RuPaul's Drag Race: Snatch Game
May 3, 2018 8:07 PM - Season 10, Episode 7 - Subscribe

 
That episode was... a lot.

Okay I loved Aquaria. I was highly skeptical about Melania Trump as a Snatch Game character, since she seems to me kind of like Beyonce- obviously a personality in the sense that everyone's heard of her and knows her background, but not actually known for her mannerisms and quotes. But it was great. My favorite moment was when she called Ru Barack. And her mermaid look wasn't just by far and away the best look on the runway that night but also my favorite look this entire season so far. The story it told! The 'wet' hair! Making 'oil' out of latex! It was a genius concept, perfectly executed. Totally deserved the win imo.

I think Monet's Maya Angelou was the best overall Snatch Game character, though. Her poem was the single best moment of the night. And obviously Eureka was great. Asia and Vixen though. Dear lord. I literally had to mute the show and look away when they came on; the secondhand embarrassment was so bad. Honestly there hasn't been a clearer breakdown of top 3- safe- bottom 3 this entire season.

As, for, uh, the rest. Honestly, I just wish Ru hadn't asked that question. It feels exploitative and cheap to me to so blatantly try to cause drama. Vixen was in the wrong, but I sort of sympathize with her, she was clearly under a lot of stress.

Short of a major turnaround or twist, Aquaria and Eureka look like the frontrunners to me right now. Kameron and Miz Cracker have better overall track records, but the lack of a win at this point is concerning, and they just don't seem to be getting winner edits.
posted by perplexion at 8:54 PM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]


I watched this in a crowded bar and almost NOBODY had even HEARD of Dorothy Parker before. I couldn't believe it. The host actually asked for a show of hands and it was like three people out of 30 or 40 who knew. I thought everybody knew who she was!
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:16 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]


The Vixen and Eureka belong in a movie about bitter enemies, the only survivors of a plane crash in the Rockies, who either have to learn to work together or die of exposure. POKING THE BEAR, written and directed by David Mamet, coming to theaters this Christmas.
posted by roger ackroyd at 9:47 AM on May 4, 2018 [10 favorites]


Yeah, Dorothy Parker DEFINITELY seems less obscure than Little Edie Beale to me, and about on par with Marlene Dietrich.

I've been kind of lukewarm on Aquaria until now, but her Melania was PERFECT. What a brilliant way to use her distant demeanor to her advantage.
posted by Pizzarina Sbarro at 1:06 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]


I thought Aquaria’s Melania was going to just be a look (sorry, a lewk) but man she had some good ad-libs. If the rivalry is real, she probably compares poorly to Miz on the drag circuit, humor-wise, so promotes the look aspect of her drag. But she’s no comedy and wit slouch. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Aquaria in the finals, and even all the way.

I hope Kameron sticks around. I like her in Untucked.

Next week’s intro with the Vixen will be a... thing. I’m over it.
posted by supercres at 7:23 PM on May 4, 2018 [3 favorites]


I'm still reeling from how much I loved Maya Angelou on Snatch Game. A lot of the reviews make a big deal about how Snatch Game is never as good as we remember it, which, yeah, I guess, but I still got really excited! And a lot of them were really good! (And a lot really weren't, so, true Snatch Game.)

Mark me down as also surprised and impressed at how good Aquaria's Melania is. She's pretty self-aware, if nothing else, of her flaws in the competition. And her runway deservedly won, although I think Asia's look was almost more interesting on a meta level. I love that she was a monster, that she explored the grotesque and the interesting in a way that isn't always particularly given space on the drag of RPDR.

I have...a lot of feelings about Vixen. She is brilliant, and has a lot of rage, rightfully so, but she's learning to deal with that rage directly in front of America right now, and that can't be easy. If she was just deeply un-self-aware and demanding others change but refusing to meet them halfway, I think that would be one story, but she's doing all that plus all this completely justified anger plus....some unjustified anger. I think everyone wanting her off was a huge moment that will definitely get returned to; I can't imagine she makes a high-pressure competition any easier just by her presence in the workroom. I haven't watched Untucked yet, but it sounds like she is not. happy.

I suspect Miz Cracker is going home sooner rather than later. She's not really popping the way she was at the beginning of the season, and has kind of vanished. Also, if I may pull out the red string and pushpins and newspaper cuttings, she's been really subdued in Review With A Jew the past few weeks, and has also kind of called the show out on the edits she's getting. Which, fair, but also if she was a winner, or even one of the final two, I'm not sure she'd be this shady. (Possibly she wouldn't be allowed to be? Sasha's pretty outspoken on Twitter, though, when she disagrees with Ru, so maybe they aren't in some crazy binding contract.) Kameron's getting a similar edit, but also she's quiet and here to do work and frankly I find her really soothing, particularly while Eureka is off poking the fucking bear for the eightieth time in a row.
posted by kalimac at 7:25 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]


I have...a lot of feelings about Vixen. She is brilliant, and has a lot of rage, rightfully so, but she's learning to deal with that rage directly in front of America right now, and that can't be easy. If she was just deeply un-self-aware and demanding others change but refusing to meet them halfway, I think that would be one story, but she's doing all that plus all this completely justified anger plus....some unjustified anger.

Took the words out of my mouth! She's precommitted herself to fighting in a way that precludes the possibility of her reconsidering whether she might actually be in the wrong, or even just that she might choose to let one or two things go for her own sake. And I think the cortisol flooding just finally really got to her in Untucked... she seemed to be flailing around for a logical explanation for why she felt terrible and coming up with things that didn't add up, a far cry from the clarity she had when she was say, fighting with Aquaria. But I'm also not ready to count her out because I think she has some important and thought provoking things to say.

Monique broke my heart. America, I'm going to miss her. But I'm glad she'll get that booking fee increase, at least.
posted by en forme de poire at 12:33 AM on May 5, 2018 [2 favorites]


I was also bummed Dorothy Parker was so middle of the road, but... it strikes me as really tough to do a comedian for Snatch Game! Parker is literally famous for devastating, impossibly clever one liners. That's setting yourself a pretty high bar compared to making fun of Melania Trump.
posted by en forme de poire at 12:51 AM on May 5, 2018


The Vixen... 27 is too young to be a bitter old queen. Staaaaaahp.

Miz Cracker's Snatch Game performance justifiably landed her in the middle, but it's a shame we didn't get to hear more about her runway look, which was just stunning.

I love me some Monique but that lipsync was painful.
posted by duffell at 5:23 AM on May 5, 2018


As a white viewer, I found Mathew Rodriguez' "The Black Queens of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 10 Are Revolutionary" illuminating:

"Seeing so many Black queens gather around to discuss drag’s inherent politicalness is new territory for the show. As the show’s format has evolved, it’s allowed queens more time to talk about politics, especially queens like Sasha Velour, Peppermint and Bob the Drag Queen. But the show has never depicted a Black queen political salon like it did on Thursday."

"Due mostly to racism, The Vixen will probably never have the reputation of being an intellectual queen like Sasha Velour. But every week, she demonstrates not only how thoughtful she is about her work as a drag queen, but about what it means to be a Black queen put up for consumption by a white audience."
posted by ITheCosmos at 9:03 AM on May 5, 2018 [8 favorites]


Pretty limp reading mini-challenge performance from everyone.

Of all the predictions that might have been made at the beginning of the season... Aquaria winning snatch game wouldn't have been one of them.

I am sexually attracted to Cracker's Dorothy Parker and Aquaria's mermaid fantasy. Just me?

I find The Vixen so fascinating. She's so right about so many things (racism in drag, Eureka being annoying) but then goes and does things like attack someone's character on stage and then accuse her friends of betraying her for personal reasons. She's an important queen and I'm glad she's not gone yet. But her drag, I have to say, is not up to the other's level of polish- not even Monique's with her famed lack of budget!
posted by mymbleth at 4:44 AM on May 6, 2018 [2 favorites]


That runway was so great. I've decided that Asia was actually dragging the Fiji Mermaid, because that would be awesome. I also loved that it had queens rocking wheelchairs and being way more glamorous sitting than standing.

Vixen though, I completely get her frustration. As much as I like Eureka I've definitely been bitter in the shadow of people I found ingratiating yet were beloved of others. And that last exchange in which Eureka just would.not.shut.up! - that wasn't good, she should have been called out on it.
posted by freya_lamb at 12:59 PM on May 10, 2018


Oh, and Ru's "Tuna Turner!" comment should have won this week. I spat out my tea at that. Sheer perfection.
posted by freya_lamb at 1:07 PM on May 10, 2018


Oh, yes, Eureka was not doing herself any favours with her defence on the runway. A dignified silence would have been the most effective move, I feel (although possibly not the most reality show friendly). Even just one brief response would have been better than that wordvomit.
posted by misfish at 5:38 PM on May 10, 2018


« Older Movie: Close Encounters of the...   |  Atlanta: FUBU... Newer »

You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments