AJ and the Queen is a dramedy starring RuPaul as drag queen Ruby Red. After losing all his money to his con-artist ex-boyfriend, Ruby realizes what was supposed to be his last cross-country trip performing won’t be. While at his lowest point, Ruby discovers that his 10-year-old upstairs neighbor AJ (Izzy G.) is at an even lower point because she has no idea on the current status of her mother, a sex worker struggling with severe substance abuse.
Faced with AJ’s constant threats, RuPaul as Robert Lincoln Lee schleps AJ across the United States because she wants to see her grandfather. However, the road trip doesn’t go smoothly because the man Ruby thought was his boyfriend Hector Ramirez/Damien Sanchez (Josh Segarra) is searching for them. What was intended to be a drag queen’s last hurrah on the road, turns into a quest for survival, bringing more dramatic elements to the series than one might have expected.
Fans of RuPaul will find a lot to like here. If you’re not a RuPaul fan or can’t forgive him for his comments toward the transgender community, then you will find the storyline where he thinks AJ is a boy or gender fluid hard to swallow since he uses it as an excuse to demonstrate how liberal and politically correct he can be.
Gender politics aside, AJ and the Queen is an interesting show. While it’s far from the greatest thing on Netflix, the show can be easily binge-watched as it’s a fun look into the world of drag queens — complete with several appearances from former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants. As long as you don’t take the show too seriously and think its representative of every drag queen’s experience, there’s a lot to like. At the very least, it’s fun to watch RuPaul’s performances as Ruby Red.
Rating: 8 out of 10
