S02.E05: What Would Candy Do?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Competition gets the best of Damon and Ricky as they audition for a spot on Madonna's Blonde Ambition tour.

Promo:

Original air date: 7/16/19

Edited July 14, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[peridot]

I liked this episode, it wasn't overly maudlin.

What the hell at Elecktra, though?  Maiming someone just for an audition?!
I'm glad someone in her house had a conscience.  I think this was the most I've ever heard him speak!

I'm glad Damon didn't just rush back into a relationship with Ricky, that Solid Gold montage was long, but entertaining. 

[SimoneS]

First, the music in this episode was on point! I was jamming. They brought so many memories, some good, some not so good. Second, Ryan Jamaal Swain's (Damon) acting has improved sooo much. Thank goodness!

I really enjoyed this episode. Damon and Ricky competing was fun. They are both really good dancers and were great at all the auditions. Of course, Elektra had to ruin it. It was good that someone in her House had a conscience and 'fessed up before Damon was hurt.

Damon teaching those enthusiastic middle class White people to vogue will never not be funny. I loved how the coordinator said that she was scared of them. Ha! I am glad that he has a steady income now. He has come a long way. Thanks to Blanca.

I liked how they showed what different mothers Blanca and Eletra are. Blanca is all love. She builds up her children's confidence by giving them everything that she has. She is leaving a lasting legacy of love and accomplishment.

They didn't give them much airtime, but Papi and Angel were steamy in their final scene. It will be hot when they finally hit the sheets.

[Blakeston]

I thought this was easily the weakest episode the show has ever done.

I could not care less if Damon and Ricky end up together or not.

[LittleIggy]

Elektra! Ugh! What a horrible mother! Did she kick Ricky out of Wintour? It still kills me how she treats Blanca (best mother ever!) like trash yet runs to her when she is in crisis.

I used to watch the original Solid Gold Dancers. 😆

Guess Madonna wasn’t interested in authentic Voguers.

Next week’s preview freaked me out! 😱

[tennisgurl]

I really appreciate a lighter episode after last weeks massive emotional draining tearfest. Damon teaching middle aged white women to vogue never stops making me laugh, and he actually does seem like a good teacher, as well as a dancer. He and Ricky clearly shouldn't be together right now, but maybe after Rickie actually gets his shit together and realizes whats important. Elektra just about lost her damn mind trying to hurt Damon to boost Ricky's chances, thank God one of her children actually has a conscience. 

The differences between Elektra and Blanca as mothers is so apparent here. Sure Elektra can give her children lots of stuff and a nice place to live, but she filters all her love for them through her own sense of narcissism and entitlement, and her love is very conditional depending on what they can do for her, while Blanca, despite living in a small crappy apartment, gives her children nothing but her unconditional love and support. Blanca really is mom of the year.

That Solid Gold dancing sure was...something. Damon, Rickie, and the other dancer were all really good, but its pretty bizarre watching Rickie dance to Sinead O`Connor in M.C.Hammer pants is just a whole lot of 1990. 

Not much of Lil Papi and Angel, but they were really sweet and supportive of Damon, which was super sweet to see, and the brief scenes of them at the end were HOT. Nice! Papi clearly spends a lot of time doing those push ups!

That preview for next week! Dont you play me like that show!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

It was nice to have a lighter episode after Candy's death and funeral last week.

I loved that we got to see Damon dancing, teaching, and interacting with people outside of the house. As much as I love Blanca and House Evangelista, it was great to see Damon in his element.

There are a lot of people who are talented dancers but are TERRIBLE at teaching (there's nothing more frustrating than taking a class with a great dancer who "teaches" by saying things like "you just do this"). It really takes a particular kind of person to be able to clearly break down moves, give the right kind of analogies to help students understand what you want their bodies to do, and provide constructive criticism.

All of that is even more challenging when you're working with non-dancers. Damon was patient, friendly, positive, and supportive of his students. For many dancers, teaching is what they plan to do after they retire from professional dancing aka the end of the road for their "real" dance careers. But seeing Damon teach a vogue class to a bunch of suburban moms was an eye opener. If he can be that good of a teacher with non-dancers, he can teach anyone.

I love Helena. She knew exactly why it was important for Damon to take the opportunity to audition for something huge like dancing on Madonna's tour, not just for him but for audiences to see another dancer of color on stage. I loved that she made him promise he would come back and finish school after the tour. Only one semester left!

The stark contrast between Blanca and Elektra as mothers was both hilarious and terrifying.

As always, A+ for the music. Milli Vanilli, Linear, Technotronic, Black Box, Sinead O'Connor, Janet Jackson, Roxette - so many good songs! Fun fact: the music video for Alright was one of Cab Calloway's last appearances.

Oh, Ricky, listen to Damon. Solid Gold was THE BEST! I can't believe that casting guy told Damon and Ricky that Lucinda Dickey was in Ninja 3 but he didn't mention that she was in Breakin' and Grease 2! I'm pretty sure a lot more people saw those two movies than Ninja 3. In case you never saw the musical masterpiece that is Breakin':

Even after Blanca talked Elektra out of her Tonya Harding plot, I kept waiting for Elektra to jump out and take a hammer to Damon. I still can't believe that her defense was that he's young so he'll heal. Bitch, please.

The Solid Gold theme song sung by Dionne Warwick (the first Solid Gold host!):

Edited July 17, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[justmehere]

I enjoyed all the dancing. It's so far from anything I can do that it's great fun to watch. 

The way Damon and Ricky supported each other was sweet. They could have made it so they were antagonistic after their breakup, but this show doesn't do much that's "usual," and it was refreshing to see them be friendly. Good for Damon for not rushing back, though. It'll be nice when they do reunite (I'm assuming they will), just, not right now when they're working so hard. But how Damon can resist Ricky's smile.... 

Yeah, Elektra really went over the top. She feels entitled and thinks every win should be hers. And I think she was so excited about Madonna that she kind of lost her head. There's so much bluster to her, though, which isn't what she's like when things are "real." And she has learned to listen to Blanca, who always helps balance her. That barely-there smile while handing over the hammer said a lot, too.

[Empress1]

8 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Blanca, despite living in a small crappy apartment,

I keep thinking that that place isn't bad at all - it just needs to be fixed up. It's a decent size (small kitchen but that's par for the course in NYC) and has good bones. If it had some nice furniture (I think they eat off a card table), a few plants, and a coat of paint it would be lovely. Surely Ricky could throw a few bucks of his teaching income or Angel* could throw some modeling money toward a new couch? I've for sure seen worse.

Elektra is kind of a loon, no? The contrast between her and Blanca really is striking. Blanca actually loves her kids; Elektra is a narcissist who only sees them as reflections of herself and doesn't care about them as people. (I assume she's still a dom, given that wad of cash she was flashing.) At least she admits it, I guess, but I'd rather be loved.

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

As always, A+ for the music. Milli Vanilli, Linear, Technotronic, Black Box, Sinead O'Connor, Janet Jackson, Roxette - so many good songs! Fun fact: the music video for Alright was one of Cab Calloway's last appearances.

I bump "Alright" TO THIS DAY. It's great to work out to.

*I'm Black. I have natural hair. I know firsthand how fucking annoying it is when people touch it without permission. HOWEVER, whenever Angel is on screen I think "Her hair looks so soft!" I would NEVER just walk up and pet it - I've had that done to me, it sucks. But it looks so good! I would love to know her hair care regimen.

Edited July 17, 2019 by Empress1

[SnarkEnthusiast]

The narrative pacing of this season is really bizarre. Every third episode returns to one plot that could've/arguably should've been a C-plot with (almost) zero reference to any other plot. Not to mention the tonal whiplash: "Nail salon! Papi and Angel almost date but just kidding! Woops, Electra killed a dude. Candy was murdered. But Damon and Ricky get along now! Next week Pray might die but hey, maybe the stress will drive Papi and Angel to finally fuck!"

This episode was light but also light on substance. Damon and Ricky are still very juvenile and it makes their plots kind of annoying even when they get along. Ricky has a cute smile though. Swoon. I'm surprised they didn't get canned immediately for the obvious homoeroticism during their TV shoot lol.

Papi is supportive, but stupid, to hinge him having sex with Angel on her presumed modeling success, haha. They just need to drag them having sex out until the finale. How's that plot resolution going to go? "I know you were willing to drop me for CVS fame last month, but you booked another drugstore makeup campaign and/or we're filled with existential fear because our friends are dying, so let's bang!!!" They need to build them back up a little first, with Angel hopefully making it clear how much Papi means to her, because it still feels a bit like Angel is toying with Papi out of boredom/low self-esteem.

Also, Angel the actor (Papi) playing someone who's in love with a character named Angel must get SO confusing during scenes!

[SimoneS]

8 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I can't believe that casting guy told Damon and Ricky that Lucinda Dickey was in Ninja 3 but he didn't mention that she was in Breakin' and Grease 2! I'm pretty sure a lot more people saw those two movies than Ninja 3. In case you never saw the musical masterpiece that is Breakin':

The Solid Gold theme song sung by Dionne Warwick (th

Talk about bringing back memories. I loved Breakin, hell everyone I knew did. We all tried and failed to dance like they did. Plus, I had a serious crush on the lead. 

As for Solid Gold, it was appointment tv in my house. Someone would yell, "it is time for Solid Gold" and everyone would scramble in front of the tv. I will never forget that I had the biggest crush on Andy Gibb so I was glued to the screen when he was the host.

[Liquid6]

Well, I'm a softy. I absolutely want Damon & Rickey to reunite. #UnPopularOpinion. Rickey was a little too "fem" in this episode. I know it had to do with the vogueing, but his appeal is that he's masc.

[LittleIggy]

Re: the Evangelista apartment: Please, please get that broken glass out of those door frame inserts! I cringe every time I see those shards of glass.

[Lunula]

Happy to see Ricky and Damon makes amends; however, I still want to see a straight up admission of guilt and apology from Ricky. He never truly fessed up about cheating on Damon - so how can he expect forgiveness and a second chance?

I am completely torn about Electra - that is some phenomenally horrible acting, though sometimes I think the director must tell her to behave/speak as she does. For me, she’s turning into a cartoon character in a sense. Each week, I find her and her behavior increasingly difficult to believe. 

Blanca, Angel and Papi - love them so much. 

My biggest complaints: 1) Did Ricky not have a TV in the 80s at all? I am not buying that someone his age, in 1990, wouldn’t know what Solid Gold was. Not buying it. 2) Not nearly enough Pray Tell.

[heckkitty]

Didn’t really like this one. I don’t think the actors playing Damon & Ricky are strong enough to carry an episode. And the writing is super uneven. I like what they’re doing with quotes at the end, but this one felt forced, and everything that was true last week (they’re a family! Everyone unite around Candy!) is now totally forgotten (shank Damon with a hammer over an audition!). 

[Ohiopirate02]

5 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Re: the Evangelista apartment: Please, please get that broken glass out of those door frame inserts! I cringe every time I see those shards of glass.

We saw Blanca scrubbing the bathroom within an inch of its life in a previous episode.   I also don't understand why she has not fixed that or painted something in that apartment. 

[Galloway Cave]

3 hours ago, Lunula said:

though sometimes I think the director must tell her to behave/speak as she does.

Dominique Jackson is from Trinidad, so I think part of her speaking pattern is trying to hide her accent. It just comes off as haughty. But then again, it does fit perfectly with Electra's over-the-top persona.

I really hope an apartment make-over is in the future. I would be so depressed living in a place like that.

[SailorGirl]

8 hours ago, SimoneS said:

Talk about bringing back memories. I loved Breakin, hell everyone I knew did. We all tried and failed to dance like they did. Plus, I had a serious crush on the lead. 

And let us not forget the equally awesome sequel -- Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo! Classics, in the cheesiest way possible!! 😄

[HorrrGoodnight]

I think I enjoyed this episode because the last 2 wrecked and exhausted my emotions. It was a little light but still, at least everyone made it out in one piece. I was scared for a minute with Candy's hammer plot. Blanca's "I'm so proud of you" vs Elektra's "I'm so proud of myself" was telling.... and hilarious! My DVR cut off before the preview but I will not hear anything of Pray Tell's demise!!! 🙉

Edited July 18, 2019 by SlutAssBitchAssHor

[Babalu]

Was Candy’s hammer a thing? If it was featured in a previous episode, I must have missed it.

[heckkitty]

I wouldn’t put it past Candy to have a hammer, but I also don’t remember hearing it being mentioned before. 

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, Galloway Cave said:

Dominique Jackson is from Trinidad, so I think part of her speaking pattern is trying to hide her accent. It just comes off as haughty. But then again, it does fit perfectly with Electra's over-the-top persona.

I really hope an apartment make-over is in the future. I would be so depressed living in a place like that.

I get the idea that Elektra is channeling Bette Davis and Joan Crawford from the movies she watched on afternoon TV.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

WWCD?  Inspired.

Well, Angel has been working solid for months, now.  She got paid for the W&W campaign.  Any notion of her being poor is ridiculous.  She would have an important agent, for SURE.  

Loved the Ball.  Pray Tell was back to basics, which is always a welcome sight for me.  

Cruella D'Elektra outdid herself.  I found it to be entirely credible and in character.

Seeing a more mature Damon was heartening, but was a leap too far.  It was super cool seeing him as the Alpha in Helena's class.  THAT, was on point.  The conversation later with Helena was a nice payoff, as well.  I love earned affirmation.  Nothing better.

The oily TV producer was a hoot.  The shlocky pilot we saw was just what a weasel like that would come up with.  

It's difficult to not think this ep could be the apex for the characters on this show.  I don't know about you, but I'm buckling up and putting my tray in the upright and locked position.  

The preview looks daunting and anvilicious. 

Spoiler

I am excited to see Leona the Landlord again! 

[RealReality]

I can never hate elektra, even when she is being absolutely awful.  

I'd like to think that when the moment came Elektra wouldn't have done it.  She has shown glimpses of humanity every now and again.  

I think the only point when she lost me was when she told Ricky not to come back if he didn't get a spot on the tour.  That wasnt cool.  

But she seems to realize her shortcomings and that she will never be as loved as Blanca.  And more importantly that she doesn't deserve it given her behavior.  She bought her kids with money and gifts and so they shouldn't love her as much as Blanca's kids love her.  Must suck for her to know that the minute her money is gone, house of wintour will be over.

[Liquid6]

13 hours ago, Lunula said:

completely torn about Electra - that is some phenomenally horrible acting, though sometimes I think the director must tell her to behave/speak as she does. For me, she’s turning into a cartoon character in a sense. Each week, I find her and her behavior increasingly difficult to believe. 

The Elektra character is based off of Ball Legend Crystal LaBeija. You can actually pull her up on YouTube. I too initially thought that Dominique’s performance was bad acting but after seeing Crystal, I’m now convinced that Dominique is the best actress in the cast. 

[DrSparkles]

So, this series is set in a time period when I was in my 20s & a semi-professional club goer in south beach. Granted, the clubs I was at were playing the Smiths, Cure, etc (w the exception of Sunday night Disco Inferno at the Cameo!!). Point being, I never heard of Vogue'ing classes?! Was it a NYC thing??

[HorrrGoodnight]

7 hours ago, RealReality said:

I'd like to think that when the moment came Elektra wouldn't have done it.  She has shown glimpses of humanity every now and again.  

I would like to think that too buuuuut I'm pretty sure she would have if not for Blanca's intervention. Either way I'm glad Ricky's foot is in tact 😆 

[RealReality]

1 minute ago, SlutAssBitchAssHor said:

I would like to think that too buuuuut I'm pretty sure she would have if not for Blanca's intervention. Either way I'm glad Ricky's foot is in tact 😆 

LOL....yeah, you're probably right.....it's likely Damon would have gotten the kerrigan treatment were it not for Blanca.

Elektra is so ridiculous, but I can't help but to love her.  

[HorrrGoodnight]

Yeah I meant Damon, thanks. I always get the two mixed up. 

[RealReality]

52 minutes ago, SlutAssBitchAssHor said:

Yeah I meant Damon, thanks. I always get the two mixed up. 

In fairness, she probably would have also broken Ricky's foot had he lost. 🤣

[Luckylyn]

12 hours ago, Babalu said:

Was Candy’s hammer a thing? If it was featured in a previous episode, I must have missed it.

I remember her taking a hammer out of her bag and threatening someone I think Electra with it at a ball in a previous episode.   I’m trying to remember but I think there were two occasions where Candy had her hammer.  Was there an episode where she threatened the judges with her hammer last season?

[Angelsmom1009]

I liked this episode, a nice fluff one and relief from last week’s necessary but heartbreaking cryfest. 

First, the music in this episode had me all in my nostalgic feels. I’m a teen of the 90s and these songs reminded me of blasting the radio while getting ready for school, listening to cassette tapes on my Walkman, and watching MTV when they actually played music videos. The Solid Gold scene was a bit cheesy but really showed off the actors’ talent as dancers. 

I’m glad Damon stood his ground and said him and Ricky are better off as friends. He’s about to get his degree, is teaching a class that is immensely popular, and is going on auditions. He’s living his dream and he doesn’t need anyone holding him down. I like Ricky but he really does need to learn how to stand on his two feet and blaze his own path, not latch onto someone else’s coattails. In his first episode, he said when he first saw Damon he thought he was going places and hoped he would take him with him. Damon took him to his first ballet, encouraged him to join the house and to go on the Al B Sure audition. Ricky has to take the incentive to keep going it on his own, and I hope he leaves the Wintour house and Elektra.

Speaking of which, I fully believe that Elektra would bash Damon’s foot if it meant a win for her house. She’s nuts but I just can’t quit her crazy ass. That’s how I read the shared smirk between Blanca and Elektra...”I still love you, you crazy bitch.” 😜

So, Angel and Papi...their chemistry is off the charts and when they do link up it’s going to be fire. That flirting and innuendo is right on par with living and loving in your twenties. Just be safe and conscious of each other’s feelings. But like with Ricky and Damon, I hope these two don’t get so caught up in lust and love that they forget their paths of growth.

I too am hoping for an apartment make over...my husband and I are native NYers now living in NJ because rent is too damn high in NYC (not much better in NJ honestly), and every time we see the Evangelista apartment we’re like “how much would they paying for an apartment that size?” Probably not a lot since it’s run down and the Bronx was WILD in the 80s and 90s. It has so much potential though and some paint and curtains and some nicer secondhand furniture would do wonders. I kind of get it though...Blanca and the kids all have been homeless at some point and they’re probably grateful for a roof over their head where they’re safe and not being eaten alive by vermin, making the rent every month and putting food on the table and the lights on. Cracking walls and mattress on the floor probably means very little in the grand scheme of things, and I do appreciate the realness of it all.

[luckyroll3]

On 7/16/2019 at 9:40 PM, LittleIggy said:

Elektra! Ugh! What a horrible mother! Did she kick Ricky out of Wintour? It still kills me how she treats Blanca (best mother ever!) like trash yet runs to her when she is in crisis.

I used to watch the original Solid Gold Dancers. 😆

Guess Madonna wasn’t interested in authentic Voguers.

Next week’s preview freaked me out! 😱

I think it's more likely that they only needed/wanted one dancer of a certain type.  That's why everyone in their audition group looked so similar.  The entire group was really good though.  

On 7/17/2019 at 1:58 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

It was nice to have a lighter episode after Candy's death and funeral last week.

I loved that we got to see Damon dancing, teaching, and interacting with people outside of the house. As much as I love Blanca and House Evangelista, it was great to see Damon in his element.

There are a lot of people who are talented dancers but are TERRIBLE at teaching (there's nothing more frustrating than taking a class with a great dancer who "teaches" by saying things like "you just do this"). It really takes a particular kind of person to be able to clearly break down moves, give the right kind of analogies to help students understand what you want their bodies to do, and provide constructive criticism.

All of that is even more challenging when you're working with non-dancers. Damon was patient, friendly, positive, and supportive of his students. For many dancers, teaching is what they plan to do after they retire from professional dancing aka the end of the road for their "real" dance careers. But seeing Damon teach a vogue class to a bunch of suburban moms was an eye opener. If he can be that good of a teacher with non-dancers, he can teach anyone.

I love Helena. She knew exactly why it was important for Damon to take the opportunity to audition for something huge like dancing on Madonna's tour, not just for him but for audiences to see another dancer of color on stage. I loved that she made him promise he would come back and finish school after the tour. Only one semester left!

The stark contrast between Blanca and Elektra as mothers was both hilarious and terrifying.

As always, A+ for the music. Milli Vanilli, Linear, Technotronic, Black Box, Sinead O'Connor, Janet Jackson, Roxette - so many good songs! Fun fact: the music video for Alright was one of Cab Calloway's last appearances.

Oh, Ricky, listen to Damon. Solid Gold was THE BEST! I can't believe that casting guy told Damon and Ricky that Lucinda Dickey was in Ninja 3 but he didn't mention that she was in Breakin' and Grease 2! I'm pretty sure a lot more people saw those two movies than Ninja 3. In case you never saw the musical masterpiece that is Breakin':

Even after Blanca talked Elektra out of her Tonya Harding plot, I kept waiting for Elektra to jump out and take a hammer to Damon. I still can't believe that her defense was that he's young so he'll heal. Bitch, please.

The Solid Gold theme song sung by Dionne Warwick (the first Solid Gold host!):

When he said Lucinda Dickey, I could immediately picture her in Breakin' and Electric Boogaloo (one of my all time favorite movies! #80skid).  I may have seen Ninja 3 because as a kid I also watched all things featuring martial arts, but definitely not what I remember her from at all.  

On 7/17/2019 at 10:16 AM, SimoneS said:

As for Solid Gold, it was appointment tv in my house. Someone would yell, "it is time for Solid Gold" and everyone would scramble in front of the tv. I will never forget that I had the biggest crush on Andy Gibb so I was glued to the screen when he was the host.

I lived for Solid Gold!  The montage at the end was incredible and brought back all the glorious cheesiness of the performances.  And man, the music!  Loved, loved, loved.

[Blakeston]

11 hours ago, Liquid6 said:

The Elektra character is based off of Ball Legend Crystal LaBeija. You can actually pull her up on YouTube. I too initially thought that Dominique’s performance was bad acting but after seeing Crystal, I’m now convinced that Dominique is the best actress in the cast. 

Watching videos of Crystal LaBeija helped me understand why Dominique Jackson speaks with that particular affect when she plays Elektra. But it hasn't helped me understand why everything she says sounds so horribly wooden.

IMO, she's mastered the LaBeija affect, but she doesn't seem to have any sense of timing. Or any sense of how to convey emotion with her voice. Or how to coordinate her dialogue with her body language.

[mtlchick]

8 hours ago, luckyroll3 said:

Guess Madonna wasn’t interested in authentic Voguers.

In reality she had (I think) 8 male dancers and only one of them was straight who did more hip hop dancing.  And based from what I remember from Truth or Dare...ooh, it got ugly between everyone.  

The only thing this episode will be remembered for is ALL of the music.  Linear?! Perfect Gentlemen?! BLACK BOX AND TECHNOTRONIC?!?!

Show, you may have some uneven writing and Damon and Ricky are not meant to be the focus of an episode.  But when it comes to the soundtrack, you get me. 

[kieyra]

Having just watched I, Tonya (HIGHLY recommend, especially if you like Pose), all I could think of was that the hammer thing was a Tonya/Nancy homage, several years early. (Maybe they don’t expect the show to last till 1994 in its timeline? Or they just couldn’t wait to use it.) 

Edited July 19, 2019 by kieyra

[Marigny]

On 7/17/2019 at 8:28 PM, SailorGirl said:

And let us not forget the equally awesome sequel -- Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo! Classics, in the cheesiest way possible!! 😄

I got so many hickeys trying to duplicate those dance moves during my childhood. 

[Marigny]

16 hours ago, Liquid6 said:

The Elektra character is based off of Ball Legend Crystal LaBeija. You can actually pull her up on YouTube. I too initially thought that Dominique’s performance was bad acting but after seeing Crystal, I’m now convinced that Dominique is the best actress in the cast. 

Elektra is Crystal through and through. 

[RealReality]

2 hours ago, mtlchick said:

In reality she had (I think) 8 male dancers and only one of them was straight who did more hip hop dancing.  And based from what I remember from Truth or Dare...ooh, it got ugly between everyone.  

I also felt like they were looking to put together like a mix of "looks" for the tour.  The video and her tour were so theatrical that they probably wanted like one guy to look this way, another guy to look another way, a third guy to look different.  I guess I never thought the selection would be based solely on talent.

1 hour ago, kieyra said:

Having just watched I, Tonya (HIGHLY recommend, especially if you like Pose), all I could think of was that the hammer thing was a Tonya/Nancy homage, several years early. (Maybe they don’t expect the show to last till 1994 in its timeline? Or they just couldn’t wait to use it.) 

I watched the recent documentary, was that I, Tonya?  If so, I also highly recommend.  

Nancy Kerrigan was horribly treated and it was amazing to watch her comeback.  But damn me and my love for the Scrappy underdog.  I always thought tonya Harding was more fascinating.  

She is never anyone other than who she is.  Completely authentic to herself.  She is a villain yes, but I'd have never watched a documentary about Nancy Kerrigan, but I saved the Tonya Harding documentary to my playlist immediately.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Each week, I allot one hour to watch the actual episode and an additional 30-60 minutes because when I post in the music thread, I MUST watch all the videos. This week made me really miss the 90s. Janet Jackson created a 7+ minute music video for Alright filled with dancing, a story, a huge cast of backup dancers, and Cab Calloway. No one does that anymore these days.

[Blakeston]

Did anyone else think the blatant homoeroticism in Damon and Ricky's dancing on Solid Gold seemed extremely unrealistic for a TV show from that time period? At one point one wound up in the other's arms, as if they were on the cover of a romance novel or something.

I would have loved it if that kind of thing had been on mainstream dance shows in the early nineties, but I certainly don't remember anything like it.

[RealReality]

10 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

Did anyone else think the blatant homoeroticism in Damon and Ricky's dancing on Solid Gold seemed extremely unrealistic for a TV show from that time period? At one point one wound up in the other's arms, as if they were on the cover of a romance novel or something.

I would have loved it if that kind of thing had been on mainstream dance shows in the early nineties, but I certainly don't remember anything like it.

I agree.  I felt the same way.

It seemed odd that during a time of acceptable homophobia that you'd try to entice a mainstream audience with two men dancing in each other's arms.

[Empress1]

10 hours ago, RealReality said:

I watched the recent documentary, was that I, Tonya?  If so, I also highly recommend.  

No, I, Tonya wasn't a documentary. Margot Robbie played Tonya Harding and Alison Janney played her mother (which, whoo, chile, that was something. Talk about not having a loving mother; she makes Elektra look like Clair Huxtable). I saw it on a plane fairly recently so it should be floating around somewhere.

[RealReality]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

No, I, Tonya wasn't a documentary. Margot Robbie played Tonya Harding and Alison Janney played her mother (which, whoo, chile, that was something. Talk about not having a loving mother; she makes Elektra look like Clair Huxtable). I saw it on a plane fairly recently so it should be floating around somewhere.

Oh okay.  I had a feeling I was wrong.  I feel like the movie and the documentary came out around the same time.

Yeah Tonya Harding's mother was a piece of work.  Wolves are kinder to their young.  Its amazing that Tonya pieced together a somewhat decent life for herself.

[hoodooznoodooz]

On 7/18/2019 at 2:17 PM, luckyroll3 said:

When he said Lucinda Dickey, I could immediately picture her in Breakin' and Electric Boogaloo (one of my all time favorite movies! #80skid). 

@ElectricBoogaloo, do you have a fun story to explain your username choice?

[hoodooznoodooz]

On 7/17/2019 at 12:14 AM, Blakeston said:

I thought this was easily the weakest episode the show has ever done.

I could not care less if Damon and Ricky end up together or not.

I agree. It felt like an after-school special. 

Some of the actors REALLY need more acting lessons. 

The Blanca actress brings a lot of warmth to the role, but she needs to study more. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

21 hours ago, Blakeston said:

Watching videos of Crystal LaBeija helped me understand why Dominique Jackson speaks with that particular affect when she plays Elektra. But it hasn't helped me understand why everything she says sounds so horribly wooden.

IMO, she's mastered the LaBeija affect, but she doesn't seem to have any sense of timing. Or any sense of how to convey emotion with her voice. Or how to coordinate her dialogue with her body language.

Yes. That hand gesture at the dinner table was completely out of synch.

[Ohwell]

Papi is soooooo sweet and sexy.  The way he said "you look good girl" to Angel had me fanning myself because it felt like he was talking to me, lol.

[RealReality]

36 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Papi is soooooo sweet and sexy.  The way he said "you look good girl" to Angel had me fanning myself because it felt like he was talking to me, lol.

Yass!  The whole thing, the look, the swag, the line.  I don't know how angel is keeping it together, because I probably would have turned slut on the spot with all that!

[aradia22]

I went to check out footage of Madonna's Blonde Ambition tour (thanks, Internet) and I was surprised to see that she did have a number of black male dancers. 

It was interesting that the show tried to frame the choice between Damon and Ricky as the difference between two houses. Evangelista, particularly Blanca, gave him lots of loving support and everyone chipped in to help him get ready. With Wintour, Ricky had the best money can buy and they brought in extras tailor, barber/facialist, etc.) to downplay the role of the other members of the house. But it's more complicated than that. Damon is also a suburban kid who spent a few nights on the street before Blanca adopted him and who is still a relative newbie to the balls. Ricky is someone who has been living on the streets for years, including at the docks around the dancers who vogue and don't even necessarily go to the balls but are purely dancers. Being a part of Wintour also means Ricky was trained by two of the best dancers on the street since that's where Elektra recruited them and we know she'd only pick the best.

OK, so we got confirmation that Ricky was cheating. I feel like they played that weirdly. The actor was so convincingly adorable and he loved Damon and Evangelista so much I couldn't imagine him cheating. It's like Blaine cheating on Kurt. He's written as a Perfect Boyfriend, an accessory. They're not supposed to cheat.

Anyway, I cannot believe that Elektra wanted to Nancy Kerrigan Damon. And yes, hitting someone's foot with a hammer could absolutely impair his dancing ability for life. Not to malign Ricky but Damon has trained to be a professional dancer. Attacking someone like that is particularly cold. It's like possibly maiming the hands of a pianist.

My interest in a will they/won't they between Ricky and Damon is very low. My interest in Ricky spiraling into alcoholism because Damon just wants to be friends is in the basement. I would prefer it if they were together because I think they make a cute couple. But either do it or don't. Leaving it open makes it a big question I don't really need the answer to.