Drag queens are not synonymous with comedians. It’s a different thing. While many drag queens are very funny, the simple act of drag alters the “comedy” to give audiences a different response to the person onstage. Some drag queens do exceptionally well at stand-up, most do not, but for none do I consider it a “requirement” to be able to come up with a fully realized set of interesting, original jokes. Even the processes are different — stand-up on Drag Race is written in a room, workshopped once, and then performed in front of an audience. That’s not the way any of the expert comedians they’ve brought in to coach write their work, which is typically workshopped through tons of performances in which audience feedback, including when they don’t like a joke (something that is not allowed on Drag Race), teaches the performers what to ultimately include. Even people prepping for roasts, if they’re smart, will workshop the jokes in front of an audience to determine what works. All of this is to say that I don’t consider a perfect stand-up set even a possibility on Drag Race, much less a requirement.
What I do consider a requirement: The ability to hold the center of the stage, to create a fully realized drag character, to deliver a line competently, and to be smart enough not to steal your entire set from basically one set by Nikki Glaser.
For those not in the know, as soon as the episode came out, fans noticed that a lot of Gottmik’s roast this week was taken from one specific Nikki Glaser roast (the roast of Rob Lowe). Now, it’s entirely possible that, behind the scenes, Mik paid someone else to write her some roast jokes, they stole from Nikki, and she got screwed over. But, in the same way that I don’t critique Joshuan Aponte or Diego Montoya when I critique the girls’ runway looks, I’ve gotta come down on Mik here.
Look, I don’t really care about drag queens not writing their own jokes. Plastique opens her set this week with two separate jokes that Jinkx Monsoon has previously told on this very show, and “drag jokes” is basically its own category of humor. But, after watching this discourse begin, I chatted for a bit with Vulture’s comedy expert (and straight male Drag Race fan), Jesse David Fox, and one thing he brought up is drag queens’ job as “curators.” If Mik is going to be doing roast drag, it’s on her to be able to bring in classic roast jokes from all over the place. If I wanted to watch basically one specific Nikki Glaser set, I’d just … watch that Nikki Glaser set. C’mon. Curate.
If I had to guess, I’d say Mik’s choice not to write her own jokes was brought on by some kind of pressure around the roast — her original is one of the most iconic in the show’s run. Still, watching that clip of Glaser in the same pink dress, just telling the same exact jokes as Mik, all on one night … it’s pretty damning.
Other than that off-the-show drama, this week’s episode was an exercise in high drama and a bit of overproduction. The show finally got its drama last week, with an operatic performance from Ms. Roxxxy Andrews. The thrust of the season is coming into focus, and it looks like we’re shaping up for a battle between Angeria and Roxxxy all season, while Plastique continues to be told what a shock it is that she’s doing well in comedy challenges (irrespective of how she’s actually doing).
We begin the episode with some drama between Roxxxy and Angeria and kind of Mik but mostly Roxxxy and Angeria. The two are clearly eyeing each other up. Then, we get a mini-challenge pulled straight from Survivor that, Ru announces, will earn the winner a badge. Is it weird to me that this challenge gave us a badge but not the reading challenge? Yes. But whatever, there should definitely be more badges floating around, so I’m glad they’re doing it. Jorgeous wins, randomly. Good for her.
The challenge this week is a roast. I assume most of the girls walk in with roast jokes prepped, but they still get a coaching session with Michelle Visage and the utterly delightful Ruta Lee. And, wouldn’t you know it, the only two girls who get extended sections during coaching end up winning the challenge. Bo-RING!
Backstage, it continues to be the world against Angeria, while Angeria mostly just seems to be chugging along. She has a bit of a breakdown with Michelle and Ruta, but gets her stuff together. I like Angeria a lot, but I definitely didn’t expect her to be carrying the narrative brunt of the season. She’s a talented queen, but I’ve yet to be blown away by her work this time around.
Shannel opens the roast, and she mostly does it by hosting rather than giving an actual stand-up set. She gets through it intact, but the jokes just aren’t there. Following Shannel is Jorgeous, who I honestly thought should have won the challenge. She takes the advice from Ru to play a “straight character” and she’s silly and loose. Not all of the punch lines landed perfectly, but I don’t care so much about that. I was fully entertained by her little walk up to the stage, and her assertion that “I’m straight!” Plastique is next, and her win was entirely a surprise to me. “Her? Really?” was my vibe. Truly don’t understand it. Her narrative this week is that she’s funny when she picks a character, and, while the costume certainly had a character, nothing else indicated it. She didn’t embarrass herself or anything, but her delivery was bland and it didn’t stand out at all. Roxxxy is also perfectly fine. For her, given her track record, that’s great news, but otherwise her set is unremarkable.
Vanjie again makes it through largely on pure charisma. In this situation, that’s what is called for, and her jokes weren’t bad, either. I might have put her in my top two. The Jorgeous being burped joke and her delivery are perfect. Angeria probably needs to win the week from a production level, but I found her jokes largely bland. “You look absolutely beautiful tonight … from a distance” is so boring I could not stop myself from literally rolling my eyes. Her set is well delivered but unmemorable. Gottmik I’ve gone over. Her non-Nikki jokes were all solid. Nina finishes up. It’s not as funny as it needs to be from a girl who is here specifically for her comedy chops, but it’s fine.
The runway category is Atomic Blonde.
Shannel does a Mad Max look with pageant hair, which doesn’t make any sense. Jorgeous looks great and fully conceptualized. Good week for her. I have to admit I did not like Plastique’s look this week: not into the white lashes, and I think she should have padded. I’m not prescriptive about padding, but when you’re going for a heightened high-femme look like Plastique is, it helps. Don’t love Roxxxy’s at all. Her long bottom lashes don’t look good, and the entire outfit just doesn’t have a strong impact. I’m not convinced that Vanjie’s entirely fits the category, but I also think the category was nebulous and she looks fab, so whatever. Angeria’s is ugly. Nothing else to say about that. Hate the wig. Gottmik looks great, if not jaw-dropping. Best of the week, per the uzh. Nina dresses as an atomic bomb and her hair is a mushroom cloud. Straightforward, within her wheelhouse, well proportioned (not always the case with her). Best of the season on Nina.
Angeria and Plastique win this week for a reason that is largely indecipherable to me. They lip-sync to “Be My Lover” by La Bouche, and Plastique doesn’t know the rap. (Why would she? Who could have predicted she’d win this week?) So Angeria wins.
• Bob says hi, Ruta says hi, the girls vibe.
• Speaking of: Bob does a little bit thing at the beginning of the roast and makes it clear how easily she would win the challenge if there.
• Something I’ve been toying with in my mind recently is what would happen if All Stars stopped pretending like the girls didn’t get help in the roast challenges or the verses, etc.
