In its penultimate episode, Ru Paul’s Drag Race All Stars 3 tried its hardest to maintain the momentum generated by last week’s gag-worthy twist. That is no easy task, especially when you consider how hit-or-miss this season is. But, in an episode that took a surprisingly political bend, the queens tried their damned hardest to hit another homerun, to mostly mixed results.
The episode’s main challenge saw the queens acting in a fake movie that riffed off Bridesmaids and Girls Trip. Each queen was given a famous actress to evoke, including Emma Stone and Helen Mirren, with Morgan being given the task of casting the film. This, of course, caused drama and led to some poor casting decisions, as well as a rocky challenge overall. While the material was far less funny than we’ve come to expect from film spoofs on Drag Race, Kennedy, Bebe, and even Morgan were miscast in their parts, often coming off as stiff and unfunny. Shangela, meanwhile, continued to kill it, while Trixie brought an A-game we haven’t seen from her before.
It was the runway portion of the week’s competition that saw the tension rise. For the most pat, all the queens showed up in wonderful outfits that helped even the playing field after an uneven first challenge. But the episode’s biggest problem is one that can only be described with spoilers – so be warned of what’s to follow. Shangela and Trixie (rightfully) made it to the top two. But, in the end, it was Morgan – the queen who made a shocking return last week – who was sent packing, which is massively disappointing. Now, this isn’t to imply that Morgan did particularly well; she flopped during the challenge, and while her dress was good, it wasn’t exactly a home run. But sending her home so shortly after being redeemed retroactively cheapens the last twist, and makes the coming finale far less exciting.
Let’s put it this way: Shangela is not only the frontrunner for the crown but, truly, the only queen left standing who remotely deserves it. Trixie, Bebe, and Kennedy are all solid queens, though none of them have come anywhere close to Shangela in terms of style, creativity, or humor. The competition, frankly, isn’t even close: Shangela hasn’t had a true flop this whole season – even her worst outfit (the Studio 54 drag) was better than her competition’s weakest hours. This will be a finale devoid of suspense unless, somehow, Trixie makes a shocking comeback in the final hour. And, while that would certainly be surprising, it would be wholly undeserved.
End spoilers.
The last thing to address about this week’s episode of Drag Race was the political tone it took, and the unfortunate elephant in the room. This week, Ru invited House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi into the work room to speak to the queens about the importance of being a part of the democratic process, especially as members of the queer community. Later in the hour, Ru and her guest judges did a comedic, but informative, bit about how the viewers at home could call their representatives. Was this all cheesy? Yes. But drag is an inherently political act that laughs in the face of societal gender roles, and proudly celebrates queerness. In our current political climate, the country can sometimes feel scary for LGBTQ+ folks. So, it was really quite powerful to see an elected official take part in an iconic queer television series, salute the queens, and encourage them to get involved.
But, of course, this episode was also tinged by the awfulness of Ru’s interview from earlier this week, in which he made some indefensible comments about trans women taking part in Drag Race. While Ru has since issued a seemingly heartfelt and sincere apology, it was still an awkward episode to watch.
Furthermore, All Stars 3 has felt like a game show filled with drama between contestants, whereas last season was filled with lively political conversation, genuinely inspirational moments, and, of course, an out trans queen, Peppermint, who came in second place. There’s something missing in Drag Race right now, and hearing Ru’s exclusionary comments from earlier in the week only made the absence of political passion more noticeable. Let’s hope Season 10 makes up for this.
Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
https://youtu.be/0bavTLrUvkc
