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This week’s episode of Pose saw romances develop between Stan (Evan Peters) & Angel (Indya Moore), and a potential love interest for Damon (Ryan Jamaal Swain). But there was no love lost between Elektra (Dominique Jackson) and Blanca (MJ Rodriguez) because you never snatch the crown off the queen’s head without giving her a chance to return it to its ‘rightful’ place.
Elektra has been fuming ever since Blanca took her down in the last battle, her first win as the Mother of her own House. But instead of returning to the ballroom to give Elektra a fair shot at a rematch, Blanca has instead been focusing on getting a drink at a gay bar with the very specific name Boy Lounge. Time and again, Blanca walks into the bar and insist she be served even though it’s been made abundantly clear that ‘her kind’ is not welcome there. Blanca is demeaned by the bartender, owner and patrons of the bar, insisting on referring to her as ‘sir’ and a ‘drag queen’ even though she is a transgender woman. Even getting tossed violently on the sidewalk by the bouncer doesn’t deter her, but her last visit leads to an arrest for ‘disturbing the peace,’ even though what she really did was talk back to the police officers who couldn’t rightfully arrest her for simply being in the bar.
A holding cell designated for male detainees is not a safe place for a trans woman, and Blanca is visibly frightened by her two cell mates but bail is posted and she’s free. The person posting her bail, though, comes as a surprise — Elektra. And she did not do it out of the kindness of her heart, no she did it because she insisted that Blanca be at the ballroom Friday night for a rematch. Blanca’s well-being, nor her fight for equality within their community, was of any concern to Elektra. All she wants is that crown, and she got it. The question is, did Blanca let her win? Because, let’s face it, her outfit was not on point. In fact, it was rather pedestrian for someone trying to retain a title. Perhaps she felt there were bigger fish to fry and right now Elektra is not one of them.
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One of Blanca’s new concerns is Damon. Now that he’s in the dance academy, she wants that to be his main focus, but he found himself wooed by a young man at the ballroom and she permitted Damon to ‘go on a date’ that night but he had to be home by 3 AM. Damon and his new friend Ricky hung out and talked but Ricky wanted more and Damon was not quite ready to take that step. Ricky seemed okay with it though but it was 5 AM by the time Damon got home and Mother was not happy. She was impressed, however, with his resolve not to have sex just yet, but she wanted to make sure he was educated about the risks before he made that move. Sadly she knows of what she speaks, but so far the only person who knows of her HIB status is Prey Tell (Billy Porter).
Damon arranged another date with Ricky for Saturday night but then his dance instructor offered him a ticket to the ballet, an opportunity she advised him not to miss. With no way to contact Ricky, Damon went to the ballet, and hoped that Ricky would understand (probably half expecting him not to show, but he did). Ricky pretty much brushed Damon off twice, but the third time was the charm. Damon somehow scored two tickets to the ballet and invited Ricky, not knowing if he was going to show but he did and it looked like their romance was going to move forward.
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Someone who is finding a romance, or something like it, unexpectedly moving forward is Stan. His home life is a wreck because he feels he has to put up some kind of a facade around his work colleagues at the golden tower that costs a lot more than he can afford. And with him working all the time, his wife Patty (Kate Mara) is tending to a baby and up to her arms in dishes. She wants a dishwasher. Now! So Stan speaks to his pervy boss Matt (James Van Der Beek) about a raise (wait, didn’t he just get hired?), and Matt seems to already know the score, assuming Stan has a woman on the side. Stan plays it off but then plays along when he realizes that is what will get him the raise because Matt is impressed and wants to know all the details. Stan just says she’s beautiful and Puerto Rican, maybe, and Matt is all on board with the raise. But … if Stan gets her pregnant, Matt wants to know first thing to ‘take care of things.’ Well, that is one thing Stan won’t have to worry about.
What Stan really needs to raise for is to get Angel an apartment of her own, to keep her off the streets and out of performing in a peep show booth at an adult book store. Angel isn’t too keen on being a ‘kept woman,’ but after Stan agrees to a one year lease on the apartment — so she doesn’t get kicked to the curb if and when he loses interest — which he swears he won’t — she accepts his offer. In the end, Patty got her dishwasher and Angel got herself a ‘deluxe apartment in the sky.’ How secure Angel is in that ivory tower remains to be seen.
Pose airs Sundays at 9:00 PM on FX.
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