I had the pleasure of watching this episode in a parking lot with hundreds of other fans at a drive-in screening followed by a conversation with Ryan Murphy, creator Steven Canals, and stars Billy Porter and Mj Rodriguez. I started this show late after liking the pilot but deeming it not personally interesting to me, and I’ve become very fond of it since then, so it feels great to be able to close it out in a big and emphatic way. Three seasons doesn’t feel like enough for the story that this show has to tell, but it’s something, and this finale managed to wrap things up in a way that felt appropriate and heartwarming while paying tribute to the many lives lost and affected during this time period. Pray dying midway through the episode was devastating but fitting because it propelled everyone around him to take up his cause and fight in his name. Ricky realizing that he had only survived because Pray had given him his pills was a difficult moment, and it was comforting at least that they all had each other in that moment, the created family that has always been the soul of this show. I had hoped for a memorable final ball, and Pray and Blanca doing an epic lip-sync with costume changes was pretty spectacular. Skipping a few years to check back in with the four main women was wonderful, and I particularly loved Elektra talking about “Sex and the City,” a show she clearly did not watch. Having them all surprise Blanca at the ball with an esteemed honor was sweet, and introducing a new slate of young people being guided by these terrific mentors and not always sure of how well they’ll do was exactly the right note on which to end. I hope this show is a big player at the Emmys and other awards shows this year – it’s been quite a worthwhile and rewarding experience, and a terrific spotlight of a community that I’ll admit I know way too little about and rarely gets the showcase it should in media.
Series finale: B+
Series grade: B+
Season MVP: Mj Rodriguez as Blanca
Season grade: B+
Series MVP: Billy Porter and Mj Rodriguez
Best Season: Season 2
Best Episode: “Acting Up”
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