This series has been widely panned on all the RPDR blogs I’ve seen.
Over the last few seasons, the lipsynch edit has been a bit of a blunt weapon, making the winner obvious before it’s announced. This episode set the whole of the last half hour up the same way. It’s very annoying and makes me much less invested.
I was very pleased with the winner. Worthy of only for being lovely and normal.
In terms of the queens…
Art, i think, was guilty of arrogance. Clearly she’s a big star in Oz already and she clearly had a budget far beyond the rest. Her final runway was pretty, but we’ve seen it a few times already: immaculate, huge, regency wig, perfectly colour-matched to an ultra femme theatrical-costume style frock and matching fantasy makeup. Her lipsynch was, to use the vernacular, completely basic.
Karen’s verse was quite a clever contrast. She knows who that character is and it’s always going to be a good living for her - but Ru doesn’t want character drag. The dance outfit was ugly, but I kind of loved that. Very Muriel’s Wedding meets the Jetsons. The runway was a bit meh, but she had some more going on in the lipsynch than Art. Not enough though because…
Kita! The edit this week was all about Kita. She had the most deeply-received sob story; they told her she was a great singer - despite vocoder-a-go-go; and she and Scarlett were the only ones who Michelle didn’t say “they’ll be good in a few years” about. Her runway was odd. The wings were shamazing and the big fake boobs were fun, but the dress had a beige modesty panel that sat below the boobs and looked like a weird belt as a result. I think maybe the top of the dress had sunk down, exposing more of the boobs than planned. But it was the ONLY really interesting runway. Karen did Karen and the others did pageant gowns. Dull. And then… Kita sealed the deal with a fully choreographed routine. With props! Think about the great US drag race finale lipsynchs. Sasha Velour’s rose petals! By comparison, the others seemed to be making it up as they went along.
Scarlett was the talent, of course. But the mean girls almost never win (Tyra in S2 and The Vivienne in UK S1, as sole exceptions). And then there was the racism. She’s beautiful and a great dancer, but I hated her outfit for the group number. Straggly hair and obvious skinny-girl sexuality. Her message to her younger self was one of the worst I’ve seen. Shamelessly insincere and lacking in any self awareness. She even pretended to cry. But she could’ve stolen the lipsynch. It was just a bit predictable though. Let’s Get Physical is a camp song and there just wasn’t enough acting / narrative in what she was doing.
(Still watched the whole thing, mind)
