What I’m Watching: Pose

Pose: Season 3, Episode 4 “Take Me to Church” (B+)

It’s hard to imagine a better Emmy submission for Billy Porter than the one that won him the prize in season one, but this may be it. This episode was a remarkable journey into Pray’s life, a chance for him to go home and greet the ghosts of his past while being his authentic self. It’s a notion that I think is representative of the experiences that so many had or would have liked to have, and while he didn’t gain the acceptance he needed from everyone, he did have some breakthrough moments with a good number of people from his childhood who were formative in his life. There’s no denying the power of that musical performance in church, and I found myself getting even more emotional in the next scene where he got a degree of security in the knowledge that his Aunt Jada, played by Jackée Harry from “Sister, Sister” and “227,” was going to be looking out for his true wishes as he faced certain death in the near future. This star-studded episode cast also included Anna Maria Horsford, from “Amen” and “The Wayans Bros.,” and Janet Hubert, the original Aunt Viv from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” I couldn’t quite place another strong performer from the episode, Michelle Hurd from “Star Trek: Picard” as Vernon’s wife Ebony, who knew her husband was gay and wanted advice from Pray on how to please him. This show has such a distinct, dated feel to it that works especially well for deeply involved hours like this one.

What I’m Watching: There’s Johnny

There’s Johnny: Season 1, Episode 4 “Take Me To Church” (B+)

It’s good to see this show trying to navigate drama in addition to its comedy, continuing to weave a compelling narrative that’s getting more and more interesting as it goes on. This episode even featured Andy interacting directly with Johnny but in a perfectly impersonal way. He was supposed to star in the Charlton Heston speech holding the spear – a marvelous moment of fame that he was excited to tell his parents about – but he ended up getting on air when he tripped while handing a pile of paper to Johnny, after which he acknowledged and thanked him by name. I didn’t imagine Andy as the churchgoing type, but I guess it makes sense given his humble suburban Nebraska upbringing. Standing up to ask everyone at church to keep his brother in the military in mind seemed innocent enough, and it’s hard to believe that such a passive comment could be so incendiary given the degenerate nature of political viciousness these days. At least he didn’t submit that dollar bill, but Freddie did still have to pay a lot of money for the uproar that was caused. Andy was so excited to tell his mom about what ended up happening with the show that the audience couldn’t have been prepared for the tragic development that was revealed on the other side of the phone, which will surely put Andy in an understandable rut for a while. Joy not wanting to get something off the registry and being judged by her therapist, played by David Paymer, seemed entertaining enough, but her realization that she was a terrible person for sleeping with the groom the day after his wedding has clearly had severe effects on her sense of self-worth.