RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Recap: Cweepy
Hey, guys, I’m on vacay in Montreal this week — I saw Giselle Lullaby from CDR perform with some local Quebecois talent; go see Kitana Sweett if in Montreal — so I’m going to keep this recap short and sweet. Luckily for me, this was an enjoyable, breezy little episode.
We open on the fallout from last week, in which Angeria seems chill about getting the snippers. This is her bi-episode routine at this point. Plastique, Roxxxy, and Angeria all seem pretty confident in their top spots all episode — or maybe they just know they’ve done well enough not to embarrass themselves and don’t care about actually making the finale; who can say?
Moving along, this week’s challenge is a Rusical based on Rosemary’s Baby. I would place my bets on a maximum of two of the girls having seen the movie before this filming. My guess is most of them are only familiar with the film via that time on America’s Next Top Model where Tyra wouldn’t stop talking about giving a girl a haircut that looked like Mia Farrow’s in Rosemary’s Baby to the point that the girl quit the competition.
The question I was asking all episode is if I think it’s weird that the show chose to make a big Rusical about the (queer-coded) freaks of the world being beautiful things to celebrate based on a film made by Roman Polanski, of all people. I came down on the side of not thinking about a Rusical too hard, but your mileage may vary.
Something I did like: The show never seems entirely clear on what the Rusical challenge actually mandates. Is it live singing? Is it lip syncing to a random, prerecorded track? Is it lip-syncing to yourself in a recording booth? This week, they opt for the latter, and the episode is the better for it. Live singing is a bit too much for the girls, I find, but they should be expected to nail vocal characters.
There’s the usual jockeying for roles, leaving front-runner Angeria with one she doesn’t want and leaving me immediately entertained by the idea of Vanjie as a devil baby (a concept that failed to deliver on the strength of its idea, sad to say). Recording goes smoothly; choreo is hard. This is all pretty typical.
When we arrive at “Rosemarie’s Baby Shower: The Rusical,” my reaction was largely “pretty good!” Everybody plays their roles well enough; the choreo is, for the most part, competently executed; and the Rusical itself is entertaining. The Rusicals have become increasingly high-level productions over the years, and while, on a writing level, I wouldn’t put this at the top of the list, it’s a worthy addition to the canon.
Jorgeous does the best by far. She plays M3GAN, which is a perfect role for her because she’s always had trouble making her facial engagement match her remarkable dancing. Her movements are perfectly calibrated to evoke the AI robot doll, and it is simply impossible to take your eyes off her in the role. It’s one of the best Rusical performances I’ve ever seen, and the perfect marriage of performer to character.
Everybody else does about equivalently well. If there’s anybody who has seen the film, I’d bet on Shannel, who does a pretty solid Ruth Gordon. She’s technically playing Sidney Blackmer, but Angeria is playing Ruth, and it has no semblance to the original (Oscar-winning) performance, so Shannel might as well play Ruth. Could it be pushed further? I think so. Was it good enough? Totally.
Plastique executes Rosemarie perfectly well. I wouldn’t say it’s a remarkable performance from the girl who has won the most challenges this season, but it does the job. Gottmik’s Blair (a.k.a. Regan) in The Exorcist performance is great, but it seemed like the camera angles were hiding her being occasionally a step behind in the choreography. Roxxxy does Pennywise. The makeup is exceptional, and the performance is pretty good too. Nina plays the gospel-y exorcist, and I’ve gotta say: If Angeria had won the part, I think she would have turned the party. Nina’s completely competent, but I was thinking of what might have been. Vanjie finishes off the performance as the devil baby. Unfortunately, the show decides to make it a reference to Sam Smith’s “Unholy,” which is ultimately a much less interesting idea than just telling Vanjie to become a devil baby and seeing what happens. She does a good job, but it is simply not weird enough for me.
The runway category is pearl. Plastique references the iconic 1995 Mugler Birth of Venus dress. As always, the costume is impeccable to the point where it feels insane to even have a critique. I do, though: The clamshell starts way too high on her body. The original was so remarkable because it flattered the body by moving with its natural shape. Plastique looks like she has random wings. Angeria wears a supremely opulent pageant gown that I don’t really like that much. The headpiece is incredible. Shannel wears a weirdo, club-kid-inspired number that is definitely out of her comfort zone. Looks great! Gottmik goes as a black pearl in a Diego Montoya–made fit (why do they only emphasize who makes Mik’s looks?), and it’s a high-impact, phenomenal look. My favorite detail, however, was her covering her cheek contour in black pearls.
Roxxxy wears a look that seems inspired by Kim K’s 2023 Met Gala outfit, though she references flappers, which is also fair. Honestly, I felt like it needed a few more strands. I like Jorgeous’s outfit a lot, but the gloves didn’t feel necessary. The Bride of Frankenstein wig, however? Inspired. Nina pulls out an Elizabethan dress that is clearly on a different level than a lot of her looks throughout the season. Nice to see her in something a tad more fashionable. Vanjie looks amazing in a half-clam outfit that turns her head into the pearl. Great stuff! Love everything about it.
Shannel and Jorgeous win. Jorgeous was a guarantee from my vantage point, and, while a few other queens could have taken Shannel’s spot, the moment when she finally wins is truly heartwarming — like when Susan Lucci finally won her Emmy.
The girls lip-sync to “Love Come Home” by guest judge Kristine W. They end up tying. Sure! Both girls get money for their charity, and then both girls get to give away a badge. And they end up giving them to … each other! It’s a great moment. Suddenly Jorgeous is slated for the finale with four badges, and Shannel is tied with Gottmik, Nina, and Vanjie. It’s a shake-up, and it’s one that was based around strategy. Nice to see it.