S09.E09: Rosemarie's Baby Shower

[davidcalgary29]

As the queens return to the Werkroom, Plastique and a freshly-bronzed Roxxxy celebrate their fourth badges. While the audience spends the next three minutes celebrating the retirement of an exhausted rhetorical trope -- bye, scissors! -- I try to guess where Roxxxy stuck her can of spray tan. I'm thinking that she has mini hoards stashed all over the set. Stay golden, Roxxxy!

Ru saunters in with one of her less clashing ensembles to announce that it's time --for a musical! This one is an homage to Tyra Banks' favourite hairstyle, the oh-so fresh "Mia Farrow" from 1968! Let's all take a moment to remember Cassandra's meltdown from ANTM. Done!

The queens don't really fight over the parts, but some PA asks Angeria to moan about the fallout to make everyone thinks this matters. SPOILER: no, it doesn't. Rehearsals follow, but this is a latter-day production, and we're assured of a polished product, so the next five minutes of faux-angst and drama are filler. Gottmik does provide a hilarious confessional stating that gay people love horror; thinking back to what this show has given us in the past, I'm not so sure. But I love the enthusiasm and long-term memory loss on display!

The show quickly pivots to the musical and -- as far as these things go -- it's pretty good. And notwithstanding a few muted references to The Exorcist, Poltergeist, and Megan, it's almost entirely parodic of Rosemary's Baby alone, a strange choice given the fact that none of the cast and 95% of the viewing audience wasn't even born when that film was released -- and most certainly wouldn't be familiar with it, unless your name happened to be Plasma or Jinkx Monsoon. 

None of the queens tank, but it's pretty clear that Angeria, with impeccable comic timing, and Nina, with her poise and professionalism, are clear standouts. The queens then change into the runway theme -- this week, it's "Bring Back My Pearls" -- and it's a step or two above what we've seen for the rest of the season. The first few looks are quite good, but the reverie is broken as Nina presents an Elizabethan horror with a pearl "mask" that manages to be simultaneously baggy and too tight in a few wrong places. It also looks like it got a little mangled in transit. Go back to making your outfits, Nina! Gottmik also attempts to change things up by presenting what seems to be a dark mermaid in black pearls, but I'm immediately drawn back to Scarlet's superior Black Lagoon creation, and this one lacks in comparison. Vangie presents one of her better looks of the season, but I can't get Mistress' comment out of my head that she "paints small". It's totally true. Her makeup skills are great, but her paint really is too small for her face.

Shannel and Jorgeous get the wins. What! I would be more flummoxed, but I'm still stuck on the fact that only one of the horror references in the musical was from this century. Yes, It was published in 1985. I read it when I was 13. I'm 51 now, show. Get current! Didn't any of the writers watch The Babadook? Hereditary? Drag Race Down Under?

Shannel and Jorgeous are not presented with Kristine W's -- who is somehow on the panel this week -- biggest hit. Do I even know this one? Maybe? It doesn't really matter, because Shannel is encumbered by her outfit that is a clear tribute to Ursula Under the Sea, and is static next to a frisky Jorgeous, who prances around the stage. It's not a very good lipsynch, but Jorgeous clearly wins. Ru declares a tie. What!

Both queens get two badges -- one to give away -- and Production tells them to give their extra one to each other, which they do. Okay. The other queens clap, as Production also told them to do. RuPaul: anyone can make the top three! Yay.

Next week: something something something! The queens are excited to see the end in sight and, ostensibly, to lipsynch to dated dance tracks with cheap rights. Well, those that can dance and remember to mouth words at the same time. Sorry, Nina, Gottmik, and Plastique!

Edited July 6 by davidcalgary29

[Starchild]

What! indeed. The Rusical was pretty good, and at the end I was thinking top 3 were Plastique, Jorgeous and Vanjie.

So I'm OK with Jorgeous getting one of the top 2 spots, but Shannel? What?! I mean, she wasn't bad, but she was not top 2.

And then, insult meet injury. Shannel wins the lip sync? What!?

Shenanigans!

[bluvelvet]

I’m glad Shannel finally got a badge. There were other times this season she should have won but didn’t. It was getting a bit ridiculous. 

[Madding crowd]

I thought the rusical was one of their best ones! Rosemary’s baby may be old but it’s a classic. Didn’t think Jorgeous was any better than anyone else but Ru has a soft spot for her. Angeria’s Pearl dress was beautiful.

[davidcalgary29]

4 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I thought the rusical was one of their best ones! Rosemary’s baby may be old but it’s a classic. Didn’t think Jorgeous was any better than anyone else but Ru has a soft spot for her. Angeria’s Pearl dress was beautiful.

I love the fact that RuPaul thinks that the way to keep things hip and fresh is to play to the nostalgia of the current generation -- which, in her mind, is Gen X. I mean, it was great and all to see Kristine W, and I've actually read both "Rosemary's Baby" and its sequel (and have seen the movie), but it's like she only emerges from her cryonic sleep chamber to be fed current cultural talking points by Millenial PAs. There's a difference between Teaching The Children and being an old fuddy-duddy, I think, and I hope Ru will find a better balance in the future.

Edited July 6 by davidcalgary29

[SemiCharmedLife]

The Rusicals seem to be getting better and better these days.  The theme may be nostalgic, but it's what they do with it that counts, and the writer did a great job, in my opinion.  All of the queens excelled, so I'm sure it was really hard to choose a winner.  I'm just glad Shannel finally has a badge, though I think she's deserved one for other past challenges, too.

I loved the pearl themed runway.  Stunning looks!   .... and Nina 😉

[Kaboom 2.0]

Well that was one of the better Rusicals! We want more of those, please. I thought the queens all did well. 

I like Nina but never would've thought she would do so well in a gospel inspired song, I'm glad her recent musical successes have given her so much confidence. I still would've liked to see Angeria's take on it tho, I love her mannerisms & facial expressions. As It, Roxxxy was unrecognizable! I didn't clock it was her til her number was almost done & I remembered It was a shower guest. 

Plastique on the runway is just beyond. She is perfection.

Good for Shannel for getting those badges! About damn time. And it's always great to see Kristine W!

[Wonderlad71]

The Jorgeous, Roxxy and Gottmik segment was the highlight for me in the Rusical. 

Angeria and Platique looked best on the runway. 

So I don't know who I would have given the win to. The tie was shenanigans though.

 

[violet and green]

I am so glad Shannel got a win, finally, and now two badges. Splitting the win and the money was beyond annoying, after all that.

[CB-LXX]

I'll come out and say it, why I don't think Shannel did her absolute best in this one, I'm so freaking glad that she (co-) won a challenge finally. Yeah, it's all obviously staged at this point, but whatever. There were two challenges she should have been the shoe-in for (Snatch Game of Love and the real estate one), but since that didn't happen, I'll take this. Might be the only badge(s) she'll get, but at least she's (or I should say her charity) are not going home empty handed.

As far as who I would have thought would win one of the top two spots, hands down, Plastique.