After a few
weeks of exemplary challenges on RuPaulâs Drag Race All Stars, we
really got a stinker this week. When Ryan Murphy is involved, you know results
may vary, and that was surely on display as the remaining queens threw themselves
into an American Horror Story-themed acting challenge.
These acting
challenges rarely reach levels above âcringe,â but this was a doozy. The
writers just named all the characters after the actresses who played them, and
the jokes are similarly on-the-nose references. Even though the challenge felt
excruciatingly overlong, it still managed to make even less narrative sense
than usual.
The costumes
were cute though!
The scares
actually come a bit earlier in the episode, when the lipstick box reveals the
last vote split evenly between Jan and the departed Scarlet. Jan doesnât
understand the judgesâ critique and still feels she wasnât being over the top.
Step right up, step right up, see the queen with zero self-awareness! The other
girls are quick to assert that, baby, Jan was at 110 percent, at least.
That energy
will serve her well this week. In the script, thereâs a character inspired by
another deeply dark Ryan Murphy project â Glee. Itâs a part
everyone knows is perfect for Jan, the self-confessed âRachel Berry of drag.â
Not all the characters are so cut and dry. Pandora and Trinity briefly clash
over a part thatâs a little Myrtle Snow and then a little Joan Crawford, but
Trinity acquiesces with little drama. Ginger and Kylie both want the juicy
Jessica Lange character, but Kylie takes it in a high-stakes game of Rock, Paper,
Scissors.
Angela Bassett
drops by via video to remind all of us that she is just one of the most g*ddamn
beautiful people on the planet. She also give notes on acting that are honestly
too good for this dreck. Like, what sort of real, lived-in emotion is Ginger
supposed to channel when she suddenly sprouts a unibrow having a magic fight
with a bearded lady? This is not the time for, like, the Abramovic Method, you
know?
Two heads were not enough to help RaâJah on RuPaulâs Drag Race All Stars.
If anything,
everyone is already too in their heads. Filming with Ross and Michelle drags
on. Aâkeria, playing a part reminiscent of Gabby Sidibeâs Queenie from season
three of AHS, is trying so hard, it never really gels. Raâjah tries
to make a strong character choice playing one of the twins Sarah Paulson
portrayed in American Horror Story Freak Show, but itâs not quite
what Ross and Michelle really have in mind. These two are in danger, for sure.
(Huge missed
opportunity to use the Pit Crew in an ode to Finn
Wittrockâs Dandy Mott, by the way.)
Pandora
delivers on the assignment as Myrtle Snow/Joan Crawford, but thereâs not a lot
of great jokes to land. Trinity gives us Angela Bassett Lite, and itâs fine.
Both will end up safe. Michelle tells Jan she was born to play âLea,â which is
truly worse shade than when Ru said Scarlet talking about how much she loves
her moms made her âuncomfortable.â Savage.
Eureka is a
surprise, but not in a good way. Usually a top performer, especially in an
over-the-top comedy challenge, she gets stuck on her delivery and canât take
the directorsâ notes. It was like watching a less painful âI was rooting for
US!â
The judges were not Eurekaâs BIGGEST FANS!!!! on RuPaulâs Drag Race All Stars.
That leaves
Ginger and Kylie, the two queens who clashed over the Jessica [Lange] role.
Ginger plays the young, fashionable diva (a nod to Emma Roberts in Coven),
and sheâs great. She nails every bit of physical comedy, every facial
expression, every punchline. (Well, whatever one might consider a punchline.)
Kylie
struggles at first to meet Langeâs KNOTTY
PINE?!!! levels of scenery bingeing, but with some coaching from
Michelle and Ross, she gets there. It certainly helps that she looks the part.
The wig and makeup are on point.
On the runway,
the gals give spooky-dookie with Oh My Goth eleganza. Honestly, everyone looks
incredible, no exceptions. Much has been said already about the high-cost of
competing on Drag Race, and this season has got to be featuring
some of the most costly couture. Weâve got dramatic trains, enormous
headpieces, sequins, stones, feathers, tulle, Voodoo dolls. Itâs a macabre
feast for the eyes, and itâs giving me all the #HotGothSummer energy.
On a night
where so many queens were dinged for not taking the directorsâ notes, it makes
sense the win is awarded to Kylie. (That and Ginger already got her redemption
win last week.) Itâs good to see Kylie get her first ever Drag
Race win.
Sheâs lip
syncing this week against Manila LuzĂłn, but it feels like Manila was told to
give this one to Kylie. Theyâre facing off to Xtinaâs classic âDirty,â which
already feels tailor-made for Kylie, who is, as usual, serving body-ody-ody.
She dances actual circles around Manila, breaking out a few backbends into the
splits that wow the crowd. On top of her challenge win, she pockets the $10,000
tip.
She pulls out AâKeriaâs lipstick, and, really, thereâs no arguing with that.
Where does
that leave this seasonâs crop of All Stars? Letâs break it down in the
rankings.
1.
On the heels of a few strong
performances, Ginger has clawed her way to the top of the
pile, for now. I thought her performance was the strongest, given the
circumstances, and she looked amazing throughout. Her performances, stellar
runways and share of screentime have her in the position to beat.
2.
Trinity has been delivering strong performances in every challenge (Iâm
still shook over her Beyoncé), and she consistently has some of the best
runways. I would be surprised to see her not make it to the end, and Iâm
rooting for her to win it all.
3.
They harped on Eureka for
that one line reading, but thatâs really splitting hairs. Eureka is a
pro-fess-ion-al. She looks great, sheâs prepared, sheâs giving 100. I think
sheâll easily bounce back from this week, especially if the lewks keep serving
like her boudoir Bride of Frankenstein this week.
4.
RaâJah is slipping. Granted, acting challenges are her Achilles heel, so
she may still come back from this. I appreciated how she tried to show up on
set with a full character, but she got tripped up with the directorsâ feedback.
Iâm really digging RaâJahâs runways. They may not be as showy as AâKeria or
Eureka, but theyâre chic.
5.
What is it going to take for Pandora to
push through? Sheâs consistent, but I never feel like she surprises me. She
does exactly what I expect her to do, and she does it well. Itâs just not
enough when the other queens are showing such growth and evolution.
6.
Had we not seen Kylie struggle
in filming, her performance would have been more impressive. Itâs just hard to
accept as a winner when we had to watch Michelle get up out her seat to
physically demonstrate how to do it. Meanwhile, Ginger brought so much to set
on her own, even if it was a less flashy role. Still, I donât begrudge Kylie,
and Iâm happy to see her get a win. The sync wasnât a favorite (just one
backbend into a split would have had more impact, in my humble opinion). Kylie
is always serving body on the runway, but I appreciate the variety in
silhouettes in style.
7.
Oh, Jan. You lucked out this
week with that part, but Iâm worried about the future. She really canât see
that thing everyone else â fans, the judges, the other queens â sees. (I mean,
weâve all been there.) The first step to recovery is acceptance, though, and
Iâm not sure the high-stakes setting of the competition is the place to find
that sort of clarity. It seems like weâre in for another couple weeks watching
her fight off a Janyeurism trying to balance authenticity and âfunk.â
8.
As much as I didnât want it to be true, it
was AâKeriaâs week to go. Too many weeks in the bottom, too many
struggles in the challenges. The runways are all so good, but it still bears
stating that AâKeria regularly manages to still stand out. She just doesnât
have the theatricality of folks like Ginger, Pandora, Eureka, Jan, etc.
How would you
rank the queens?
SOURCE: TOWLEROAD
No comments:
Post a Comment