I never
thought I’d say this, but nine seasons in, is it time to retire the Snatch Game
on RuPaul’s Drag Race?
OK, maybe
that’s harsh, but is it at least time to add a compelling twist the girls don’t
see coming?
There have
been internet mutterings about this season’s batch of queens being
underwhelming, but I definitely disagree. In fact, I think this season of
RuPaul’s Drag Race is struggling with the opposite problem. There are so many
solid gurls that it’s hard to standout. Part of that can be attributed to their
raw charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent, but a large part is just a
reality-TV savvy.
They’ve got
their best lewks packed, they’re armed with their signature lipsync moves and
overall they know what to expect. That’s become especially true for Snatch
Game. Even last night’s stinkers still went in with a plan, they just lost it
in the execution. There needs to be a last minute additional challenge to amp
up the drama on the next Snatch.
That doesn’t
mean I still didn’t love it. I could watch even the worst Snatch on loop
forever and still be happy.
Parsing the
tops of the tops this week was tough, but the episode’s editing might be to
blame. The last few iterations of Snatch have been played with eight queens,
allowing more time to see each character in action. This season we’ve got 10
gals up there, so we only get fleeting glances of what seems like a strong
interpretation of Naomi Campbell and a fairly lazy attempt to channel
fan-favorite Alyssa Edwards.
A crowded
stage made it harder to wring the laughs from Ru and guest contestants Candis
Cayne and the weirdly sexy Denis O’Hare. (Is that just me?) Alexis stole the
show with a loving ode to Liza Minnelli, Shea served a steely Naomi Campbell
and Sasha turned Marlene Dietrich into something between a glamorous ghost and
an employee at Portlandia’s Feminist Bookstore. Trinity was able to make her
own plastic face look a bit more like Amanda Lepore’s plastic face, Farrah Moan
barely showed up as Gigi Gorgeous and Aja failed to capture Alyssa Edwards
beyond a tongue pop and a set of nails.
Personally,
my top pick was Valentina, who gave us an unhinged version of the Miss Columbia
that Steve Harvey mistakenly crowned. It displayed a cunning pop-culture
knowledge that wears well on this show. As always, she never broke character,
and, save for one cocaine joke flop, her choices worked.
On the bottom
of the pile was Cynthia Lee Fontaine, a contestant folks were hoping was
brought back to slay this challenge specifically. Instead, she sputtered out
even more incomprehensibly accented argle-bargle as Sofia Vergara than usual
with nary a joke.
Of course,
it’s not solely about the challenge. Last night’s runway gave the gals a chance
to redeem a Madonna-themed runway after last season’s contestants went a little
too kimonoverboard.
Though
nothing was as egregious as the handful of kimonos we saw last season, there
were some duplicates up there, including Madge’s “Material Girl” ode to Marilyn
Monroe (by Peppermint and Shea) and the plaid Givenchy get-up she wore to the
2013 Met Gala (Nina and Trinity). Those crafty producers made sure to put the
gals in matching outfits one after another, which seems more than a little
shady to whomever they slotted second. To be honest, these celebrity-themed
runways are starting to feel like the old Glee tribute episodes. They were cute
at first, but there should not be more than one per season.
Our
touchy-feely moment in the workroom this week comes from Peppermint, and, in my
opinion, it’s the best one this season. Peppermint discusses her gender identity
and how difficult it is for people — even and especially people in the LGBTQ
community — to understand how she can be trans and a drag queen. It was a
vulnerable moment met with sincere support from the other queens, and it felt
more authentic and less shoe-horned in than some of the previous serious
conversations. (Not that I think the queens themselves have been insincere
talking about HIV/AIDS, eating disorders, etc. Just the topics seem to come out
of nowhere, whether that’s the fault of editing or producers’ prodding.)
In the end,
Alexis picks up the win, while Peppermint and Cynthia are left lip-syncing for
their lives. Peppermint performs an unforgettable lip sync, while Cynthia keeps
doing that thing where she looks like she’s super mad the whole time? I think
it’s supposed to be a sexy face, but it’s just the wrong kind of passionate.
The judges’ choice is clear: It’s time for Cynthia to go. Sad cucu.
So where does
that leave us? Let’s examine this week’s standings in our totally biased, completely
subjective, mostly nonsensical rankings below. Share yours in the comments!
1. It is
criminal how overlooked Valentina was this week. Criminal! Her Snatch Game
character was wholly original and had me howling every time I looked at her
deranged, tear-stained face. Plus, her runway look was a creative stunner. You
might say she’s relying on that body-ody-ody, but her homage to Madonna’s Sex
book successfully played with proportion the way queens usually use padding by
just carefully selecting the right length of black censorship bar. She’s such
an artist. I’m totally on board.
2. Just
because I’ve come around hard on Valentina, that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on
Shea. They’re really neck-and-neck for tops with me. I feel like Shea has a
more well-rounded foundation and experience to overcome whatever Ru throws at
her next. In the Snatch Game, her Naomi seemed to land a joke every time she
was given the chance (which was far too infrequent). Unfortunately, her runway
was just OK.
3. I am so,
so impressed with how Sasha handled this challenge. From the moment Sasha was
announced for the cast, I worried how her erudite approach to drag would
translate to the campy fun of this show, especially when it comes to Snatch
Game. She wisely made her high-brow humor part of the act. It was so savvy.
4. Alexis’
Liza was amazing, with a Z. In fact, it may be one of the strongest Snatch Game
performances of all time. But, like, how much of her success was because she
was quick on her feet and made it her own, and how much was just because a
great Liza impression is a hilarious addition to any situation? A queen could
lip sync their way through “I Gotcha” at a funeral and still be showered in
singles. I don’t mean to take away from her win, and I do hope this is a sign
of Alexis stepping up, but I want to see her do better in a non-theatrical
challenge before I’m convinced.
5. I wasn’t
wow’d by Nina’s Jasmine Masters. It was a relatively obscure choice considering
Jasmine’s short tenure on this show and niche web fame. Plus, Nina’s
interpretation was pretty basic, boiling down to a croak and a flazéda
attitude. However, the judges talked about Nina this week as if she was
conquering her bad attitude, so hopefully that clears the way to shift focus
back on her creativity.
6. Landing in
the bottom two is the best thing to happen to Peppermint. After weeks of subpar
lip sync battles, Peppermint danced the house down. It was sexy, it was funny,
it was high-energy. She was unstoppable. And that shotgun move? I lived, I
died, I lived. At this point, I think Peppermint is too far removed from the
top contenders to snatch the crown, but a Miss Congeniality win isn’t out of
the question.
7. When I
first wrote out these rankings, I could only name nine queens. I completely
forgot about Trinity. The morning show landed her in the bottom two, and she
faded into the background during the Kardashian musical and Snatch Game. I
wouldn’t be surprised to see her surge — or plummet — in the weeks ahead, but
for now she’s stuck in the middle of the pack.
8. Please let
Aja be the last queen to do Alyssa Edwards in Snatch Game. Personally, I’m with
Michelle about banning future queens from doing Drag Race alums on Snatch Game,
but Alyssa is a particularly obvious choice that’s never as funny as the
original. You could grab literally anyone in a gay bar and ask them to do an
Alyssa impersonation, and I bet they could do it as good or better. I really
like Aja, but she’s being out-shined here on a weekly basis.
9. Farrah is
lucky her runway look was so good, because Gigi Gorgeous was a bore. It was a
little surprising to see her come for Nina the way she did after spending weeks
struggling herself. It felt a little out of nowhere, and it was resolved almost
as quickly. Could it be there just isn’t enough backstage drama and the editors
are scrounging?
10. Alexis
nailed Cynthia when she blasted her for being “not able to do
anything except Cynthia.” Except, in this case, all she had to do was Cynthia!
She could’ve put on a Sofia Vergara wig, acted exactly like she always does and
just substituted “Titi” for “Cucu.” That’s it! She would’ve been safe. I was a
big fan of her runway look (especially the nod to Madonna’s
Brit Awards fall), but overall I think this second appearance actually
tainted whatever goodwill her brief season nine run earned her.
How would you
rank the queens?
No comments:
Post a Comment