S02.E02: Worth It

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Determined to be an example to her children, Blanca launches a business venture with unexpected results. Meanwhile, Ricky's travels have unpredicted consequences for his relationship with Damon, and Elektra shocks the ballroom community with a bold move.

Written by Janet Mock; Directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton

Promo:

Original air date: 6/18/19

Edited June 16, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Scarlett45]

Poor Pray Tell- all this fighting today!!

I love Papi’s facial expressions. 

“The only monogamy you can be certain of is your own.” Ricky it’s not worth getting sick over. Damon was quite heartbroken which I understand. I think he and Ricky’s relationship was real but they are both so young, and Ricky is right, he’s got to love himself first. 

[mtlchick]

(Elecktra yanks the table cloth) me “didn’t she do that last week?” Elecktra “it’s my signature move.” Me “carry on.”

Elecktra becoming a dominatrix is a fitting career move. At least she got her closet with her designers in order. 

Kudos to Blanca for standing up to Ms Patti Lupone (!) but I was screaming at the tv “get this in writing!” Even though I knew that was one anvil that was going to drop. 

[LittleIggy]

I was right about Electra being a dominatrix. She was born to it! Next week: Elektra treats Blanca like 💩 but she always runs to her for help when she gets in trouble, doesn’t she? 

“Wintour is coming.” 🤣

Patti Lupone is awesome. That son was a mafioso wannabe. 😆

I think Blanca passes. She’s pretty.

[SimoneS]

I am glad that Blanca told her sons about her HIV status and decided to take the cocktail. I am afraid that the horrible son will hurt her. 

Could Patti Lupone's character be any more horrible and racist? She doesn't rent to anyone darker than her aunt after a tan, but she has had good luck with Dominicans, hard workers mostly. Someone need to punch that woman in the face. She is definitely modeled after Leona Hemsley.

I think Damon made the right decision breaking up with Ricky. He was probably cheating on him.

Elektra as a dominatrix is hilarious and the perfect job for her. I like her new house, but Wintour? Really?

Edited June 19, 2019 by SimoneS
Corrected spelling to Leona. Thanks, LittleIggy.

[qtpye]

I think Blanca passes just fine. I still think that the only one who does not pass is Electra. Candi, Lulu, Blanca, and Angel would probably have no problem going into a ladies dressing room. Though Electra is beautiful and fierce

Those two light brights really are barnacles on Electra’s ass. They go where she goes.

I love House Evangelista but really wish they would put some effort into their apartment. You can make it look nice even with no money.

Papi is swole. His adoration of Angel is really sweet. 

Edited June 19, 2019 by qtpye

[LittleIggy]

40 minutes ago, qtpye said:

I think Blanca passes just fine. I still think that the only one who does not pass is Electra. Candi, Lulu, Blanca, and Angel would probably have no problem going into a ladies dressing. Though Electra is beautiful and fierce

Those two light brights really are barnacles on Electra’s ass. They go where she goes.

I love House Evangelista but really wish they would put some effort into their apartment. You can make it look nice even with no money.

Papi is swole. His adoration of Angel is really sweet. 

Seriously! Did you notice those broken shards of glass in an interior door? Yikes! 😮They definitely need to spruce that place up.

@SimoneS It’s Leona Helmsley. She was a total bitch!

Edited June 19, 2019 by LittleIggy

[tennisgurl]

Now I cant get the imagine of Elektra dressed like Ned Stark, holding a big ass sword and telling everyone that Winter Is Coming, out of my head. 

 Patti Lupone is here and she is a major league shithead! Awesome! Kudos to Blanca for standing up to her and getting her nail place started, but always get it in writing girl! No way is this the end of that conflict. 

It was a sad scene, but I cracked up at Angel and Papi obviously eavesdropping on Ricky and Damon fighting and Blanca yelling at them. Papi was such a sweetheart this week, crying and hugging Blanca. And the Romeo and Juliet bit he and Angel did was cute. 

[AgentRXS]

4 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I was right about Electra being a dominatrix. She was born to it! Next week: Elektra treats Blanca like 💩 but she always runs to her for help when she gets in trouble, doesn’t she? 

“Wintour is coming.” 🤣

Patti Lupone is awesome. That son was a mafioso wannabe. 😆

I think Blanca passes. She’s pretty. 

Agreed about Elektra being born to be a dom, and that Blanca/MJ Rodriguez passes for female.

Ricky is ICE COLD for join House of Wintour. You ain't have to do them like that, Ricky.

Imagine being so hateful that you would be willing to lose out on steady income because  someone lives their life and looks different than you. SMH  Can't wait to to see the Blanca/Patti Lupone battle unfold.

I loved Angel and Papi peeking into the living like two curious little kittens as they watched the Ricky and Damon fight.

Edited June 19, 2019 by AgentRXS

[Dee]

I love this show. Thoroughly. That is all.

[bobbyjoe]

I’ve got a feeling sometime this season we’re gonna see Elektra yanking off Ms. Patti Lupone’s tablecloth.

Edited June 19, 2019 by bobbyjoe

[HunterHunted]

3 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I was right about Electra being a dominatrix. She was born to it! Next week: Elektra treats Blanca like 💩 but she always runs to her for help when she gets in trouble, doesn’t she?

She gets to be a bossy bitch who sucks up all the oxygen. There is literally no job better suited to Elektra. It's funny, but I don't think I realized how aptly named Elektra is. Elektra in myth wants to kill her mother for killing Elektra's father and the Electra Complex is a psychosexual conflict between a mother and a daughter. 

3 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

“Wintour is coming.” 🤣

Patti Lupone is awesome. That son was a mafioso wannabe. 😆

I think Blanca passes. She’s pretty.

This show thinks she cute. House of Wintour is coming. New York has always had greater than normal civilian awareness of publishing news, but it's so doubtful any house would have named themselves after Anna Wintour, who was still best known in 1990 as the editor who nearly sunk House & Garden. Wintour's first Vogue cover was a banger-a model wearing Levis and a $10,000 LaCroix jacket-but she had yet to demonstrate that she was a comer. If they were going to name a house after a vogue editor, it would have been Grace Mirabella. Mirabella was from New Jersey, the child of immigrants, and a champion of American designers like Ralph Lauren. She increased circulation and revenue. When she's forced out of Vogue by Si Newhouse, she starts her own magazine--Mirabella.

Blanca passes. Electra doesn't pass because she talks like a fucking cartoon villain. If she could modulate slightly to the pretentious theatre hasbeen, she wouldn't have an issue. Think original aunt Viv.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Just when I thought I couldn't love this show anymore, they give me Patti LuPone and Baby Love in the same damn episode!

Damn, Ricky, you are one cold MF. Defecting to the House of Wintour was the most hurtful thing he could have done. And what did Blanca, Angel, or Lil Papi do to deserve that? Petty! I'm comforting myself with the thought that he's going back on tour soon so he won't be competing with Elektra's new house too often.

I'm glad that Blanca finally told the other kids. I think that keeping it a secret was just making things worse because it was added stress. And I loooooved how sweet Lil Papi's reaction was.

I also really liked Angel helping Blanca with her clothes and makeup. I know that Blanca is the house mother but she is not much older than her children, so it was nice to see the roles reversed a little so that she was the one learning something from them.

I don't blame Damon for breaking up with Ricky. Even if we give Ricky the benefit of the doubt and he wasn't cheating with Chris, he was obviously hiding things from Damon which is shady. And he kept insisting on not using condoms which is grounds for dismissal too.

[SimoneS]

I forgot to mention how much I loved the music in this episode. The final montage with Anita Baker was well done.

Angel and Papi spying and giggling at Damon and Ricky's drama was funny. 

[BloggerAloud]

Papi is really the king of reaction shots on the show.

[SnarkEnthusiast]

We needed way more Angel and Papi! I was not happy that they were swapped out for Damon and Ricky's middle school fighting. I'm just not invested in them, although I was glad they're negative. Angel chewing them out was great too. Angel Curiel and Indya Moore pack so much life into even little background shots, like peering around the doorway to watch drama.

This episode was kind of middling for me. It simultaneously felt like filler and cramming all the inciting incidents of the season into one episode.

Angel Curiel knocked it out of the park with Papi's reaction to Blanca having AIDS. Strongest moment of the episode and made me tear up a bit. You could really feel his palpable despair and devotion. It was especially heartbreaking because you got the sense he was trying in vain to convince himself he can prevent the inevitable if he only cares for Blanca well enough. Everyone in Evangelista has had their moments of bratty entitlement, but Papi is really a goodhearted, loyal, ride or die dude at the end of the day. Papi is my absolute favorite character. I love how much he appreciates everyone who loves him.

So if Electra has the dominatrix cash to flounce around renting luxury apartments and bankrolling her own custom engineered ballroom fantasy team, why bother crawling back to Candy and Lulu at all? And boy, did Evangelista's numbers dwindle quick! Last week it was filled with extras and this week she's down to three kids. Okay.

The supposed issue of Blanca not passing kind of came out of nowhere and certainly felt like a plot device (there's no way that bumbling meathead would ever clock her, let alone before the real estate lady), but I appreciated the conversation between her and Angel about the unconscious benefits of passing in society. I'm sure it dictates the acting opportunities for all the actresses in the show as well. I don't think it's a coincidence that Indya Moore has seemingly gotten the biggest career boost out of this show so far, although her acting also certainly warrants the attention. Every marginalized community unfortunately has beauty standards that serve to unconsciously reaffirm superiority of the mainstream, but for trans people, not conforming is especially dangerous.

Edited June 19, 2019 by SnarkEnthusiast

[Scarlett45]

28 minutes ago, SnarkEnthusiast said:

The supposed issue of Blanca not passing kind of came out of nowhere and certainly felt like a plot device (there's no way that bumbling meathead would ever clock her, let alone before the real estate lady), but I appreciated the conversation between her and Angel about the unconscious benefits of passing in society. I'm sure it dictates the acting opportunities for all the actresses in the show as well. I don't think it's a coincidence that Indya Moore has seemingly gotten the biggest career boost out of this show so far, although her acting also certainly warrants the attention. Every marginalized community unfortunately has beauty standards that serve to unconsciously reaffirm superiority of the mainstream, but for trans people, not conforming is especially dangerous.

Yes my Mom and I talked about this in the car this morning. Even in NYC 1990, I don’t see Blanca getting thrown out of women’s dressing rooms for people suspecting she’s trans. It might be a combination of racism and transphobia at play, or 1-2 incidents when she was younger (before she could grow her hair long or be on hormones for a decent amount of time) that scared her emotionally (rightfully so) making her insecure about going into the dressing room. Honestly I see her being harassed more for being brown than trans (not to say intersectionality isn’t at play here- of course it is). 

[LittleIggy]

Was the white Wintour girl one of the dominatrices (guess that is the plural!)?

[HorrrGoodnight]

I was lovinggggggg the fashions this week! I gagged the whole time.

Papi had me all misty eyed with his response to the news of Blanca's status.

Did Miss Elektra gift all her children Cartier??? Yes honey she does it big. Signature moves and all. Of course we know there will be another plunge into despair but it's fun to watch for now. 

ETA I think Blanca may have had issues with the dressing room thing years prior to that when she maybe hadn't perfected the hair/makeup/mannerisms. She mentioned that she had given up on fashion "ever since then" 

Edited June 19, 2019 by SlutAssBitchAssHor

[Scarlett45]

On 6/19/2019 at 11:13 AM, SlutAssBitchAssHor said:

ETA I think Blanca may have had issues with the dressing room thing years prior to that when she maybe hadn't perfected the hair/makeup/mannerisms. She mentioned that she had given up on fashion "ever since then" 

Yeah- I think we as the audience see Blanca now, 1990 when she’s 32(I think she said she was 30 in season 1) and forget that she wasn’t able to transition until she left home at 18 so she went through male puberty and had to deal with all that as an adult. Again, as I said above she’s got every right to be scared by those experiences, the bigots are dangerous. If some racist bigoted asshole called the cops and she was arrested, would she have the right ID? It would be a shit show. Poor thing. But she is gorgeous!

[lovett1979]

56 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Was the white Wintour girl one of the dominatrices (guess that is the plural!)?

No, she owns (or works at) a clothing store that some of the characters visit in the first season (Episode Love is the Message).

[mtlchick]

3 hours ago, SnarkEnthusiast said:

So if Electra has the dominatrix cash to flounce around renting luxury apartments and bankrolling her own custom engineered ballroom fantasy team, why bother crawling back to Candy and Lulu at all?

My guess she didn't want to pay for rent but knew Candy and Lulu would take her in due to her ballroom expertise as they clearly needed the help.  But since they were not going to bow to her demands about the closet space (so not bowing to her control), she bounced.

[Ohwell]

How often were balls held?  Some of those ball costumes and setups look quite expensive and I just wonder how the house members can afford all this stuff. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I loooved when Pray Tell read Candy for trying to pass off those terrible foam wings as fitting the category. 

I hated the way that Elektra got away with introducing her house. Of course she’s allowed to debut her new house, but the way she did it was deliberately shitty. You can make a grand entrance without interrupting the runway. Loved Pray Tell’s reaction: “NO, BITCH!”

[DrSparkles]

Blancas talk w her children brought the tears!

wintour is coming?! I snorted, I did.

[HorrrGoodnight]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

How often were balls held?  Some of those ball costumes and setups look quite expensive and I just wonder how the house members can afford all this stuff. 

Maybe they steal it from museums? 😆 but seriously I'm sure there were some 5 finger discounts happening

[Dee]

I loved that Angel genuinely missed Ricky. She reacted the same way when Blanca kicked Papi out last season.

I also loved that Ricky was included in Blanca's confession of her diagnosis. He may be shady, but he's still an OG Evangelista.

[SimoneS]

In the final montage, I cracked up at Damon teaching his Vogue class to a bunch of middle class mostly White people of all sizes. Glad he will be able to bring some income to the House.

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, Dee said:

I loved that Angel genuinely missed Ricky. She reacted the same way when Blanca kicked Papi out last season.

I also loved that Ricky was included in Blanca's confession of her diagnosis. He may be shady, but he's still an OG Evangelista.

If they cannot get the actor back why not just have him on tour?!! He cannot dance for House Wintour!!

 

[SnarkEnthusiast]

I was also a little disappointed that an episode featuring both a love theme and Angel/Papi performing as Romeo and Juliet did nothing to advance the chemistry between Angel and Papi when they're obviously being set up as the central romance of the season. I realize they haven't built up enough sexual tension yet to break it, but I thoroughly enjoy their sparks and little flirtation. I thought this week's themes would lay natural groundwork for that, but instead all we got was 45 seconds of corny Damon/Ricky foreplay. 

[Mattipoo]

Patti Lupone! I didn't recognize her at first but glad she's on this show. I cracked up during the interview scene when her wannabe gangster son came home from "collections" and the journalist lady rolled her eyes.

[sereion]

Oh, no they didn't break out the "Baby Love"!  That was my jam back in day! 

Elecktra has found her calling as a dominatrix--she certainly has the personality for it!

Patti Lupone can do no wrong; I am vaugely familiar with Lenora Helmsley, but she seems like she was a female version of that orange, gross man in the White House. That said, I love Blanca's drive and persistence; she's trying to live her best life on borrowed time with her kids, which is why I glad she decided to comply to take the meds.

I am confused, though-didn't they start the new cocktail drug around that time (late 80's early 9o's)? I remember hearing about it as a teen, it.was hailed as a major breakthrough as it made the virus more manageable, and significantly increased the survival rate. I would hope her Blanca's doctor made her aware of it

[RealReality]

On 6/18/2019 at 8:10 PM, mtlchick said:

(Elecktra yanks the table cloth) me “didn’t she do that last week?” Elecktra “it’s my signature move.” Me “carry on.”

Elecktra becoming a dominatrix is a fitting career move. At least she got her closet with her designers in order. 

Kudos to Blanca for standing up to Ms Patti Lupone (!) but I was screaming at the tv “get this in writing!” Even though I knew that was one anvil that was going to drop. 

I love evil Elektra, I can't help it, she is so much fun!

14 hours ago, SlutAssBitchAssHor said:

I was lovinggggggg the fashions this week! I gagged the whole time.

Papi had me all misty eyed with his response to the news of Blanca's status.

Did Miss Elektra gift all her children Cartier??? Yes honey she does it big. Signature moves and all. Of course we know there will be another plunge into despair but it's fun to watch for now. 

ETA I think Blanca may have had issues with the dressing room thing years prior to that when she maybe hadn't perfected the hair/makeup/mannerisms. She mentioned that she had given up on fashion "ever since then" 

YASS!!!! Fashions fashions fashions!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

10 hours ago, Dee said:

I also loved that Ricky was included in Blanca's confession of her diagnosis. He may be shady, but he's still an OG Evangelista.

When Papi said that Ricky had defected, I was worried how long it will be before he spills the beans to Elektra (whether it's unintentional or completely on purpose).

[jcin617]

16 hours ago, Ohwell said:

How often were balls held?  Some of those ball costumes and setups look quite expensive and I just wonder how the house members can afford all this stuff. 

I've wondered that too;  in addition who pays for the gigantic trophies they give out for each and every category.   Good lord, those can be expensive.

[Empress1]

15 hours ago, SlutAssBitchAssHor said:

Maybe they steal it from museums? 😆 but seriously I'm sure there were some 5 finger discounts happening

In Paris is Burning they straight up admit to "mopping," and we've seen it here. One of the funniest parts of that movie is when someone is trying to explain what mopping is, and he hems and haws trying to make it sound different than it is, and finally he just says "Mopping is stealing." I assume that whatever money they have goes to rent and ball stuff, and there's not much left (hence the Slim-Fast and popcorn, I DIED).

If ANYONE were born to be a dominatrix, it's Elektra. That's basically how she speaks all the time, so it's the perfect job for her. I wonder if she's going to get in trouble with the drugs though.

I knew Patti LuPone was about to fuck over Blanca. When Blanca just handed over a wad of cash I was like "GIRL NO GET IT IN WRITING." Patti LuPone is brilliant and will make a great foe.

My parents used to play Anita Baker around the house. I loved the final montage.

[RealReality]

I enjoyed this episode, but I think this was the first time where I really could see the clash between the drama and the camp.  With the flashing title graphics and everything, it was a bit much for me.

The landlord's son is absolutely going to bust the windows in that salon or try to bust Blanca's kneecaps.  Which will be terrible because if she has AIDS in the early 90s even with the AZT her body may have a harder time recovering and they will not treat her well at a hospital.

I love Elektra!  But yeah there is some foreshadowing with the drugs.   

[eejm]

Who exactly is contributing to the rent on House Evangelista?  Blanca opened her own nail salon and while that’s awesome, she won’t be making money for a while.  Blanca smartly deterred Angel from prostitution, but she doesn’t seem to have another job unless she has paid modeling gigs now.  (Why didn’t she go back to the peep show?  It wasn’t ideal, but it was safer work and she made good money.)  Damon just started teaching voguing at a community center, so he contributes a bit. Elektra and Ricky are gone.  Does Papi still have his job?

Count me in on saying that Elektra has found her calling as a dominatrix.  I get the feeling her two working worlds may collide at some point, though.  

Is Pray Tell still dating the guy he met at the end of last season?

Edited June 20, 2019 by eejm

[Dee]

52 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

In Paris is Burning they straight up admit to "mopping," and we've seen it here. One of the funniest parts of that movie is when someone is trying to explain what mopping is, and he hems and haws trying to make it sound different than it is, and finally he just says "Mopping is stealing."

That would be the legendary Freddie Pendavis, who guest starred last season as one of the ballroom judges. He's the one who told Candy she needed to moooooooooooooooove on. lol

[Empress1]

9 minutes ago, eejm said:

Is Pray Tell still dating the guy he met at the end of last season?

I believe they went to his funeral last episode.

[eejm]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

I believe they went to his funeral last episode.

The guy who died in the last episode was named Derek.  Pray Tell’s boyfriend was Keenan.

[Ohwell]

5 minutes ago, eejm said:

The guy who died in the last episode was named Derek.  Pray Tell’s boyfriend was Keenan.

Thanks for the clarification.  I didn't remember Pray Tell's boyfriend's name.  I hope we see him again. 

[Empress1]

14 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Thanks for the clarification.  I didn't remember Pray Tell's boyfriend's name.  I hope we see him again. 

Keenan was revealed to have died in the first episode of this season. Pray and Blanca were looking for his body on Hart Island.

[eejm]

32 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Keenan was revealed to have died in the first episode of this season. Pray and Blanca were looking for his body on Hart Island.

Oh wow, thanks!  I didn’t catch the name of the person whose grave Blanca and Pray Tell were looking for.

Edited June 20, 2019 by eejm

[Ohwell]

4 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Keenan was revealed to have died in the first episode of this season. Pray and Blanca were looking for his body on Hart Island.

Oh wow.  How sad for Pray Tell. 

Except for main characters like Blanca, Elektra, Angel, Damon, Papi and Ricky, my old brain cannot remember the names of many of the other characters.

Oh, and those two bitches Candy and Lulu. 😊

[Lonesome Rhodes]

A full-on knife fight at a BALL???!!!!!!!!!  What the heck has become of this show?

It's about moments for me.  Angel's (Juliet's?) death scene was endearing and charming.  LP's profession of unending fealty to Blanca was magnificent in its naivete, sincerity, and urgency.  

Elektra's backstory was sadly believable.  It seemed odd that she had not stumbled upon the Dominatrix scene a lot earlier, though.  It was also strange that we did not get more "dance" from her house in the Feathers Ball.  They crushed it, but the big point was that Elektra was going to revolutionize that community through choreo.  

I really hope we get more Blanca v. Helmsley.  Junior can stay home.  It would be awesome, and at least plausible, for Leona to recognize and respect a tough beyotch in Blanca.  That could be a cool connection throughout the run of this show.  We got a bit of this in their first encounter when she was sizing up Blanca.  I thought it was highly significant that Blanca was offered her money back in full.  There just may be some decency to be found in this relationship/arrangement after all.

[Dee]

10 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Oh, and those two bitches Candy and Lulu. 😊

Spoiler

Don't get too attached to Candy.

[hoodooznoodooz]

Blanca’s montage with her explaining how much she wanted a man to love her and how much she wanted to please a man (therefore, no condom) was so sad, but believable.

[tennisgurl]

The montage of Elektra assembling her new house of highly qualified oddballs, complete with pop up title cards, was so ridiculous that it turned around for me to become awesome. Like a dancing dirty dozen!

[sugarbaker design]

6 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

The montage of Elektra assembling her new house of highly qualified oddballs, complete with pop up title cards, was so ridiculous that it turned around for me to become awesome. Like a dancing dirty dozen!

Shadow and Silhouette!