The bad thing about Drag Race?: not every episode can be a homerun. The good thing about this season of Drag Race?: even when an episode doesn’t hit it out of the park, it comes pretty damn close. Yes, Season 10 of Drag Race continued to satisfy, even as the episode fizzled out in the final moments with an anticlimactic lip sync and rather mundane results.
This week, the Queens were given an improv challenge, forcing them to act on a fake Jerry Springer-esque show while working in pairs assigned by The Vixen. Like many of the comedic bits on Drag Race, the jokes were hit or miss, and not because of any of the Queens– in fact, almost all of the Queens did a nice job! Instead, it was the material they were given to work with that fell short: only a handful of the over-the-top storylines thrown at them worked and, as a result, there were somewhat staggering dips in quality.
Eureka and Aquaria, for example, were given a ridiculous set-up where they had to play drag queens committed to acting like babies, and while both queens managed to score some laughs, the entire affair felt somewhat one-note. But, the challenge gave some queens that were previously stuck on the sidelines– namely Kameron Michaels, who played a queen addicted to eating panties.
Something felt off about the episode’s final moments, however. While drag, I suppose, is a subjective form of art, the way the judges zeroed in on certain queens felt odd and strangely forced, almost as if they were prioritizing a reality show narrative as opposed to a genuine competition.
Without getting into spoilers, Eureka and The Vixen received commentary from the judges that felt largely unwarranted. And, while the bottom two queens certainly made sense, the lip sync they shared was surprisingly boring. It led to an ending that felt largely underwhelming, especially given how strong the main challenge segments were as a whole.
But what was most refreshing about this week’s episode is the way the Queens (mostly) steered clear of drama, and even found some opportunities to share genuinely effective advice or offer insights into the drag community as a whole. Miz Cracker had what was ultimately an extended monologue about her struggle with self-confidence that provided some dimension to this year’s fan-favorite, while a tender moment found four of the queens discussing sexual fluidity and their experiences with sex and romance with a surprising amount of honesty.
But the episode’s best moment found The Vixen and Eureka addressing their explosive fight from last week. It felt truly satisfying to see this very dramatic moment come to a mature conclusion, and it proved that The Vixen (this critic’s favorite of the queens) is much more than the “villain” that her detractors are trying to paint her as. This season of Drag Race has, amidst the cheesy one-liners and double entendres, provided a stunning critique of reality show clichés and the way they exploit racial stereotypes for profit. And that conversation only took place because of The Vixen, and her admirable refusal to ignore drama.
It’s unrealistic to expect a season filled with home runs – of course, Season 10 of Drag Race would eventually stumble a bit. But a stumble this small suggests that there isn’t much to worry about. As the number of queens continues to get smaller, this competition only grows more exciting and competitive. “Perfect 10” or not, whatever comes next will likely be exciting.
