Drag Race RuCap: “Blame It On the Edit”

CLÁUDIO ALVES: I knew they were bluffing! Apologies for starting this RuCap at the end of the episode, but there was no other way this episode could end but with the whole top four moving to the finale. All that talk of a final elimination was always a baldfaced lie, a mere attempt at adding stakes to an episode with none. Whatever faint redundancy this chapter might exemplify, it’s inconsequential in the face of these bitches’ collective serve. But maybe I’m exaggerating, too drunk in affection to think straight. 

NICK TAYLOR: As the one of us who dared to believe that RuPaul would actually send a queen home this episode, I’m really happy I was wrong...

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Drag Race RuCap: "Teacher Makeovers"

NICK TAYLOR: I know both of us are less jazzed about the makeover staple, so let’s just get that out of the way now. This episode didn’t alleviate any of my usual feelings about how this challenge is judged or executed. I’m glad the teachers were so uniformly game, unlike some of the surlier participants from older seasons, and the basic cloning/color swapping made the peaks among this group somewhat limited. Imagine the ramifications of Crystal Elizabeth Methyd rightly winning this challenge in season 12 and encouraging future queens to really go apeshit on what “family resemblance” means. The race is tight enough at this point that winners and losers truly come down to hair-splitting, yet this week’s choices release that tension into something inevitable without being totally satisfying. How did this week’s episode sit with you?

CLÁUDIO ALVES: For a bitter curmudgeon like me, who thinks the makeover challenge is the worst Drag Race staple, this was an enjoyable hour. It could have been much worse…

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Drag Race RuCap: “Wigloose: The Rusical!”

CLÁUDIO ALVES: Praise be the 90-minute episode, the Rusical team, the queens of season 15, and the politically prescient writers who saw the current anti-drag policies coming a year in advance. Praise be to everyone! “Wigloose” is the episode of the year so far, which is saying something when you consider the utter mediocrity of its LSFYL. Then again, nobody should’ve had to fight for their lives this week. Even more than in the original “Daytona Winds,” the queens delivered excellence across the board. Sure, some did better than others, and the runway could break ties, but the talent is so evident it’s hard to keep euphoria at bay. And yet, after last year’s non-elimination-palooza, I can see why the producers and Ru herself might want to keep things tight. I’m sad, but I get it. 

NICK TAYLOR: Praise be to the singers who actually interpreted all of those songs, too. I think the sheer brilliance of last week’s tooth-and-nail LSFYL and the performances in this week’s Rusical should (and, in a prior season, absolutely would) have prevented anyone from going home. Lord knows Marcia probably would’ve won this episode. Heaven Bacon was tailor-made for her...

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Drag Race RuCap: "Two Queens, One Joke"

NICK TAYLOR: Welcome back, Cláudio! And welcome back, 90-minute Drag Race episodes! The return of a longer runtime definitely gives the show more room to breathe - it really is so nice to hear Ru say “Bring back my gurls!” again - and allows us to really spend more time with the queens. This is clearly a talented cast, but “Two Queens, One Joke” feels like the best chance we’ve really gotten to know this top seven. Do I agree with the judging 100%? No, but as an episode of television, this felt satisfying in a way that season 15 has too rarely achieved. 

CLÁUDIO ALVES: I love the return of 90-minute episodes (really 60 minutes), even if this week’s judging infuriated me. Moreover, the outcome of all those shenanigans was downright heartbreaking…

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Drag Race RuCap: "50/50's Most Gagworthy Stars"

NATHANIEL R: Hello queens, I'm crashing your party this week for the RuCap because I have opinions too. (Shocker, I know).  In fact, I came in with every intention of stirring the pot and having a completely different take but after this 10th episode "50/50's Most Gagworthy Stars"... perhaps I won't be able too, since my some of my favourites didn't do that well. But... did anyone? This interview challenge with special guests Charo, Frankie Grande, and Love Connie was an excellent one. The challenge offered up multiple interview formats (walk and talk, seated intimate, cooking or other 'action')  and whatever you think of the three interviewees, none of them are lacking in personality (the hardest interviews are with introverts!). In short there was ample opportunity for all remaining queens to blind us with their charisma, but there was seriously little shining... the best we got was a bit of luster. 

Which is not to say that it wasn't an enjoyable episode! Anyway I'm happy to be popping in...

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