Drag Race France: Une Seule Sera La Reine!

[davidcalgary29]

Hopefully the title means that we won't have a double winner this season...

What a fun episode! The talent was amazing -- not one balloon animal on stage! I was shocked that La Grande Dame was simply declared "safe". 

I was initially hesitant to see Nicky as a judge, but she's certainly gracious and charming, seems to be very sincere, and is much more relaxed than Brooke Lynn was on S1 of DR: Canada.. The fact that she was eliminated so early on her season seems to make her much more relatable to the queens. 

I was very disappointed with the subtitling, which was wrong in a few cases, omited information in others,  and erased or diluted the puns or clever wordplay in other scenes. My French is passably good enough that this cognitive dissonance became jarring through the duration of the episode. Boo!

I nominate Bertha as the trade of the season. Yum!

Edited June 26, 2022 by davidcalgary29

[Wonderlad71]

Great bunch of queens -

Judging seemed a bit odd. Jean Paul Gaultier (!!!) 

I didn't think La Kahena deserved to be bottom two - seems like an interesting queen but yes was in her head a bit.

And La Grand Dame was clearly Top 2 IMHO - very polished and talented indeed for someone so young.

[violet and green]

La Kahena was one of my favourites! That was a very odd top and bottom lineup. Some of the safe queens did better than safe in talent and runway, and certainly better than Berthe, and I don't think La Kahena should have been in the bottom two.

Jean Paul Gaultier was fabulous. So keen and engaged.

I agree about the subtitles. Easily the worst 'translations' of any subtitled series I've ever seen, and that's saying a lot. Really offputting.

Elps is my other favourite, so that was lovely to see.

Nice, snappy editing; some engaging personalities. But so bummed re La Kahena.

[threebluestars]

I thought Kam Hugh was the weakest in episode 1, but seemed to get a lot of talking heads, so I figured they'd keep her for the drama.

[davidcalgary29]

I'm really impressed that Drag Race France is the first franchise to recognize the enormous impact that women have had on drag...and a little depressed that that hasn't been acknowledged before. More drag kings! More!

The acting challenge was one of the best of the entire franchise, although the roles were incredibly, unfairly, uneven in length and impact. And why was Lova's performance "cringeworthy"? 

Lolita's runway garment was one of my top five runway moments across all variants of this show. STUNNING.

[Wonderlad71]

I'm sorry but I am tired of these long drawn out acting challenges (especially with DR Original Recipe having one this week as well) but this one wasn't bad. 

Yes Lolita's runway was stunning and I  was sure they were giving her a win. But Paloma and La Grande Dame had such huge roles and I thought were very competent carrying the whole narrative so kudos to them as well. It was Lova Ladiva's time to go. 

Not sure if I have a fave yet. Have a soft spot for a couple (Briochee, Grande Dame, Banana) but still early days. 

With 10 queens I'm assuming this is 8 epiosdes (?)

[davidcalgary29]

I love how these episode start out with a promise of something rather bland and trite and then transform, about half-way through, into an experience that pulses with excitement. Bertha's unconvential look was HIDEOUS, but her take on Versailles was totally incredible. And I agree with La Grande Dame: she should have won tonight!

[violet and green]

I loved how engaged and appreciative of the creativity of their designs Chantal Thomass was. Kam's pigeon suit was extraordinary, but agree La Grande Dame had three great looks. I wish they would have Chantal as a judge every week, to highlight the work put in and the imagination involved, whoever designs the looks. Felt so sad for Elips, but all's well that ends well. Beautiful exit by La Brioche.

[Rai]

After watching the first two episodes, I'm pretty charmed. Nicky Doll is killing it as host. Much better than Brook Lynn if you ask me. They all seem fairly supportive of one another -- like, they all really cheered for Paloma. I look at Paloma and see a resemblance to Hugacio from the first season of Drag Race Espana and remember how Dovima was pretty mean to them. The contrast is stark is what I'm saying.

Also, she may have underwhelmed everywhere else, but honestly, Lova could turn a lip sync. If she'd kept her wig on for the second one, I think she might've had a stronger chance. I didn't want to lose Soa so-a early, but she didn't seem to know the lyrics very well.

The drag kings were terrific, and I want more of them in al franchises (and a bearded queen on drag race original recipe). I guess la Bertha didn't do great, but the door slam on Isabelle's face was perfect. Justice for Elips's mime and alien flowers! Stunning.

The read by Marianne James on the acting of La Grande Dame was epic. It wasn't mean, it wasn't scoring points just for the sake of it, it was just factual, and even Michelle Visage would be in awe. Overall, the judging isn't quite as incisive as Espana, but it's still critical without being too mean, and the permanent co-judges are delights. I'm in! I'm charmed!

[Rai]

Oh, and I forgot to mention, if the subtitle really does mean "There can be only one Queen!" then that's hilarious. Because then it feels like a shout-out to Christopher Lambert, the original Highlander, who's French American, and who has been in very successful outings in both countries. Maybe a coincidence! But you never know with this overall franchise.

[Stardancer Supreme]

On 6/28/2022 at 7:09 AM, Wonderlad71 said:

Great bunch of queens -

Judging seemed a bit odd. Jean Paul Gaultier (!!!) 

I didn't think La Kahena deserved to be bottom two - seems like an interesting queen but yes was in her head a bit.

And La Grand Dame was clearly Top 2 IMHO - very polished and talented indeed for someone so young.

I liked this iteration of Drag Race!  I've watched enough of these shows to be able to tell which queens aren't ready for the DR pressure cooker.  La Kahena was showing all of the signs. 

Nicky Doll is an excellent host! 

[davidcalgary29]

I'm continuing to enjoy the season. But what is up with that background soundtrack? There have been several moments in earlier episodes where charming, insightful moments have been nearly derailed by this cinematic, sweeping score -- clearly stolen from some unreleased Nicole Kidman historical film from 1993 -- playing softly in the background. WHAT is going on?!

[davidcalgary29]

Well, the queens certainly made an interesting choice by choosing celebrities with almost zero international footprint. And the two that I did know -- Fanny Ardant and Mirielle Mathieu -- are hardly household names to most anglos, so it was hard to get a grasp on their personalities beyond "actress" and "singer", respectively. The jokes also seemed to be pretty weak, but I think that I'm just missing out (completely, probably) on cultural context. Still, many of the queens on the international franchises have taken pains to pick international stars as a nod to their international fans. WHY did Bertha not do Gerard Depardieu? Thorgy got away with Michael Jackson despite the scandals, so you'd think that he would be fair game despite allegations against him, as well.

Kam's runway was amazing -- so sad to see her go! I would have given the win to Soa, although LGD certainly deserved it, too. And I'm guessing that Bertha's not long for the competition now.

[Sarnia]

I have the cultural context and I felt most of the jokes fell flat on the Snatch game. Soa, La Grande Dame and Paloma were good and funny, the other seemed to lose it pretty quickly. I was so disappointed by Bertha, I was expecting her to do great. She chose a character mostly based on physical likeness and she didn't do anything with him. Same with Kam, why, oh why did she choose Mireille Mathieu? Soa made it easy for herself by choosing someone who is a completely silent character in a TV game so she had a blank canvas (but she did great with it).

[violet and green]

I thought Paloma was marvellous as Fanny Ardant, so a bit surprised when La Grande Dame won this week. Thought Berthe would've killed it in this challenge. Wish Kam had listened to Nicky Doll and picked someone else. It's so exhausting making sense of the subtitles!

[davidcalgary29]

2 hours ago, violet and green said:

 It's so exhausting making sense of the subtitles!

I noticed that they haven't improved, either, as they are often subtly (and sometimes jarringly) different from what the queens are actually saying in French. 

[Rai]

I'm not mad at Kam winning the ball challenge since her pigeon look alone was genius. However, the Grande Dame was....grande. I love her boy drag too. She's like young, hot, French David Byrne in all her oversize suits and huge height and I am LIVING. Once in a lifetime indeed! I also thought Lolita Banana did way better than she was given credit for, and I loved Bertha's accordion, so what do I know.

I didn't think Soa deserved to be on the bottom for the ball though. I did find it interesting that Briochee and Soa largely used the beach stuff as accessories and didn't get read for that. I loved Elips using the mussels as earrings, but the rest of her outfit was tragique (although I thought the pants moved beautifully). I have no idea why no one used the beach chair that had the white and red patterned fabric. It seemed full of potential!

Snatch Game! The only name I recognized was the Spanish actress. Oh well. Solid Snatch Game, although this was a place where Nicky actually faltered. Ru makes the hosting so smooth by giving the queens lines to work off and doesn't come off repetitive when she informs them it's not a match. Once again, though, I don't quite understand the judging because I thought Elips NAILED it on both the runway and the challenge. Only safe? What the hell? I thought Soa and the Grande Dame were great, but if Elips didn't win it (and I thought she should), then Paloma was the clear winner to me. A little wild that she couldn't win the other challenge that should've been perfect for her, but she's still a strong contender.

Correct bottom two though. I was very worried for Lolita, but I thought she was stronger than both Kam and Big Bertha. I've been uncomfortable with the way the other queens have been talking about her -- France isn't always known for its tolerance -- but it was nice that they rallied around her once they saw how deep Soa's words cut her. I'm rooting for her to SLAY next episode and have that shining moment at least.

Library was a mixed bag, but clear highlight was Big Bertha calling Paloma the critic from Ratatouille. A palpable hit! I also admire the Grande Dame's nerve in reading Nicky -- if not her originality because Rita Bagga did that on Canada Drag Race to Brook Lynn. Stealing from the French Canadian? The scandal of it all!

[davidcalgary29]

7 hours ago, Rai said:

I also admire the Grande Dame's nerve in reading Nicky -- if not her originality because Rita Bagga did that on Canada Drag Race to Brook Lynn. Stealing from the French Canadian? The scandal of it all!

The queens certainly noted that, but it wasn't really captured in the translation. This is what I mean about the subpar subtitling: it sands off all of the queens' personality and charm and turns each episode into something more witless and blank.

Edited July 17, 2022 by davidcalgary29

[Rai]

I can't speak French, so I'm definitely winging it with the subtitles only. I'm glad it did not go unnoticed!

[davidcalgary29]

The "girl group" challenge was really well done -- weird mini-challenge and pointless judging critiques aside. I really do wish that they'd stop with the vocal sweetening in post-production, though, as it minimized the talents of the queens who really could sing (a la Big Bertha) and buried weaker vocals with background tracks. If it's just a dancing challenge, then brand it as such, and judge it as such. 

And a faux Pussycat Dolls number is not "rock", NIcky. Elips gave the most authentic attitude, so of course she went home for it.

[threebluestars]

That lipsync. I so wish this had been a double chante. 

[davidcalgary29]

Bertha had my second-favourite commercial, but I hated her runway -- those BOOTS -- so I suppose it was fair to put her in the bottom. And if you're going to get eliminated on Drag Race, that's the way you want it to happen. That lipsync...

I really liked Paloma's commercial on first viewing, but it really was too reminiscent of Jinkx's "Delusion" in concept to be fresh and exciting. I also thought Lolita's commercial really wasn't that bad. I didn't like either LGD's commercial or her runway. 

[violet and green]

Gosh, I'm still traumatised. Glad Lolita Banana got to stay. I don't like anyone else left in the competition, aside from Lolita, now Elips is gone. I admire some of the remaining contestants' style (and huge budgets for wardrobe), but I don't like any of them.

[davidcalgary29]

The panel probably chose the correct top three -- with a series of incorrect decisions to get there.

I'm just going to say it here: Lolita won the challenge, and the lipsynch against LGD, too. Soa for the win!

Who else was devastated that Lolita did not get to perform "Le Banana Split"? All three of the songs were actually pretty great. "La Grenade" was particularly good.

Edited August 5, 2022 by davidcalgary29

[Wonderlad71]

Congrats to the winner! She really is lovely and was the most consistent (though she's not a great lipsyncer). The Top3 were all quite lovely in their distinctive way. Also this was one of the most 'villain'- free seasons ever with everyone quite charming.

Overall all a middling season (as a non-French speaker) and those lipsync songs not available in your region debacle put a damper on my enjoyment mid-season. (OTOH thanks to the show for introducing me to 'Pookie' - what a Bop!)

[Taeolas]

Binging this now, and feeling my Immersion French getting stronger.  Just finished the 6th ep, and wow.... 

That Perfume episode; that LipSync battle should have been two safes; they put everything into that song and more. 

I hope Big Bertha might be available for the next X vs the World series, since she'll make a splash without a doubt. 

[Starchild]

Putting this here because Lolita Banana was a competitor in the France version.

I've read she'll be a co-host of Drag Race: Mexico, which is great to hear, I really liked her. I didn't want to be the one to start the Mexico thread, since I don't think I'll actually be able to watch it.

Sadly, I don't think Crave will be showing it here in Canada. @davidcalgary29 have you heard anything different?

[davidcalgary29]

1 hour ago, Starchild said:

Putting this here because Lolita Banana was a competitor in the France version.

I've read she'll be a co-host of Drag Race: Mexico, which is great to hear, I really liked her. I didn't want to be the one to start the Mexico thread, since I don't think I'll actually be able to watch it.

Sadly, I don't think Crave will be showing it here in Canada. @davidcalgary29 have you heard anything different?

We'll have to subrscribe to WOW Presents Plus in order to watch this one -- along with Sverige and Espana. 

[Starchild]

1 hour ago, davidcalgary29 said:

We'll have to subrscribe to WOW Presents Plus in order to watch this one -- along with Sverige and Espana. 

Generally speaking then, it looks like Crave is only carrying English (US, UK, CAD, AUS) and French (FRA, BEL) versions of Drag Race, which makes sense, since those are Canada's official languages.

Drag Race: Philippines seems to be the only exception, presumably due to the large contingent of Filipinos resident here. I hope the next season has better sound and editing. :)

[davidcalgary29]

2 hours ago, Starchild said:

Generally speaking then, it looks like Crave is only carrying English (US, UK, CAD, AUS) and French (FRA, BEL) versions of Drag Race, which makes sense, since those are Canada's official languages.

Drag Race: Philippines seems to be the only exception, presumably due to the large contingent of Filipinos resident here. I hope the next season has better sound and editing. :)

I paid the six bucks per month to watch Espana, Sverige, and Mexico. I'll cancel after Mexico finishes up.

[Starchild]

I have not yet subscribed to a single streaming service. Still using regular cable TV, plus paying extra for HBO/Crave. I suppose at some point I'll cave, but not yet lol

[davidcalgary29]

It's back...and so are the questionable subtitles! Nicky Doll remains the best host of any international franchise.

"We are Legendaires" continues the DR:France tradition of presenting musical and dance challenges that are superior to those now shown on the mother show. I actually thought all of the queens did a really good job with their verses, and it was nice of Nicky to point out that they're all winners. I also love the tradition of France of applauding and cheering all of the queens as they enter the Werkroom for the first time. What a refreshing change of pace!

I couldn't figure out why Kitty Space was in the bottom, so saving her felt correct. Still, I felt pretty bad for Rose as she stood on the runway in her tacky outfit.

Piche must not have watched Espana Season 2...because she looks exactly like Venedita's Snatch Game character, Miguel Bose, out of drag. 26? 

Current favourite: Moon, who seems like a total dork. Love my Swiss Miss!

I know that a lot of people feel that Espana is the best international franchise, and while there's lots of evidence for that, France is probably my favourite. It's got the talent of Espana without its latent bitchery (so far, in any case).

Edited July 1, 2023 by davidcalgary29

[Starchild]

Ditto on Moon, she's my vibe.

That was one of the worst choices for a lip sync song I've ever heard. Both the girls were struggling with that one.

Sorry to see Rose go, I liked her, hope it doesn't mess Punani up too much.

[Sarnia]

On 7/1/2023 at 5:58 AM, Starchild said:

That was one of the worst choices for a lip sync song I've ever heard. Both the girls were struggling with that one.

 

The song was hard to dance to for sure, but it's a famous song in France and very relevant to the show as it speaks of gender fluidity. The song was originally performed by Indochine (the group of Nicola Sirkis, one of the guest judge) and re-mastered in 2020 with Chris singing (the other guest judge) so I guess that's also why it was chosen. I was surprised that the contestants were struggling so much with the lyrics.

Sorry to see Rose go, she is so sweet, but she was clearly way below the others in all aspects of the show tonight. I feel that the jury had a hard time finding other contestants to put in the bottom, there was a lot of talent in that runway.

I'm so happy this show is back. The first season really made an important mark in French society.

[violet and green]

They are a likeable lot. I really didn't want anyone to go. I liked Rose's moody interpretation of the song, but she was a bit below par in outfits and performance, and sadly could not save herself. 

[Starchild]

And Vespi's the next to go.

Honestly, I was more invested in Piche's emotions over Vespi's ouster than in Vespi herself.

Punani seems to have gotten over Rose's elimination pretty quickly; I presume Piche will be similarly fast-healing.

[davidcalgary29]

A lot of the 2-in-1 looks had great concepts...and terrible executions. Most of the queens on other franchises seem to have practiced their reveals before the season, but I was surprised by just how many of the garments were temporarily snagged on zippers, catches, or other parts of the outfits themselves. This problem even lowered the impact of Piche's reveal, who had one of the better ones on the runway.

Sara Forever: "I chose this look because vulvae are rarely represented".

Only on Drag Race.

[Starchild]

3 hours ago, davidcalgary29 said:

I was surprised by just how many of the garments were temporarily snagged on zippers, catches, or other parts of the outfits themselves. This problem even lowered the impact of Piche's reveal, who had one of the better ones on the runway.

Agreed, there was a high percentage of people metaphorically tripping over themselves during the reveal.

[Starchild]

I have to say, the bit where everyone talking at once gives the host a headache and she has to scream for silence? Yeah that bit is tired.

[davidcalgary29]

This was a pleasant episode, and the top and bottom placements were correct. However, the lipsyncs continue to underwhelm -- how can you just walk around and twirl to a disco song?

I'm surprised that production snagged a star as big as Rossy de Palma for a guest judging spot -- did she even appear on Espana? 

Edited July 15, 2023 by davidcalgary29

[hatchetgirl]

On 7/14/2023 at 8:28 PM, davidcalgary29 said:

how can you just walk around and twirl to a disco song?

OMG - i would TEAR UP A DISCO SONG!!!  But yeah - the lipsyncing from France hasn't ever been fabulous!  LOL  But at least this wasn't a ballad.

I'm loving Piche, Punani and Sara Forever.  Well Moon too, but Moon will never win - she's just adorable.  

[Starchild]

Well that was unexpected. I think Mami Watta was physically incapable of picking her jaw up off the floor after that elimination.

Edited July 23, 2023 by Starchild

[davidcalgary29]

I thought Piche was going to go all the way. Damn!

While the Snatch Game was cute, I wasn't really wowed by any of the performances. And while I can't criticize the judges' criticism of Moon's runway -- that lingerie did take away from the fantasy -- I'm happy that at least Daphne seems to appreciate the fact that she's attempting to make a stand against the elaborate, costly (and environmentally damaging) costumes that clutter the stage these days.

With Piche gone, I'm rooting for Moon and Keiona.

[hatchetgirl]

Piche!!!!  Noooooooooo!  As I fall dramatically to the floor in a puddle of tears.

I loved the Snatch Game.  I wish Sara would have gone with Johnny Halliday too because the other Johnny wasn't good.  

[davidcalgary29]

I admit it: I skipped over most of the Rusical, although I saw enough of it to think that Mami Watta should have ended up in the bottom with Ginger Bitch.

France has given us the best runways since the end of CDR3, though. That was stunning!

Edited July 30, 2023 by davidcalgary29

[Starchild]

Well that was sad and disappointing. But I get it, especially if her mom is sick. My dad died with dementia (though, of COVID) and he was essentially not conscious for those last few days I sat with him, even though his eyes were open (in fact he didn't/couldn't close them the whole time).

I loved all 3 of her runways, she looked like a completely different person in each of them.

Bilal was cool.

[davidcalgary29]

11 hours ago, Starchild said:

Well that was sad and disappointing. But I get it, especially if her mom is sick. My dad died with dementia (though, of COVID) and he was essentially not conscious for those last few days I sat with him, even though his eyes were open (in fact he didn't/couldn't close them the whole time).

I loved all 3 of her runways, she looked like a completely different person in each of them.

Bilal was cool.

Yes, and I didn't understand the criticism that was thrown her way this episode. While her second look wasn't my favourite, I really thought that the one that she created would put her in the top -- her pallette was amazing! I'm guessing that they put her in the bottom because they knew she wanted to quit, and wanted to give her the option of a quick out if she wanted it.

I really can't fathom how the queens have the mental fortitude to continue in a high-pressure environment while worrying about loved ones at home. One small crisis at home and I'd be out of there -- show be damned! I will miss you, Moon.

Edited August 5, 2023 by davidcalgary29

[Sarnia]

That was sad, I really like Moon. Hope she's doing good. I also didn't feel she was in the bottom based on the runway (but to be honest all the other queens had a very good runway). The collegial lipsync was a nice idea.
I was very distracted by Nikki's eye makeup, it felt as if she had two black eyes. I usually really like her looks but this one didn't do it for me (not that she cares ;) ).

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by Sarnia

[davidcalgary29]

11 minutes ago, Sarnia said:

I was very distracted by Nikki's eye makeup, it felt as if she had two black eyes. I usually really like her looks but this one didn't do it for me (not that she cares ;) ).

 

A rare misstep for or Miss Doll. She looked like one of the backup dancers at the Kit Kat Club after being blasted in the face with Homer's makeup gun and/or having been given a makeover by Tina Burner.

[Starchild]

Of the queens left, I liked Cookie the least. And of the returning queens, I liked Piche the most.

So this was an ideal outcome for me. I like all the queens in the semifinals. I think Sara might be my favourite though.

Looks like makeovers next week?

OT, anyone know when/if they'll be showing Down Under S3 on Crave? It's kicked off but it hasn't shown up on that channel yet. I had thought we'd be watching the two international franchises at the same time.