S08.E04: New Wave Queens

[hatchetgirl]

Klaus Nomi! Werk! He was on SNL with Bowie! I'm pleased that Acid Betty schooled the others!

Seriously, the B-52's we crazy camp. Remember "tin roof, rusted". Lol. Criminey, they did rock lobster for goodness sakes!

Debbie Harry was on... being old. Like she is not just looking old, but acting old. Same with Chris. Granted she's an icon and I'd bow down, but I don't think she was on anything.

I'm so over Michelle. She is a hanger on if I've ever seen one.

And I'm so still trying to find someone who will introduce me to Ru for tea! I need her to take me on a meeting with jaysus! I have one friend who know alexis arquette, but refuses to intro me. Lol.

[EmZeeGee]

The pictures they see don't include the queen's make up. The only reason they know about Bob's head drip is that they were informed about it.

I'm aware they take the queen's face out (though they know who is who at this point). I'm just wondering why they informed Raja and Raven about the head drip in particular. One could argue other makeups were just as important /integral to the look. 

[hatchetgirl]

Ok - I have to post what I think was the BEST part of the show...

 

[ChelseaNH]

Is the thing she's praising Chad for now the same thing she was complaining about in Season 4?  If not, I'm not seeing the hilarity.

Yup, she complained constantly that she never saw the "real" Chad Michaels.

 

So you think that she said, in this episode, 'If only Derrick could show us who she really is, like Chad did"?

 

The comparison I heard was "Chad was also known for a specific impersonation, but she was able to show us a variety of looks that didn't evoke Cher.  Derrick always looks like a version of Britney."

[Zuleikha]

The comparison I heard was "Chad was also known for a specific impersonation, but she was able to show us a variety of looks that didn't evoke Cher.  Derrick always looks like a version of Britney."

 

I think Michelle has just grabbed onto that idea as her thing to complain about Derrick. Derrick did a very Britney inspired look for the first episode, which should be fine. It's the first episode; that's what Derrick's known for, but Michelle already started with the Britney complaints. Since then, Derrick's done a variety of looks, almost none of which had clear Britney inspiration. Her facial makeup hasn't wildly varied, but that's common with the fishy queens because they do naturalistic makeup. IMHO the majority of other queens don't do a lot of varied face makeup either. Kim Chi and Acid Betty are the only ones that I think have shown dramatic transformations with face makeup, and that's both of their things.

 

Also, I don't think Michelle has been so clear as your paraphrase. Michelle has talked about not knowing who Derrick is as a performer and wanting to see Derrick's soul. That's not really actionable feedback because it's all about Michelle's perception of Derrick's performances and presentation. All that type of feedback does is confuse and destabilize a performer, which is exactly what we're seeing with Derrick. Also, Michelle has put Derrick in a paradox in that she's told him she doesn't want to see Britney, but using Britney as an inspiration is Derrick's authentic performance. Instead, Michelle should be giving Derrick feedback about coming across as relatively hesitant and disconnected in the last two challenges.

[jellywager]

I just remember MV complaing that Chad was always too perfect, which I thought was an unfair thing to say. He was in a completion so of course he is going to want to do his best. She really shouldn't be a judge. I loved in Bitch Perfect how she complained that Chi Chi's runway look was too basic and not one of the judges agreed with her. On a side note she needs to get rid of those big fake titties, they are rediculous.

Lastly, I'm sick of her tell Derrick to not do Brittney when I want to see more of it.

Edited April 2, 2016 by jellywager

[Finnegan]

I wish Acid Betty's reads were better. For a shady talented queen who is getting a strong villian edit, she's sure not witty.

Is anyone else concerned about what's happening to the lip syncs? It seems like all the queens are master gymnasts now (is this a very common drag skill? I don't remember it in early seasons, and I certainly never saw tumbling in my city's own drag scene, though I'm far from an expert). I might be in the minority, but I look forward to the lip syncs to see a queen embody and interpret and camp up a song, any overly vigorous or desperate dancing is usually distracting.

[ClareWalks]

Michelle Visage is useless. She would tell someone like Derrick to change up their look, then tell Alaska "I don't know who you are," then tell Jinkx she is too unpolished, then tell Chad she's too polished. I would really like to know who her favorite queen has been, because that person must be absolutely flawless, yet flawed, in the most perfect ways. *rolls eyes*

[Dirtybubble]

I wish Acid Betty's reads were better. For a shady talented queen who is getting a strong villian edit, she's sure not witty.

Is anyone else concerned about what's happening to the lip syncs? It seems like all the queens are master gymnasts now (is this a very common drag skill? I don't remember it in early seasons, and I certainly never saw tumbling in my city's own drag scene, though I'm far from an expert). I might be in the minority, but I look forward to the lip syncs to see a queen embody and interpret and camp up a song, any overly vigorous or desperate dancing is usually distracting.

Gymnastics in LSFYL have always bugged me. It seems desperate. Doing flips and such during an instrumental break is ok but doing during lyrics is so distracting.

As far as Acid goes idk I think she's funny. If find her comments humorous. Is she Bob or Thorgy funny? No but she's got charisma---I don't think she's a comedy queen

[Cosmic Muffin]

Any time they tell a queen they want to see vulnerability, the queen should throw up on the main stage, ala Willam. Maybe they'd change their minds about that vulnerability thing.

 

It bugs me when they ask the queens to changes something that they aren't able to change, since they're in the competition and can't go get a new outfit, etc. Like repeatedly telling Adore she wanted to see her dress hit the floor. That hadn't ever bothered Adore before she got there and while she got the memo she had no way of getting different dresses while in the competition.

[planetofapes]

Okay Michelle is inconsistent.  She definitely has her favourites and her pet hates and that becomes clear over every season.  However, I feel that I generally do get where she is coming from (even if I disagree with her) and um guys have you forgotten fashion Voldemorte Santino Rice???  He made my blood boil every season!!!  Now that was one effing useless judge IMHO.  Thank God he is gone!!  I mean I still harbor a deep resentment towards guest judge Chloë Sevigny who said to Mariah I thought you were a real woman - or something like that - I really effing hated her guts also.  She just didn't get the show and she didn't get drag.  Chris Stein + Debbie Harry - great judges who knew their shit.

 

Drag is expensive. I have always thought that younger, more broke queens were really at a disadvantage because they have not had the time and the money to build their collections.  That did not stop people like Alaska or Adore getting to the top 4 but neither of those girls won their season.  I remember thinking at the time it was horribly unfair that Courtney Act used these professional looking expanding wings as part of her runway look that probably cost more than $10 grand to make.  Chi Chi was right to say that's why she came out in a bathing suit, especially when Michelle called her out on it and called it basic (which is was but she did look HOT in it though!).  The only way to make it more fair is to have more costume challenges - that levels the playing field in a way because they are all starting from scratch.

It has annoyed me for a while and I hope this filters back to Rupaul that the show needs more sewing challenges to help out poorer queens.

 

BTW my early love of Robbie Turner has paid off and this bitch TURNED IT OUT this episode!!  YAY!!  I love B-52s who were completely out there and not cool and laid back (I agree Bob!!) but Les Chicken Wings were awesome.  I can't WAIT for Snatch Game - a lot of talent on the show this season.  It is getting harder and harder each week to see the girls leave cos I do love em now.  I predict Derrick and Kim Chi for the lip sync.  Sorry bout it.

[Rai]

I just realized that in the Werk room when they're waiting for their challenge, Derrick is wearing a Trixie Mattel shirt.  A+ passive-aggressive shade towards Betty there, Derrick. 

 

I actually do think it's lovely a pretty queen like Derrick will stick up for a weirdo comedy queen like Trixie, but I can't help but giggle at how she's deployed it.

[ChelseaNH]

Michelle has talked about not knowing who Derrick is as a performer and wanting to see Derrick's soul.

 

Yes, but that's not the point she was making when she contrasted Derrick with Chad.

[BloggerAloud]

I wish when some judge asked the queen to show her real self on the stage, a queen would retort, "Isn't that what Untucked is for?"

[RCharter]

There was one particular lip sync.....early on in the history of RPDR, where both queens were doing all sorts of gymnastic stunts and it was wildly applauded.  However, I think most of that was just the novelty of seeing the acrobatics and how difficult, and different it was.  I think after that performance, the bar was set at doing acro moves during the LSFYL.  I still love seeing the acro moves, because it shows there is some level of energy/emotion there....however, I can see the point people make about it being too much sometimes, and how the song may just not call for it.

 

Have they ever done a male artist's song for LSFYL?  I'm a girl, but I know one of my favorite songs to lip sync to at home is "Freedom 90" by George Michael and I think that might be a cool song to do.  In fact, I might listen to that right now :)

I wish Acid Betty's reads were better. For a shady talented queen who is getting a strong villian edit, she's sure not witty.

Is anyone else concerned about what's happening to the lip syncs? It seems like all the queens are master gymnasts now (is this a very common drag skill? I don't remember it in early seasons, and I certainly never saw tumbling in my city's own drag scene, though I'm far from an expert). I might be in the minority, but I look forward to the lip syncs to see a queen embody and interpret and camp up a song, any overly vigorous or desperate dancing is usually distracting.

.  I predict Derrick and Kim Chi for the lip sync.  Sorry bout it.

^^I think Kim Chi will surprise you.  I think she has a wicked little sense of humor and she may have the background to pick someone interesting.  Maybe someone with a natural lisp.  Kim Chi also strikes me as someone who has probably had a character prepared ahead of time.  But, we shall see tomorrow!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

If Kim Chi shows up for Snatch Game as an Asian Cindy Brady, I will laugh my ass off!

[Zuleikha]

I think after that performance, the bar was set at doing acro moves during the LSFYL.  I still love seeing the acro moves, because it shows there is some level of energy/emotion there....however, I can see the point people make about it being too much sometimes, and how the song may just not call for it.

I think dance and acro get applauded when they're done well and get scolded when done poorly. I think it's rare for there to be a well-regraded LSFYL where the dance has just been there instead of complimenting. For example, Sahara Davenport was an accomplished dancer and she had two well-regarded LSFYL where she was able to make her dancing complement her lip syncing. But the one where she went home (was that Two of Hearts against Morgan McMichaels?), she went home in part because she couldn't make the dancing flow organically out of the lip sync.

 

I think Chi Chi wasn't at the Sahara or Kennedy levels of integrating dance with lip sync, but she saved most of her major acrobatics for the instrumental break. She made sure to show her face and highlight that she was lip syncing the words during most of the verses. So I don't think she was saved because she can tumble in heels but rather because she did a solid lip sync that was better than Naomi's.

[Watermelon]

I think dance and acro get applauded when they're done well and get scolded when done poorly. I think it's rare for there to be a well-regraded LSFYL where the dance has just been there instead of complimenting. For example, Sahara Davenport was an accomplished dancer and she had two well-regarded LSFYL where she was able to make her dancing complement her lip syncing. But the one where she went home (was that Two of Hearts against Morgan McMichaels?), she went home in part because she couldn't make the dancing flow organically out of the lip sync.

 

I think Chi Chi wasn't at the Sahara or Kennedy levels of integrating dance with lip sync, but she saved most of her major acrobatics for the instrumental break. She made sure to show her face and highlight that she was lip syncing the words during most of the verses. So I don't think she was saved because she can tumble in heels but rather because she did a solid lip sync that was better than Naomi's.

 

That was Morgan and Sonique, but true enough, Sonique concerned herself with acrobatics and less lipsynch and Morgan sent her home just the same.

 

Why don't I remember Sahara sashay-ing away?!

[Rai]

Sahara sashayed away over "Black Velvet," which was one of my all-time favorite songs when I was a kid.  I'll stand by it as a guilty pleasure.

 

No one remembers Sahara doing it because who could even look at her when JuJuBee was doing a tearful production on par with Manilla's "MacArthur Park" the following season?  Not even her All-Stars turn topped that lip sync, IMO.

[DollEyes]

A cute episode. The music-themed challenges bring out the best in some queens and the worst in others and this episode was no exception. Guest Judges Debbie Harry & Chris Stein of Blondie were great. They not only had good advice for some of the queens, they brought the funny, like when Robbie Turner confessed that she had a Debbie Harry poster on her wall, prompting her to call herself "his beard" or when Stein dissed Chi Chi for wearing the same boots on the runway that she did in the Main Challenge. Getting back to Robbie, she & her band Les Chicken Wings were hilarious. The song, their stage costumes, their 'tude and their neon-inspired runway looks were all on-point, especially Kim Chi's, which was literally a piece of art. Robbie was a pleasant surprise, in all her snarling, screaming and spitting glory. She deserved to win the Main Challenge.

 

  Re Bob Vs. Lucian, I'm Team Bob because instead of telling Bob whom she should have been inspired by, Lucian should have asked. That said, Bob did overreact a little, but to his credit, he apologized, which was very mature on her part. Bob's group, The Street Meatz was great. Every member including Acid Betty (Michelle be damned) epitomized the 80s. I knew that AB's stage look was B-52s-inspired, unlike Michelle, who was a teen ager during that period and should have known whom AB's inspiration was. Acid Betty's runway look was not only sickening, it was one of the best runway looks in RPDR herstory.

 

  Michelle's clocking Derrick for yet another Britney-inspired look while claiming that she praised Chad Michaels for versatility for her non-Cher drag also got the side-eye from me. I remember Chad's season & Michelle threw plenty of shade at Chad's expense. Re Chi Chi, while IA that one doesn't have to be rich to do drag, given Chi Chi's bankruptcy issue, if her future looks are more ratchet than the other girls', the judges in general and Michelle in particular should be more compassionate. I'm not saying that Chi Chi shouldn't be judged, just that all factors should be considered. Re Naysha, while her runway look was cool, her group's performance sucked. Derrick's stage look and her singing were OK, as was Chi Chi's, but Naysha's was mediocre. I think that Chi Chi's wearing the same boots on the runway that she did in the challenge was her downfall, like Chris Stein said.