{"id":52890,"date":"2017-05-06T12:20:30","date_gmt":"2017-05-06T16:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/the-drag-of-the-90s-is-alive-on-rupauls-drag-race-recap\/"},"modified":"2017-05-06T12:20:30","modified_gmt":"2017-05-06T16:20:30","slug":"the-drag-of-the-90s-is-alive-on-rupauls-drag-race-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/the-drag-of-the-90s-is-alive-on-rupauls-drag-race-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"The Drag of the \u201990s Is Alive On \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u2019 \u2013 RECAP"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Drag of the \u201990s Is Alive On \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u2019 \u2013 RECAP<\/b><\/p>\n

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As clich\u00e9 as \u201890s nostalgia may be these days, I still can never get enough. Last night\u2019s RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em> filtered the decade through its signature pop-culture savvy lens for an episode jam-packed with more \u201890s teen<\/a> TV references than Luke Perry could flush down a toilet before the cops bust in at\u00a0Brian Austin Green\u2019s house.<\/p>\n

Wait, what were we talking about again?<\/p>\n

Oh, right, Drag Race<\/em>. Yes.<\/p>\n

These big group acting challenges are always my least favorite. Either the writing is too cheesy or the queens aren\u2019t up to the delivery. Although last night\u2019s Beverly Hills 90210<\/em> send-up, 9021-Ho<\/em>, seemed to suffer from both, it\u00a0still ended up with a better end-product than many previous ones. The queens that succeeded did so in spite of weaker or more obvious parts (Shea), while those that struggled squandered roles richer in opportunity (Nina, Sasha).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a pretty straightforward parody with nods to 90210<\/em>, Charmed<\/em>, Saved By the Bell<\/em> and more thrown in for good measure. Peppermint gets to hand out the role assignments since she won the lip sync last week. It\u2019s a new rule this season that feels like a weird reward for the second worst, but in the case of Peppermint, her lethal lip sync makes it feel earned. She tries to take everyone\u2019s preferences into account, but that can only go so far.<\/p>\n

Aja is upset with her role and complains until Shea offers to trade. The joke\u2019s on her, because when they\u2019re filming with guest judges and directors Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth, Shea gets tons of laughs. Nina can\u2019t quite hit her lines, and the more she flails, the more frustrated and nasty she gets. Even Jennie Garth thinks Nina hates her! Jennie Garth! America\u2019s sweetheart! Sasha fails trying to intellectualize Ru\u2019s writers\u2019 typically silly humor, so she comes off a little stiff.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s very special workroom moment focuses on everyone\u2019s high school years. Alexis went to prom in drag, Shea only connected with her dad after he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and Sasha is a bald queen in honor of losing her mother to cancer.<\/p>\n

The most striking story, however, (not that this is some kind of sympathy competition, but whatever) belongs to Trinity. A queen that\u2019s been a little hard to love this season<\/a>, Trinity discussed losing her mother to complications from HIV, living with her grandmother and dropping out of high school to care for her when she was dying. That meant Trinity missed a lot of those big high school milestones like prom and graduation. Of all the deep, serious conversations we\u2019ve seen the gals have this season, this one felt the most natural between them.<\/p>\n

On the runway, the gals show off their Big Hair Everywhere best, which means a lot of wigs on wigs on wigs. Sasha stood out with a tall, spiky mohawk that showcased her punk energy and Nina strutted her stuff in full feline face paint, while all the other girls<\/a> went a little more pageant. (Also, is it just me, or are the lights on the runway seriously weird this season? At times it\u2019s hard to get a good gauge on outfits and makeup, and it\u2019s something I\u2019ve noticed every episode this season.)<\/p>\n

Ru rightfully crowns Trinity this week\u2019s winner, while Aja and Nina are forced to lip sync to all-time classic track \u201cFinally\u201d by Cece Peniston. They both give a valiant effort, but, honestly, after Peppermint, this felt a bit deflated. Nina lives to complain another day, while Aja is sent packing back to Bed-Stuy.<\/p>\n

Where does that leave our standings? I\u2019ve got my rankings below.<\/p>\n

\"RuPaul's<\/p>\n

1. On skill alone, I\u2019m already so enamored with Shea<\/strong>\u2019s artistry, but, just as important in this context, I\u2019m super impressed with what a savvy player she is. Not only did she step up to take the role Aja rejected, but then she slayed it. All her lewks are on point, all her approaches to the challenges are unique and perfectly suited to the task. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if she\u2019s one of those queens that goes the whole season without ever landing in the bottom two.<\/p>\n

\"RuPaul's<\/p>\n

2. Her part wasn\u2019t the showiest, but Valentina<\/strong> gave it her all. She made some really smart, subtle choices with her facial expressions and she heightened her Valley Girl accent with just the right amount of alien lunacy. I wasn\u2019t crazy about her green runway ensemble, but her makeup is always flawless.<\/p>\n

\"RuPaul's<\/p>\n

3. This was not Sasha<\/strong>\u2019s best week in the challenge, but she\u2019s built up enough goodwill to keep it from totally sinking her. The judges could\u2019ve gone either way on her spiky mohawk on the runway. They loved her unique interpretation, but I could\u2019ve just as easily imagined Michelle admonishing her that when they ask for big hair, they mean BIG HAIR. Surely this won\u2019t be our last acting challenge this season, so Sasha will need to step it up.<\/p>\n

\"RuPaul's<\/p>\n

4. I\u2019ve fully come around to Trinity<\/strong>. Last night\u2019s episode was a great showcase. She stole every scene in the challenge with her manic mom. Her \u201890s mom drag was a dead ringer for former Real Housewives of Atlanta<\/em> star Kim Zolciak-Biermann, which only endeared her to me more. Hearing Trinity talk about her experience growing up with her grandma gave us a rare glimpse of vulnerability from the cutthroat queen, and really made me appreciate her more. She\u2019s a dark horse, and could sneak into the top three if Valentina or Sasha take a tumble.<\/p>\n

\"RuPaul's<\/p>\n

5. Honestly, Alexis<\/strong> should\u2019ve been better. Acting is supposed to be her whole thing, but she was just fine here. She is so clearly talented and polished, but I have a hard time getting EXCITED by her.<\/p>\n

\"RuPaul's<\/p>\n

6. On the opposite side of the spectrum is Peppermint<\/strong>, someone who, on this show at least, has served some fashion that wasn\u2019t quite ready for primetime and struggled through a few challenges. However, the screen lights up whenever she appears. Now that we\u2019ve seen what she\u2019s capable of when she\u2019s forced to lip sync, I expect Pep to outlast a few more girls<\/a>, but just barely miss the finals.<\/p>\n

\"RuPaul's<\/p>\n

7. Man, does Nina<\/strong> need a Tyra Banks WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU! moment. She\u2019s such a self-saboteur. Her performance wasn\u2019t awful, but her backtalk and commentary under her breath were what really hurt her. She barely survived the lip sync, and I think that had more to do with her work up until this point than the lip sync itself. I don\u2019t need to see Nina duckwalk across the runway ever again.<\/p>\n

\"RuPaul's<\/p>\n

8. Yikes. That was a real rookie move for Aja<\/strong> to bitch so much about her part. That kind of attitude never goes well. Although her acting chops are more Kiernan Shipka than Susan Sarandon, gurl can lip sync. Even though it lacked the oomph of Peppermint\u2019s number, her performance was damn near menacing as she stalked and blocked Nina at every turn. I think the right gal went home between the two tonight, but I still think Aja could\u2019ve outlasted one more queen.<\/p>\n

\"RuPaul's<\/p>\n

9. She may have squeaked by safe, but Farrah<\/strong> has been underwhelming every week. At this point in the competition, her exit feels like an eventual certainty. (But, hey, at least she has a promising career ahead of her as an Xtina body double<\/a>.) This is so small, but the thing about Farrah that bothered me most this episode happened in the prom scene of\u00a09021-Ho<\/em>. Valentina\u2019s character is cheering and celebrating after Grandrea says she will be able to draguate. Farrah does the weakest little half kick, and then very tentatively pours a tiny amount of \u201cvodka\u201d on her, but she does it so tentatively and wishy-washy. Make a choice! Commit! It\u2019s that lack of presence that\u2019s making me eager to see her go.<\/p>\n

How would you rank the queens?<\/p>\n

The post The Drag of the \u201990s Is Alive On \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u2019 \u2013 RECAP<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The Drag of the ’90s Is Alive On ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ – RECAP<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n