Emmy Episodes: Pose

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the fourth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Pose: Season 1, Episode 8 “Mother of the Year” (B+)

The last of this show’s six submitted episodes for its Best Drama Series nomination, which is also the season one finale, was a solid way to close out what I think was a very strong freshman production. I didn’t watch it at first because I wasn’t so into the subject matter, but the five episodes I just watched have impressed me very much. I skipped episode seven because it wasn’t one of the six submitted hours, and I think that’s where the fallout from Elektra’s decision to go against Dick’s wishes and have the surgery happened. It’s nice to see Blanca and Elektra looking out for each other even if their exchanges aren’t always the warmest, and I enjoyed the humor in Elektra adjusting to her new accommodations, demanding that her room be painted and complaining about the lack of fancy dinner silverware. After Blanca helped her secure the perfect job as a restaurant hostess, Elektra repaid the favor by stepping in to completely take down House Ferocity when Candy was being particularly cruel to Blanca. Candy did not do herself any favors by baiting one of the judges into coming down to chase her, and I’d say she’s pretty much done for in the ball scene. Blanca being crowned mother of the year was a sweet send-off in an episode that also provided some semi-permanent resolutions for a handful of its other characters, including Damon and his dance future and Stan not being taken back by either of the women he loves. The house vs. house scene with calls of “and pose! And pose! And pose!” was a highly effective way to close, and this hour helped end this marathon of mine on a positive note. If I had time, I might watch all of season two, but will likely wait until next Emmy season to screen the submitted episodes again, assuming it’s as good and makes the cut. I don’t think it will win, but I’d be perfectly happy if it did since it is a tremendously impressive production.