S12.E13: Alone Together

[OnceSane]

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The 12 queens come together in a virtual slumber party; Ru checks in with all the girls during quarantine and chats about the shadiest moments and most shocking eliminations, and takes fan questions.

Airs May 22, 2020.

[RoxiP]

Can Friday night come sooner rather than later?

[bobbyjoe]

I don’t know if I’ve ever been this excited about a reunion.  There’s so much going on from Sherry Pie to the quarantine that there doesn’t seem like much room for filler.  Plus, how is Ru gonna look in the harsh light of home cameras?  Will we return to the Season 1 blur?  Inquiring minds want to know!

[Supagirl]

This is the weirdest damn thing. What the hell is Ru wearing??!?!?

[Kroliosis]

Wow. R Kelly pissing/molesting a minor is still fucking funny?? 

[CraftyHazel]

Ru had no Raven in quarantine, so she was forced to wear a mask.  Aiden looked wonderful, Nicky is BITTER, and they didn’t address the SP situation at all.  I had hoped for better, honestly.  Interesting that Gigi and Crystal refused to lay those rumors to rest...

[bobbyjoe]

Intentional or not, Crystal’s creepy candle outfit was scary as hell; I’d forgotten her great Freddie Krueger look but it’s weird to think that as sweet as Crystal is she’s a really great horror queen when she wants to be, right up there with Sharon Needles.

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Aiden looked wonderful

And Aiden’s at-home “bedroom queen” reel of looks was great; it made me want to see her live even more.  A lot of the eliminated queens looked good; I thought Dahlia’s look was cool.  And Rock M Sakura came off really well tonight; if she’d been this funny and confident during the actual season I bet she’d have gone further. 

Meanwhile,  Brita’s so obviously desperately scrambling to revise her image after learning how badly she came off this season.  And she-who-shall-not-be-named was not named all episode; my husband pointed out that even if they wanted to, opening up the floor for everyone to rant about Sherry (oops, I named her) could get tricky legally, so the show is better off just continuing to write her out of existence.

What a great slate of queens this season; I liked so many of them and it really felt good to see them.  Weirdly I liked this format better than the usual “all of them in the studio” reunion; there’s something fun about getting a slight glimpse into their homes and how they want to present themselves.  Kudos to Ru and the producers for keeping this fun and energetic; the Vanjie as every fan thing was absolutely hilarious.

 

[Just Carol]

41 minutes ago, bobbyjoe said:

Intentional or not, Crystal’s creepy candle outfit was scary as hell; I’d forgotten her great Freddie Krueger look but it’s weird to think that as sweet as Crystal is she’s a really great horror queen when she wants to be, right up there with Sharon Needles.

[snip]

What a great slate of queens this season; I liked so many of them and it really felt good to see them.  Weirdly I liked this format better than the usual “all of them in the studio” reunion; there’s something fun about getting a slight glimpse into their homes and how they want to present themselves.  Kudos to Ru and the producers for keeping this fun and energetic; the Vanjie as every fan thing was absolutely hilarious.

 

Crystal is obviously extremely talented and fearless as a makeup artist and character actor.  I do notice that a lot of Crystal's looks have been masculine... Satan, Mr. Freeze, the exotic dancer, Ernie, the cow (well, female, but...), and tonight's Mr. Scrooge.  I don't know if it is drag. 

I almost think this video chat format was better than an in-studio reunion.  Less fighting, and they all seemed very relaxed untucked in their jockey underwear.  Ru's mask was bizarre.  Would have been better if he had slathered his face with Noxema. 

Edited May 23, 2020 by Just Carol

[Juneau Gal]

Somebody has got to explain why Ru wore a Mexican wrestling mask. Was it a cheeky reverse homage to the nose and mouth covering masks we are now wearing? And it looked off skew to me; the whole show I wanted to reach through the screen and adjust it over to her right. 

[Ananayel]

Okay, there is just nothing shadier, now or ever, as "came in 13th in a 12 person contest." I think that was the only reference to <redacted.>

Ru in a robe with face cream would have been fun. Whatever that was, it was just weird and out of place.

 

[AntManBee]

11 minutes ago, Ananayel said:

Ru in a robe with face cream would have been fun.

Exactly.  It was slumber party themed (if I recall?!) ... if there is ever an appropriate time to have a thick facial/mud mask on... this would be the time!

Edited May 23, 2020 by AntManBee

[EmZeeGee]

Did anyone think Ru had on that facekini because he had a little nip, tuck and pluck? I got a very post surgery face compression mask vibe from it. And Ru loves plastic surgery (remember the show Good Work?).

He's normally male Ru for the reunion anyway, so why not just wear a nice pair of pajamas and put a little concealer under the eyes?

[AntManBee]

1 minute ago, EmZeeGee said:

(remember the show Good Work?).

Off topic... but I desperately wish Good Work would come back!! 

[30 Helens]

That was fun! 

Ru’s mask was weird, unbecoming, and distracting. I wasn’t real fond of the Scrooge look, either. Maybe it would have been fine for a short segment, but just like Ru’s look, I got tired of it creeping me out. Everyone else looked great, though. Especially Dahlia.

I loved Jan’s mini shade button!

Seeing everyone together reminded me what a really great group this was (minus the Pie-hole.) It’s such a shame the season was tainted in that way, because otherwise, I think this this was the best cast they ever assembled. I had my favorites, but there was no one in that reunion I didn’t like.

[violet and green]

I thought that was a lot of fun. (I wish Jeff Probst would watch it and see how easy it is to do a reunion show using Zoom, if you put a little thought into it and prerecord.)  I loved seeing all their room settings and lamps/candles and assorted backdrops. Top cast. Likable, funny, warm, human, and with great makeup skills.

I am still itching to readjust Ru's mask so it's centralized.

[loki310]

That went a lot better than I expected. Will miss this show when it wraps up. Loved AOC and Leslie Jones - good to see more footage of their time on the show. 

[853fisher]

I guess she thought she’d like to keep it on?

Edited May 23, 2020 by 853fisher

[ElectricBoogaloo]

First I want to comment on the technical aspect of the show. I have seen so many zoom/IG live cast reunions in the past two months and for the most part, there's always at least one person with shitty lighting, echoing sound, crappy wifi that results in the video freezing or stuttering, old people who don't know to prop up their phones, etc.

But in contrast, this reunion looked and sounded great. Vanjie was the only one who had noticeable echoing but I was willing to overlook that since she was only around for a few short segments. I know that there have been complaints in the more recent seasons about having Instagram queens as contestants but THANK GOD that everyone is technologically competent enough to have ring lights, decent camera set ups, etc. I also liked that there wasn't a lot of overtalking/interrupting which is something else I've found really distracting during the recent spate of online cast reunions.

Aside from that, this reunion was really fun to watch because it was clear that everyone gets along and had gotten over whatever squabbles they had during the show. It was nice to see everyone so relaxed and enjoying themselves. I LOVED how confident and funny Rock M. was throughout. I'm glad she got to show that side of herself. 

It was also fun to see how they had each set up their recording spaces for the show. I totally cracked up that Aiden had all those black wigs in the background as decorations. This is the most fun I can remember having while watching a RPDR reunion in years. I don't know how much of that was due to being at home (and untucked) and how much of it was that this group got along and weren't holding grudges.

[Keywestclubkid]

How you gonna have a show where you demand that drag queens have “perfect” makeup and have the host of the show not even know how to put on her own makeup. Girl come on now. The mask was super odd and out of place. And yes rupaul hasn’t dressed herself or done her own makeup since before this show started. But still how you gonna have the nerve to critique someone else for a basic skill you don’t even have on a show with your name on it? Lol 

Edited May 23, 2020 by Keywestclubkid

[Gabs66]

I bought this season on Amazon Prime and this episode is not showing up. Anyone else have this problem? 

[Marisagf]

Valentina had the right idea years ago!

 

[Just Carol]

Forgot to mention that I loved that Widow had her own bedazzled glasses for the reading portion.

 Also, her rap was great.  Do we think she really concocted that on the fly, or was it rehearsed?

[Gothish520]

This was a lot of fun. I thought Nicky Doll was a standout, she looked stunning and was very funny. They all had great moments though.

I give kudos to Ru and TPTB for how the controversy was handled - what could have been a disaster or even just a mediocre season turned out to be one of the best.

[30 Helens]

Yeah, I almost didn’t watch this season because I was very creeped out by all the talking heads from You-Know-who in episode 1. Fortunately, I decided to give it another chance. I wonder how many people didn’t. 

[Blakeston]

5 hours ago, Just Carol said:

Also, her rap was great.  Do we think she really concocted that on the fly, or was it rehearsed?

I can't even imagine Widow's rap was concocted on the fly.

I loved her "prettiest girl on the planet...of the apes" read of Crystal. Before Widow said that, it looked like Brita gave the funniest read of the reunion (the Patricia Quinn reference), and that would have made me sad.

I noticed that in the episode where Nicky was eliminated, she lashed out at Aiden backstage about the napping incident - even though it had happened in a previous challenge. At the time, I was willing to chalk it up to extreme stress and frustration. But this reunion confirmed for me that she has a bitter, petty side.

I really wish someone had said to Nicky, "If not you, then which one of us should have gone home?" Because I'm sorry, but she was clearly the worst in that challenge.

I totally understand the producers deciding not to use the reunion to give S***** P** any more attention. But it really would have been interesting to hear the queens talk about what they really thought of her, and how they reacted to the disturbing revelations about her. (But knowing how much of what we see in the reunions is phony PR spin, I have a feeling we would have heard a lot of "I never would have guessed, she was like a sister to me, she was such an inspiration" reactions.)

Speaking of phony PR spin, there's Crystal and Gigi. I think "there's a llttle fact in the fiction" just means "we both think the other is kinda cute in a non-sexual way." With a heaping side of "we just want attention." 

I was disappointed that Jackie's celebrity admirer was Lisa Rinna. I was hoping for Barbara Eden!

[theatremouse]

I thought it was pretty clear from the messaging before the first episode even aired, and the language they use in every pre-show, that their intention was to give SP as little airtime as possible without making the episodes confusing. I thought it was pretty clear not only would SP not appear in the reunion or the finale, but production intended as soon as they found out that in anything yet to be filmed, they'd treat it as though SP was not a participant

[Just Carol]

51 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

Speaking of phony PR spin, there's Crystal and Gigi. I think "there's a llttle fact in the fiction" just means "we both think the other is kinda cute in a non-sexual way." With a heaping side of "we just want attention." 

And yet, when Gigi was asked to describe her season in one word, she said El DeBarge.

 

[CraftyHazel]

4 hours ago, Just Carol said:

And yet, when Gigi was asked to describe her season in one word, she said El DeBarge.

 

Relationship rumors aside, they clearly have some chemistry and attraction between them.  I think it’s cute!

[belligerent]

22 hours ago, Marmiarmo said:

Relationship rumors aside, they clearly have some chemistry and attraction between them.  I think it’s cute!

There was also a brokeback mountain reference from Gigi about Crystal. 

[CraftyHazel]

29 minutes ago, belligerent said:

There was also a brokeback mountain reference from Gigi about Crystal. 

Right!  

[Just Carol]

1 hour ago, belligerent said:

There was also a brokeback mountain reference from Gigi about Crystal. 

What was it?

[CraftyHazel]

6 hours ago, Just Carol said:

What was it?

“I wish I knew how to quit you.”

[Keywestclubkid]

That one time on project runway when Ru had to paint her own face....

[RoxiP]

I didn't even remember who Dahlia was - my daughter had to remind me - but then I saw her chest tattoos and it came back to me.

Nicki is honestly so beautiful that I keep forgetting that underneath that wig she is male.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

9 hours ago, RoxiP said:

I didn't even remember who Dahlia was - my daughter had to remind me - but then I saw her chest tattoos and it came back to me

You forgot the broccoli?

[RoxiP]

14 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

You forgot the broccoli?

I forgot who was IN the broccoli.  That darned broccoli had more sightings than Sherry Pie!!

Edited May 27, 2020 by RoxiP

[swanpride]

Little late to comment, but here are my two cents.

The face mask was awful. Is it really so difficult to put on proper makeup? For a male face if must. Or at least to find a less creepy mask….

Glad that she wasn't mentioned. It always upsets me if the attacker of this world get more attention than their victims. Who cares knows what happened. Who doesn't should even see her. Taking the exposure the show gives the queen away from her is the best way to handle this.

Otherwise this was actually more entertaining than most reunions. I guess partly because it was more private, by having the queens in their personal spaces, but also because it was really interesting to see how they set up. Most of them are really pro when it comes to stuff like this, aren't they?

 

loved the "shade" fan.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

 

On 5/30/2020 at 5:33 PM, swanpride said:

loved the "shade" fan.

You can get it here ! They also have this one and this one.  

[swanpride]

Thanks, but I didn't mean that I wanted to own it. Was just a nice detail to put into a streaming show.

[MsJamieDornan]

RuPaul looked ridiculous.