RuPaul's Drag Race: Queens Reunited
June 24, 2018 8:53 PM - Season 10, Episode 13 - Subscribe
One week from the grand finale, all Season 10 queens return to discuss the season's most shocking moments; includes never-before-seen footage, jaw-dropping revelations and a recap of the season's most amazing looks.
Asia was the rare bright spot in this reunion. I really appreciated her pushback against Ru. Unfortunately, that almost certainly cost her any shot at the crown.
posted by duffell at 5:41 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by duffell at 5:41 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
That was deeply unpleasant. What is going on with this show? When did Ru get so preachy and involved? I much preferred his arms-length presence in previous seasons.
It feels like all the the fun and vivacity - and sanctuary - of drag is being sidelined in favour of voyeuristic, manufactured therapy-lite and it’s a shitty way to treat the contestants. That end piece was clearly aimed at breaking Kameron. What is even the point? If Ru wants viscera he needs to reveal his hand, otherwise it’s just sanctimonious bullying.
posted by freya_lamb at 6:34 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
It feels like all the the fun and vivacity - and sanctuary - of drag is being sidelined in favour of voyeuristic, manufactured therapy-lite and it’s a shitty way to treat the contestants. That end piece was clearly aimed at breaking Kameron. What is even the point? If Ru wants viscera he needs to reveal his hand, otherwise it’s just sanctimonious bullying.
posted by freya_lamb at 6:34 AM on June 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
My only guess about this season, apart from the usual "Bow to production or face the wrath of Ru and Co" is that Eureka has been the designated winner since the beginning. Whether it's because they thought there'd be groundswell for her after her injury, or because of the injury itself, or because they just finally want a big queen to win it, she's been highlighted well beyond her performance on the show. And because Vixen hasn't gotten along with her, Vixen has been positioned as a troublemaker, and it's unfair and gross to watch.
The whole season feels really bizarre. The fact that all the queens come so harshly against Kameron, who seems to be pleasant and trying hard and not very social, just because she's shy, is so strange and so hostile that the fact the reunion only had, "You don't hug me at meet & greets" as backup evidence made me angry on Kameron's behalf.
Cracker really feeling that she was being dissed for not having star quality by Asia, when Cracker's show performance (outside of talking head segments, which have been gold) didn't display anything beyond a middling performance has been weird. (And even in hindsight, the expectation that she should have made top 4 is strange to me.)
I expect Vanjie to have a rude awakening in Season 11, when we all realize that she's probably fine, but the catchphrase was the most memorable thing about her. I expect she'll get farther than possibly warranted because of that catchphrase.
The season itself has mostly been fun, but that reunion just highlighted everything that's been off and weird and cringe-worthy this season, and I think they may need to try to shake things up next year.
posted by xingcat at 9:15 AM on June 25, 2018 [5 favorites]
The whole season feels really bizarre. The fact that all the queens come so harshly against Kameron, who seems to be pleasant and trying hard and not very social, just because she's shy, is so strange and so hostile that the fact the reunion only had, "You don't hug me at meet & greets" as backup evidence made me angry on Kameron's behalf.
Cracker really feeling that she was being dissed for not having star quality by Asia, when Cracker's show performance (outside of talking head segments, which have been gold) didn't display anything beyond a middling performance has been weird. (And even in hindsight, the expectation that she should have made top 4 is strange to me.)
I expect Vanjie to have a rude awakening in Season 11, when we all realize that she's probably fine, but the catchphrase was the most memorable thing about her. I expect she'll get farther than possibly warranted because of that catchphrase.
The season itself has mostly been fun, but that reunion just highlighted everything that's been off and weird and cringe-worthy this season, and I think they may need to try to shake things up next year.
posted by xingcat at 9:15 AM on June 25, 2018 [5 favorites]
The season itself has mostly been fun, but that reunion just highlighted everything that's been off and weird and cringe-worthy this season, and I think they may need to try to shake things up next year.
I agree completely - there were some nasty work-room battles, but towards the end everything was seeming so ... nice?
But my take-away from this episode was different from others here, slightly. The Vixen felt like an instigator, though once instigated, Eureka was definitely not without fault. And I can see that Ru might have had experience with trying to save or help people in the past, only to have those offers thrown back, possibly with more abuse and negativity, so I could see where she was coming from w/r/t The Vixen, but at the same time, I think it's up to everyone to pick their own threshold of how many times to offer help is enough. Also, Asia had a connection, if even fleeting, with The Vixen, that no one else had (or at least was shown in the edit), for Ru to say "there's nothing you could do" was even more harsh here.
I read Kameron differently, too - it could have been the edit, but I felt that some of her separation now wasn't just because she was shy, but because she was judgy? I don't know - she's clearly a fierce performer, and while I can see that she would have been awed by the status of the other queens coming into the competition, it sounds like with subsequent performances she's been less than cordial to other queens. And instead of defending her earlier comment about not saying anything to avoid saying something shady, she was quiet ... in the edit. In the end, I'm torn, and leaning towards "shady editing" rather than "shady Kameron."
With that, and with Ru talking directly to the camera, it felt more like a Maury Povich episode than Drag Race, mixing drama with redemption and tear-jerkers.
Cracker really feeling that she was being dissed for not having star quality by Asia, when Cracker's show performance (outside of talking head segments, which have been gold) didn't display anything beyond a middling performance has been weird. (And even in hindsight, the expectation that she should have made top 4 is strange to me.)
Ditto - I had to think back to the very beginning, where Cracker was more confident and mature than Aquaria in their early spat, but then Aquaria showed that she, though still very young, had more diversity in styles and performance, and Cracker was more of a kooky, kitschy vintage comedy queen with less range. I think it was that confidence that won me in the beginning, and it's why I still love her. I think she also has a problem of self-doubt and self-sabotage due to feeling like she needs to be perfect. Within her wheelhouse, she's comfortable, but pushed beyond that, she doubts herself, where Aquaria goes all out.
Asia was the rare bright spot in this reunion. I really appreciated her pushback against Ru. Unfortunately, that almost certainly cost her any shot at the crown.
I really hope that's not the case, but I could see that being true. Regardless, we're Team Asia.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:45 AM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
I agree completely - there were some nasty work-room battles, but towards the end everything was seeming so ... nice?
But my take-away from this episode was different from others here, slightly. The Vixen felt like an instigator, though once instigated, Eureka was definitely not without fault. And I can see that Ru might have had experience with trying to save or help people in the past, only to have those offers thrown back, possibly with more abuse and negativity, so I could see where she was coming from w/r/t The Vixen, but at the same time, I think it's up to everyone to pick their own threshold of how many times to offer help is enough. Also, Asia had a connection, if even fleeting, with The Vixen, that no one else had (or at least was shown in the edit), for Ru to say "there's nothing you could do" was even more harsh here.
I read Kameron differently, too - it could have been the edit, but I felt that some of her separation now wasn't just because she was shy, but because she was judgy? I don't know - she's clearly a fierce performer, and while I can see that she would have been awed by the status of the other queens coming into the competition, it sounds like with subsequent performances she's been less than cordial to other queens. And instead of defending her earlier comment about not saying anything to avoid saying something shady, she was quiet ... in the edit. In the end, I'm torn, and leaning towards "shady editing" rather than "shady Kameron."
With that, and with Ru talking directly to the camera, it felt more like a Maury Povich episode than Drag Race, mixing drama with redemption and tear-jerkers.
Cracker really feeling that she was being dissed for not having star quality by Asia, when Cracker's show performance (outside of talking head segments, which have been gold) didn't display anything beyond a middling performance has been weird. (And even in hindsight, the expectation that she should have made top 4 is strange to me.)
Ditto - I had to think back to the very beginning, where Cracker was more confident and mature than Aquaria in their early spat, but then Aquaria showed that she, though still very young, had more diversity in styles and performance, and Cracker was more of a kooky, kitschy vintage comedy queen with less range. I think it was that confidence that won me in the beginning, and it's why I still love her. I think she also has a problem of self-doubt and self-sabotage due to feeling like she needs to be perfect. Within her wheelhouse, she's comfortable, but pushed beyond that, she doubts herself, where Aquaria goes all out.
Asia was the rare bright spot in this reunion. I really appreciated her pushback against Ru. Unfortunately, that almost certainly cost her any shot at the crown.
I really hope that's not the case, but I could see that being true. Regardless, we're Team Asia.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:45 AM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
Watching the Vixen’s post-reunion live session...it feels like Eureka wants to be forgiven more than she wants to sincerely apologize. I mean, I’m sure she THINKS she is making sincere efforts to apologize, but from the Vixen’s account, it just sounds like desperate grabbing for absolution without really examining and acknowledging her part in the whole mess. I don’t blame the Vixen for not wanting to just hand Eureka forgiveness, and I don’t blame her for walking out of the reunion when RuPaul seemed to be prioritizing the drama over the serious race problems.
And man, speaking as a Dallas drag scene fan, I am starting to feel like Drag Race just does not ever want a Dallas queen to win. Kennedy has done the best of all the Dallas queens that have been on the show! Asia is lovely and wonderful and clever, but I agree that Ru might hold her reunion pushback against her. That would be a sad, sad thing.
Asia or Aquaria would be my preferred winners - I am crossing my fingers.
posted by angeline at 1:47 PM on June 27, 2018
And man, speaking as a Dallas drag scene fan, I am starting to feel like Drag Race just does not ever want a Dallas queen to win. Kennedy has done the best of all the Dallas queens that have been on the show! Asia is lovely and wonderful and clever, but I agree that Ru might hold her reunion pushback against her. That would be a sad, sad thing.
Asia or Aquaria would be my preferred winners - I am crossing my fingers.
posted by angeline at 1:47 PM on June 27, 2018
Ru seems to have a "I pulled myself up by my bootstraps, why can't they?" mentality these days. Her "I come from the same place she does" was almost her Tyra Banks "I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you!" moment. That whole part was ughhhhhhh.
And speaking of the other, other Tyra, I think this show is shifting into that phase of the ANTM where it's become an institution and it seems to kind of going to Ru's head. I won't use the term "jumped the shark" exactly, but it's starting to become more of a RuPaul cult with all of the queens coming onto the show kind totally idolizing her. She was famous before, of course, but I think Drag Race has pushed that even further.
I loved Monet's facial expressions/body language during this episode, everything Monique says ever, and Asia in general. At the end of the season, those three are my favourites by far.
posted by urbanlenny at 5:21 PM on June 28, 2018 [5 favorites]
And speaking of the other, other Tyra, I think this show is shifting into that phase of the ANTM where it's become an institution and it seems to kind of going to Ru's head. I won't use the term "jumped the shark" exactly, but it's starting to become more of a RuPaul cult with all of the queens coming onto the show kind totally idolizing her. She was famous before, of course, but I think Drag Race has pushed that even further.
I loved Monet's facial expressions/body language during this episode, everything Monique says ever, and Asia in general. At the end of the season, those three are my favourites by far.
posted by urbanlenny at 5:21 PM on June 28, 2018 [5 favorites]
Oh and
Ru: Can you explain to someone who cannot be spoken to?
Asia: No, I don't expect to do that but you -
Ru: Look at me! look at me, goddammit!
QED.
posted by urbanlenny at 5:41 PM on June 28, 2018
Ru: Can you explain to someone who cannot be spoken to?
Asia: No, I don't expect to do that but you -
Ru: Look at me! look at me, goddammit!
QED.
posted by urbanlenny at 5:41 PM on June 28, 2018
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Especially the Vixen. The Vixen, who is basically watching Euraka, someone who treated her categorically poorly, be rewarded for that bad behaviour, and here Ru is expecting her to validate that crappy self-actualization pseudo-Secret bullshit that is trotted out each season. I have a lot of sympathy for the Vixen, and I admire her courage to basically refuse to bow to that narrative and just flip em the bird on the way out.
Just deeply unpleasant. And then to have Ru basically wash her hands of her.
posted by Jilder at 3:55 AM on June 25, 2018 [6 favorites]