An FX original series.
Snowfall.
Premieres Thursday, July 19 on FX.
FX presents... Pose.
PRAY TELL: Winter is gone. The ice hath melted.
Are you ready for those cutoff jeans that display
half of that big old peach of an ass?
Because the category is...
-Luscious Femme Queen Body. -(cheering and applause)
("So Many Men, So Little Time" by Miquel Brown playing)
Lusciousness.
Titty.
Titaciousness.
Come on, now.
Voluptuous.
The tittiness of it all.
ELEKTRA: Oh, the vulgarity this scene has become.
When I was coming up, showing skin
meant a slit above mid-thigh.
-Why is my glass empty? -How do I look?
Is the category Bore Me to Death?
Aw, sookie sookie, now.
What's coming on here?
Yeah, baby.
Call Minute Maid.
Call "Tropicanta."
There is a juicy battle on the floor tonight.
Why you got to always run me down, girl?
Some mothers raise their children
with the soft touch of a velvet glove.
I prefer being the mother that slaps them with it,
especially when they're about to bring shame to my house
by walking a category they're not physically suited for.
You just said those other girls look cheap.
Well, what have we here?
Catwoman.
Yes, Siamese.
She's from the Pacific Islands, darling.
I see you.
I see all of it, baby.
Give it to me, Mama.
Body categories are about tits and asses out to here.
You look like you could crack walnuts
with those ass cheeks.
You're wrong. You'll see.
PRAY TELL: Oh, wait a minute.
Wait a minute. Excuse me.
Excuse me. I think you may have misheard, Miss Candy.
This ain't no face category
that you're used to winning every time.
This is a body category.
Body, sugar.
This is a sexy category, sugar,
and ain't no one in this place sexier
than this bitch right here.
And where's the lusciousness? Where's the juice?
If I squeezed you, I wouldn't be able to get enough out of you
to fill a Dixie cup of lemonade.
Why don't you come off that perch and try, bitch.
How about we let the judges settle it.
Shall we?
(cheering and applause)
Judges, your scores
for Juicy Nipples and her juicy nipples?
Ten, ten, ten, ten, ten.
And for Princess Monaco
and that ass that can launch a thousand ships?
Nine, ten, ten, ten, ten.
And for Miss Siamese Catwoman crawling across the floor?
What do we got? Nine, nine, nine,
ten, ten.
And now for Miss Candy
from The House of Abundance.
Six, six, six,
six, six.
(crowd jeering)
Oh, sweetie, now do you see?
These are the lowest scores possible.
The mark of the beast.
I believe these are the lowest scores
that any member of The House of Abundance
has ever received at any ball I can recall.
I would say that Mother of the Year
for Miss Elektra is clearly threatened
by such poor showing.
Grand prize: Juicy Nipples.
First runner-up: Miss Princess Monaco.
You got another?
You come to rub salt in my wounds?
No.
I don't need your sympathy.
Why you got to be like this?
I'm coming out here trying to be friendly,
and you acting like I got some type of ulterior motive.
Just because we in different houses
doesn't mean I don't got feelings for you
when you get clocked like that.
We all been there.
Not you. You pass.
The most out of every bitch in that place.
Can I use your light?
Everyone thinks it's all so easy
'cause I look like I do.
It's not.
You know what happened to me last night?
My man was over.
Pillow talking.
You know.
How do you get your skin so soft?
It's my hormones.
Makes your skin all smooth and perfect.
It ain't all good, though.
I get real hungry,
like I could eat up the whole world.
I don't want to do nothing else but lay around.
Whatever you're doing is working.
-Mmm. -You're perfect.
* It seems like years *
* Time keeps dragging on and on *
* And forever's been and gone *
Most men like curves nowadays.
* Still I can't figure what went wrong *
All the girls want...
big butts and hips.
* I'll play your game *
I get that.
Really feminine.
Is your wife curvy?
Not naturally.
I mean, after the kids, yeah.
* I can pretend each time I see you *
I was kind of into it, now that I think about it.
CANDY: Bitch.
Why in the fuck is you telling me stories
about you and your man?
I'm supposed to feel sorry for you?
I want you to know that we in the same boat together.
We ain't built all juicy like them other girls.
We statuesque.
But I also know we can do something about it.
And I know who we got to go see to do it.
Who?
Who, bitch?
(door opens)
(footfalls approach)
PRAY TELL: The category is...
Live...
Work...
Pose!
*
Five, six, seven, eight.
One, two, three, four.
Arms up high. Bounce. Bounce.
Wrap and twist.
Contract to the right.
Push. Push. Little pulse.
Over and up.
Hips do not move. And rest.
(chuckles) Great job, everybody.
Nice job, Mr. Richards.
HELENA: Get some rest.
-Thank you. -See you tomorrow.
I saw the sign outside of your office
for the spring showcase.
Um...
I've been working really, really hard
to prove that I'm ready,
and I want to be in it.
Yes, I've observed a marked improvement
for several weeks.
But several weeks does not make you
a dancer worthy of a spot in the showcase.
You require discipline, technique,
endurance, humility.
-I have all those things. -You're a junior member.
The showcase is reserved for senior dancers.
I'm just as good as them. Better.
I don't think you're ready, but I'll allow your audience
to make that determination when you perform.
(laughing): Yes!
Thank you, Ms. St. Rogers.
So, who am I working on?
Am I injecting both of you?
You should go first.
Okay, bitch, pump the brakes.
I got a couple questions first.
What exactly do you do?
Well, I help girls like yourself
who don't have the means to get work done uptown,
but still want great results.
Girl, she fills you up with silicone.
Same stuff they put in fake titties.
Except they putting it in my ass cheeks.
Won't that just leave you lumpy?
(chuckles) You see all those girls?
That's my work.
No lumps.
What I do is legit.
I worked with a white doctor uptown
who used to do this for the girls
who could actually afford it.
Everything I know, I learned from watching him.
Walk us through the whole process.
Well, first I'll fill the syringe with silicone.
Once you've decided what part of your body
you'd like enhanced,
I'll inject the syringe strategically
to create a fuller look.
Now, you'll have to be very still
for this part of the process.
If you move, I could go too deep.
And trust me, you don't want this in your blood.
It can cause a ton of problems.
You remember Lisa?
The one that's always breathing heavy.
Yeah.
It ain't 'cause of asthma, girl.
Now, there's gonna be some swelling
at the injection site,
but that's normal. Nothing a Tylenol can't cure.
-Superglue will stop the bleeding. -Superglue?
That's for fixing runs in my stockings,
not blood coming out my ass cheeks.
I've never had any complaints about the work I've done.
I think I'm gonna do it.
-Yeah. -No, hold up. You can't just cut the line.
-Oh, now she want to. -I'm going first.
ANGEL: "Don't cut the line." You see this one?
I want an apple bottom, and I want a "C" cup.
I need to look natural.
We'll start with a liter.
One half on each side of your body.
Done.
That'll be $1,000.
I thought you were injecting me
with affordable silicone, not gold.
Do I look like layaway?
-Well, can a bitch get the wholesale price? -Sure.
If you want to breathe heavy like, uh...
What was her name?
-Lisa. -Lisa.
Damn.
HELENA: Five, six, seven, eight.
*
Keep up, Mr. Richards.
(gags)
-HELENA: Damon. -(Damon retching, coughing)
Damon? Are you all right?
Yeah, I just pushed myself way too hard.
-Go home, Mr. Richards. -What? No.
You're burning up. Go home.
BLANCA: All right, let me see.
Oh, you got a fever of 102.
Come here.
Mm, what is that? It smells.
Complain all you want.
We have to break this fever. I haven't heard anything
about a flu going around.
Has anyone else in your class gotten sick?
I don't think so.
Well, Damon, what have your symptoms been?
(sighs)
I'm nauseous.
-I'm tired and... (groans) -Let me see.
...my muscles hurt.
And your glands are swollen.
Damon, have you been having sex?
With Ricky?
I don't want to talk about this.
It's embarrassing.
Save it; we're way past that.
Just answer one question.
When you were having intercourse,
and I'm talking about actual sex,
did you use a condom?
Yes.
(sighs)
But one time it came off.
One time?
Well, how long ago was this?
Why are you asking me these personal questions?
-I don't feel well. -All right,
-all right, all right. -I need some rest.
Just let the aspirin kick in.
(Damon coughs)
(Damon coughing)
*
Hey. Hey.
DAMON: It's night?
I've been out all day?
I brought you some chicken soup.
Mother says you gotta eat.
(Damon grunts)
(groans softly)
You're burning up.
I feel like shit.
(Angel gasps)
(both laugh)
-Can I ask you something? -Yeah.
When Mother...
When Mother came in here earlier today,
she was asking me all this stuff about sex.
Like what Ricky and I had got up to,
and if we were having safe sex.
Like...
why would she be asking me questions like that?
She's scared you're seroconverting.
People be fine and looking good...
and then they get, like, a bad flu.
Lots of times...
that flu means you're seroconverting...
which is the first sign that you have the virus.
Wait.
Y-You... you mean AIDS?
I'm sure you're gonna be okay.
*
* Oh, oh-oh, oh *
*
* You say you can't stand to be *
ELEKTRA: To what do I owe the honor?
I wasn't expecting you back from London until Saturday.
The Kertész auction left me feeling melancholy,
so I left early.
* And you want to find *
Only my favorite girl could cheer me up.
* Who will let you out *
What did you acquire, Mr. Ford?
The ballerina series.
* Is better than some strange one *
Although none of them
can hold a candle to my greatest possession.
* Say you never know that strange one *
* Just might be me *
-* Yeah * -* Everything your heart *
* No, no, no, no, no, no *
You still got it.
Why would you ever doubt my skills?
Ten years-- that's longer than both my marriages combined.
But no one keeps fucking the way we do.
It's just not sustainable.
Don't be vulgar, Dick.
-We do have something special. -Mm.
You've been very good to me.
Ah, so...
you must want something
now that I've had my way with you.
My transsexualism operation.
You know how I feel about that.
I want you as you are. You get cut up
by some doctor, that's someone else.
The woman I have has always had...
-something extra. -That something extra
has not been on your to-do list in years.
Don't you paint me as some lazy lay.
You're the one who has always had a hang-up about it.
What, you think I didn't see you gritting your teeth,
pretending to like it when I'd go down on you?
I stopped out of respect for you.
If you respect me so much,
then why does it matter that it's there?
It just does. I...
know what I like, but I can't explain
why my dick gets hard knowing that yours is there.
All I know is that I want it in the room.
Now, maybe it's because
I like the feeling of knowing that I'm getting away
with something that no one else knows about.
I just want it there.
Most of the time you're not here, though.
You have helped me live my dreams.
So then why would you want to change what we have?
Do you understand how rare this is?
Now, when I met you, you were dancing
for chasers for dollars...
in that cum-stained shithole that I took you out of.
And I gave you a life.
Look at me.
I gave you a life.
A real life... and now you repay me this way?
I'm 40 years old, Dick,
and I see things as they are, too.
You think I'm not aware that you'll trade me in
for some young knockoff one day?
That is why I must do this.
For me. For my future.
Well, if that future involves this procedure,
it obviously doesn't include me.
But I'm not asking for your permission or your money.
I will do this on my own.
When was the last time you did anything
on your own, penthouse princess?
("Lovergirl" by Teena Marie playing)
(crowd cheering)
The category is Beautiful...
Bodacious... Body.
I don't even know why I'm helping you,
considering the coal I got on Christmas.
Stop playing the martyr; you're my daughter,
and daughters live to serve their mothers.
Little do you know that you contributed
to something monumental in my life.
I was planning on getting my transsexualism operation.
I saved all my money and was sure I was ready to go under.
I must confess.
Children, Mother lost her way.
I forgot that I was a unicorn.
Preach, Mother. There's only one Elektra.
Besides,
my man wants me just as I am and so do I.
Why mess with perfection?
Oh, my God.
-Girl. No. -What?
Candy, who do you think you're fooling with?
I'm not trying to fool nobody.
I'm serving body.
This is how I see myself.
You are not going out there
and embarrassing my good name, my house.
This is ballroom.
Categories were created so that we could live out our fantasies.
We get to be who we want to be.
And this is the image I want to project.
That image is shattered and distorted.
If you're going to serve a look, it must be suited to you.
It must be streamlined and flattering.
Most of all, it must be real.
Hmm. As real as that wig on your head?
Real? Ha.
These legs are real.
These cheekbones are real.
This whittled waist is real.
I will never judge a girl for enhancements,
but they need to convince a skeptical audience
searching for falsities.
And you are convincing no one.
If you walk out that door,
you might as well be walking as an Evangelista,
because I only raise winners.
-Oh, yeah? -LULU: Have you lost your mind? -LAMAR: Uh-uh.
Fuck her, Lulu.
She doesn't get to dictate my reality, I do.
* Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah *
* Hey *
PRAY TELL: Uh...
(chuckling)
Candy Abundance.
I am never at a loss for words,
but tonight you have outdid yourself.
(laughs) You see her?
What is she...?
I can't even.
Is she for real?
Excuse me, Miss Candy.
Okay, stop the music.
-(microphone feedback) -Stop the goddamn music.
(music stops)
All right. Audience, audience, today,
Miss Candy Abundance has made a discovery.
Groundbreaking, truly.
She has created the world's largest maxi pad
-and tied it around her waist. -(laughter, groaning)
I am real.
Oh, is that what that is?
It's padding all right.
And she got a super heavy flow from the feel of it.
-Come on. -Break that up. Break that up.
We're not doing that here.
My advice to you, Miss Candy,
is to pull them socks out your bra,
give your mama back her pads,
and think long and hard, Miss Girly,
about a category that you can actually win.
(laughter)
(crowd groaning)
Why don't you take that mic and shove it
up your loose ass and go fuck yourself?
I do so every day.
-With glee, bitch. -Oh!
As predicted.
What a catastrophe.
You know what, Elektra? Fuck you.
-(crowd oohing) -You've done nothing but push me
down to make yourself feel better.
What are you missing in your sad, lonely life?
Huh? I'm done.
-Can't do this anymore. I quit. -You can't quit
when you've already been fired, bitch.
What is ballroom without a little drama?
The next category is Femme Queen Realness.
And y'all better be ready for inspection
because we're touching skin tonight!
-Mother? You're up. -* That's the place *
* Where all the good children go... *
-Give it to them. -(cheering)
Oh, here she comes. And it's Miss Elektra Abundance,
a woman who knows how to flaunt what God hath given her.
And she is enhanced to perfection.
Let me see. Give it to me, girl. Yes, bitch.
Mm-hmm.
Y'all see how it's done?
Oh. We have a contender, someone new.
Oh, wait a minute.
Wait a minute, children. I am mistaken.
Not new.
Refreshed.
Oh, shit!
* There's a fire... *
You see? Y'all see how it's done?
* You can't fight passion... *
Miss Aphrodite from The House of Extravaganza.
* Temperatures rise *
-* Inside my sugar walls... * -Yes! Bitch...
where have you been?
Bang... kok.
Bang, bang, bitch. Bang, bang!
Oh, children, look at her,
glowing like the goddamn moon, honey.
Judges, judges, I want you to inspect
each lady within an inch of their very lives.
Yes, the silkiness-- is it smooth?
Is she cocoa butter smooth, babies?
All right, that's enough. That's enough.
Time for scores. Miss Aphrodite. Ten.
Ten, ten, ten, ten. All tens across the board.
And what do we have for Miss Elektra?
Ten, ten, ten, ten.
Nine. Grand prize:
Miss Aphrodite from The House of Extravaganza.
First runner-up: Miss Elektra Abundance.
-Y'all are fierce. -(applause and cheering)
Make that shit happen for real.
Thank you, ladies, for gracing us
with your presence on this evening.
* Come spend the night inside my sugar walls... *
Y'all don't know nothing about that.
Get your ass to Bangkok, baby.
Well done. Let me treat you to a nightcap.
Really? I would love that.
* You're body's on fire, admit it. *
APHRODITE: You were the first woman I seen walk a ball.
I remember it like it was yesterday.
You had your hair slicked all the way back,
you wore a black cutout dress and a beaming red lip.
You looked like the new Revlon girl.
-That was in '84, London's Ball. -Exactly.
And you won grand prize.
I was just a confused 17-year-old queen
in the audience, but you made becoming a woman seem possible.
-And now, you have eclipsed me. -Never.
You're Elektra Abundance, the blueprint, an eternal icon.
Even icons get old.
That's what I admire about you younger girls.
You have no fears, no regrets.
You don't wait. You do, no matter the consequences.
Oh, I thought about the consequences every day.
But I was ready for completion, my final stage.
It's like I finally felt whole.
For me... I don't feel incomplete.
I just feel inconvenienced.
My man-- he's adamant that I don't have it.
He's generous, but not when it comes to this.
I know he will leave me in the streets if I have it,
but I'm tired of living in this in-between for him.
(sighs)
APHRODITE: There's nothing-- especially a man,
now matter how fine, how rich--
compares to when you look between your legs
and see nothing there.
(sniffles)
Ignore me.
No. You want this.
-(sniffles) -You're being real.
I really do.
I can see what it's done for you.
I want that.
Then go and get it.
Dive in every morning and then wash away all those fears.
-(sniffles) -How lucky are we?
We create ourselves.
Shit, we are the real Dreamgirls.
(sniffles)
Aha. Mr. Richards.
So the nurse tells me you have a fever.
Never fear.
Dr. Love... is here.
(laughs)
(Damon laughs)
Still 102. How you feeling?
Terrible.
Then why you getting up?
I can't miss rehearsal.
(sighs) I promised Helena that I wouldn't let her down.
Blanca can call her and explain that you're not feeling well.
Hey. Now get back in bed.
If this fever doesn't break by tomorrow,
I'm taking you to see the doctor.
Come on.
-(sighs) -What?
Ricky, are you negative?
(laughs) You don't have HIV.
Now get some sleep.
Ricky, answer the question.
I'm not sure.
I don't think so.
What does that even mean?
It means I've never been tested.
But we've had sex.
-Safe sex. -Not every time.
Well, whose fault is that?
You said it felt better.
I should have listened to Lil Papi.
-He warned me about you. -What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
How many people have you slept with?
I don't know. Like... 50?
50?
-50?! -(sighs)
Oh, my God. Oh, my...
Oh, my God.
-You should have told me. -And if I had,
what would it have changed?!
The only way you can get HIV is if you're the receiver.
I've only bottomed, like, two times.
Listen to me.
If you were positive, I'd be showing symptoms, too.
BLANCA: You should have heard them talking,
like not knowing is an okay thing.
-They're young. -(scoffs) That's my point.
They don't know shit about shit. It's my job to teach them.
What's the point in being their mother
if I can't do what I need to do
to protect them from the one thing
we all know is coming for 'em?
Teach 'em to be careful.
They kids.
Most of the grown men we know aren't careful.
They got to get checked, and not just for their sake.
They need to know so they don't hurt nobody else.
I stopped getting tested.
What?
After Costas got sick,
and I saw how the AZT made him sicker.
He's not the first.
I know about five people
where the drugs killed 'em before the virus did.
But you don't know that.
I know that Ronald Reagan will not say the word "AIDS."
-I... -Health insurance
will not cover any treatments.
The world wants us dead.
They don't think this is a plague.
They think it's some sort of divine justice
or Darwin's answer for sodomy.
I used to get tested every month, but now I just...
I'm just extra careful when I do what I do,
and I am... living my life.
You're whistling past the graveyard.
Maybe! But you knowing and me not knowing--
it's not gonna change the fact that at some point,
this shit is gonna run us all down.
You are one pessimistic motherfucker, I'll tell ya.
I'm a realist.
-And I'm scared. -I know you are.
But what is scared to us?
It's like water to a fish.
There's no point in dreaming of a life
without having to be scared.
But you're also strong and brave.
Brave enough to get up on that stage
and take on all of us crazy bitches night after night.
We are all gonna get tested,
and we are all gonna get through this, together.
PRAY TELL: It's good to see you, Damon. How you feeling?
That fever took hold of your soul.
I know. Six days before it finally broke.
But I'm feeling like myself again.
Went to my first dance rehearsal today, and I feel pretty good.
Glad to hear it, and I'm glad you guys could join me today.
What's the special occasion?
We are going to get tested for HIV.
And I don't want to hear any, "I don't need to be tested."
You're going, you're going, you're going.
We need to know our stats
so we can stop spreading this disease.
I want to know.
And if we do it together,
it'll be less scary.
Don't you want to know?
I'm not sure.
I guess.
-You coming, too, right? -Oh, he doesn't need to get tested.
-He's not running the streets. -I think I do.
But you can't get it from a woman.
Listen, I prefer the ladies,
but I'm an equal opportunity lover.
-Ain't nothing wrong with that. -DAMON: But wait.
If you're being safe, you shouldn't have anything
-to worry about, right? -Back in the day,
when I was real hard up for cash,
I'd let dudes suck my dick.
PRAY TELL: The symptoms are different with everybody.
I have friends who have been diagnosed and are just fine.
And then I had friends who dropped dead
because they didn't know they had it.
Once it's in you, you're on borrowed time.
ANGEL: You sure this is legit?
CANDY: You know that girl Revlon?
That ass is fine as shit.
She said this lady, Ms. Orlando, gave it to her
for ten percent of what that Clarissa charge.
I mean...
is... this safe?
We gonna breathe funny after?
Beggars can't be choosers. Come on.
Uh-uh.
Come on!
MS. ORLANDO: The good Lord
made all the girls that want to be skinny... fat,
and all the girls that want to be fat... skinny.
But Ms. Orlando is here to make things right.
(inhales) Ooh.
Don't be jealous of a perfect mug.
How come you're less than half the price of Clarissa?
Because Clarissa get her silicone
from a doctor on the Upper West Side.
I go down to Honduras and get the same shit for pennies.
The exact same?
Eh... there's some differences,
but I add some of my own ingredients
-to make it the same. -Like what?
Are you guys here to get beautified,
or to steal my proprietary secrets?
Hmm.
You can't pass without curves.
I say this with love.
Look at me.
Men throw themselves at me.
Every man wants a plump lip
and a luscious breast.
Okay. Okay. Okay. Wait.
I got cash. See?
I want breasts and I want hips.
I need to look like a Coke bottle, but with big titties.
-Wonderful. (inhales) -(snaps fingers)
I'm gonna give you four shots in your hips,
but then you have to move it around
so it's even before it gets hard.
Okay. What? You want to go first?
No.
Nah. I'm gonna skip today,
see how it goes with you.
Hey, come on. Lay down there.
-Okay. -Are you ready?
Wait. Okay. Hold my hand.
Okay, I'm ready.
-(sighs) -Hmm.
I'm gonna make you pretty.
-ANGEL: Oh. -Ooh. -Jesus Christ.
LIL PAPI: I was never any good at tests.
PRAY TELL (chuckles): Yeah, me neither.
But there's power in knowing. Remember that.
And, you know, in two weeks' time, we'll...
we'll find out we pass, right?
-Yeah. -(chuckles)
Number 53.
That's me. (clears throat)
All right.
That was it? That's pretty easy.
-All done. -That was, that was good.
That was like a walk in the park. (laughs)
("Operator" by Midnight Star playing)
*
PRAY TELL: Oh, look at all these femme queens.
Body in the building, children.
Yes, so luscious, so supple.
Judges, your scores.
Ten, nine, nine, ten, ten.
Work it out. Who's coming next?
The basketball bouncing boobies, baby.
Give it to me! Give it to me!
What are your scores? Eight, eight, eight,
eight, eight. Thank you very much.
Any more contender... Oh!
Is it Chaka-Chaka, Chaka Khan?
Work! Yes! Live!
* The conversation was strictly void... *
Oh, Angel.
-Can you zip me up, please? -What's going on, girl? Yeah.
How do I look?
Good. You look good, girl.
Yeah. Is it hot in here?
Hot? (chuckles)
Half your ass is hanging out this skirt, Ma.
You're not hot, though?
Maybe you're getting sick.
There's a flu going around. Damon had it last week.
Well, I'll get some rest after I snag this trophy.
ANGEL: Okay. Work, sis. You got this.
Beat it, bitch.
* Operator *
Is that Miss Candy?
She's back, coming down this runway
with more curves than a racetrack.
Mm-hmm, I see you.
And I heard from a little birdie backstage
them curves is bought and paid for.
Come on. You got your scores, babies?
Ten, ten, ten, ten,
ten!
Across the board!
Everybody loves a perfect!
* We'll get together on the party line *
* Let's take our time and do it right *
* We're gonna operate our love tonight. *
I quit the house.
So why you being so nice to me?
I fired you, actually.
But I didn't mean it.
You're rebellious and usually boring,
but I still have use for you.
Well, what if I did mean it?
Then there's the door.
(sighs)
What's it say?
101. It's going down.
Because of the antibiotics I procured for you.
You're not the first girl I've seen go down
this particular avenue of dum-dum.
Why didn't you come and talk to me about this first?
I would have sent you to the right people.
The fuck I want to talk to you about anything?
The on thing you like to talk about is you.
You think you're a queen.
You're the worst mother I have ever seen.
You don't want children, you want subjects.
You have no idea what it's like.
How different it is to live this life
when you... look like you,
have your money.
I hate what I see when I look in the mirror.
I'm so lonely.
You think I was born a butterfly?
I am who I am because I know who I am,
and I refuse to ever let anyone ever tell me otherwise.
I still made mistakes.
And I still feel pain when I look in the mirror
and see the body staring back at me.
What part?
You know what part.
But I thought you said he liked it.
And that you were okay with it.
That's the price you pay for all that finery?
(voice breaking): I'm not okay with it.
And you know what? No one...
is going to tell me who I am
or what I want.
I'm having that procedure done.
I will be everything I was born to be.
Now, you sit tight.
I'm going to run and grab us some hot and sour soup.
(door opens, closes)
*
* When I get home, babe *
* Gonna light your fire *
* All day I've been thinking about you, babe *
* You're my one desire *
* Gonna wrap my arms around you *
* Hold you next to me *
* Oh, babe, I wanna taste your lips *
* I wanna be your fantasy, yeah... *
What's the matter, baby?
(Stan sighs)
Too much to drink, or...
-is the thrill losing its edge? -No.
No, it's the whiskey.
It's happened to me before.
Especially with guys like you. Y'all just...
get me out of your system.
-No. No, no, baby. -Mm-hmm.
It's the booze, it's the booze. Just keep trying.
Try.
(sighs) Come on.
* You don't have to say a thing *
* Just let me show how much... *
-(sighs) -You're lying.
I'm not lying.
Did you shoot your load with your wife earlier?
No room for seconds with your mistress?
Angel, what's wrong?
You're acting crazy. Are you drunk?
Uh-uh, no.
I want to know the truth.
* I wanna kiss you all over *
Just say it.
You're more attracted to her than you are to me.
She must have those nice round hips
after having those babies, right?
Come on, baby, come on.
It's just the booze. It's the booze.
Come on...
No.
* No one else can ever *
* Make me feel the way you do *
I'm not doing nothing until I know your story.
* So keep on loving me, baby, and I'll keep loving you... *
-(click) -(music stops)
You wanted a side piece, you could have
fucked your secretary like most guys do.
And if you wanted to pay for it,
how come you chose to spend a week
driving around those docks, Stan?
You were looking for me, for someone like me.
You were specific.
I was... curious. I was interested.
It was scary, but... but I couldn't...
I couldn't stop myself.
I was an experiment to you.
No, don't think you're an experiment.
Mm-hmm.
You think you're the only stray white boy from the suburbs
that has me as his fantasy? (scoffs)
You go from girl to girl, Stan.
-I've never been with anyone else. -(scoffs)
-Just you. -So far.
How come the last time when we was fooling around,
and it was taking you some time to get hard,
you reached around and played with my dick?
-I did that... -And then you was like a rock.
-I did that for you. -Oh...
I could tell you were getting turned on.
-I-I thought you would like it. -I told you,
I don't like that!
I did that for you!
-Are you gay? -No! I'm not gay.
-Have you been with men before? -No. I've never been with men.
-I'm not interested in that. -Oh.
Not at all.
I told you that.
Don't think I haven't thought about this.
I just like you.
I don't know why, I just do.
Would you still want me if I had a sex change?
(scoffs) I want you to do what you want, but yeah.
Uh, yeah. I don't care.
I... (sighs)
Is that what this is about?
You want that? Y-You want money for that?
You do want me to change.
(sighs) Jesus, Angel.
You're all over the place.
Is the booze screwing with your hormones or something?
I just want to know the truth.
Who are you?
I don't know.
When I was in college, I went...
I went to a porno book store.
It was one of those big ones in Times Square
that has everything.
I owned one old Playboy since I was 14;
I wanted to get something more hard-core.
There was one section of magazines off to the side,
and they were wrapped up in brown paper,
but I could still see the title.
I got all hot in the face and nervous,
but it also made me a little hard.
And it made no sense to me.
I never thought about anything like that before.
I'm a pornographic magazine come to life.
That's not fair, that's not what I said.
Am I real to you at all?
Yes, you're more than real to me.
(Angel scoffs)
Angel, don't do this.
What are you doing?
Get out of my apartment.
No.
Get out!
You piece of shit!
(sighs) Sorry to keep you waiting.
Damon, your HIV exam came back negative.
(exhales)
(laughs, claps)
Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Je...
-Thank you. -(laughs)
Hmm.
(door opens, closes)
(door opens)
Number 42.
I'll feel better when I, when I find out about you.
RICKY: Mm-hmm.
-Yes. -(Damon laughs)
Yes.
(laughs)
53?
I promise I'll always be safe.
I've learned my lesson.
Thank you.
(door opens, closes)
I'm negative.
(exhales)
-(kissing) -LINA: 28.
Oh.
Hey, I'll be right back.
LINA: We detected antibodies in your blood.
Yeah, uh, you have to run the test again.
It could be a false positive.
I can assure you we ran it twice.
The results were the same.
You're HIV positive.
I'm sorry.
(exhales)
This is the...
this is the moment that I dreaded most.
Dodged it, for years.
And now the son of a bitch has finally caught up with me.
(crying)
(laughs)
Oh, my God.
(exhales, sniffles)
Well, there's no use in shedding good tears
over something you can't change, right?
(crying): Oh, my God.
Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus.
(exhales)
I got to pull myself together
before I go back out to those boys.
I got to pull myself together.
Could you...
-Can I just have a minute, please, alone? -Of course.
Oh, my God. (crying)
(chuckles)
(door opens, closes)
It was negative. I-I'm negative.
-Ooh. -Nice.
(laughter)
(Pray Tell sighs)
So let's, um, go-go, uh, celebrate, right?
-Yes. -Yeah. -Yeah.
(laughter)
Mm. Mm! (giggles)
You got to take a picture of this one for your flipbook.
Plans, plans, plans.
Blanca is always about her plans.
I am sorry if I am happy and hopeful.
I'm about to go see my child perform
for all of those civilized folk
wearing this magnificent creation you made for me.
Damon is getting his shot,
all of y'all are healthy.
Life isn't always good, but right now,
in this moment, it's good.
(laughs softly)
I lied.
About what?
I lied about my results.
(exhales, clears throat)
Pray Tell, are you positive?
Why would you lie about something like that?
You know what?
Who am I to ask?
But now I'm gonna end up in some hospital, wasting away.
With a nurse who won't bring me my food.
Oh, stop saying that.
But it's true. It's true. We've seen it.
They don't know shit about this thing yet,
which means they don't know if it's incurable yet.
Baby, they don't want to cure it.
Of course they do.
Somebody does.
Win the Nobel Prize and all of that.
And you and I are gonna take care of each other,
and we are gonna find every treatment and drug,
and we are gonna survive as long as we can.
I'm not ready to die yet.
Me, neither.
(sniffles)
Before we discuss scheduling, it's my duty to talk through
preparation, surgery and aftercare with you.
But let's start with the questions you have for me.
How bad will it hurt?
Most of my patients only remember
waking up in the recovery room.
You won't be alone.
You'll have a team of the best taking care of you,
including me.
(sniffles)
I've always had someone.
I've always had him by my side, taking care of me.
I've been with him for ten years.
That's rare.
(sniffles)
Do you know what I'm giving up to go through this?
(sniffles)
I can only imagine the sacrifices
you've made to be here,
but it's never a bad decision to choose yourself.
You will feel free.
I've seen it with my own eyes.
I marvel every time.
(sniffling)
I'm ready.
(pen clicks)
("Breakout" by Swing Out Sister playing)
* And breakout *
* When explanations make no sense *
* When every answer's wrong *
* You're fighting with lost confidence *
* All expectations gone *
* The time has come to make or break *
* Move on, don't hesitate *
* And breakout *
* Don't stop to ask *
* And now you've found a break to make at last *
* You've got to find a way *
* Say what you want to say *
* Breakout *
* When situations *
* Never change *
* Tomorrow looks unsure *
* Don't leave your destiny to chance *
* What are you waiting for? *
* The time has come to make your break *
* Breakout. *
(applause)
(whooping, shouting)
That's my baby. That's my baby right there.
(whistling)
(mouths)
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH
The category is... royalty.
* (R & B) (crowd cheering)
What exactly is a ball?
Balls are a gathering of people who are not welcome to gather anywhere else.
(siren wails)
WOMAN: Welcome to the ballroom world.
I ask everyone who comes in here, "What do you want?"
Is this your first time doing something like this?
WOMAN: It is time we remind the world who we are.
ANNOUNCER: Pose.
All new Sundays at 9:00 on FX.
MAN: I've been growin' the business.
You been selling those little rocks of yours everywhere.
You about to move into the big leagues.
I'm gonna be careful about who know the recipe.
You're being a little bit paranoid.
I'm a black man in America!
Hell, yeah, I'm paranoid.
* Leave 'em with nothing *
* Take everything Leave 'em with nothing *
ANNOUNCER: Snowfall.
Premieres Thursday, July 19 on FX.