Rupaul's Drag Race: Season 5, Episode 9
Whew, I was bracing myself this week! As soon as I saw that Jinkx was teamed up with Alyssa and Coco, I was sure it would be a shitstorm, yet another barrage of drama and antagonism, but compared to previous weeks, this one was pretty tame. In fact, they seemed to be setting up a lot of drama for both teams in this week's challenge--did you see Alaska's face as Detox and Roxxxy were going over their lines? Really, it was kind of terrifying. But despite the build-up, both teams seemed to function fairly well while shooting their respective telenovelas.
Alaska called it with this challenge--with such hammy dialogue and bombastic performances, neither team's sketch worked particularly well. The reunited Rolaskatox, however, were able to find a lot of goofy bits to play around with, and I thought they worked well together. Detox got a fair bit of flack for her efforts, but who could complain about this priceless expression of hers? (Don't hate me, Detox, I seriously adore your facial antics!)
The telenovela shoot went pretty smoothly for Alyssa, Coco, and Jinkx... all things considered. I fully expected an epic tussle between those three during rehearsal, but the only excruciating bit was watching Alyssa try to squeeze into one of Jinkx's dresses. Despite Alyssa's orgasmic quirks and Coco's dropped lines, they weren't a trainwreck. Amidst all the couch-humping, Jinkx did manage to find a few little comedic gems--I particularly loved the quick reversal where she observes the reason they rarely discuss food in the family.
The runway looks this week were a mixed bag. I thought Roxxxy's makeup looked stunning, but her outfit was a bit too conventional for me to get excited about. Same with Alyssa's. And I wasn't sure what to make of Detox's giant sombrero. But I did love Coco's sleek orange jumpsuit, and even if Alaska's gown wasn't remarkable, I'm a sucker for a girl who can shake it.
And, of course, Jinkx stole the show. I live for the scene-stealing, gasp-inducing runway looks, and Jinkx brought it this week.
To DIE for. Yeah, sorry.
In any case, she's clearly assumed the role of frontrunner, and all the other queens are gunning for her. That being said, the contestants seem to have gotten to know each other pretty well, so even after railing on each other, they often fall back into a comfortable sense of camaraderie. Jinkx has been standing up for herself, and I honestly can't imagine that the other queens will be able to shake her, given what she's already endured.
That being said, I don't take it for granted that she'll take home the crown. I adore the other queens, too. Given this week's unforgettable lip sync, I was amazed that either queen was sent home. From here on in, none of those queens is going to make it easy.
Next week's challenge is apparently the inevitable "makeover" episode, which I always find to be totally unpredictable. You just never know what'll happen in those ones, but it always makes for good television!
Check back next week for the next batch of art, and check out this week's in my online store!