S09.E11: The Grande Finale Pt. 1!

[davidcalgary29]

After the runway, the queens congratulate themselves on making it through a gauntlet of produced drama and production hijinks! They are tragically mistaken. More, however, on that later.

The queens gather around the Werkroom table the next day in high spirits. They find a fun throwback to Season 6, the pink furry box, and are invited to perform a series of funny tasks in order to win money for their charities! We then get a fun montage of silly fluff as the queens twerk, crawl, and improv their way to cash. Fun! Really. It's a great throwback to one of the greatest seasons, and makes the stolid pace of this one wilt in comparison. But everyone wins cash for their charities! Yes, this includes a dispirited Roxxxy, who flails boringly around an imaginary stripper-pole, leading to a hilarious (and accurate) confessional from Angeria.

Ru enters the Werkroom, in one of her more pleasing ensembles, to shift to the episode's highlight: a quick drag makeover featuring the show's staff. It's also a great nod to Season 9's makeover and, despite limited time, many of the results are amazing. Let's be clear, though: Angeria performs drag wizardry on her partner and presents a result in 30 minutes that easily could have won the makeover maxi challenge on another season. Gottmik also presents a clear, effective makeover, a testament to her considerable skills. A special prize also goes to Nina, who dresses her partner more flatteringly than what she's given on the runway all season. Oh, dear.

Ru announces that the queens will perform a talent show. I had high hopes for the rest of the episode, but it then sputters, and finally stalls, as we shift to a series of one-on-one interviews that are nice, but ultimately little more than an extended episode of Dr. Ru. We're here for the queens -- they easily could have substituted this with a longer segment with all the queens rehashing the season and celebrating their new friendships! But they don't.

TS Madison arises on the Werkroom monitor like an unwelcome apparition to curse the queens one final time: the queens will be "gifted" the opportunity to double the badges of a competitor. Sigh: we're back to AS3. Bad show! Stupidly, the queens seem to vote before the talent show, so they're deprived the only factor that would make this somewhat fair. There's lots of moaning, calculations, and hand-wringing, but this is just filler, and worse -- dumb filler. We see votes from half the cast, and I doubt it will make a difference.

Next week: with the filler hopefully over, we move on to the talent show -- and the winner!

Edited July 20 by davidcalgary29

[DisneyBoy]

I was really surprised by Roxxy saying her grandmother "left" her as well...! Obviously, personal details aren't the business of the television audience, but I can't help but wonder why they had a falling out.

Hopefully things mend.

It was nice seeing how grateful Plastique is for what the show has given her.

Gotmik continues to seem completely phony and self-involved. And Ru continues to lavish praise. Weird. That hug at the end? Ugh.

The crew deserved better than being subjected to 30 minute makeovers. And no prizes? How lame is that?

Edited July 20 by DisneyBoy

[MsJamieDornan]

7 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Gotmik continues to seem completely phony and self-involved. And Ru continues to lavish praise. Weird.

I will never understand it.

[Ms.Lulu]

This season has been so ho hum. I just don't care enough to keep watching. I'd like Angeria to win it all, but I have tapped out.

Please, Global Allstars, don't let me down. I want to see Alyssa Edwards and Kween Kong slay. But that cast is deep, so if Athena, Gala, Miranda, Pythia, Soa or Vanity take, that's okay with me. I don't know Tessa or Nehellenia, so I I'm hoping to love them. Really, Kitty is the only one I'm not looking to see more of.

I just want to see great drag without the gimmicks of plungers, scissors, beavers or chocolate bars.

[MsJamieDornan]

44 minutes ago, Ms.Lulu said:

I'd like Angeria to win it all, but I have tapped out.

I agree.

 

I think I have finally hit a wall with Drag Race. 

[7-Zark-7]

Nina West: " I love you, Ru."

Ru: "I love you, too."

Camera pans to Farrah Moan sitting near the tic tacs: "You don't love her!"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Gottmik: "I love you, Ru."

The two embrace with triple cheek kisses.

Ru: "Bitch, you coming over for game night this week?"

Gottmik: "Well, I'm supposed to go to Milan for fashion week, but, what the hell. Sure, I'll come."

Ru: [claps] "Oh, goody!"

Edited July 21 by 7-Zark-7

[davidcalgary29]

3 hours ago, Ms.Lulu said:

This season has been so ho hum. I just don't care enough to keep watching. I'd like Angeria to win it all, but I have tapped out.

Please, Global Allstars, don't let me down. I want to see Alyssa Edwards and Kween Kong slay. But that cast is deep, so if Athena, Gala, Miranda, Pythia, Soa or Vanity take, that's okay with me. I don't know Tessa or Nehellenia, so I I'm hoping to love them. Really, Kitty is the only one I'm not looking to see more of.

I just want to see great drag without the gimmicks of plungers, scissors, beavers or chocolate bars.

To be fair, though, the "golden beaver" gimmick just offers the queens an opportunity for mischief -- rather than forcing them to engage with it -- which is why it works. Self-produced drama is a lot more palatable than drama forced upon the queens by Production.

[threebluestars]

4 hours ago, MsJamieDornan said:

I think I have finally hit a wall with Drag Race. 

I was thinking this for the first time today. There are so many different versions and at least two seem to be running at all times ... and I'm getting bored.

 

[DisneyBoy]

I felt it happening around the All Winners season. Everything since I've only watched intermittently.

I miss the old, high-stakes lip synchs. The sense of the title having meaning and the Queens being hungry for it.

Obviously, that's changed with time. It's not that new Queens aren't trying or don't have personalities, it's just that its all blurring together and feels kinda redundant.

5 hours ago, MsJamieDornan said:

I will never understand it.

Same! Thanks for making me feel less alone.

[MsJamieDornan]

55 minutes ago, threebluestars said:

. and I'm getting bored.

I'm tired of queens that get shoved down our throats. 

[Kaboom 2.0]

15 hours ago, MsJamieDornan said:

I will never understand it.

Same here. I wonder if part of Ru's obsession of Mik is physical (similar to her love of Jorgeous), they're both thin and teeny in stature. 

I usually enjoy the furry pink box & I did so again mostly because each queen win money for her charity. The more I hear Angeria's confessionals the more I want her in my daily life, ringtone, GPS voice, everything. 

Shannel nonchalantly cleaning her knives made me LOL. That's my girl.

[DisneyBoy]

I missed a few episodes in this season but did Shannel get much respect overall? She really does seem to get treated like this out-of-touch Queen from way back when who has taste issues. But I like her.

She looked terrific walking the drag con runway in a glamorous look. A simple design but beautifully executed.

Also, Willam posted a video of being escorted out of drag con for being a "threat to the event"....!!!! And then? Immediately posted a new Beatdown episode featuring a clip of Ru doing a terrible performance on an Italian tv show back in the day.

....incredible. 😂😂😂

[davidcalgary29]

13 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

I missed a few episodes in this season but did Shannel get much respect overall? 

No

Quote

She really does seem to get treated like this out-of-touch Queen from way back when who has taste issues.

Well, she sort of is (by her own admission) and sort of does.

Quote

But I like her.

Love her.