‘Pose’ Turned the Murder of One of Its Trans Characters Into a Reflection on Beauty

It was inevitable that we were going to lose someone on Pose. Every spare moment of this new season has been tinged by grief: somber conversations that take place alongside unmarked and unclaimed coffins, breakdowns framed against the cold and dirty walls of an overcrowded hospital, fights that erupt over skipping memorials for parties. But it wasn’t who died that made “Never Knew Love Like This Before” so devastating. It was the way that funeral was executed. Spoilers ahead for Pose Season 2, Episode 4. 

From its very first moments, “Never Knew Love Like This Before” starts with a silent warning. As usual, Pray Tell (Billy Porter) emcees yet another ball. This time the category is lofting — a type of house dance that involves a lot of floor work and improvisational movements — and the night is going beautifully. That is until Candy Ferocity (Angelica Ross) takes the floor. From her Madonna cones to her terrible attempts at vogueing, right away it’s clear that this is not the gorgeous yet awkward Candy’s category, and Pray Tell tells her so, in no uncertain terms.

This was the moment that was shown to critics during Pose‘s set visit this spring, and it feels immensely important that this would be the moment director Ryan Murphy would want to showcase. Candy’s face-off against Pray Tell is initially funny. Anyone with eyes can see that lofting is not her category and Porter expertly makes her humiliation felt. But there’s also a hard-headed sense of understanding in their battle of wills. As ridiculous as Pray Tell thinks Candy’s aspirations are, her passion and intensity in the face of so many others calling her out speaks to him. He lets her tell him off for his perceived hypocrisy and listens to her speech about Madonna uplifting their community. Throughout this whole show Candy and Pray Tell have stood at opposite ends of practically ever ballroom feud. Yet in this one moment, they see each other.

That confrontation haunts “Never Knew Love Like This Before,” which follows our central women searching for the missing Candy. Candy’s best friend and the fellow mother of the House of Ferocity Lulu (Hailie Sahar) explains that Candy returned to prostitution even though she knew the dangers. She put her life at risk to help pay for their newly established House of Ferocity. Eventually they find her murdered in the bathroom of an hourly hotel. Her murderer is never shown or given a name. It’s a random, cruel act of violence.

The rest of the episode painstakingly dives into Candy’s funeral. But rather than capturing her death with a single, somber service, Pose gives each of its main characters a final moment with their own version of Candy. What follows is one of the most delicate and personalized demonstrations of grief ever brought to television.

For Pray Tell, his last moments with the fictionalized Candy are a head-butting apology. “You are unapologetic, black, loud, femme,” Porter says to her memory, his voice quivering. “All the things I try to hide about myself when I go out into the world.” In the end his version of Candy forgives him for the many fights they shared, and Pray Tell extends his own too late olive branch. From now on lip-syncing, the category that Candy was so adamant about, will be an official ball category.

Angel’s (Indya Moore) version of Candy stands as more of a pursed lips cautionary tale. As she soothingly tells Angel that she’s the best of them, Candy warns her not to return to prostitution. It’s too dangerous, and the world is too cruel. Blanca’s (Mj Rodriguez) Candy serenely sits and hums beside her, sharing a rare moment of peace. Lulu’s version teases her for causing a scene at Candy’s funeral. The late Candy is even given a moment with her parents. As her mother finally accepts Candy as the daughter she abandoned, her father cries over the good times he shared with his child. Each version of Candy’s memory — the headstrong fighter, the regretful sex worker, the kind-hearted angel, the laughing best friend, the misunderstood and abandoned child — is different. Yet they all effortlessly meld to complete the uniquely beautiful person who was unjustly murdered.

Though it has every right to, “Never Knew Love Like This Before” doesn’t end on a note of sorrow. As Candy’s casket is carried out, the fictional version of her emerges back in the ballroom where she performs Stephanie Mills’ song of the same name. Just as Candy always predicted, she slays her lip sync performance, earning 10s across the board. Candy’s final moments are ones of tearful celebration.

This choice, to sculpt a horrific and sorrowful tragedy into a moment of love is what makes Pose such an extraordinary show. In interviews, Murphy has made it clear that this episode is supposed to reflect on the very real threats of violence trans women face on a daily basis. Yet Pose doesn’t end with a funeral march. It has too much respect for its family, and it has too much respect for Candy to ever consider doing that. Candy would have wanted to go out in a fabulous fanfare, and that’s exactly how she leaves this magnificent and heartfelt series — not as a casualty, not as another statistic, but as a wonderful, beloved person worthy of the respect she deserved.

New episodes of Pose premiere on FX Tuesdays at 10/9c.

Watch Pose on FX+ and FXNOW