RuPauls Drag Race
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Oh, hell yes!
The dark side of Olivia?
Auditions in the werkroom?
Annie Hathaway spillingDevil Wears Pradatea?
This episode truly has it all.
Even the Rusical itself is quite a lot of fun.
Does the level of performance excellence stack up to last seasonsMadonna the Rusical?
Mmm … not really.
But as is often the case, the backstage drama is even juicier than the challenge itself.
Lets break it down, one queen at a time.
UticaOur midwestern sweetheart undergoes a transformation this episode.
Thats right: Friendly Minnesota Mom Utica is dead, and terrifying Amy Klobuchar-lite Utica is born.
And shed like to see howyouredges would fare in a blizzard, Olivia Lux!
When it comes time to cast, the rusical, Utica stakes her claim on Lady Tweets.
Denali attempts to scoop the part out from under her, but Utica is firm.
And it pays off.
In the Rusical, Utica is pretty great.
She nails her patter solo and whips her skinny little limbs around in an adorableAnything Goescostume.
She doesnt win, but its still a mental breakthrough for the lovable weirdo.
Utica is competition, honey, and shes finally acting like it.
ElliottFrom a technical point of view, Elliott succeeds this episode.
However, pretty good is simply not good enough for me this far into a season.
Does anyone really think she has a shot at top four?
I dont think so.
Is anyone excited to see what shell bring to Snatch Game next week?
I doubt that, too.
However, I givenajorprops to Elliott for being the seed crystal of the Rose-Denali audition sequence.
Credit where credit is due.
RoseRose is so good in this challenge she almost makes me rethink my proposed dismantling of the musical-theater-BFA-to-drag pipeline.
InThe Art of War,Sun-Tzu once said, The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.
Part secured, all Rose has left to do is steal the show.
Rose nails the vocals, the choreo, and the scenes with Olivia up top.
The show rests on her shoulders, and she carries it well.
On the runway, its a delightful reference to Jim CarreysThe Mask.
And so Rose emerges victorious, the corpse of her burgeoning friendship with Denali at her feet.
Tina BurnerThis wasnothow I saw this episode going for Tina, and I bet shed agree with me.
Tina looks shell-shocked this week when she finds herself in the bottom three.
But the judges just … arent impressed!
But whether or not Tina deserved a bottom three placement is almost beside the point.
Unlike Kandy or Symone, Tina isnt in her head at all this week.
for remain a contender, Tina really needed a win this week.
Next weeks Snatch Game might be Tinas last chance for a win, so she better Tina Turn it.
And I am so grateful for it.
Olivia nails it this week.
While Rose situates herself as the groups resident theater queen, Olivia clearly has the chops as well.
But lucky for Olivia, thats that not the case.
Because Rose wouldve poisoned her.
GottmikGottmik is an interestingcase study.
Its a solid strategy and one that worked well for Jaida Essence Hall just a few months ago.
Additionally, Gottmik is pretty damn delightful.
Gottmik is starting to feel like a lock for the top four.
And who could complain?
Nothing but respect for the Cher Horowtiz of drag.
DenaliDenali has quite the journey this episode.
At first, Denali is rightfully frustrated.
Is that how the judges see her?
Did Kandy Christopher Nolanstyle incept RuPaul into literally forgetting Denali exists?
Impossible to know for certain.
On top of it all, Denali gets out-sung by Rose and out-bitched by Utica!
Frustration turns to defeat, and Denali seems down for the count.
That is until, like many queer people before her, Denali is saved by Anne Hathaway.
You steal the show anyway, Anne replies.
Its exactly what Denali needs to hear.
Kandy MuseI dont think anyone is having a more chaotic run than Kandy.
One week shes nearly punching out Tamisha, the next shes everybodys bestie.
Shes sky high, then shes lip syncing.
Unfortunately for Kandy, this week is the latter.
For someone who went viral inthe premierefor a stellar lip sync, Kandy has been whiffing these performance challenges.
But Kandys strengths lie in her charisma and attitude, and neither of those qualities translates to technical choreography.
Something is VERY wrong.
SymoneThe gag of the week.
I cant put it better than RuPaul: Symone, this week you didnt get overshadowed.
You forgot to shine.
Its shocking to see Symone dim herself this week in a way weve never seen from her before.
Ross is right: Every time the camera finds its way to Symone, it feels like shes apologizing.
In the lip sync, however, Symone shines bright.
I found the lip sync this week (to Fifth Harmonys BO$$) quite thrilling.
Symone in particular nails every beat, and I gave her the edge to win this one.
However, the judges are still craving Kandy.
And neither can I.
Burning down the studio lot?
Anything is possible when it comes to Kandy, and we wont want to miss it.
The lip sync is a great cap to a successful episode that sets this season back on track.
Lets see how these girls fare in the crucible of Snatch Game.
