It just goes
to show that not all the good episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars are
the most eventful. The final stretch of the race is in sight, we just got to
get up this last hill.
The Drag Tots
visit RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.
It just goes
to show that not all the good episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars are
the most eventful. The final stretch of the race is in sight, we just got to
get up this last hill.
That’s the
conceit of this week’s mini-challenge. It’s a kind of Degrassi-style
classroom set up for the ladies to vote each other for a set of superlatives.
The trick is, you get a point if you vote with the popular girls. So, you’re
playing the game on a couple levels. You want to be mindful of the message you
send to potential allies and rivals, but you also want to think how the group
will vote so you stay in the game (and potentially win a small cash prize.)
Kylie is head of the class on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.
It’s kept very
fun and light, but some hard truths are revealed. Kylie snags all the most
low-key flattering superlatives that basically just affirm that she is
unquestionably hot and people can’t resist her. Trinity is voted most moody, a
surprise to no one but TKB herself. Eureka bears the brunt of the harsher
critiques, snatching the top title of messiest, shadiest, gassiest and most
likely to go home next.
The damage is
done, and everyone is feeling a little rattled going into the next challenge.
Ru intros the Drag Tots, an animated entry into the Drag Race Cinematic
Universe starring several popular Drag Race alums. This week,
the queens must create their own Drag Tots character, with
name and backstory, design and create a costume from scratch that brings the
character to life AND sell it all on the runway. In addition to all of that,
the usual whims of Ru that are always coursing under the surface and made
explicit. Ru wants to see subversion and wordplay and inspiration, but also,
make it fun! My head’s spinning just trying to keep up. The result is a
challenge that really pushes each queen creatively.
Trinity
originally comes in a little message-heavy and sincere, but Ru convinces her to
loosen up and embrace Bugs Bunny’s irreverence. Her character, Furleasha, is a
hot-pink pussycat by way of Burning Man, and I am living. As a catwalk coach
(cute!), she still manages to incorporate an empowering element, and TKB fills
the performance with physicality and bounce.
Trinity K.
Bonet on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.
Ginger’s tot
is the most ready for primetime. Already looking straight out of the Drag
Tots world, Ginger comes in with a fully fleshed-out character based
on a Southern belle who tempers her tart personality using the Parasol of
Poise. It’s absolutely chocked full of wordplay and dynamism, and the lewk is
polished perfection. No notes!
The edit this
week gives reason to worry about Ra’Jah, who immediately gets in her own head.
Ru doesn’t help on the walkthrough. Ra’Jah presents “Queen See Me,” and Ru
HATES the name. He’s got a point. It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, unlike
Ru’s favorite word, “mexicatassen,” which is undeniably fun to say.
Ra’Jah smartly
takes Ru’s words to heart (much like last week’s Drag
Race All Stars Snatch Game of Love), and she rebrands as “I See
You Queen.” She spins a nice little story about how she gives people new
perspective, and she reinforces the idea by covering her outfit in eyeballs,
like something out of a Guillermo del Toro flick. She’s embracing her signature
purple color, covering her hair, skin and clothes in various violet hues. I’ve
come to understand Ra’Jah’s style a bit more. It’s sexy and slinky, but it’s also
simple. Not in craft, mind you, (she constructs garments masterfully), but her
lewks have an effortlessness about them that feels glamorous without the
fussiness. Here it’s a purple, metallic, galactic fantasy head-to-toe, a disco
dress over a catsuit. Everything works. And the piece de resistance, she has a
line about being made fun for dancing off beat, suggesting to tell them they
just can’t hear your song. Can I get an Amen? The judges eat it up, and she’s
declared the winner.
Coming out of
the superlative mini-challenge, all eyes (even all I See You Queen’s) were on
Eureka. Smartly flipping a negative into a positive (is there nothing Ru likes
more?), Eureka incorporates all the negative attributes she was assigned into
an evil queen character. It’s the right idea, but the execution leaves a lot to
be desired. The narrative just never comes together for me, and the crassness
does a disservice to the kind of excellent children’s programming that deftly
wields humor even within the confines of appropriateness. Her act-out
presentation of the character is also lacking (likely due in part to the shaky
character definition.) The outfit, though, is a stunner. She whips together a
knockout gown with massive cowl neck and a huge castle headpiece, all in a delicious
royal blue, all-over sequin print. Mama. Eureka has nothing to be ashamed of
tonight.
Finally, we’ve
got the obligatory “Will she finish in time?” storyline no design challenge
would be complete without. This time, the focus is on Kylie, but it never feels
like we’re truly in any real danger. Kylie herself reminds us, “I am a
showgirl. I know how to rig up the gig.” (Which is now my new favorite mantra
in times of stress!) She’s not lying! Despite sewing up to the last minute, the
result is literally bewitching. Like a fashion-forward Margaret Hamilton, Kylie
dons a black pointed hat and black sequin dress that casts a spell on the
runway. The construction of the skirt gives the illusion of floating down the
runway. There’s a beautiful little moment that deserves more praise when Kylie
comes with a delightful little trick, rigging her broom to stand on its own on
the stage. For a cherry on top, she has the most perfect bow on her back that
gives the whole thing a 360 degree wow factor. Outside the obvious occult,
there’s not much of a clear identity to Miss Behave. The lewk is great, but the
character isn’t nearly as spellbinding.
Down to the
wire, with Ra’Jah as this week’s winner, all the other queens are up for
elimination. Barring a savage swerve to takeout the biggest competition, Eureka
and Trinity feel the most in the danger on this vote. We’re at the point in the
season where the numbers don’t add up cleanly enough for objective analysis.
Does a win cancel out a bottom performance? Do we factor in mini-challenges?
Lip-sync wins? There’s no formula here.
After a
pot-stirring mini-challenge, a multidimension maxi and a high-stakes vote, I’m
disappointed to say this week’s lip sync left A LOT to be desired. I don’t
blame performers Ra’Jah and this week’s assassin Kameron Michaels, but rather
the track. Look, I love Charli XCX like every other red-blooded, millennial
homosexual, but “Boom Clap” is hardly a banger. The resulting lip sync feels
below even the laziest local drag. There’s a lot of walking, pointing, etc. We
get a glimpse of Kameron doing a cartwheel at one point, but it doesn’t feel in
sync with the music and it’s a just a quick cutaway. Usually I’m watching these
lip syncs fighting back the instinctual urge to throw my whole wallet at these
queens. Not this week.
Kameron wins,
sure, whatever, and the queens vote to send Eureka home.
But don’t mourn the elephant queen, my friends. Next week, finally, we see the game within a game, and perhaps Eureka will once again make a triumphant return, like a phoenix from the ashes.
Where do we
stand now?
1.
Ginger and Trinity have been neck-and-neck for weeks now, but after TKB’s
sloppy Snatch and merely fine showing this week, Ginger has crept into the
lead. Her character could be the star of her own show tomorrow, and, if there
was a real Tara Belle doll available wearing that runway outfit, I would buy
it! And I’m not even one of those people into dolls! Is there anything Ginger
can’t do?
2.
She may be down, but she is in no way
out. Trinity still has the crown within reach, but these
haven’t been her best weeks. Still, Trin is light-years ahead of where we last
left her in season six. I really hope she becomes as ubiquitous of Bianca and
Alaska and Trixie. Hopefully, these are just her struggle weeks, so she can
overcome this hurdle for an even more satisfying conclusion.
3.
It’s a great time for Ra’Jah to
be peaking. What a savvy queen! She listens so well, and she knows exactly her
strengths. I love the buoyant, disco boogie energy she brings to the stage. I wasn’t
a big fan during her original season, but now I’m a full convert. I do worry
her taste level may be a problem at some point. Can Ra’Jah bring finale-level
DRAMA and ELEGANZA? We will see.
4.
A fourth-place spot for Kylie is
in no way meant to imply she’s so much further from the crown. This is a very
tight race still, and Kylie has defied all expectations across all categories
this season. Even Snatch Game, which many (including myself) predicted would be
her Achilles’ heel, was a smashing success. She keeps surprising, which makes
her a thrill to watch.
5.
Eureka‘s languishing finally caught up with her. I had more faith in the
judges’/producers’ love of Eureka to keep her around until the end, but I
definitely can see how this was her time. With no wins, she was the obvious
choice. The fact next week is already the eliminated queens’ potential chance
for redemption, this may be a way for everyone to have their cake and eat it,
too.
What did you
think of the episode?
SOURCE: TOWLEROAD
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