I just caught up on Episodes 1-4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 4. First impressions: I love Black Peppa. I also like Le Fil and Dakota Schiffer. It's great to see more trans and non-binary representation on the show.
Dakota talking about her twin who is also queer was very touching, how they both were bullied but she knew everything would be okay because they had each other. It was sad to hear about how her dad who has conservative views and was in the Marines, how she and her twin would play with Barbie dolls but her dad decided she wasn't allowed to play with them anymore from the age of 5. However, she said that he's actually very good about it now. Speaking of dolls, Starlet reminded me of a 1950s Barbie. Starlet's silent exit was one of the stand out moments from Episode 2.
Black Peppa embodies what I love about Drag Race. She's funny, charismatic and a great performer. I loved how she included her identity as a Caribbean in her lyrics for the Yastunbory challenge. On stage, Dakota reminded me of Blondie mixed with a bit of Courtney Love. Her looks have been quite versatile so far, I enjoy her aesthetic. She looks like she could be a model for the brand Chloé. The queens on this season are so kind to each other and help each other out, it kind of gives me Bake Off vibes, it's not fiercely competitive and they all give each other a hand when they need it. I don't know if the US seasons try to manufacture drama to get viewers more invested (the villain trope on Drag Race is a whole other conversation, also whether queens can actually get a "bad edit" and how much of it is just their own behaviour and actions). Initially, Awhora from Season 2 was quite unlikeable, but she started to open up more and said that she attacks people because she feels attacked. I really grew to like her.
There might be an advantage to going second because you can study the previous group's performances and see what didn't go so well for them, and try not to make the same mistakes. It's understandable that they would make mistakes though, there's a lot of pressure on a show like this.
The rhythm does not exist!
I loved Black Peppa's look, the oversized fluffy hat, the makeup. I think Michelle hit the nail on the head when she said Peppa looked like Diana Ross, I could really see that. The interaction between FKA Twigs and Baby was really nice to see.
Episode 3: Design Challenge
I love a design challenge. When it's well executed, it's so satisfying to witness. When it's not, it becomes a meme and goes down in Drag Race history. I loved Baby and Dakota's collab, and Le Fil and Sminty's. I agreed with the critiques that Peppa and Jonbers got about the "washed out" colour on Jonbers, and how dark hair would have elevated it more. There was also the issue with the zipper but I can't imagine how difficult and stressful these design challenges are. I couldn't sew a dress to save my life. Peppa really brought it in the lip-sync.
Episode 4: Comedy Improv Challenge
There have been so many comedy challenges on Drag Race that honestly weren't funny at all. I don't even blame the queens, a lot of the times the concepts and the writing just aren't good, but this was an improv challenge so the humour came from the queens themselves and it was actually hilarious, I laughed out loud many times. Hearing the other queens cracking up watching the improv with Alan made it even funnier.
Hair Inspired Runway
As much as Drag Race is a fun, vibrant, campy show, there are lots of moments where the queens open up and are emotionally vulnerable, reflecting on their experiences growing up and understanding their queer identities. The conversation between Le Fil and Dakota was really touching. Dakota talked about how she loved playing with dolls with long hair and hair styling tools growing up, but when she turned 5 her and her twin were no longer allowed to play with dolls. Her grandma didn't think this was right, so she let them play with the curtains in her house because the tassels resembled hair, she even let them braid and cut them. Dakota's runway look was a tribute to her grandma for embracing her identity (without even knowing for sure what it was at that point) instead of trying to repress it. The conversation between Peppa and Cheddar was also really interesting. Peppa talked about what hair means to her. She grew up in a very religious family in the Caribbean, and her parents enforced the idea that she couldn't have dreads or long hair because they thought it doesn't look "presentable", making her feel like she was fighting an emotional and physical battle with the genes she was born with.
My hair is my image. My hair is my blackness.
The idea that certain black hairstyles look "unprofessional" or "unpresentable" is so wrong. It reminds me of how Abercrombie and Fitch discriminated against people with dreads and other black hairstyles, which led to a racial discrimination lawsuit in 2003. Peppa talked about how adding so many chemicals to her hair caused her to almost lose her hair. Cheddar talked about how meningitis when she was 18, and unfortunately lost her hair gradually over time as a result. When she shaved it, she felt liberated and it's become a huge part of her identity.
Episode 5: Larry Poppins: The Rusical
I was loving Ru's lewk in this episode, the sunglasses and the orange puffa jacket. The reading challenge was hilarious.
Reading is what? Fundamental! Some of my favourite reads:
Black Peppa: "Danny Beard, I know you love Marmite but stop using it as your foundation colour"
Pixie: "Baby, hmm. I'm pro-choice."
Le Fil: "Mr Smithers in a dress"
Danny Beard: "It's nice that Drag Race has embraced trans icons and now it's nice that people can see a bit of trans mediocrity"
Jonbers: "Cheddar is so old she was the first drag queen to throw a brick at Stone...henge."
I'm with Dakota, I don't like musicals, so I never really look forward to the Rusical episodes. Danny Beard is so entertaining. I don't know why but I found Jonber's bird feet so funny. Le Fil's performance as Mary Poppins was really good too. Danny Beard's look as the plant from Little Shop of Horrors was incredible: "You ain't never seen drag this camp, this is even camp for me!" Danny won the RuPeter badge, which I thought was very well deserved. I also loved Peppa's Lion King look and Le Fil looked great. Le Fil was safe, and Baby and Dakota were in the lip-sync. With the calibre of the queens this season, it becomes more and more difficult to predict who will be next to depart the competition.
There's n-n-n-n-n-no way!
My heart sank when Baby said "Can I say something? I think I need to go home and take care of myself." it really surprised me and it was really brave of her. It made me tear up. Next week is Snatch Game, so I'm buzzzzing. Roll on Episode 6!
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