear was sort of the emcee and she was gorgeous in that really decadent European way of the early 70s.   She was said to be the lover of Salvador Dali, and that he was the one to pay for her sex change operation.    If you like reading about this sort of thing, do the dive on the 'net and you'll find some fun reading.  

[DrSparkles]

All of the people that died from AIDS in the late 80s were probably infected ~10 years earlier. At the time, the progression from dx to death was/seemed fast bc people were diagnosed late. In South FL, the same thing happened re: collecting meds from the recently deceased.

Damn, I wish I still had my ACT UP tee shirt! I love Sandra B, I think she’s perfect for this role. Hart Island gutted me, god damn. What I also talk about is, think about how different this country might be if we hadn’t lost so many artists & other creative people. Tragedy.

what building was the model casting call supposed to be? Library? Also, Kaposi’s sarcoma, you bitch. That protest is what we need to be doing NOW. That photographer was a c*** & they had way too much makeup on Angel. Her session was FIERCE!

Billy Porter w Colbert was EVERYTHING!