Drama! Drama in the Werk Room! We were chatting about the show earlier in the week (as we tend to do) and noted that we kind of like this season because the queens are collectively a bit rougher than the usual and that might mean a little less of the knowing playing to the camera that has plagued so many seasons of the show. It turns out? We were kinda right? These bitches are ready to throw down! But first…
A rather cute and silly but well staged challenge kicked things off. The whole thing about unconventional material or DIY drag challenges is finding some sort of hook and having everyone dress according to a Monopoly theme is actually a pretty fun one.
But the queens are a little raw and testy because no one has yet suffered the indignity of being the first person sent home, which is the whole point of twists like these. Similarly, the production opted to ramp up the drama even further by releasing the vote tallies from Rate-A-Queen. We’ve been doing reality TV recapping for decades now and we’re pretty sanguine about the ways in which Drag Race in particular tends to stir up the pot, but releasing information that every queen assumed would be private is kind of a shitty thing to do. But it did the job it was supposed to do. Every single queen walked away with at least one vendetta on her mind.
Maybe that tension also fueled some apparent bad behavior in the Werk Room. We honestly don’t have super-firm opinions about how much of an exclusive claim to particular materials anyone has in a challenge like this, but Onya did approach Jewels with the understanding that the trim “belonged” to her and Jewels did decline to share it with her because she said she needed it. It certainly looks shady to us that Onya went and snatched the whole thing and defended it by suggesting she needed it more because her design was not as well executed as Jewels’.
Similarly, we were a bit surprised that Hormona tried to skirt the rules of the challenge by stoning her design with pieces from her own wardrobe. Again, it doesn’t strike us as likely that she didn’t know she couldn’t do that. Given how annoyed all the queens are by the manner of her casting and the way she was saved from what should have been a fair elimination, she seems clueless about how she’s perceived.
Before we’ll get to the tops and bottoms, we’ll do what the judges wouldn’t and give our opinions on everyone else. We have to admit, we were pleasantly shocked by Hormona’s look. It really was gorgeous — and somehow more elevated than anything she’s shown us so far. It was dumb of her to try and get around the rules when she already had a strong piece. She seems determined to make as many enemies as she can. Lexi’s supermodel strut with the fabric unrolling behind her was more about attitude and theatrics than it was design. Suzi’s devil look was cute, if a bit underdesigned. Lana’s dress was also pretty well executed and made for a nice change of pace from her usual body work, although the design was basic. There’s certainly nothing wrong with doing tacky drag, but there’s something so joyless about Acacia’s. Lydia’s whole deal kind of puzzles us. She’s never as groundbreaking or envelope-pushing as she seems to thing. Versatility’s great, but we have a hard time picking her out of the lineup each week because she fails to establish herself every time. Jewels’ work was incredibly impressive and we think she might have a legitimate grievance that the lack of sparkle on her dress landed her in the safe group. Crystal’s look was just okay. She’s another one who hasn’t quite established a baseline aesthetic for herself, although she’s been fairly strong so far. As for those Ts and Bs…
Lucky’s dress actually turned out better than we thought it would. What killed her chances was the horrible styling. Her hair and makeup looked awful. Arietty’s dress was well-executed but we suspect the wig is what impressed the judges the most.
Kori talks such a good game about being the season’s bitch, but she has yet to deliver any drag interesting enough to back up all the shit talking. This is so basic as to be embarrassing. And speaking of embarrassing, Joella should probably show a little more humility when her results are so bad. The judges aren’t always going to love the “Whatever. I’m a fierce bitch” attitude if the work doesn’t improve.
Credit to Onya where it’s due: She knew what she wanted and what she was capable of and she delivered the best version. She looks amazing and it seems at least a little likely that the judges wouldn’t have responded so well to it if it didn’t have so much of the trim Jewels had claimed.
We were a bit surprised to see the win go to Sam. Not that she didn’t deserve it. There’s a good argument to be made that hers is the most expensive-looking of the lot, which was the point of the challenge. But the judges were all over Onya and it would have made for some delicious drama if she’d returned to the Werk Room with a win at Jewels’ expense (from Jewels’ perspective). Maybe the producers figured they’d stirred up enough shit for one episode.
The lip sync went to the two people most deserving to land in it and they promptly proved why they deserved it. It was meh from top to bottom.
Joella should be grateful that Lucky’s beat was so awful because we honestly think that’s what sent her home. Like sewing skills, every queen should show up to Drag Race with the rudiments of glamour drag down cold. You can be as creative as you want through most of the challenges, but Ru and Michelle are going to expect you to come out looking pretty at least once.
Legendary Children: The First Decade of RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Last Century of Queer Life, a New York Times “New and Notable” pick, praised by The Washington Post “because the world needs authenticity in its stories,” and chosen as one of the Best Books of The Year by NPR is on sale wherever fine books are sold! It’s also available in Italian and Spanish language editions, darlings! Because we’re fabulous on an INTERNATIONAL level.
[Photo Credit: MTV via Tom and Lorenzo]
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