Culture

Here’s how viewers reacted to the series finale of Pose

By Sam Damshenas

7th June 2021

Pose fans have praised the drama’s “sad” and “powerful” series finale.

On 6 June, the widely-acclaimed LGBTQ+ series from Steven Canals, Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy – which memorably made history with the largest number of transgender regulars on television – came to an end after three seasons.

Viewers came out in droves on social media to celebrate the show’s legacy and their reactions to the finale. From browsing #Pose on Twitter, it’s clear the finale had a devastating impact on fans, with one saying the episode “fucked them up” and another that it left them “broken”.

Written by Canals, Falchuk, Murphy, Janet Mock and Our Lady J, the episode concluded the arcs of beloved characters such as Blanca (Mj Rodriguez), Pray Tell (Billy Porter), Elektra (Dominique Jackson), Angel (Indya Moore), Lil Papi (Angel Bismark Curiel), Ricky (Dyllon Burnside), Lulu (Hailee Sahar) and Judy (Sandra Bernhard).

While one fan expressed disappointment in Pose coming to an end with season three, they hailed the finale as “powerful” and the show as “groundbreaking” for its representation of the transgender community. “The category is LOVE!” they wrote.

Another said: “#PoseFX series finale hit me hard. I’ve been sad this it ended. Flaws and all. I am so happy I got to see a show like Pose.

“This industry should’ve learned after the success of Barry Jenkin’s “Moonlight” about the need to put more Black LGBT stories forward centering Black love.”

Speaking with GAY TIMES for our Summer 2021 issue, Canals said he and Murphy “always knew” when Pose would come to an end.

“We always knew that the end of the series was going to be 1995/96 when HIV/AIDS stops being a clear death sentence. As much as our show is a family drama, it’s an investigation into HIV/AIDS and the ways that it impacted Black and Brown queer and trans people living in New York,” he explained.

“We didn’t necessarily know how long it would take us to get there, but I think once we went into the writer’s room for season three, it just became abundantly clear to me that the end goal was in our eyeline. I didn’t want to be that person who stays at the party too long where everybody’s like, ‘You’re still here? What are you doing?’

“I just feel like, ‘There’s the ending. I see it. It’s right in arm’s reach, so why pivot and make a right turn as opposed to going straight into it?'”

You can read Canals’ full interview with GAY TIMES in our Summer 2021 issue, which you can purchase here, and read the reactions from viewers about the Pose series finale on Twitter below. Warning: there will be spoilers.