Pose (2018–…): Season 2, Episode 1 - Acting Up - full transcript
Blanca encourages the House of Evangelista to follow their dreams. Pray Tell joins an activist group to fight for the rights of HIV-positive people.
Why are we the only ones out here?
Who wants to come
to the most
remote part of New York?
You'd think people would come
to pay their respects.
Out of sight, out of mind.
I'm tired.
I've been to three funerals
this week.
Three.
Where's the cure?
Look,
we got to keep it together today, Pray.
We got a long day
ahead of us.
I know.
I'm sorry, I just...
It upsets me.
His name is... was Keenan.
Keenan Howard.
I'm here to see...
his burial site.
He's a relation of yours?
Not exactly.
We dated, we broke up.
Listen.
He died of pneumonia
- and I was told he was buried here.
- Here's the thing.
Names don't matter here.
Just a bunch of pine boxes
in a ditch.
- So no headstones?
- Welcome to Hart Island.
Just a mass grave
of people whose families
couldn't afford a burial
or unclaimed bodies
from the morgue.
Infants are out back
in Potter's Field.
We quarantine the ones
that died of AIDS,
don't want them infecting
anyone else, you know.
But they're already dead.
Sweetie, we don't know
how this thing is spread.
Come on, Pray.
How did Keenan end up here?
- I thought he had family.
- No.
Orphaned just like
the rest of us.
After we broke up,
I heard that he had gotten sick
and I tried to reach out.
But I think that he...
he was embarrassed...
about getting sick.
He died alone.
In that tiny studio apartment.
In the dead of summer.
Three weeks before
anybody found him.
Was lying in the heat
for so long,
I heard that his body
- just melted into the mattress.
- Mm-mmm, mm-mmm.
I'm not settling
for this, Pray.
We got to do something.
- Right?
- Yeah.
Only way this
isn't gonna be our reality
is if we help each other.
'Cause they sure as hell
aren't gonna do anything. Trust.
There it is.
Judy told me about this place
and I didn't believe her.
She... she said this island
used to be a tuberculosis ward.
Now it's a burial site.
Each one of these
heart-shaped rocks
represents someone buried here,
left by someone left behind.
So, what now?
We pray.
We pray for strength...
to keep fighting.
Yeah.
The category is...
Live...
Work...
Pose!
*POSE*
Season 02 Episode 01
*POSE*
Episode Title :"Acting Up"
Captioned by
Media Access Group at WGBH
Synchronized by srjanapala
- Hi, Blanca. You want to come in?
- Hi. Yeah.
Yeah.
This place is like the Taj Mahal
compared to St. Vincent's.
You know they had me
on a six-week
waiting list just to get
a doctor to read my labs.
By the way, thank you for
squeezing me in like this.
Anything for family, kid.
So, what does it say?
I tried reading my labs
when I picked it up,
but... it all looked like
Klingon to me.
Well, your red blood cells
are good.
- I'm just checking out your CD4s.
- See?
There you go again
speaking that Klingon.
English, please?
CD4s, or T-cells,
are what we want a lot of.
So... how many I gots?
'Cause I know I got a lot.
I stopped drinking,
I take my Flintstone vitamins
every day.
Well, sometimes being healthy
isn't enough for this virus.
Your T-cells have fallen
bellow 200.
What's...
So? What's that mean?
It means we have to start
monitoring you once a month
instead of every three months.
And we have to move your
diagnosis of being HIV-positive
to having AIDS.
What?
S...
So I have AIDS now?
Well, it's-it's just a number.
It's a way of flagging
how much care a patient needs.
Nah, I've been feeling fine.
I've been feeling
amazing, actually.
Last winter,
when my kids got sick,
I didn't have a sniffle at all.
I mean, sometimes you can't tell
what HIV is doing
- to your immune system.
- So I'm dying.
No.
You're not dying.
You still have plenty
of T-cells to fight with,
but we can't let those numbers
drop any lower.
So what do I do?
It ain't no cure for this thing.
Not yet.
But there is this.
AZT. It helps slow
the progression of the virus
- and it's all we've got.
- Ain't that stuff for rich folk?
Well, pharmaceutical companies
are in the business
of making a profit,
but there are folks
in our community who care
about the less fortunate.
And they're the ones who can
get us this shit for free.
When the wealthy white queens
and their friends know
that the end is coming close,
they call us.
It's the same thing every time.
We pay our respects.
We say our goodbyes.
And then we collect
the leftover meds.
Their dying wishes
are to make sure that the grief
isn't the only thing
they're leaving behind.
Some of them
just have antibiotics.
But the rich ones
always have AZT.
Pray Tell told me about
a friend of his
who was on these meds.
He said it was
as toxic as chemo.
And once he got on 'em,
his body completely gave out.
Blanca, I'm gonna
be straight with you
because you need to hear this.
You're in denial of what HIV
is doing to your body.
If you don't do something
about it soon, you're
- gonna be dead in six months.
- No.
Listen, they're working on
new drugs every day.
You just got to stay alive
long enough
for something better
to come along.
You know...
it's moments like these
that make your life
flash right before you.
Crazy thing is,
it's... not my life
I'm seeing right now,
it's my kids.
It's my kids.
Everything in this life is
set up to work against them.
There is still
so much in their lives
that I have to fix.
We have a saying
around here:
either get busy living,
or you get busy dying.
And you've got a lot
to live for.
Darling.
That one's gonna be good.
Yeah.
- Hey, can you do me a favor?
- Stop.
Just look this way.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Right there, right there.
Give me that smile.
That one's great, actually.
Um... yeah.
♪ What are you looking at? ♪
♪ Strike a pose... ♪
♪ Vogue, Vogue... ♪
Oh, shit.
Y'all hear that?
That's the new Madonna single.
It's been on constant repeat
on Z100.
- It's gonna
be the song of the summer.
The most famous woman in
the world signing about us.
- Mm!
- Strike a pose.
The category is...
Runway...
Mo-del...
Effect.
Everything is about to change.
I can see it as clear as day.
Well, your vision must be cloudy
'cause ain't shit about
to change for our black asses.
Madonna is shining a bright
spotlight on us, girl.
We've been underground for how long?
About 20 years.
Since Crystal LaBeija lost
one too many titles
to white girls.
Ha-ha! Yes, baby!
Let us have it.
These walks
are turning me on, kids.
Who's next?
- Oh... sookie, sookie, now.
- ♪ Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers... ♪
Are you gonna
show us your face, baby?
♪ Rita Hayworth
gave good face... ♪
That's my baby!
♪ Ladies with an attitude ♪
♪ Fellows that were
in the mood... ♪
Mark my words.
"Vogue" will make us stars.
Madonna lives on the edge
for what's next.
And what's newer than
an entire world, undiscovered,
brimming to the rim with guts,
gorgeousness...
and raw talent?
I mean, look.
Angel! Angel! Angel...
Get up, get up.
Oh! Booty! Booty! Booty! Booty!
Don't, don't, don't hurt us.
Don't hurt us, baby.
Madonna's gonna want
our faces and when she comes
with her spotlight, the
Evangelistas are gonna be ready.
- Girl...
- Judges have spoken.
The cards never lie.
The cards never lie,
my darlings.
Grand prize goes to...
the most luminous girl
in the room...
Miss Angel Evangelista.
Evangelista!
- Evange...
- Evange...
- lista!
- Lista!
- Evange...
- Evange...
- lista!
- Lista!
♪ Vogue, Vogue, Vogue, Vogue. ♪
Hey, baby.
Girl, what are you doing
out here?
We talked about this.
You said you wasn't gonna
walk the piers no more.
- There are more options out there.
- Like what?
Mopping floors
and waiting tables? No.
No, thanks.
I like being my own boss.
Well, I got a plan.
Get in.
Just tell me where we're going.
I was at work
and I was flipping through
Elle magazine while I was
on my lunch break and...
I saw this advertisement
for a modeling contest.
Do you see her?
Yes.
I'm not the face
they're looking for.
- I ain't no model.
- Yes, you are.
Look at these.
That's just me and Lil Papi
playing around.
Do you see what I see?
These photos prove
you got the look.
You've got a light
that shines so bright
right inside of you,
and... I just wish
you could see it. Plus,
we about to go mainstream
with this Madonna song.
Mainstream?
Yeah, until they find
out who I really am.
Oh, girl. All we need to get
is our foot into the door.
This song is our ticket
to acceptance.
Once they see
that you're in the ball,
they won't even turn you away.
♪ My Lord ♪
Sing, sister Lulu.
Girl, who the hell chose
those tacky-ass flowers?
All these candles
and flaming homos,
surprised God don't
burn this bitch to the ground.
Funerals are bullshit.
Mm-hmm.
I want a head count
of exactly how many people
love me before I die.
- Mm.
- And I want a chance
to defend myself,
in case anyone even try
to tarnish my good name.
What's the point of spending
all that money on a corpse?
Give me my damn flowers
when I can smell them.
And give me a chance to read
all these bitches
before I'm put in the
motherfucking ground.
Y'all are some hard-hearted hos.
Show some damn respect.
Well, she's on CP time tonight.
He's not going anywhere.
What's your head count?
This is my 452nd memorial.
Two hundred and ten.
First one to get to a thousand
gets a free toaster.
Uh...
Look at these unquenchable hos
thirsting for dick.
Since when did funerals become
the new cruising spot?
Oh, she's found morality.
Come on.
Let's pay our respects.
Interesting choice.
Why is he dressed like
a flamenco dancer?
I can get over the outfit,
but that makeup is terrible.
Joe always preferred
a nude matte lip.
Well, red is a tough color.
Only tramps can pull it off.
Shocking you never could.
Oh...
He was so young.
Just barely started living.
I don't know how much more
of this I can take.
790, until you get your toaster.
I need a drink.
You coming with me to the diner?
Not tonight. I've got someplace
to be and you're coming with me.
Where are you taking me?
I'm hungry.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no.
My black ass does not need
to join your group
of preppy white queens
and ill-fitted Gap chinos
who have never had to fight for
a goddamn thing in their lives.
- Act up! Fight back!
- Listen, there are dikes, too,
running these meetings,
of all shades.
Pray, you've got to
put your pain to good use,
or I swear to God,
it will eat you alive.
Fight back! Fight AIDS!
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS!
Act up!
Fight back! Fight AIDS!
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS!
Act up!
Fight back! Fight AIDS!
Welcome to your first
Act Up meeting.
Fight AIDS! Act up!
Ah, well, I was beginning to
think Miss Wanda didn't exist.
I'm not the going out type.
I've got other things
on my mind.
I told you she was hot.
- Act up! Fight back! Fight AIDS!
- All right.
All right.
Listen up, folks.
Last week's fund-raiser
brought in
$650,000.
And... and now that
we finally have the cash
to meet our momentum,
this Sunday's protest
up at St. Patrick's Cathedral
is an even more crucial step
in starting a global
conversation around HIV
and AIDS.
The Catholic Church
has spent
millions of dollars putting
the false message into the world
that condoms don't work and that
abstinence is the only way
to fight HIV. That is a lie.
And that is morally wrong.
So, we're staging a die-in
in the middle
of that congregation
as a peaceful protest
against the annihilation
- of our community!
- Yes!
Cardinal John O'Connor has said,
"Good morality
is good medicine."
He might as well say,
"Let them get AIDS."
And it's not just
the board of education
or the city council
that Cardinal O'Connor
is influencing, no.
He has a direct line
to the Pope himself.
We will not allow his racist,
sexist, homophobic ideologies
to affect the health
of every single person
on this planet!
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS!
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS!
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS!
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS
Damn, all these girls
look the same.
- Nothing at all like me.
- Girl, stop comparing yourself.
You are an original,
a star of ballroom.
I got to ask you
something serious.
You think I pass?
Hmm. With the best of them.
None of these girls can
hold a candle to you.
Angel, you're the prettiest
thing I've ever seen.
You Dominicans
got a slick tongue.
Come on.
We need to sign you in.
This your first time?
- Don't be nervous.
- I'm not.
Well, I was in your same spot
three years ago,
and I was scared as hell.
I thought my skin
and frizzy hair
wouldn't get me
past the open call,
but... those things actually
made me stand out.
You're gonna be the face
of 1990, girl. Watch.
Okay, now hurry up
and fill this out.
And don't forget to mention
that you can Vogue
- in the special skills section.
- Oh, that's right.
Duh.
Come on, let's go.
Blanca, you can't
leave me here like this.
Girl, if I walk into that room,
you know the jig is up.
You must do this on your own, Angel.
You got this, you can do this.
Just be yourself.
Just be yourself.
So, what have we here?
Angel. 22.
- Mm-hmm.
- The Bronx.
You used an instant camera.
Yes. I did.
Hmm.
Impressive.
But if you want to be
a professional,
you need a professional
to capture you.
That sounds like
that costs money.
I don't have a job right now,
that's why I'm here
talking to you.
Every model must pay her dues
before she gets paid herself.
It's an investment
in your future.
- So, you can Vogue.
- Mm-hmm.
- Like the new song?
- Mm-hmm.
I like that.
Here's a photographer I know.
Tell him I sent you.
He'll give you my discount.
Bring the new photographs
to me...
for the semi-finals.
I did it.
I made it to the next round.
- Ah!
- I knew it. I knew it!
Did you put oregano in my sauce?
Your sauce? It's Ragú.
This shit came out of a jar,
bitch. Relax.
What's so funny, Cubby?
What's wrong with oregano?
I thought it was healthy
to eat more green vegetables.
Oregano is a herb,
not a vegetable, darling boy.
Who is educating these children
on their nutrition?
And when is your man
coming home?
Well, darling sir, the
Al B. Sure tour is almost over.
He told me he would be home
next week.
I'm so excited,
I can't even sleep.
Oh, no. Please don't go planning
no romantic reunion dinner
at Roy Rogers or nothing.
If he's back in town,
then he's back under my roof,
and Friday family dinner
is mandatory.
Yeah, unless you're glued
to the MTV
waiting for your favorite song
to come on.
Uh-uh. That ain't
recreation, girl.
They play that Madonna
"Vogue" video once an hour.
I need to study it
and I ain't got no VCR.
Listen, y'all are just
not getting it.
We are on the cusp
of a revolution.
We've been doing those dance
moves in that video for years.
That's our culture on MTV.
We about to go mainstream.
Yes. Just like when
all those suburban kids
started singing "Y.M.C.A."
and the leather bars
in The Castro went mainstream.
This is different.
We're talking about Madonna.
Something is happening,
I can feel it.
Yeah.
That's the same shit they said
about disco.
Studio 54 stayed open
for three years,
and when the Man shut it down,
all those angry black
and homo-hating white boys...
They took their disco records
to the baseball stadium
and blew 'em up.
Every generation
thinks that
they're gonna be the ones
that are finally
invited to the party.
Put your glass slippers away,
Trans-erella. It ain't never
gonna happen.
Really?
Angel, will you
- tell them your news?
- Mm-hmm. Blanca made me
audition for the Fresh Faces
modeling competition.
And she made the semi-finals,
too. What's good?
- Why you
got to steal my thunder?
Our girl's a star.
Don't get all crazy yet.
The modeling woman said
I need professional headshots,
- and those "costeses" money.
- Mm-hmm.
And you next, Damon.
No more Saturdays sitting
around the house,
reading dirty magazines.
From 3:00 until 5:00,
you're gonna be teaching
a Voguing class
down at the YMCA.
- They don't have a Voguing class.
- Well, they do now.
I told them if they
put up a sign-up sheet,
more people would come.
They got six people already and
the numbers are going to grow.
Y'all need to trust
this mother's intuition.
Y'all are whistling
past the graveyard.
Really?
'Cause I heard the other emcees
talking about how Sue Simmons
from Live at Five
wants to interview you
about the scene.
It's not a scene.
It's our lives.
Why do you have to be
such a downer?
We should all be going
to that church
for the protest on Sunday.
Together.
As a house.
I can't make it on Sunday.
I have to meet the photographer.
Reschedule.
We're all being chased
by the same monster.
You saying it's wrong for me
to get a little something
for myself
while I'm running away?
I could die,
so I should stop living?
Come on.
But we need to let them know
that we care about us.
Y'all are going. What's the
point of raising the profile
of our community
if there's no community left
within a couple of years?
You're late, Elektra.
From the looks of things,
not late enough.
Mother Blanca,
this house is suffering
from a major deficiency
in terms of closet space.
I do not understand how you
expect me to just toss my finery
on one of these flea-filled
reclamation projects
like a savage.
What kind of tips
is you making at, um,
Indochine to buy this mink?
She mopped this shit
from the coat room.
Miss Elektra does not mop.
Or dust
- or cook.
- Mm-hmm.
Or wash a dish.
But she has been helping
with the rent and expenses
for the past two months,
which I can say
more than any of you freeloaders
have done.
Thank you, Mother Blanca.
And I do apologize
for missing last week's supper.
While I don't always
enjoy the company
and the sauce could use
some seasoning,
I do think it's good for morale
to do things as a family.
Well, good, because
we're all going with Pray
to that big Act Up protest
at the church on Sunday.
Count me out.
I'm not posing for a mug shot.
Oh, no, uh-uh. Ain't none
of y'all ever given me lip
when I say we're walking a
category together at the ball.
Well, this Sunday,
the ball is at the church,
and the categories are family
and standing up for ourselves
and our community,
and all of y'all are going.
- All right.
- Okay.
I just booked you
an 11:10 and a 12:15.
I'm sorry, Ms. Rose.
You gonna have to give this
to someone else.
I'm the owner,
I need you to work.
You know I never turn down work,
but my friends
are counting on me.
You're ungrateful.
I let you work here
because I am
a good Christian and...
Please. I have to leave.
So quit.
You know what?
You're right. I quit.
I'm not wasting whatever time
I have left on this Earth
to give any part of me to you.
You should kiss my feet
for hiring you.
No one else will.
You will see.
Ladies like getting
their nails done by ladies.
So... then I'll get
my own salon,
and make twice the business
you make in here.
Oh, and I'll call it Vogue Nails
after the Madonna song.
Then when I get back, I'll come
buy this dump from you.
Mm... This look
like a lot of money.
Mm-hmm. And you know
they ain't paying taxes
on any of this shit.
I bet you those vestments cost
more than Chanel's
- entire spring 1990 collection.
- Hmm.
Earlier
and all the others,
and I warn them now
while absent,
as I did when present
on my second visit,
that if I come again,
I will not be lenient,
since you are looking
for proof of Christ
speaking in me.
Finally, brothers, rejoice.
Mend your ways,
encourage one another.
Agree with one another.
Live in peace,
and the God of love
and peace will be with you.
Greet one another
with a holy kiss...
- All the holy ones greet you.
- Pass it down.
May the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God
and the fellowship of
the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise be to Jesus Christ.
Today's reading
really reminded me of my father.
Paul's letter
to the Corinthians.
- It's written with love.
- But it's...
Could everyone here
please stand and pray?
Prayer won't cure AIDS.
Prayer won't stop
the spread of HIV.
Only condoms will.
Abstinence is not
a human solution,
abstinence is the erasure
of our sexuality.
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name...
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us! Stop
killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
- Get 'em out of here!
- Get out of here!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Arrest the cardinal!
He's the criminal!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us! Stop killing
us! Stop killing us!
Shame on you.
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
- I love this hairstyle so much.
- Give me the room.
How many looks are we shooting?
I was thinking just one.
- I can't afford a full-on shoot.
- That's not how it works.
We have a whole team
booked for today.
Well, maybe we could work
something out.
Like, layaway?
- Don't you have a job?
- Not at this moment.
You know, I've seen you
at the piers.
You must have mistaken me
for someone else.
- I have one of those faces.
- No, you don't.
A face like yours
I'd never forget.
Well, I don't do that anymore.
- You still gonna shoot me?
- I'm the only person who can.
You're a very special beauty.
Very specific.
Mm. Ain't nothing free.
What you want me
to do in return?
A private sitting.
Some shots
for my personal collection.
I'll do it as a trade.
Won't cost you a dime.
Three, two, one.
Beautiful.
Good, good, good, good.
Keep going. Hands up, hands up.
You are beautiful.
♪ Walking like a man,
hitting like a hammer ♪
♪ She's a juvenile scam,
never was a quitter ♪
♪ Tasty like a raindrop,
she's got the look ♪
♪ Heavenly bound, 'cause heaven's got a number ♪
- Chin down.
♪ When she's spinning me around,
kissing is a color ♪
♪ Her loving is a wild dog,
she's got the look ♪
- ♪ She's got the look ♪
- ♪ She's got the look ♪
- ♪ She's got the look ♪
- ♪ She's got the look ♪
♪ What in the world can make
a brown-eyed girl turn blue? ♪
Yes.
♪ When everything I'll ever do ♪
- ♪ I'll do for you ♪
- Beautiful.
♪ And I go la, la, la, la, la ♪
♪ She's got the look... ♪
Yes, towards me.
Towards me, move them.
Yes. Three, two, one.
Yes, beautiful, beautiful.
One more, just like that.
Just like that.
Three, two, one.
Yes, yes.
Perfect, perfect...
What do you want?
Take that off.
And that.
N-No.
Yeah.
Touch it.
The category is Runway.
Bring it
like a French Revolution.
Poverty and abundance
personified,
and a goddamn category I like.
We have much to fight back
against, children.
And what have we here?
Miss Candy and Miss Lulu
serving up Les Misérables
peasant slut realness.
You got some ghetto proppage.
Piece of French baguette
and a pitchfork?
What is this, Hee Haw?
You got enough to feed
the multitudes, baby,
with your five fish and three
loaves of bread.
We got a horse mouth
up there, though. Here.
Judges, your scores.
Seven, seven,
six, eight, seven.
House of Ferocity...
♪ Ain't so ferocious ♪
♪ Ain't so ferocious. ♪
See you later, my darlings.
Always.
I mean, you think she would
learn by now, right?
Who's next?
Who's gonna be next up in here?
Yes, okay. Uh-huh.
Here comes Miss Elektra...
serving us Marie Antoinette.
How apropos,
a queen who cares nothing
for her kingdom.
Oh...
Yes, and the children
are serving us narrative.
It's early morning
in Versailles,
and Queen Marie
is being serviced
by her dutiful young men.
Let them eat cake.
Ah, the carousel twirls,
the carousel twirls.
Remember when things
were simpler, Elektra?
Before our young men
were dropping dead
before our very eyes.
And they're still going.
There's even more story.
Y'all created a guillotine
for this mess?
For real?
Mm.
Bravo, bravo.
I must admit,
that was very well done.
So tell me something.
How long did you rehearse that?
Is that where you were
instead of showing up
for your dying community?
Way to set an example
for the kids, Elektra.
What's your problem, Pray Tell?
Get off your soapbox and ask
the judges for their scores.
Oh, I don't need to ask
the judges for scores.
I know what they are,
and everybody in this room
knows what they are.
Miss Elektra Abundance
Evangelista,
grand prize,
this week and last week
and the week before that
and the week before that
and the week
before that, granny!
Here, here.
Take your trophy.
Bitch, you better get me
a new trophy
and then come down here
so I can shove it up your ass.
I'm gonna lay it out for you.
One time
your community needed you
at that protest,
and you didn't show up.
That's right.
- I was working.
- Yeah.
You work the night shift.
The protest was in the morning.
Don't give me that bullshit.
So, what did I miss?
A bunch of fags holding hands,
screaming into the wind?
Shame!
I went to jail.
111 people
went to jail.
You are more concerned
about winning a trophy
than you are
about our government
spreading lies about us
in an effort to kill us!
And you want to know
why they want us dead?
Because we're black and
we're brown and we're queer.
They don't give a shit about us,
so we better start
caring about ourselves.
Show up for your lives!
Wake up!
Jack, where are you?
Come on up here
and call out
the rest of these categories
before the back of my head
blows off.
I got to go home.
Wake the fuck up.
That's right.
♪ Back to life,
back to reality... ♪
The category is...
Runway.
Bring it like the booked
black beauties in Vogue.
You ain't never gonna hit no
real runway, we all know that.
But you can serve
a look so flawless
that you fool us like
little Miss Grace Jones-ish
is doing right here, baby.
She's over here serving you
trash bag realness, darlings.
Sponsored by Glad.
Hefty, hefty, hefty.
Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy.
She came to take
all the garbage out tonight.
Now who do we have here?
Yes, Miss Pat Cleveland, I see.
Oh, she's twirling
and a-trotting
like no other for you.
Goddess! Athena!
Aphrodite! Minerva!
Okay, anybody else walking?
I see commotion back there.
Okay, I see it.
Remember when I said ethereal?
Otherworldly?
Miss Angel, you are giving
just that, baby.
Her homage to
It girl Veronica Webb.
Oh, please, she is
truly unmatched.
This is how you do it.
That is a model.
That is a cover girl.
Now, judges,
our girls are serving a fantasy,
one that requires you
to suspend disbelief
and imagine them
on the real runway,
in actual print.
Would they stack up
on the newsstands?
Scores for Miss Grace Jones
and her glistening cocoa skin?
Ten, ten, nine, nine, ten.
Well done.
And Miss Pat Cleveland
and her flight of fancy? Ten,
nine, nine, ten,
ten. And what about
Miss Angel Evangelista?
♪ Tens across the board. ♪
Come and collect, girl!
This is what I am talking about.
On the way to legendary,
a feared name in ballroom.
Structure, beautiful,
poised, attitude.
She has the makings
of a star girl,
a cover girl!
What's going on, mama?
You're supposed
to be celebrating.
You the queen of that
model category.
Yeah, in there.
I want a victory outside
of the ballroom, Papi.
I'm never gonna be a real model.
That may be true
for them girls in there,
but that is not
your destiny, Angel.
I got to tell y'all something.
What's up?
Please, y-you have to promise
you're not gonna
be disappointed.
Never.
That photographer clocked me.
He recognized me from the piers.
And, look, I didn't
have enough money
to pay for the photo shoot.
So he...
- so he took dirty pictures of me.
- What?
He took pictures
of everything, Papi.
He saw everything.
What if he sells them
to some-some porno magazine?
And then I'm branded as a dirty
transsexual hooker
for the rest of my life.
- Mama, the whole world will know.
- Nah. Nah.
- The whole world.
- Nah, this is not happening
on my watch.
Do you hear me?
With what I got planned?
With what you deserve in this world?
Hell no.
Hell no.
We getting what's yours.
What's his address?
Where the fucking
pictures at, huh?!
Give Angel her fucking pictures.
I want my photos!
Where are they?
- They're over there.
- Be more specific. Point!
On the corner of the desk.
Angel, baby, you are stunning.
- Really?
- Yeah. Where the negatives?
They're locked in the bottom
cabinet. The key is on the desk.
- Come on, come on...
- Y'all good over there?
These all of them?
If you ever try exploiting
my daughter again,
I'm not coming with
my son's fists the next time.
Yeah, you hear that,
you punk-ass bitch?
You don't know what it took
for me to get here, Ms. Ford.
I want a shot.
A real... shot.
Hmm.
Absolutely beautiful.
Ain't no dirt on that floor.
You need a new job, Mother.
You don't do well with
too much time on your hands.
In a few days,
you'll have scrubbed
the paint off all the walls
and forced Lil Papi
to run for mayor or some shit.
Maybe I'm going a little crazy.
Quitting a good job
and thinking I could create
some kind of immortality to...
see through my house
and my... my children.
Maybe it's better to dream small
or not dream at all.
At least then
you can die with some dignity
still intact.
I'm sorry, I'm...
My T cell count is low,
and I'm feeling morbid.
How low?
Well, not low enough to stop
scrubbing these damn floors.
Mama.
- I made top ten.
- What?
Angel...
Angel, are you serious?
Yes.
What?
Oh, my...
Well, Miss Angel, you better get
ready for the ride of your life.
I'm ready.
Hear, hear!
To Miss Angel Evangelista
purring down every catwalk.
From New York to Paris
to Milan.
- Meow.
- To Angel.
To Angel!
And, and...
- to Miss Blanca Evangelista...
- Me?
The mother
who made it all happen.
She seems to see the future
better than any fortune teller
that I've ever been to.
Come on, Mother.
You know it.
How-some-ever...
I still ain't gonna let
Sue Simmons up into my balls
to ruin all of our lives
with her tabloid news stories.
- Oh, boy.
- Okay?
- He said that's it.
- To Mother Blanca Evangelista!
- To Blanca!
- Mother Blanca!
All right, well, listen,
I love you, too, Pray,
but I'm not giving up
on letting them reporters in
to seeing how amazing
and magical our community is.
And you know that I am
as stubborn as an old drag queen
with a 5:00 shadow
at 3:00 in the "morn-ting."
- Okay?
- Okay, fine.
So good luck with that, bitch.
Look at what the cat dragged in.
Somebody please hospitalize me
so I can have a decent meal.
What? Excuse me?
You know that Friday night dinner
starts at 8:00 p.m. sharp,
and you didn't even
set the table this week.
How much effort does it take
to throw down some paper plates?
Why is it so hard
for you to be nice?
Like, why can't you say,
"I'm sorry" or "I was late"
or "I made a mistake"?
You want to talk
about being nice?
I recall that it was just
last weekend when Pray Tell
disrespected me in front
of all my peers at the ball.
Ain't nobody disrespect you.
I called your black selfish ass
out for being a bad example,
and it's about time
somebody did.
And this is not about your
stank-ass attitude, Elektra,
this is about you showing up
to be a part of the house.
And you didn't pay your share
of the rent this month.
Neither did any of these
little bottom feeders!
Elektra, they ain't got
no money.
But you, with all these
new furs and jewelry,
strutting around, but you must
be getting plenty of money
from somewhere.
Where is you getting
all this money from,
Queen of the Nile?
Where is you getting
all this finery?
I don't owe you an explanation
for anything.
I've had enough of this abuse.
Just because I was down
on my luck for a moment
does not mean I'll spend
the rest of my life
living like some
indentured servant.
I am not a slum rat
like the rest of you whores!
I don't owe you any answers,
I don't owe you any manners,
and I most certainly don't
owe you a goddamn apology
for being late to a 99-cent meal
made from canned meat
and prison-grade toilet wine!
- Guess what.
- You don't have to
tell me I'm out of the house.
I quit, bitch!
And you best not ever show your
face in the ballrooms again.
I'm going to eat you alive
on that runway.
Of that you can be sure!
Can I have her bed?
I'm joining your house.
You're welcome, bitches.
How's everybody feeling tonight?
All right, all right.
So, listen, I just want
to take a moment
to acknowledge one of the
pioneers of the ballroom.
In 1970, Pop, Spin, Dip
was introduced
right here
on the ballroom floor.
Now, as legend would have it,
Paris Dupree was flipping
through a Vogue magazine
and saw the poses
that the models were doing.
She brought it right back here
to the ballroom floor,
imitating the models
to the beat.
This is the category
as we know it today.
Know your history, children.
Now, let's Vogue like Paris!
♪ Come on, Vogue ♪
♪ Let your body move
to the music ♪
- ♪ Move to the music ♪
- ♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪
♪ Come on, Vogue ♪
♪ Let your body go
with the flow ♪
- ♪ Go with the flow ♪
- ♪ You know you can do it ♪
♪ Beauty's where you find it ♪
♪ Not just where you
bump and grind it ♪
♪ Soul is in the music, oh ♪
♪ That's where I feel
so beautiful ♪
♪ Magical, life's a ball ♪
♪ So get up on the dance floor ♪
♪ Come on, Vogue... ♪
♪ Let your body move
to the music ♪
- ♪ Move to the music ♪
- ♪ Hey, hey, hey... ♪
I told you,
everything is changing.
This is just the beginning.
♪ You know you can do it ♪
♪ Vogue, Vogue, Vogue, Vogue. ♪
Captioned by
Media Access Group at WGBH
Sync corrections by srjanapala
Who wants to come
to the most
remote part of New York?
You'd think people would come
to pay their respects.
Out of sight, out of mind.
I'm tired.
I've been to three funerals
this week.
Three.
Where's the cure?
Look,
we got to keep it together today, Pray.
We got a long day
ahead of us.
I know.
I'm sorry, I just...
It upsets me.
His name is... was Keenan.
Keenan Howard.
I'm here to see...
his burial site.
He's a relation of yours?
Not exactly.
We dated, we broke up.
Listen.
He died of pneumonia
- and I was told he was buried here.
- Here's the thing.
Names don't matter here.
Just a bunch of pine boxes
in a ditch.
- So no headstones?
- Welcome to Hart Island.
Just a mass grave
of people whose families
couldn't afford a burial
or unclaimed bodies
from the morgue.
Infants are out back
in Potter's Field.
We quarantine the ones
that died of AIDS,
don't want them infecting
anyone else, you know.
But they're already dead.
Sweetie, we don't know
how this thing is spread.
Come on, Pray.
How did Keenan end up here?
- I thought he had family.
- No.
Orphaned just like
the rest of us.
After we broke up,
I heard that he had gotten sick
and I tried to reach out.
But I think that he...
he was embarrassed...
about getting sick.
He died alone.
In that tiny studio apartment.
In the dead of summer.
Three weeks before
anybody found him.
Was lying in the heat
for so long,
I heard that his body
- just melted into the mattress.
- Mm-mmm, mm-mmm.
I'm not settling
for this, Pray.
We got to do something.
- Right?
- Yeah.
Only way this
isn't gonna be our reality
is if we help each other.
'Cause they sure as hell
aren't gonna do anything. Trust.
There it is.
Judy told me about this place
and I didn't believe her.
She... she said this island
used to be a tuberculosis ward.
Now it's a burial site.
Each one of these
heart-shaped rocks
represents someone buried here,
left by someone left behind.
So, what now?
We pray.
We pray for strength...
to keep fighting.
Yeah.
The category is...
Live...
Work...
Pose!
*POSE*
Season 02 Episode 01
*POSE*
Episode Title :"Acting Up"
Captioned by
Media Access Group at WGBH
Synchronized by srjanapala
- Hi, Blanca. You want to come in?
- Hi. Yeah.
Yeah.
This place is like the Taj Mahal
compared to St. Vincent's.
You know they had me
on a six-week
waiting list just to get
a doctor to read my labs.
By the way, thank you for
squeezing me in like this.
Anything for family, kid.
So, what does it say?
I tried reading my labs
when I picked it up,
but... it all looked like
Klingon to me.
Well, your red blood cells
are good.
- I'm just checking out your CD4s.
- See?
There you go again
speaking that Klingon.
English, please?
CD4s, or T-cells,
are what we want a lot of.
So... how many I gots?
'Cause I know I got a lot.
I stopped drinking,
I take my Flintstone vitamins
every day.
Well, sometimes being healthy
isn't enough for this virus.
Your T-cells have fallen
bellow 200.
What's...
So? What's that mean?
It means we have to start
monitoring you once a month
instead of every three months.
And we have to move your
diagnosis of being HIV-positive
to having AIDS.
What?
S...
So I have AIDS now?
Well, it's-it's just a number.
It's a way of flagging
how much care a patient needs.
Nah, I've been feeling fine.
I've been feeling
amazing, actually.
Last winter,
when my kids got sick,
I didn't have a sniffle at all.
I mean, sometimes you can't tell
what HIV is doing
- to your immune system.
- So I'm dying.
No.
You're not dying.
You still have plenty
of T-cells to fight with,
but we can't let those numbers
drop any lower.
So what do I do?
It ain't no cure for this thing.
Not yet.
But there is this.
AZT. It helps slow
the progression of the virus
- and it's all we've got.
- Ain't that stuff for rich folk?
Well, pharmaceutical companies
are in the business
of making a profit,
but there are folks
in our community who care
about the less fortunate.
And they're the ones who can
get us this shit for free.
When the wealthy white queens
and their friends know
that the end is coming close,
they call us.
It's the same thing every time.
We pay our respects.
We say our goodbyes.
And then we collect
the leftover meds.
Their dying wishes
are to make sure that the grief
isn't the only thing
they're leaving behind.
Some of them
just have antibiotics.
But the rich ones
always have AZT.
Pray Tell told me about
a friend of his
who was on these meds.
He said it was
as toxic as chemo.
And once he got on 'em,
his body completely gave out.
Blanca, I'm gonna
be straight with you
because you need to hear this.
You're in denial of what HIV
is doing to your body.
If you don't do something
about it soon, you're
- gonna be dead in six months.
- No.
Listen, they're working on
new drugs every day.
You just got to stay alive
long enough
for something better
to come along.
You know...
it's moments like these
that make your life
flash right before you.
Crazy thing is,
it's... not my life
I'm seeing right now,
it's my kids.
It's my kids.
Everything in this life is
set up to work against them.
There is still
so much in their lives
that I have to fix.
We have a saying
around here:
either get busy living,
or you get busy dying.
And you've got a lot
to live for.
Darling.
That one's gonna be good.
Yeah.
- Hey, can you do me a favor?
- Stop.
Just look this way.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Right there, right there.
Give me that smile.
That one's great, actually.
Um... yeah.
♪ What are you looking at? ♪
♪ Strike a pose... ♪
♪ Vogue, Vogue... ♪
Oh, shit.
Y'all hear that?
That's the new Madonna single.
It's been on constant repeat
on Z100.
- It's gonna
be the song of the summer.
The most famous woman in
the world signing about us.
- Mm!
- Strike a pose.
The category is...
Runway...
Mo-del...
Effect.
Everything is about to change.
I can see it as clear as day.
Well, your vision must be cloudy
'cause ain't shit about
to change for our black asses.
Madonna is shining a bright
spotlight on us, girl.
We've been underground for how long?
About 20 years.
Since Crystal LaBeija lost
one too many titles
to white girls.
Ha-ha! Yes, baby!
Let us have it.
These walks
are turning me on, kids.
Who's next?
- Oh... sookie, sookie, now.
- ♪ Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers... ♪
Are you gonna
show us your face, baby?
♪ Rita Hayworth
gave good face... ♪
That's my baby!
♪ Ladies with an attitude ♪
♪ Fellows that were
in the mood... ♪
Mark my words.
"Vogue" will make us stars.
Madonna lives on the edge
for what's next.
And what's newer than
an entire world, undiscovered,
brimming to the rim with guts,
gorgeousness...
and raw talent?
I mean, look.
Angel! Angel! Angel...
Get up, get up.
Oh! Booty! Booty! Booty! Booty!
Don't, don't, don't hurt us.
Don't hurt us, baby.
Madonna's gonna want
our faces and when she comes
with her spotlight, the
Evangelistas are gonna be ready.
- Girl...
- Judges have spoken.
The cards never lie.
The cards never lie,
my darlings.
Grand prize goes to...
the most luminous girl
in the room...
Miss Angel Evangelista.
Evangelista!
- Evange...
- Evange...
- lista!
- Lista!
- Evange...
- Evange...
- lista!
- Lista!
♪ Vogue, Vogue, Vogue, Vogue. ♪
Hey, baby.
Girl, what are you doing
out here?
We talked about this.
You said you wasn't gonna
walk the piers no more.
- There are more options out there.
- Like what?
Mopping floors
and waiting tables? No.
No, thanks.
I like being my own boss.
Well, I got a plan.
Get in.
Just tell me where we're going.
I was at work
and I was flipping through
Elle magazine while I was
on my lunch break and...
I saw this advertisement
for a modeling contest.
Do you see her?
Yes.
I'm not the face
they're looking for.
- I ain't no model.
- Yes, you are.
Look at these.
That's just me and Lil Papi
playing around.
Do you see what I see?
These photos prove
you got the look.
You've got a light
that shines so bright
right inside of you,
and... I just wish
you could see it. Plus,
we about to go mainstream
with this Madonna song.
Mainstream?
Yeah, until they find
out who I really am.
Oh, girl. All we need to get
is our foot into the door.
This song is our ticket
to acceptance.
Once they see
that you're in the ball,
they won't even turn you away.
♪ My Lord ♪
Sing, sister Lulu.
Girl, who the hell chose
those tacky-ass flowers?
All these candles
and flaming homos,
surprised God don't
burn this bitch to the ground.
Funerals are bullshit.
Mm-hmm.
I want a head count
of exactly how many people
love me before I die.
- Mm.
- And I want a chance
to defend myself,
in case anyone even try
to tarnish my good name.
What's the point of spending
all that money on a corpse?
Give me my damn flowers
when I can smell them.
And give me a chance to read
all these bitches
before I'm put in the
motherfucking ground.
Y'all are some hard-hearted hos.
Show some damn respect.
Well, she's on CP time tonight.
He's not going anywhere.
What's your head count?
This is my 452nd memorial.
Two hundred and ten.
First one to get to a thousand
gets a free toaster.
Uh...
Look at these unquenchable hos
thirsting for dick.
Since when did funerals become
the new cruising spot?
Oh, she's found morality.
Come on.
Let's pay our respects.
Interesting choice.
Why is he dressed like
a flamenco dancer?
I can get over the outfit,
but that makeup is terrible.
Joe always preferred
a nude matte lip.
Well, red is a tough color.
Only tramps can pull it off.
Shocking you never could.
Oh...
He was so young.
Just barely started living.
I don't know how much more
of this I can take.
790, until you get your toaster.
I need a drink.
You coming with me to the diner?
Not tonight. I've got someplace
to be and you're coming with me.
Where are you taking me?
I'm hungry.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no.
My black ass does not need
to join your group
of preppy white queens
and ill-fitted Gap chinos
who have never had to fight for
a goddamn thing in their lives.
- Act up! Fight back!
- Listen, there are dikes, too,
running these meetings,
of all shades.
Pray, you've got to
put your pain to good use,
or I swear to God,
it will eat you alive.
Fight back! Fight AIDS!
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS!
Act up!
Fight back! Fight AIDS!
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS!
Act up!
Fight back! Fight AIDS!
Welcome to your first
Act Up meeting.
Fight AIDS! Act up!
Ah, well, I was beginning to
think Miss Wanda didn't exist.
I'm not the going out type.
I've got other things
on my mind.
I told you she was hot.
- Act up! Fight back! Fight AIDS!
- All right.
All right.
Listen up, folks.
Last week's fund-raiser
brought in
$650,000.
And... and now that
we finally have the cash
to meet our momentum,
this Sunday's protest
up at St. Patrick's Cathedral
is an even more crucial step
in starting a global
conversation around HIV
and AIDS.
The Catholic Church
has spent
millions of dollars putting
the false message into the world
that condoms don't work and that
abstinence is the only way
to fight HIV. That is a lie.
And that is morally wrong.
So, we're staging a die-in
in the middle
of that congregation
as a peaceful protest
against the annihilation
- of our community!
- Yes!
Cardinal John O'Connor has said,
"Good morality
is good medicine."
He might as well say,
"Let them get AIDS."
And it's not just
the board of education
or the city council
that Cardinal O'Connor
is influencing, no.
He has a direct line
to the Pope himself.
We will not allow his racist,
sexist, homophobic ideologies
to affect the health
of every single person
on this planet!
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS!
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS!
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS!
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS
Damn, all these girls
look the same.
- Nothing at all like me.
- Girl, stop comparing yourself.
You are an original,
a star of ballroom.
I got to ask you
something serious.
You think I pass?
Hmm. With the best of them.
None of these girls can
hold a candle to you.
Angel, you're the prettiest
thing I've ever seen.
You Dominicans
got a slick tongue.
Come on.
We need to sign you in.
This your first time?
- Don't be nervous.
- I'm not.
Well, I was in your same spot
three years ago,
and I was scared as hell.
I thought my skin
and frizzy hair
wouldn't get me
past the open call,
but... those things actually
made me stand out.
You're gonna be the face
of 1990, girl. Watch.
Okay, now hurry up
and fill this out.
And don't forget to mention
that you can Vogue
- in the special skills section.
- Oh, that's right.
Duh.
Come on, let's go.
Blanca, you can't
leave me here like this.
Girl, if I walk into that room,
you know the jig is up.
You must do this on your own, Angel.
You got this, you can do this.
Just be yourself.
Just be yourself.
So, what have we here?
Angel. 22.
- Mm-hmm.
- The Bronx.
You used an instant camera.
Yes. I did.
Hmm.
Impressive.
But if you want to be
a professional,
you need a professional
to capture you.
That sounds like
that costs money.
I don't have a job right now,
that's why I'm here
talking to you.
Every model must pay her dues
before she gets paid herself.
It's an investment
in your future.
- So, you can Vogue.
- Mm-hmm.
- Like the new song?
- Mm-hmm.
I like that.
Here's a photographer I know.
Tell him I sent you.
He'll give you my discount.
Bring the new photographs
to me...
for the semi-finals.
I did it.
I made it to the next round.
- Ah!
- I knew it. I knew it!
Did you put oregano in my sauce?
Your sauce? It's Ragú.
This shit came out of a jar,
bitch. Relax.
What's so funny, Cubby?
What's wrong with oregano?
I thought it was healthy
to eat more green vegetables.
Oregano is a herb,
not a vegetable, darling boy.
Who is educating these children
on their nutrition?
And when is your man
coming home?
Well, darling sir, the
Al B. Sure tour is almost over.
He told me he would be home
next week.
I'm so excited,
I can't even sleep.
Oh, no. Please don't go planning
no romantic reunion dinner
at Roy Rogers or nothing.
If he's back in town,
then he's back under my roof,
and Friday family dinner
is mandatory.
Yeah, unless you're glued
to the MTV
waiting for your favorite song
to come on.
Uh-uh. That ain't
recreation, girl.
They play that Madonna
"Vogue" video once an hour.
I need to study it
and I ain't got no VCR.
Listen, y'all are just
not getting it.
We are on the cusp
of a revolution.
We've been doing those dance
moves in that video for years.
That's our culture on MTV.
We about to go mainstream.
Yes. Just like when
all those suburban kids
started singing "Y.M.C.A."
and the leather bars
in The Castro went mainstream.
This is different.
We're talking about Madonna.
Something is happening,
I can feel it.
Yeah.
That's the same shit they said
about disco.
Studio 54 stayed open
for three years,
and when the Man shut it down,
all those angry black
and homo-hating white boys...
They took their disco records
to the baseball stadium
and blew 'em up.
Every generation
thinks that
they're gonna be the ones
that are finally
invited to the party.
Put your glass slippers away,
Trans-erella. It ain't never
gonna happen.
Really?
Angel, will you
- tell them your news?
- Mm-hmm. Blanca made me
audition for the Fresh Faces
modeling competition.
And she made the semi-finals,
too. What's good?
- Why you
got to steal my thunder?
Our girl's a star.
Don't get all crazy yet.
The modeling woman said
I need professional headshots,
- and those "costeses" money.
- Mm-hmm.
And you next, Damon.
No more Saturdays sitting
around the house,
reading dirty magazines.
From 3:00 until 5:00,
you're gonna be teaching
a Voguing class
down at the YMCA.
- They don't have a Voguing class.
- Well, they do now.
I told them if they
put up a sign-up sheet,
more people would come.
They got six people already and
the numbers are going to grow.
Y'all need to trust
this mother's intuition.
Y'all are whistling
past the graveyard.
Really?
'Cause I heard the other emcees
talking about how Sue Simmons
from Live at Five
wants to interview you
about the scene.
It's not a scene.
It's our lives.
Why do you have to be
such a downer?
We should all be going
to that church
for the protest on Sunday.
Together.
As a house.
I can't make it on Sunday.
I have to meet the photographer.
Reschedule.
We're all being chased
by the same monster.
You saying it's wrong for me
to get a little something
for myself
while I'm running away?
I could die,
so I should stop living?
Come on.
But we need to let them know
that we care about us.
Y'all are going. What's the
point of raising the profile
of our community
if there's no community left
within a couple of years?
You're late, Elektra.
From the looks of things,
not late enough.
Mother Blanca,
this house is suffering
from a major deficiency
in terms of closet space.
I do not understand how you
expect me to just toss my finery
on one of these flea-filled
reclamation projects
like a savage.
What kind of tips
is you making at, um,
Indochine to buy this mink?
She mopped this shit
from the coat room.
Miss Elektra does not mop.
Or dust
- or cook.
- Mm-hmm.
Or wash a dish.
But she has been helping
with the rent and expenses
for the past two months,
which I can say
more than any of you freeloaders
have done.
Thank you, Mother Blanca.
And I do apologize
for missing last week's supper.
While I don't always
enjoy the company
and the sauce could use
some seasoning,
I do think it's good for morale
to do things as a family.
Well, good, because
we're all going with Pray
to that big Act Up protest
at the church on Sunday.
Count me out.
I'm not posing for a mug shot.
Oh, no, uh-uh. Ain't none
of y'all ever given me lip
when I say we're walking a
category together at the ball.
Well, this Sunday,
the ball is at the church,
and the categories are family
and standing up for ourselves
and our community,
and all of y'all are going.
- All right.
- Okay.
I just booked you
an 11:10 and a 12:15.
I'm sorry, Ms. Rose.
You gonna have to give this
to someone else.
I'm the owner,
I need you to work.
You know I never turn down work,
but my friends
are counting on me.
You're ungrateful.
I let you work here
because I am
a good Christian and...
Please. I have to leave.
So quit.
You know what?
You're right. I quit.
I'm not wasting whatever time
I have left on this Earth
to give any part of me to you.
You should kiss my feet
for hiring you.
No one else will.
You will see.
Ladies like getting
their nails done by ladies.
So... then I'll get
my own salon,
and make twice the business
you make in here.
Oh, and I'll call it Vogue Nails
after the Madonna song.
Then when I get back, I'll come
buy this dump from you.
Mm... This look
like a lot of money.
Mm-hmm. And you know
they ain't paying taxes
on any of this shit.
I bet you those vestments cost
more than Chanel's
- entire spring 1990 collection.
- Hmm.
Earlier
and all the others,
and I warn them now
while absent,
as I did when present
on my second visit,
that if I come again,
I will not be lenient,
since you are looking
for proof of Christ
speaking in me.
Finally, brothers, rejoice.
Mend your ways,
encourage one another.
Agree with one another.
Live in peace,
and the God of love
and peace will be with you.
Greet one another
with a holy kiss...
- All the holy ones greet you.
- Pass it down.
May the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God
and the fellowship of
the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise be to Jesus Christ.
Today's reading
really reminded me of my father.
Paul's letter
to the Corinthians.
- It's written with love.
- But it's...
Could everyone here
please stand and pray?
Prayer won't cure AIDS.
Prayer won't stop
the spread of HIV.
Only condoms will.
Abstinence is not
a human solution,
abstinence is the erasure
of our sexuality.
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name...
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us! Stop
killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
- Get 'em out of here!
- Get out of here!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Arrest the cardinal!
He's the criminal!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us! Stop killing
us! Stop killing us!
Shame on you.
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
Stop killing us!
- I love this hairstyle so much.
- Give me the room.
How many looks are we shooting?
I was thinking just one.
- I can't afford a full-on shoot.
- That's not how it works.
We have a whole team
booked for today.
Well, maybe we could work
something out.
Like, layaway?
- Don't you have a job?
- Not at this moment.
You know, I've seen you
at the piers.
You must have mistaken me
for someone else.
- I have one of those faces.
- No, you don't.
A face like yours
I'd never forget.
Well, I don't do that anymore.
- You still gonna shoot me?
- I'm the only person who can.
You're a very special beauty.
Very specific.
Mm. Ain't nothing free.
What you want me
to do in return?
A private sitting.
Some shots
for my personal collection.
I'll do it as a trade.
Won't cost you a dime.
Three, two, one.
Beautiful.
Good, good, good, good.
Keep going. Hands up, hands up.
You are beautiful.
♪ Walking like a man,
hitting like a hammer ♪
♪ She's a juvenile scam,
never was a quitter ♪
♪ Tasty like a raindrop,
she's got the look ♪
♪ Heavenly bound, 'cause heaven's got a number ♪
- Chin down.
♪ When she's spinning me around,
kissing is a color ♪
♪ Her loving is a wild dog,
she's got the look ♪
- ♪ She's got the look ♪
- ♪ She's got the look ♪
- ♪ She's got the look ♪
- ♪ She's got the look ♪
♪ What in the world can make
a brown-eyed girl turn blue? ♪
Yes.
♪ When everything I'll ever do ♪
- ♪ I'll do for you ♪
- Beautiful.
♪ And I go la, la, la, la, la ♪
♪ She's got the look... ♪
Yes, towards me.
Towards me, move them.
Yes. Three, two, one.
Yes, beautiful, beautiful.
One more, just like that.
Just like that.
Three, two, one.
Yes, yes.
Perfect, perfect...
What do you want?
Take that off.
And that.
N-No.
Yeah.
Touch it.
The category is Runway.
Bring it
like a French Revolution.
Poverty and abundance
personified,
and a goddamn category I like.
We have much to fight back
against, children.
And what have we here?
Miss Candy and Miss Lulu
serving up Les Misérables
peasant slut realness.
You got some ghetto proppage.
Piece of French baguette
and a pitchfork?
What is this, Hee Haw?
You got enough to feed
the multitudes, baby,
with your five fish and three
loaves of bread.
We got a horse mouth
up there, though. Here.
Judges, your scores.
Seven, seven,
six, eight, seven.
House of Ferocity...
♪ Ain't so ferocious ♪
♪ Ain't so ferocious. ♪
See you later, my darlings.
Always.
I mean, you think she would
learn by now, right?
Who's next?
Who's gonna be next up in here?
Yes, okay. Uh-huh.
Here comes Miss Elektra...
serving us Marie Antoinette.
How apropos,
a queen who cares nothing
for her kingdom.
Oh...
Yes, and the children
are serving us narrative.
It's early morning
in Versailles,
and Queen Marie
is being serviced
by her dutiful young men.
Let them eat cake.
Ah, the carousel twirls,
the carousel twirls.
Remember when things
were simpler, Elektra?
Before our young men
were dropping dead
before our very eyes.
And they're still going.
There's even more story.
Y'all created a guillotine
for this mess?
For real?
Mm.
Bravo, bravo.
I must admit,
that was very well done.
So tell me something.
How long did you rehearse that?
Is that where you were
instead of showing up
for your dying community?
Way to set an example
for the kids, Elektra.
What's your problem, Pray Tell?
Get off your soapbox and ask
the judges for their scores.
Oh, I don't need to ask
the judges for scores.
I know what they are,
and everybody in this room
knows what they are.
Miss Elektra Abundance
Evangelista,
grand prize,
this week and last week
and the week before that
and the week before that
and the week
before that, granny!
Here, here.
Take your trophy.
Bitch, you better get me
a new trophy
and then come down here
so I can shove it up your ass.
I'm gonna lay it out for you.
One time
your community needed you
at that protest,
and you didn't show up.
That's right.
- I was working.
- Yeah.
You work the night shift.
The protest was in the morning.
Don't give me that bullshit.
So, what did I miss?
A bunch of fags holding hands,
screaming into the wind?
Shame!
I went to jail.
111 people
went to jail.
You are more concerned
about winning a trophy
than you are
about our government
spreading lies about us
in an effort to kill us!
And you want to know
why they want us dead?
Because we're black and
we're brown and we're queer.
They don't give a shit about us,
so we better start
caring about ourselves.
Show up for your lives!
Wake up!
Jack, where are you?
Come on up here
and call out
the rest of these categories
before the back of my head
blows off.
I got to go home.
Wake the fuck up.
That's right.
♪ Back to life,
back to reality... ♪
The category is...
Runway.
Bring it like the booked
black beauties in Vogue.
You ain't never gonna hit no
real runway, we all know that.
But you can serve
a look so flawless
that you fool us like
little Miss Grace Jones-ish
is doing right here, baby.
She's over here serving you
trash bag realness, darlings.
Sponsored by Glad.
Hefty, hefty, hefty.
Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy.
She came to take
all the garbage out tonight.
Now who do we have here?
Yes, Miss Pat Cleveland, I see.
Oh, she's twirling
and a-trotting
like no other for you.
Goddess! Athena!
Aphrodite! Minerva!
Okay, anybody else walking?
I see commotion back there.
Okay, I see it.
Remember when I said ethereal?
Otherworldly?
Miss Angel, you are giving
just that, baby.
Her homage to
It girl Veronica Webb.
Oh, please, she is
truly unmatched.
This is how you do it.
That is a model.
That is a cover girl.
Now, judges,
our girls are serving a fantasy,
one that requires you
to suspend disbelief
and imagine them
on the real runway,
in actual print.
Would they stack up
on the newsstands?
Scores for Miss Grace Jones
and her glistening cocoa skin?
Ten, ten, nine, nine, ten.
Well done.
And Miss Pat Cleveland
and her flight of fancy? Ten,
nine, nine, ten,
ten. And what about
Miss Angel Evangelista?
♪ Tens across the board. ♪
Come and collect, girl!
This is what I am talking about.
On the way to legendary,
a feared name in ballroom.
Structure, beautiful,
poised, attitude.
She has the makings
of a star girl,
a cover girl!
What's going on, mama?
You're supposed
to be celebrating.
You the queen of that
model category.
Yeah, in there.
I want a victory outside
of the ballroom, Papi.
I'm never gonna be a real model.
That may be true
for them girls in there,
but that is not
your destiny, Angel.
I got to tell y'all something.
What's up?
Please, y-you have to promise
you're not gonna
be disappointed.
Never.
That photographer clocked me.
He recognized me from the piers.
And, look, I didn't
have enough money
to pay for the photo shoot.
So he...
- so he took dirty pictures of me.
- What?
He took pictures
of everything, Papi.
He saw everything.
What if he sells them
to some-some porno magazine?
And then I'm branded as a dirty
transsexual hooker
for the rest of my life.
- Mama, the whole world will know.
- Nah. Nah.
- The whole world.
- Nah, this is not happening
on my watch.
Do you hear me?
With what I got planned?
With what you deserve in this world?
Hell no.
Hell no.
We getting what's yours.
What's his address?
Where the fucking
pictures at, huh?!
Give Angel her fucking pictures.
I want my photos!
Where are they?
- They're over there.
- Be more specific. Point!
On the corner of the desk.
Angel, baby, you are stunning.
- Really?
- Yeah. Where the negatives?
They're locked in the bottom
cabinet. The key is on the desk.
- Come on, come on...
- Y'all good over there?
These all of them?
If you ever try exploiting
my daughter again,
I'm not coming with
my son's fists the next time.
Yeah, you hear that,
you punk-ass bitch?
You don't know what it took
for me to get here, Ms. Ford.
I want a shot.
A real... shot.
Hmm.
Absolutely beautiful.
Ain't no dirt on that floor.
You need a new job, Mother.
You don't do well with
too much time on your hands.
In a few days,
you'll have scrubbed
the paint off all the walls
and forced Lil Papi
to run for mayor or some shit.
Maybe I'm going a little crazy.
Quitting a good job
and thinking I could create
some kind of immortality to...
see through my house
and my... my children.
Maybe it's better to dream small
or not dream at all.
At least then
you can die with some dignity
still intact.
I'm sorry, I'm...
My T cell count is low,
and I'm feeling morbid.
How low?
Well, not low enough to stop
scrubbing these damn floors.
Mama.
- I made top ten.
- What?
Angel...
Angel, are you serious?
Yes.
What?
Oh, my...
Well, Miss Angel, you better get
ready for the ride of your life.
I'm ready.
Hear, hear!
To Miss Angel Evangelista
purring down every catwalk.
From New York to Paris
to Milan.
- Meow.
- To Angel.
To Angel!
And, and...
- to Miss Blanca Evangelista...
- Me?
The mother
who made it all happen.
She seems to see the future
better than any fortune teller
that I've ever been to.
Come on, Mother.
You know it.
How-some-ever...
I still ain't gonna let
Sue Simmons up into my balls
to ruin all of our lives
with her tabloid news stories.
- Oh, boy.
- Okay?
- He said that's it.
- To Mother Blanca Evangelista!
- To Blanca!
- Mother Blanca!
All right, well, listen,
I love you, too, Pray,
but I'm not giving up
on letting them reporters in
to seeing how amazing
and magical our community is.
And you know that I am
as stubborn as an old drag queen
with a 5:00 shadow
at 3:00 in the "morn-ting."
- Okay?
- Okay, fine.
So good luck with that, bitch.
Look at what the cat dragged in.
Somebody please hospitalize me
so I can have a decent meal.
What? Excuse me?
You know that Friday night dinner
starts at 8:00 p.m. sharp,
and you didn't even
set the table this week.
How much effort does it take
to throw down some paper plates?
Why is it so hard
for you to be nice?
Like, why can't you say,
"I'm sorry" or "I was late"
or "I made a mistake"?
You want to talk
about being nice?
I recall that it was just
last weekend when Pray Tell
disrespected me in front
of all my peers at the ball.
Ain't nobody disrespect you.
I called your black selfish ass
out for being a bad example,
and it's about time
somebody did.
And this is not about your
stank-ass attitude, Elektra,
this is about you showing up
to be a part of the house.
And you didn't pay your share
of the rent this month.
Neither did any of these
little bottom feeders!
Elektra, they ain't got
no money.
But you, with all these
new furs and jewelry,
strutting around, but you must
be getting plenty of money
from somewhere.
Where is you getting
all this money from,
Queen of the Nile?
Where is you getting
all this finery?
I don't owe you an explanation
for anything.
I've had enough of this abuse.
Just because I was down
on my luck for a moment
does not mean I'll spend
the rest of my life
living like some
indentured servant.
I am not a slum rat
like the rest of you whores!
I don't owe you any answers,
I don't owe you any manners,
and I most certainly don't
owe you a goddamn apology
for being late to a 99-cent meal
made from canned meat
and prison-grade toilet wine!
- Guess what.
- You don't have to
tell me I'm out of the house.
I quit, bitch!
And you best not ever show your
face in the ballrooms again.
I'm going to eat you alive
on that runway.
Of that you can be sure!
Can I have her bed?
I'm joining your house.
You're welcome, bitches.
How's everybody feeling tonight?
All right, all right.
So, listen, I just want
to take a moment
to acknowledge one of the
pioneers of the ballroom.
In 1970, Pop, Spin, Dip
was introduced
right here
on the ballroom floor.
Now, as legend would have it,
Paris Dupree was flipping
through a Vogue magazine
and saw the poses
that the models were doing.
She brought it right back here
to the ballroom floor,
imitating the models
to the beat.
This is the category
as we know it today.
Know your history, children.
Now, let's Vogue like Paris!
♪ Come on, Vogue ♪
♪ Let your body move
to the music ♪
- ♪ Move to the music ♪
- ♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪
♪ Come on, Vogue ♪
♪ Let your body go
with the flow ♪
- ♪ Go with the flow ♪
- ♪ You know you can do it ♪
♪ Beauty's where you find it ♪
♪ Not just where you
bump and grind it ♪
♪ Soul is in the music, oh ♪
♪ That's where I feel
so beautiful ♪
♪ Magical, life's a ball ♪
♪ So get up on the dance floor ♪
♪ Come on, Vogue... ♪
♪ Let your body move
to the music ♪
- ♪ Move to the music ♪
- ♪ Hey, hey, hey... ♪
I told you,
everything is changing.
This is just the beginning.
♪ You know you can do it ♪
♪ Vogue, Vogue, Vogue, Vogue. ♪
Captioned by
Media Access Group at WGBH
Sync corrections by srjanapala