I have to confess something: the Queen wasn’t really very excited about blogging Drag Race. It was Bianca who convinced me to commit to it. And it was you Miss Things who made it one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
I know that sounds very dramatic. But I am, after all, a sometimes flamboyant homosexual male.
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The reason I’m being so hard on you Ru, is because you are THE Dynamic Diva in Drag. Not only have you changed the face of Female Impersonation, but you’ve done so in an entertaining and artistic fashion. You are a consummate professional. The drivel you put out last night was—at best—amateurish, and—at worst—insulting to the intelligence of your viewers. Let’s continue, shall we?
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In the Queen’s opinion, this season of Untucked was different than the past two, in that the focus was at least equally split between stereotypically bitchy queen behavior and a thoughtful exploration of Drag. Somewhere in between Jiggly and Phi Phi’s borderline schizophrenic and juvenile tirades; we also got some heartfelt discussions on bullying and acceptance of differences.
This was not an episode involving the latter.
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Is the fix in on Phi Phi?
Okay.
Where do they find these dudes?
Do they cruise Target, and follow guys with kids in tow who surreptitiously steal glances down the Maybelline aisle, and stare longingly at the Jason Wu Women’s Collection?
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Not to toot the Queen’s own horn (okay, specifically to toot the Queen’s own horn), but I realized something after watching this week’s episodes: except for the Drag part, I would tear up Drag Race. Unlike most of the dolls, I understand EXACTLY what is required in each of the challenges. If Bianca was still doing Drag, he would kill it. He and I talked into the wee hours of the morning about whether the show has peaked, or if it just started out on such a high, that it would be almost impossible to keep up the same expectations from week to week. Your thoughts?
Nevertheless it was an enjoyable episode with enough laughs and tears for even the most jaded viewers.
It started out with many people’s favorite mini-challenge: throwing shade. This is an art form that I have a really big problem with. It’s very much like the phenomenon in the black community called “Playing the Dozens.” Putting down someone in a clever way is still putting someone down. Bianca, however, insists that there are positive aspects to the ritual. He believes that for the giver, it promotes quick thinking and observational skills; for the receiver, it fosters a thicker skin and ability to bounce back from negative comments.
The Queen has to admit that he laughed out loud at a few of the jibes. But still maintains that we are, in some ways, glorifying abuse. And if we are going to do that, AT LEAST have the decency to give the win to Sharon Needles. She was MUCH funnier than Latrice.
So Latrice wins, and we are introduced to the Main Challenge: create your own magazine. The queens had a tough time with this one. The reasons why are debated by myself and Bianca and we part company on our hypothesis. Bianca thinks that the contestants, knowing that certain challenges are basically inevitable, should have prepared in advance for Snatch Game, some kind of video production and a “literary” challenge. I tend to believe that most of the lady boys DO try to prepare. The problem is that most of them don’t have a clue as to how to do it. Such was the case with this episode. Not knowing layout or design–and most especially how to be witty or tongue-in-cheek, most of the magazines fell flat. The prime example being Jiggly.
Here’s one of the places where this self appointed Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent Coach could help. A good coach or director is good at posing questions that lead a person to discover information for themselves. As much as Ru tried to help, all he really said was “be funny.” But Jiggly doesn’t SEE himself as funny, so the suggestion was pretty much meaningless to him. 
It wasn’t until he hit the Main Stage and had his moment with RuPaul that he was able equate his natural sense of humor to the challenge. I think a lot of the dolls were like that. They just don’t get the concepts of Parody and/or Satire when it comes to these types of contests. 
Of course Jiggly wasn’t helped by being sabotaged by someone she trusted. I swear, I think she’s the worst of any queen, any season. Agree? Disagree?
More of the individual issues (get it…issues…magazines…GET IT?!) when we trash discuss the dolls in the next post. But for now…
It’s Condragulations to Phi Phi O’Hara
But before we get to her (and to give me a moment to suppress my own bile), the Queen thought that Pam Tillis and Regina King were SUPERB judges! Both their insight and their humor was such a welcome addition to the panel. One of my favorite lines of the night (which I think all of these queens should have tattooed on their chests) was Pam’s astute comment, “I never equate fabulous Drag Queens and ‘cute.’ I wanna be devastated.”
What pains me most about Miss O’Hara’s win, is that I can’t disagree with it. She looked great last night. And overall–in the light of the rest of the mediocre fare–had one of the better magazines. 
She needs to buy Kenya Michaels a BIG bouquet of roses for the makeup tips. I think that the only other person the win possibly could have gone to was Sharon. However that would give an extreme advantage to Ms. Needles which I think the Producers want to avoid. Unfortunately it’s going to make Phi Phi ubearable–which, of course, makes for good trash TV.
And it’s Sashay Away to Miss Jiggly Caliente.
The Queen agrees with Bianca that it was time for her to go. However we also agree that there is a lot of talent there. With a few more years of maturation and coaching, she will really be a force with which to be reckoned. In the end, she actually went out as a dignified thirty year-old. I wish her the absolute best.
As always, what do you Miss Things think?
The Queen will be watching Fashion Star this evening. Let’s muse about it tomorrow.
