RECAP: “Drag Race Down Under” Season 4, Episode 1
After a fairly lackluster third season, I wasn’t sure we would get a fourth edition of “Drag Race Down Under.” Not only have we got it, but the show feels rejuvenated and refreshed. The theme for Episode 1 was “double down on ‘Down Under’” and it really did feel like that. This episode had an energy I’m not sure we ever got last season, as 10 exciting new queens entered the work room, eager to show Australia, New Zealand, and the world what they can do.
We also have a brand new host! RuPaul has stepped away, and Michelle Visage has taken center stage as host of the show. This felt seamless to me. Michelle seemed totally comfortable guiding the proceedings and interacting with the queens. It was a good first episode for her. While I think her unique catchphrases could use some workshopping (“Can I get a whoop-whoop?” instead of “Can I get an Amen?” for instance), I appreciate that she’s trying to establish her own take on the format, and I support that.
To me the most exciting change is, in addition to Michelle and the always-welcome Rhys Nicholson on the judging panel, this season the queens will be judged and mentored by “Down Under” drag royalty. One of the biggest criticisms of this franchise has been that, while RuPaul and Michelle obviously know drag, they don’t always understand Australian/New Zealand drag or cultural touchpoints. We have seen this at play in seasons past. So bringing in Aussie and Kiwi queens who are from those scenes, and who really understand the cultural intricacies, is such a welcome change for this show. For this episode, that meant S3 winner Isis Avis Loren (who is fucking fabulous) and U.S. Season 15 champ Sasha Colby joined the judges’ panel.
Read on for my takes on “Drag Race Down Under” Season 4, Episode 1. SPOILERS AHEAD!
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Overall I’m quite pleased with this cast. Almost from the start I felt that they had a level of polish that was missing from several of the Season 3 gals, who tended to be a bit more green than the previous casts. Season 4 is stocked with some real contenders who have been working for quite some time.
And I thought this cast blended beautifully. The meet-and-greet segment as they all did their entrances almost immediately generated some sparks, some immediate collegiality, and identified the queens who are maybe in over their heads. Lazy Susan, Vybe, Max Drag Queen, Brenda Bressed, and Freya Armani all immediately popped for me; I also found Mandy Moobs’ talking heads pretty sassy. Lucina Innocence and Olivia Dreams seemed like the quieter girls of the bunch, and you could practically see them spiraling internally. I feel for them; I’m sure this was a dream for years, and then to actually get there and see how stiff the competition is…that’s rough.
I also liked the new twist on the opening-episode format. The girls had to show two looks — both brought from home, so no design work. The first look was a 2-in-1 look with an “impactful” reveal. The second looks were color themed, but unbeknownst to the queens, they’d all been paired up in head-to-head match-ups determined by shared color.
Overall I found some of these runways a bit crunchy — but that is part of the charm of “Down Under.” The ones who impressed me overall were Max Drag Queen (note: Max is the drag daughter of Isis Avis Loren, which is a lot to live up to), who did great in both challenges but got notes from the panel about being more impactful in her presence; Vybe, who was dinged for an unstoned bodysuit in her first look (I had no issues with it, I thought it was successful and innovative) but absolutely crushed her orange-slice second look; Freya Armani, who wore the absolute fuck out of her second gold look; and Lazy Susan, who went high concept in both looks and really slapped the audience across the face with her dick. I mean, really, it wasn’t even a question who was going to win this week. There was in fact a great deal of effort in Susan’s runways. She’s also effortlessly hilarious in her talking heads. Big competition!
On the bottom we had Karna Ford, who I think has some taste issues; Lucina Innocence, who didn’t give us any kind of a reveal in her first look; and Olivia Dreams, who tried to pass off removing a coat as a reveal, and then gave us a beautiful but seemingly off-the-rack lavender dress that was not properly fitted to her body. (I still think she looked lovely.)
Olivia was spared, giving us Karna and Lucina lipsynching to “Rush” by Troye Sivan. Both looked nervous — Karna was obviously devasted by her critiques, and I felt for her — but came alive as the song went on, especially Karna. Right around the time she removed her Demogorgon headpiece she seemed to realize she had to actually fight for her life, and she very much did that in the lipsynch.
To me, it clear that Karna won that lipsynch. So when Lucina was the first to be called Safe, I was a little gagged — but it was a double save. GOOD! I am of the opinion that nobody should go home on the first episode, ever. These queens put so much time and effort into preparing for this show, and the nerves must be astonishingly high going into Episode 1. Give them a minute to find their bearings before you start whittling it down. I’m so happy to see every one of these girls for another week.
That said, Lucina is VERY quiet — one of the shyest queens I’ve ever seen on “Drag Race” — and Olivia seems to be shitting herself already. That is worrisome. But the other 8 queens all seem in it to win it, so I’m excited for this season.
Next: it’s Girl Groups, with special guest Kween Kong. Justice for Kween Kong!
What do you think of this premiere episode? Drop your thoughts in the comments.