Acting Up

“*Silence = Death*”
—ACT UP

**Acting Up** is the first episode of Season Two and the ninth overall episode of the series *Pose*. It premiered on June 11, 2019, on FX.

## Synopsis

Blanca encourages the House of Evangelista to follow their dreams despite putting her own on the backburner. Meanwhile, Pray Tell joins an activist organization fighting for the rights of HIV-positive people.

## Plot

Winter 1990; Pray Tell, accompanied by Blanca Evangelista, traveled to Hart's Island. Arriving to the supervisor's office and signing in, they explained that they wished to visit the grave of Pray's former romantic partner Keenan Howard. The supervisor directing them to a potter's field for the deceased victims of AIDS; the two walked to the grave site, watching as men in hazmat suits carried numerically-marked wooden crates into a collective pile. Pray informed Blanca that after his separation from Keenan, he learned that he had contracted pnuemonia and had made attempts to contact him; unsuccessful as time passed, Keenan's body was discovered months later after his passing, a smell from his apartment leaking and his corpse sticking to the mattress he rested. The two walked to a hill nearby filled with marked stones from loved ones who had deceased family and friends on the island, Pray placing down his own stone for Keenan and saying a prayer.

Months passing, Blanca sits patiently until Judy calls for her into the other room. During the assessment, Judy informs her that her T-Cell count has lowered significantly, advancing the virus' progression into AIDS. Though Blanca takes the revelation harshly, Judy motivates her to continue to live, providing her a prescription of AZT to aid in slowing the progression enough, much to Blanca's initial worries.

## Cast

**Main Cast**

* Mj Rodriguez as Blanca Evangelista
* Billy Porter as Pray Tell
* Dominique Jackson as Elektra Abundance
* Indya Moore as Angel Evangelista
* Ryan Jamaal Swain as Damon Evangelista
* Angelica Ross as Candy Ferocity
* Hailie Sahar as Lulu Ferocity
* Angel Bismark Curiel as Lil Papi Evangelista
* Sandra Bernhard as Judy Kubrak

**Guest Cast**

* Trudie Styler as Mrs. Ford
* Bob Adrian as Cardinal O'Connor
* Marjorie Austrian as Elder Woman
* Valeria A. Avina as Chanel
* Sonnie Brown as Mrs. Rose
* Robert Garcia Cabrera as Michael
* Bianca Castro as Veronica Ferocity
* Danielle Cooper as Wanda
* Nicholas Delany as David
* Alexander DiPersia as Andre Taglioni
* Amelia Fowler as Desiree
* Alexia Garcia as Aphrodite Ferocity
* Sophie von Haselberg as Syd
* Amir Levy as Nelson
* Leiomy Maldonado as Florida Ferocity
* Jeremy McClain as Cubby Evangelista
* Jack Mizrahi as Himself
* Sade E. Moore as Attendant
* Bernadette Quigley as Catholic Woman
* Jason Rodriguez as Lemar Evangelista
* Tim Simon as Withered Man
* Michael DeBarge as Ball Attendee (uncredited)
* Robert J. Morgalo as Cameraman News Crew (uncredited)
* Geordy Skolnick as Diner Patron (uncredited)
* Frank Sorgenti as Priest (uncredited)
* Dan Verkman as Church Attendee (uncredited)
* Lauren Yaffe as Churchgoer (uncredited)

## Videos

Pose Season 2 Ep. 1 Blanca's Plan Highlight FXPose Season 2 Ep. 1 Family Dinner Highlight FX
## Trivia

* Several weeks before writing the opening scene, writer Steven Canals discovered a sibling buried in a potter's field.
* The protest in St. Patrick's Cathedral references one actual protest that happened in the 1980s.

## References

1. ↑ Twitter @StevenCanals - https://twitter.com/StevenCanals/status/1138628190711275522 (June 12, 2019)
2. ↑ New York Times - 111 Held in St. Patrick's AIDS Protest (December 11, 1989)
3. ↑ Vulture - 'Pose': A Guide to Season 2's Pop Culture Reference Points (August 10, 2019)