Drag Race RuCap: “Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Drag Queens”

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Terry Covington, who passed last year.

NICK TAYLOR: In the grand tradition of the Drag Race makeover challenge, I have no idea what some of the judges thought they were watching. Hyping up how bullish Michelle is about drag family resemblance really just emphasizes how vague and stupid her standards are. Our dear eliminated queen seems to have been sacrificed primarily based on the track record, and since the judges have largely been under-acknowledging her performances of late, I call bullshit. Meanwhile, I don’t see anything to the challenge winner except honoring a good track record and cementing her place in the finale. The queens and their cowboys were a delight, reminding us how much pathos this challenge can inspire with guests who want to be there, but it’s a bitter aftertaste to end the night on.

CLÁUDIO ALVES: The first 40 minutes of this episode were representative of the best Drag Race has to offer as queer television, mixing camp and pathos, bawdiness and cute men with fagcents and even some advocating amid the fun. The last 20 minutes were some of the most infuriating nonsense I’ve ever seen on this program. These judges were trying so hard to jam their crap down my throat, I felt like I was suddenly living through Pasolini's Salo…

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Drag Race RuCap: “A Toast to Alyssa Edwards”

Who needs Oscar gold when Alyssa Edwards is serving golden goddess on TV?

NICK TAYLOR: Yes, the Academy Awards were fun, lots of gorgeous expressions of gratitude and admiration between fellow artists and fellow human beings. It was wonderful, it was funny, but did anyone give a speech as good as the queen’s best roasts? Certainly, no one matched the deranged peaks or flailing lows brought out for the "Toast of Alyssa Edwards." The diva herself looked quite good, proving all that glitters really is gold. I do need white pageant girls to stop wearing blonde units only a few shades removed from their pale, pale skin. Still, the glamour was there, and the episode was very entertaining. Were you dazzled, diva?

CLÁUDIO ALVES: I think Amy Madigan would have fun at a roast, but I’m not sure she’d be a good roaster. Maybe Jessie Buckley could thrive in that environment, as she feels like a cool lady and her speech and vague air of Olivia Colman-esque humor. We should be asking ourselves who, from the Oscar set, we want on Drag Race, and my answer is Malgosia Turzanska, who showed up to the Academy Awards covered in safety pins and would’ve surely fought for a Discord top-two placement last week. Oh, but you asked about the actual roast Drag Race episode, not imaginary AMPAS crossovers. Well…

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Drag Race RuCap: “Drag in a Bag”

Even Mama Ru was having a good, silly time this week. The vibes are immaculate.

CLÁUDIO ALVES: Well, our returned queens’ makeover hopes were dashed. Instead, we got a pretty lackadaisical filler episode, lacking urgency, devoid of great stakes and even bereft of an elimination. To make matters worse, it also probably means we won’t have a ball this season! Still, despite all that, “Drag in a Bag” was a delightful hour of television that finally got me rooting for Jane and Discord, finding them entertaining in their respective frustration and “good vibes only” attitude. Ru certainly seemed to enjoy the queens this week, having fun with them in a way that’s rare to see outside the Drag Race UK set. Were you similarly enthused by this episode’s shenanigans, or are you starting to get restless, anticipating the final stretch of a season that, so far, seems to have an obvious victor? Too obvious, perhaps.

NICK TAYLOR: Too obvious is absolutely the right word for it, yet who else could reasonably take her on at this point? Thank god she finally had fun on the show. Hell, everyone had fun, even as they were rolling on the floor from sleep deprivation and inventing competitors from the scraps of whole cloth. I had fun, even though the queen’s anti-Discord campaign and the show’s continued neglect of Darlene as a legitimate threat make me worry about their futures...

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Drag Race RuCap: "Fannie: The Hard Knock Ball Rusical"

"Fannie: The Hard Knock Ball Rusical" as told through wigs.

NICK TAYLOR: It appears a major theme of this season’s post-talent show episodes is the psychological torment of Juicy Love Dion. The diva has gone from being season 18’s first two-time winner to sending home two of her closest friends in the competition, including her own grandmother. She’s been struggling hard, and who knows how long this gauntlet of pain will last. You can tell Ru really wants to push her queens this season, all the better to win that Emmy and make some drama. This push has led to the best Rusical since season 15 and a heartbreaking lip sync battle, in spite of a guest judge and lip sync song with the combined impact of powdered milk. The race is tight, the queens are on fire, and the teaser promises even more shenanigans to come. But let’s not hit the end before the beginning, yes? What’d you think?

CLÁUDIO ALVES: What did powdered milk ever do to you? Anyway, I’m happy that my predictions in our private convos have proven mostly right, while also begrudging the show for being so damn predictable in its storytelling…

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Drag Race RuCap: "Snatch Game of Love: Island Edition"

Which one of the Snatch Game boys is your favorite? Don't be shy, share with the class.

CLÁUDIO ALVES: The narrative set forth by the Talent Show kerfuffle continues to unfold in this season’s Snatch Game. In some ways, it feels like Mama Ru is correcting the injustices she (or the broader production team) may have perceived in the Rate-a-Queen results, rewarding those who were thrown under the bus while punishing the conspirators behind Myki’s close brush with elimination. She’s like Eggers’ Northman, intoning to herself: “I will avenge you, Meeks! I will save you, Coco! I will kill you, Dions!” Then again, it’s not like the girls are making her job very difficult. The correct bottom two lip-synced for their life this week, and even if I might have picked a different victor, Ru’s champion is hardly scandalous. Anyway, did you know Athena Dion is Greek?

NICK TAYLOR: I do, though there’s a moment where she’s really pressed by the suggestion to play Greek. Diva, that is your brand!! You did this!! Along with course-correcting the talent show, Ru’s judging feels like a referendum against fictional and mythological characters popping up in Snatch Game. I have questions about the judging, but not complaints, and in retrospect part of my shock at this week’s elimination is from the edit not pushing the possibility as hard as they might have...

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