Pose

Short and sweet review. Love Live Laugh at Life. As we all have an unknown expiration date I must say that this show makes my dimples stay active. The time was "back in the day" the mission was not to be invisible to your own tribe or others for most, for the others it was blending like a vitamix. The music, dress, terms and struggle was just as real then as it is today. To be accepted, sometimes you have to be fearless. This takes place "back in the day" when it was thought that only gay men got hiv, all males who danced ballet were considered gay or curious. Today, folks are quick to think things have always been they way they are now- this show brilliantly shows you that it was a clear struggle to get where we are today its a constant struggle. The clothes, ohh dear, story line and the mere audacity to make it with real people- love it. I wont miss a show

I remember this time so clearly. The clubs, the slow - then rapid - rise of AIDS, the combination of having the freedom of clubs to go for the LGBT community combined with friends either being terrified they had AIDS - or their despair when they found out they did. Finally, fighting back: ACT UP, drug imports from foreign countries, the AIDS quilt, protest marches.

This show should be watched by every LGBT person who did not live through the AIDS epidemic before the triple cocktail was invented and people could actually survive long-term once they knew they had HIV/AIDS. The world for about 15 years was a terrifying place for the community, and POC were so disproportionately hit, it was horrifying - because the few drugs/treatments available were extremely expensive, and they had two forms of discrimination working against them. This was true even after the triple cocktail was first available.

The one good thing that came out of it was that it brought lesbians/bi women, gay men and trans people together for a common cause: that we not be considered disposable.

It's very early in the season to begin an assessment as the story arc is just developing, but I'm "in" thus far. I'm hoping that Ryan Murphy doesn't create a trajectory similar to what we observed with "Glee" and am comforted that he stayed away from a "Paris Is Burning" musical (thus far) as the film itself caused controversy and uproar related to matters of appropriation. I hope that the Pose writers listen to community members on set and keep it real, though many are too young to have experienced, first hand, the events they portray. Please continue to seek out and promote talent in the form of community members who were in the ballroom scene and solicit their input! HIV ravaged the community during this time period and those seeking the comfort of others living the same experience, sharing the same space, were challenged in many ways. It's difficult to invest in relationships that may be fleeting due to a deadly illness.

For those critiquing the acting, it's unfortunate you're not celebrating the use of transgender talent within a community that exists largely in the shadows and is marginalized in our narrow-minded society. For those making societal degradation comments, there are lots of other channels. TV Land may be more your speed.

All that said, I'm loving what I see so far! Thank you for taking this on.

I love POSE. Which is why I care about it. It's one of the first trans led, trans positive shows to tell the story of lgbtq+ culture in 80s/90s New York ball scene. Yet as much as I love it, I feel half the episodes are like watching re-runs of Jem and the holograms. There's goodies and baddies for every episode, push down your throat morality lessons, and unrealistic poverty living standards. The main lesson I've learnt is that as long as your beautiful and wear amazing clothes you'll life will be fabulous. Forget hardship, just put on a lipstick, spend all your money on outfits and the gym and you'll be fine. The shows premise is amazing, the actors are great and the background stories for the main characters need telling. Yet we need to be able tell these stories in a realistic way so they can be properly understood, so that the audience can fully explore and comprehend the real drama of people's Lives. I feel Pose takes important issues and works to raise awareness but does so with so much millennial style filtering that the real meaning is lost amongst all the gloss and glitter.

I'm in agreement with everyone who is in love with this show. Just want to give a shout out to MJ Rodriguez, who plays Blanca. She is the real standout in a very good cast.