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Working it: The final season of 'Pose' continues on FX

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Rachel Jones / TV Media
A scene from "Pose"

A scene from "Pose"

class="img-right" style="width: 300px;">M.J. Rodriguez stars in "Pose"

M.J. Rodriguez stars in "Pose"

Strike a "Pose," the Emmy-winning drama is back with a new episode of its third season, and after two other seasons exploring New York City's underground ballroom culture, the LGBTQ-focused drama is bound to send audiences on a wild ride. Following the announcement of a shortened, seven-episode final season, co-creators Ryan Murphy ("Glee") and Steven Canals ("Dead of Summer," 2016) are prepared to tell the story they most want to tell. Episode 3 airs Sunday, May 9, on FX.
For those who haven’t yet tuned in to Season 3, there are some major changes. The time frame jumps from 1991 to 1994 as Blanca (MJ Rodriguez, "Saturday Church," 2017) shifts her focus from ballroom to motherhood and a relationship with Christopher (new actor Blaine Alden Krauss). The AIDS crisis has reached devastating heights by this point and has become the leading cause of death among young people.
Facing the epidemic head-on, Blanca starts working as a nursing aide, while Pray Tell (Billy Porter, "Like a Boss," 2020), who was diagnosed with HIV in Season 1 along with Blanca, starts experiencing sudden health problems. Members of House of Evangelista, an underground ballroom group, must also contend with a new house in town, House of Khan.
Aptly named "The Trunk," the upcoming episode follows Elektra (Dominique Jackson, "Chick Fight," 2020) and Blanca as they scramble to dispose of a trunk in Elektra's closet. Circumstances make the matter urgent, as Elektra is unjustly arrested and she does not want law enforcement to find it.
So what’s in the trunk, Elektra?
Perhaps revisiting one of the series’ most shocking deaths gives us a hint (spoiler alert for anyone not finished with the second season). In Season 2’s "Butterfly/Cocoon," Elektra, who had been secretly working as a BDSM mistress, had to dispose of a client’s body after he accidentally overdosed. In no way was the death Elektra’s fault, but she felt it best to dispose of the body herself.
With the help of Candy (Angelica Ross, "Claws," 2017) and Ms. Orlando (Cecilia Gentili, "The Trans Literacy Project," 2016), Elektra jams the body into a suitcase and brings him up into her apartment. They don’t wrap the body in burlap or tarp — no, they put him in a cocoon filled with lye; a pleather cocoon, to be exact.
As you can imagine, this scene isn’t your ordinary get-rid-of-the-body scene. It’s flashy, jazzy and chock-full of happiness. This surprising attitude stands in stark contrast to the reality of Elektra’s social situation, one shared by many of the characters in "Pose." As members of the underground house scene, the LGBTQ community and the Black and Latinx communities, they are not just part of a subcultural phenomenon, they also face levels of discrimination that a white cis-community struggles to understand.
Elektra and the others are also at an immediate disadvantage due to racism, transphobia and homophobia, with Elektra now facing assumptions based on her skin color, sexual orientation and gender identity.
There’s a lot to unpack from Elektra’s trunk. Whether it’s the contents of a pleather cocoon or the intricacies and scars of discrimination, she definitely doesn’t want the law to see what’s inside. Yet, the Black and Brown transfeminine bodies that have occupied the space on our television screens for two years still sparkle — and we do get to see what’s inside.
"Pose" is Canals love letter to the late-'80s/early-'90s ballroom culture in NYC and the people who participated in it. Finding a home in underground courts — ballrooms — made for royalty, they dance, perform, dress up and define their space. Elektra puts it best: "Balls are a gathering of people who aren’t welcome together anywhere else." Through brilliant storytelling and honest casting, we finally see a portayal of underrepresented peoples in pop culture.
"Pose" has been a source of LGBTQ visibility despite many attempts by society to render it invisible through policy, misrepresentation and jest. The show has featured more trans actors playing trans characters than any other series in television history. Porter, with a career spanning almost 30 years, is the first openly gay man to win an Emmy. Janet Mock ("Hollywood"), one of the show’s writers, is the first trans woman of color hired for her position on a TV series. She is also the first transgender woman of color to write and direct a TV episode. The show is understandably the pride of Disney, which owns FX.
Unfortunately, Season 3 will be the series’ final season. Originally slated for a total of five seasons, the showrunners and creative team believe they have told the story they set out to tell in 2018. While it’s sad to say goodbye to such great characters, you have to respect the decision to quit while they’re on top. They’ll finish up after only seven episodes on June 6.
So, what’s next for the "Pose" creative team? Both Mock and Murphy are signing on with Netflix, while Canals will remain with Disney and plans to create another LGBTQ-centered television show.
But let’s not think about "Pose" ending just yet. After all, we’re only getting ready for the third episode this season! There’s plenty of time to join in on the saga.
Be sure to catch "Pose" as it airs on Sunday, May 9, on FX.