RECAP: RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17, Episode 5 (RDR Live)
What a fascinating episode. This, to me, felt like a very clear beginning for Act II of the season, as a clear frontrunner emerged (and sent more than one other queen into a spiral), a potential new antagonist arose (although it was far more telling than showing), and maybe I’m delusional, but I feel like a central theme for this season came into focus. And spoiler, it’s relating to delusion.
Below find my thoughts on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 Episode 5, “RDR Live.” SPOILERS AHEAD!
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First let me say, I’m one of the rare people that enjoys the “RDR Live” challenge. Doing a “Saturday Night Live”-style takeoff makes sense; doing sketch comedy is a skill set where queens could realistically find some success out of the show. The scripts in the previous iterations have been more miss than hit, but I thought this one was better. Still not great, but better.
Paul W. Downs from Hacks as the guest judge was a big get, especially after the total whiff of last week’s pick.
I’m going to go over each remaining queen in alphabetical order and share my thoughts on their performance in “RDR Live,” the Tickle Me Pink runway, and overall thoughts. Disagree? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
Acacia Forgot: Last week I worried that Acacia was failing to make her mark in the competition, and it felt like her clock was ticking. This week was great for her. I thought Acacia delivered in her “RDR Live” sketch. She has a natural sense of comic timing and did a solid approximation of an amalgamation of Dorothy and Blanche from Golden Girls. I loved everything about her pink runway, a severe 80s power-bitch suit; it was giving me Jem as a member of the Misfits. Easily Acacia’s best week so far and she seemed to be having more fun, which I was glad to see. She still feels like something of an outsider in this group overall.
Arrietty: Arrietty was ostensibly the star of the episode, though not in the way she probably wanted. After being in the Bottom 3 last episode — erroneously, I think — Arrietty came in this episode talking about how she’s going to be a villain now. …OK? Like, it was mentioned several times. And then we saw literally nothing that backed that up. I found the whole thing very odd, highly manufactured. But in the pre-show interviews for this season, the vast majority of the cast clocked Arrietty as the bitch of the season so…I guess I’m waiting. Because I’ve yet to really see it. Regarding “RDR Live,” I think Arrietty tried too hard to course-correct from the note she got last challenge, where she was accused of being overshadowed by her scene partner. So she went into the Neanderthal Town Hall amped to the max and delivered a manic, irritating performance that was difficult to even comprehend. She absolutely smashed the runway, as always. Arrietty is among the best runway queens of the season, and I think her make-up is delicious. Her aesthetic skills are so strong, and I was sad to see her doubt herself in Untucked. She’s so talented, I just don’t think she’s well suited to some of these performance challenges.
Crystal Envy: Crystal had been quietly killing the competition for the first four weeks, but she was largely invisible this week. I didn’t think either of the “Weekend Update” anchors did particularly well, and when it came to the runway, her bubblegum look fit the brief, and it was objectively pretty. But we have seen very similar concepts to that, using that material, on this runway before, most noticeably Jan’s “Frozen” runway on Season 12. It wasn’t a bad episode for Crystal, but I have come to expect more from her.
Hormona Lisa: This was a good episode for Hormona, who is gaining traction week after week after a truly dreadful start to the competition. She is continually involved in petty little dramas with several of the other girls, but nobody seems to be taking it too seriously. The lesbian podcast segment was the best of the “RDR Live” bits, and Hormona was among the strongest parts of it. She channeled the “SNL” NPR Ladies but still was recognizably Hormona, and pulled plenty of laughs. Her gown for the runway wasn’t exactly showing us anything new, but it was pretty. I thought the bit with her and Jewels in Untucked regarding the lipstick on the teeth was so charming, and made me like both of them more.
Jewels Sparkles: I have increasing respect for Jewels as a performer. She was great as the Beaverologist in the lesbian-podcast segment, but I do have one note: it was often hard to hear her, and I lost a few of her lines. The Australian accent worked great, and Jewels did solid partner work with Hormona. But I did struggle physically hearing her more than once. I thought Jewels’ runway was one of the best of the night, a pink pageant gown she had refashioned into stunning bell-bottom pants that moved like a dream. This was sumptuous, head to toe. Good week for Jewels, she could have easily been in the top for me.
Kori King: After several weeks of being at the back of the pack, Kori successfully fought her way to the middle this week. Nothing she did was great. I would rank her second or third in the four-person Neanderthal sketch, and her runway was objectively pretty but astonishingly basic for era of the competition — I said to my viewing party that this was a Season 4 runway, not a Season 17 one. I continue to like Kori more as a character than I do as competitor on this show, which is a bummer.
Lana Ja’Rae: Lana was absolutely furious to be safe yet again, going so far as to refuse to speak to anyone in Untucked, and just sit in silence, staring blankly, holding a box of Twizzlers. Riveting television, Lana. I do think Lana had probably her best week yet. She would be second or third in the Neanderthal sketch for me — she came in very late, but she gave more personality than we have seen from her up to this point. I did think her runway was absolutely lovely. If I had to rank the queens, she would probably be 4th or 5th for me overall. But what I kept seeing from her, and a few others, in the work room and Untucked speaks to, I think, a sense of entitlement and delusion. And I’m talking broadly, not specifically to Lana. These queens all seem to think they’re doing amazing in the competition, even if they’re giving us adequate, and they sure seem to think they deserve more praise than they are receiving. I could be completely off base on this, but this episode in particular the edit started to feel like a pointed critique of this generation. This is statistically the youngest cast we’ve ever had, and boy, does it feel that way — with Lana especially.
Lexi Love: Easily Lexi’s worst week, and she was SOUR on Untucked. I’ve been on the Love Train since Episode 1, but I will confess to rethinking my ticket watching this episode. Lexi was not good in the “Weekend Update” skit — the delivery was wooden, there were no laughs. And yes, the material was not strong. But I don’t think she even came close to making the best of it. Lexi got annoyed at Suzie Toot shooting down all her suggestions in rehearsals. I get that; nobody likes to have their ideas trampled. But based on what we saw, Suzie was right, and Lexi should have listened to good advice instead of resisting. I have generally loved all of Lexi’s runways, but this was a miss for me. Her attitude in Untucked was a big turnoff. I get being jealous of Suzie’s success, but to quote Alaska, Don’t get bitter, get better. Lexi is certainly capable of doing so. I did love getting to know more about Lexi’s day job in the work room segment. 401Slay Diva!
Lydia Butthole Kollins: Last week I complained that I didn’t feel like I knew Lydia, or had anything to grasp onto with her. We got something this week, but it was painful getting there. Lydia fought to get the “RDR Live” role based on Sophia from Golden Girls, and then admitted she didn’t know the show. She certainly didn’t understand the humor or delivery required for this character, and was lifeless for most of the challenge, up until the suggestive ending. On the runway, I’m just going to say it: I don’t get Lydia’s looks. I don’t understand them. I think they're objectively messy and, to be honest, ugly. I respect that she has a unique aesthetic, and I love that for her. But they just don’t resonate with me. And typically I NEVER turn down a dick, but this penis look, for me, felt juvenile. The good news is once Lydia realized she was in danger, I saw a real fire in her, and I hope we get more of that going further.
Onya Nurve: Onya emerged as my favorite this episode. She has leapfrogged the others based on her considerable charm, charisma, and infectious personality. She was the standout in the Neanderthal skit — which is saying something, given that she had relatively few lines — and she smashed the monologue. She makes the viewer feel comfortable; we trust that Onya’s got this. I thought her runway was interesting. It was apparently made out of deconstructed sneakers? That’s cool as fuck. I agreed with the judges that it needed hair; I also think the breastplate was slightly undersized. (We need a breastplate sizing course in our nation’s community colleges, it’s a problem.) Onya was hilarious in Untucked, openly laughing as the safe and bottom queens fumed at who ended up in the top, stating plainly that they are all salty because she and Suzie are giving the judges what they want, and the others simply are not hitting the mark. She’s right and she’s a queen for saying so to their faces.
Sam Star: For the second week in a row Sam was one of my least-favorite queens in the challenge. The other announcer in the lesbian-podcast sketch, Sam decided to go for a “secret lesbian voice” that was, in reality, a blend of Tim Gunn and Martha Stewart. It was offputting and didn’t vibe with the rest of the trio. Sam ended up feeling completely superfluous in the sketch. Her showgirl look was pretty enough, but like Kori’s, we have seen many, many showgirl outfits on this runway, and this to me is not enough after 17 seasons on this show. Sam needs to regain her footing quickly, because she’s getting lost in this pack.
Suzie Toot: Suzie emerged as the unquestioned frontrunner this episode, turning in a strong performance in “RDR Live” — the only good part of the “Weekend Update” segment — and serving up a polarizing runway, earning her second win of the season in just five episodes (only four of which she competed in). Numerous other queens were panini pressed when Suzie was announced in the top, and will almost certainly be frothing at the mouth when the next episode opens. This is the second week in a row where queens have speculated Suzie might be in the bottom, and that again goes to the theme of delusion that is becoming a definitive element of this season. Suzie was CLEARLY one of the best in this challenge. As far as the runway, I get why a clown outfit is not everyone’s cup of tea. I don’t think it’s basic. It is simple — it’s based on a 1920s interpretation of an 18th-century harlequin — but it was impeccably finished and styled. The little taffeta bunches at the ankles. The stones where the diamond patterns met. The perfectly proportioned wig and hat. I loved it, and the other girls losing their minds over it (and Onya cackling at how ridiculous they all were) was amazing to watch.
The Bottom 3 ended up Sam Star, Arrietty, and Butthole. I do think that was probably correct. Sam was spared, leaving a very heated Arrietty and Butthole lipsynching to “Boogie Wonderland.” This was a fascinating lispynch. Right out of the gate I thought Arrietty had this. They’re a stronger lipsynch artist than I anticipated, and after they sloughed off most of their runway, they were into this song. Butthole started out slow, looking vulnerable — possibly because she removed the penis and foreskin from her look, leaving only a bizarre patchwork bodysuit underneath. But as the song went on, Lydia came alive, and by the end I think she had the upper hand. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a queen’s energy transform like that in a lipsynch for your life.
Neither one of them failed that lipsynch — they both did well — but RuPaul called it for Butthole, meaning Arrietty was led to the Bunkadonka Dunk Tank. It’s only Episode 5, and only 4 episodes into this twist. Surely there was no way the other save lever would be pulled so early. And yet, it was — Arrietty selected lever No. 1, sending Michelle Visage splashing into the tank, and saving Arrietty from elimination.
Now, many viewers — myself included — have speculated that the levers were total bullshit, and that Production was fixing the result of the tank to spare whatever queens they saw fit. But. Look at the two levers that ended up being the save levers. Hormona picked No. 7 in Episode 2. Arrietty picked No. 1 in Episode 5. 1 and 7. 17. This is Season 17. Call me a stupid bitch, but that doesn’t seem like it was by accident.
I’m fine with Arrietty being saved, as she certainly is bringing more to the competition from a fashion perspective, and we keep being told she’s going to be a significant player personality wise. (I’m hoping we start seeing proof of that soon.) But it does feel awfully strange to lose the big season elimination twist just four episodes into it. The other queens should be rightfully irritated that there are presumably no more saves from now on.
What do you think of Season 17? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
