RECAP: “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 9" Episode 7
On our podcast we have a saying: everyone is entitled to their wrong opinion. I think in this case my opinion is on the outs, because I personally very much enjoyed this week's camp-skewing acting challenge, but most of my colleagues on the pod absolutely hated it. It's a good thing we can all agree on at least one thing: seven episodes in we have yet to have a single good lipsynch this season. That has to be a record.
This episode we got a delightfully stupid fruit-carrying mini-challenge and then "Meeting in the Ladies Room," an acting challenge in which the queens one by one performed opposite an out-of-drag RuPaul in scenes specifically written for each queen, and referencing camp classics from the past. We're talking Valley of the Dolls, Mommie Dearest, The Mirror Cracked, The Boys in the Band, Showgirls, Mildred Pierce, and of course, "Dynasty." As a lover of camp cinema, this was right up my alley. But most of my friends thought the scenes were unfunny. Politely agree to disagree. And then we got an extended sequence in which Ru bitchslapped virtually the entire crew of the season, which I thought was oddly sweet.
We are now halfway through the season, so for this week's recap I'll go over how each queen did in the acting challenge as well as The Widow Weeps runway, but almost my thoughts on how they're doing overall in this competition. Read on for my takes, in alphabetical order.
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Angeria Paris VanMichaels: It's pretty clear that Angeria is A frontrunner, if not THE frontrunner this season, which I genuinely did not see coming when this cast was clocked. I enjoyed Angeria on Season 14, and was very impressed by her in the early half -- but she tanked in the later portion of the season. We'll see if history repeats itself here. But as of now, Angie is tied for the lead with 3 badges, and she has also won every single lipsynch this she's competed in this season -- nearly 50 percent of the overall lipsynchs. That's arguably as much the result of competition that didn't know the words (Jorgeous, Plastique) as Angeria's skills on her own, but a win is a win. I thought this week's runway was a return to form for Angeria, giving us capital-D Drag but also a taste level that has been absent the previous two weeks. I thought she was solid in the challenge, especially the physicality of it, although I thought there were at least one or two other queens who did better with the actual acting.
Gottmik: Gottmik is also doing really well -- I would argue one of the stronger overall performances this season -- with 2 badges and 2 lipsynch wins. This season has reminded me of how good Gottmik is at "Drag Race." She's funny, she's silly, she's smart, and she has an incredible jaw-dropping runway package. (Although she's getting outdone on the runway by one other queen this season; can I also be brave and say that I wasn't as in love with her melting-candelabra look as the judges? I think it probably just read more impressive in person.) Last week was rough for Mik, as she didn't get the praise she was expecting for her roast -- and that was before everyone realized she stole most of her jokes from Nikki Glazer -- but this week she bounced back by having fun with Ru. Which is strange, because that energy, which we saw in rehearsals/shooting, did not emerge at all in her The Mirror Cracked-inspired scene, which was super serious and arch. I still liked it, and Gottmik delivered her lines well, arguably better than any other queen. But Ru was correct when she said she was all venom, no sweetness, which didn't seem to be what Gottmik was initially going for. I still think overall this has been a very successful "All Stars" run for Gottmik and I personally am so impressed with her. Joke-stealing notwithstanding.
Jorgeous: Jorgeous continued her newfound comedic success this episode, delivering a fun performance in her Boys in the Band skit. I don't think Jorgeous has any idea what that movie is, much less seen it, but she still did well here. Was part of that her boxy wig choice? Maybe. But I thought she was funny in moments, too, and the gag with the chair was great. I thought her widow runway was one of the weaker versions on the stage, and that wig needed a LOT more volume. But all in all, Jorgeous is exceeding my expectations, especially these past few weeks. She seems like she's just having fun, and I think that's a big component to success on this show. She could have easily been in the Top 2 for the Roast, but generally I think she's middle of the pack for the competition overall. She has 2 badges, although one was from a mini-challenge.
Nina West: Nina got her second badge of the season tonight, and I thought it was well earned. Of all the queens, Nina fully embraced the inherent haminess of this challenge, and fully threw herself into the Valley of the Dolls bit. I thought Nina was actually better than the material here. Nina's runways have traditionally been a struggle -- although when she nails it, she really nails it -- and I thought her initial widow look was fine...until another ungainly reveal. Name a more iconic combo than Nina West and struggling to remove her clothing layers on stage. I'll wait. Not everything has to be a reveal. I swear it's true, Nina! Nina's other weak point is her lipsynching, and despite being in the Top 2 this week, she continued her string of lipsynch losses -- Nina has never won a single lipsynch on "Drag Race," not one. I was delighted to see her charity, Trevor Project, awarded $2,500 since Nina didn't need the advantage she won from the minichallenge. Nina is also middle of the pack for me this season, but there is no question she is trying REALLY hard. She's just not fully connecting with a lot of these challenges. And next week is a design challenge so...that's not going to work out well for her.
Plastique Tiara: Plastique is a frontrunner with 3 badges, but 0 lispynch wins, because Plastique doesn't know the goddamned words. Where Plastique is excelling beyond possibly any queen in "Drag Race" history is in her runway package, which has been overall exquisite. If you told me that gold winged look from the premiere would be the least-impressive thing she's worn all season, I would have slapped you. And yet it is true. The widow look she gave us this week was astonishing in its beauty, and given that white is the traditional mourning color in much of Asia, I did think it fit the prompt. You can see every fucking dollar of that runway stipend every single week. Immaculate. Plastique is also doing well in the challenges overall. She bombed Snatch Game, but was good in the roast and solid here -- both challenges that would have stopped S11 Plastique dead in her tracks. I did think it was funny that in her skit, which referenced All About Eve, she mentions hosting "Drag Race Vietnam," as that is allegedly in the works, and Plastique would be the OBVIOUS choice to host it. Overall, a great "All Stars" run for Plastique so far. She's proven herself much more well-rounded than she was in S11, and has elevated her already unbelievable aesthetic. I also feel more genuine personality from her this time. And not for nothing, but she's absolutely right when it comes to the snipping tactics. It makes no sense to stop queens in the lead; whoever has the snippers should focus on keeping back queens with the same number of badges they have. Come on, math!
Roxxxy Andrews: For the first third of this season I was bitching that Roxxxy was not living up to potential. The challenge performances were not great. The runways were the weakest we've ever seen from her in her three seasons on the show. The make-up was a mess. The past few episodes, something seems to have clicked, and Roxxxy is now giving us the full Roxxxy Andrews Experience. I thought Roxxxy was good in her "Dynasty" scene opposite Ru, and looked the best she has all season in that white gown splattered with crimson "blood" stones. Just like last week, she easily could have been in the Top 2 for me. Given how strategic Roxxxy has been with playing to the camera, I'm actually wondering if she deliberately throttled her performances AND looks early on -- there was never any danger of elimination this season, so why not -- so that she could ramp up to her normal level of excellence and get the "glow up" arc. It feels very that. She was also, on paper, the biggest threat going into the competition -- let's not forget, she was the first queen snipped -- so I honestly think she may have been trying to pull the pag. And it kind of worked; Nina West gave Roxxxy a free badge. That is crazy, in hindsight. With 3 badges and 2 lipsynch wins, Roxxxy is without question a frontrunner. And with another design challenge next week, everything is coming up Roxxxy.
Shannel: I thought the convo between Ru and Shannel this episode was fascinating, and very fair to Shannel, who has been struggling in this competition. Not only is she the only queen without a badge, but every other queen now has at least 2. That would fuck with anybody's head, much less Shannel's, who has a history of being gaslit by this show, and who is also significantly older than all of her fellow competitors. When Ru said that she didn't feel Shannel connect with her in the challenge, that was believable to me. Shannel was delivering the lines, but there was an awkwardness to that whole exchange. I thought Ru's advice to Shannel here was good -- to trust in herself, to believe that she is the icon that she is -- and I'm really pulling for Shannel to have her moment in the next few weeks. She's a great queen. A legend. It's challenging seeing her struggle like this, but also completely understandable. Shannel: we are all rooting for you! Also, she looked terrific on the runway this week.
Vanessa Vanjie: Vanjie may be toward the back of the pack overall this season (she has 2 badges, one of them given to her by her bestie, Mik), but she's also kind of winning by just being a fucking delight. I thought she gave up in the roast, but I was living for her in this Showgirls-inspired skit, even if it was just more of her signature brand of charming chaos. Ru was, again, dead on when she said that Vanjie isn't strategic in her comedic choices, she's just throwing things at the wall, constantly, to see what sticks. Some of it does, and it's great. But there are a lot of wasted moments where she's not being deliberate in her intentions. That is very good advice and I hope Vanjie hears it, because can you imagine a focused Vanjie channeling her charismatic chaos into a challenge? Fascinating. Vanjie's runway was essentially just lingerie, but my god she looked incredible. I don't blame guest judge Colton Haynes for lusting after her (also, I continue to lust after Colton Haynes -- fuck the haters Colton, then come fuck me). I don't think Vanjie is a real threat to win this season, but it sure is wonderful to watch her again.
Ultimately the Top 2 of Angeria and Nina West lipsynched to "Lovergirl" by Teena Marie -- a recycled lipsynch song that sent Mrs. Kasha Davis home on Season 7 -- and it was...not great. I don't even know what else to say about it. Angeria won, and in a twist, opted not to block a frontrunner -- fellow 3 badgers Roxxxy or Plastique -- but instead 2-badger Gottmik. It seemed like Plastique's mathing actually worked, and it's also possible that Angeria predicted that a design challenge was likely coming next, and Gottmik basically always excels at those. So it was a surprising but shrewd move on Angie's part, and Gottmik seems PISSED.