RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE S13E4 “RuPaulmark Channel”: Still Rooting For Ru!

And now the race begins. After three weeks of “gotcha!” almost-eliminations, separations, and then nobody ending up on the actual (pork) chopping block, the season can actually begin. And what better way to create new pressure points than an over-acting challenge?

After Denali’s win at the end of last week’s episode, she and the other “Pork Chop” queens enter the workroom and finally meet their counterparts, minus Elliott With 2 Ts who’s decided to hide behind a golden folding screen. It’s all in good fun, but there’s still plenty of shade and hints of possible hurt feelings. Elliott confronts the queens who voted her off and there appears to be some dead-end agitation between her and Tamisha. Everyone’s hackles are up and it looks like there may actually be some real drama.

I’m alright with a slow burn

That’s all swept away of course after the Drag Race theme song plays and the queens return to the workroom the next day, in their streetwear and ready to get some headcount on who’s single. Considering these queens had to quarantine for two weeks leading up to filming the premiere (and then some), you can’t really blame for flirting so quickly. Kandy Muse sets her sights on Joey Jay and the queens break bread over just how cute the cast is. This is a common thing that happens on past seasons, but don’t expect any on-set romances – after season 11’s Brooke Lynn Hytes and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo courtship and season 12’s forced and cringe-worthy overreaction to Gigi Goode and Crystal Methyd, I highly doubt anyone wants to go down that route. There’s quite a bit of whiplash to see everyone get along so quickly, but don’t worry, Kandy Muse will crack the harmony in Untucked, and at the nexus of that crack is Elliott With 2 Ts. But more on that later!

RuPaul enters the workroom and puts the queens into three teams for the maxi challenge: team one is Denali, Elliott, Kahmora, and Olivia; team two is LaLa, Rosé, Symone, and Utica; and team three is Gottmik, Joey, Kandy, Tamisha, and Tina. Each group is assigned a script for a trailer that parodies those ridiculous Hallmark Channel holiday movies, obviously called the “RuPaulmark Channel.” Team One’s movie title is “Misery Loves Company” and is a spoof of Valentine’s Day, team two’s trailer centers on Flag Day, with the irreverent title “God Loves Flags”, and finally, team three’s trailer is an April 1st-inspired romp called “April Fool’s Rush In.” The groups are mixed up and the former rivals of the “Pork Chop” and the “Winners Circle” groups seem to fully integrate, which is honestly a relief.

As the queens go over their scripts and figure out their characters, select queens are comparing themselves to each other and trying their best to rise to the top. Episode 1 opened up the side plot point of a rivalry between New York queens Rosé and Tina and we’re shown a hint of that in this episode as Rosé makes it clear that Tina is her competition, intercut with the two of them rehearsing their lines for their respective trailers. Denali also wants to prove that she can top herself after last week’s glorious lip sync but, after realizing just how many lines she has, Denali gets nervous, letting her confidence slip just a little bit.

There are also a couple more allusions to the tension surrounding Elliott; Kahmora mentions that she can’t stand the sound of Elliott’s voice and later on, Ru asks Utica why she thinks it was Elliott and not her who was chosen by the “Pork Chop” queens back in episode 2, to which Utica says, “I think that between Elliott and I, there was just a very different vibe. I give very warm energy and she gives very cold energy.”  Utica is most likely referring to the fact that one of the reasons Elliott was picked over her was that Utica had gone out of her way to help Kahmora when her nail had fallen to the floor when all of the “Pork Chop” queens were awaiting their fates. At any other point in time, this small act of kindness would have been overlooked but it really was a deciding factor for some if not all of the queens at that moment. Something is simmering around Elliott and production is letting it burn ever so slowly.

I was ROOTing for us!

For maybe the first time in RuPaul’s Drag Race herstory, the filming of the acting challenge actually reflects the finished product. What?! Save for Joey Jay not knowing her cameras and Utica forgetting her lines, what we’re shown in the filming is pretty much indicative of the finished product. It’s easy to tell who’s struggling and who’s bringing the right energy, but the writing is on the wall for Kahmora’s take on being a talking tree and the fact that Denali doesn’t quite get a Mommy Dearest reference – both queens need an absurd amount of direction from Ross Mathews. Kahmora’s line is “I was rooting for us!”, a reference to the infamous Tyra Banks outburst from season 4 of America’s Next Top Model, a reality show that Drag Race borrows a lot of its format from. Kahmora just can’t get the line right and in her confessional, Olivia says that Kahmora must have said it about 75 times. Uh oh, this isn’t looking good for our Chicago Mackie Doll.

The runway category is “Trains for Days”, and while the queens get ready for the stage, Symone talks about how her first time in drag was at her high school prom and we’re given more insight into Tamisha’s biological children, one of whom actually inspired her drag name. What’s interesting about all of this talk of Tamisha’s biological kids and how much her drag daughter Tandy was highlighted in last week’s episode, is that one of her drag daughters is actually on this season: LaLa Ri! However, this piece of information has been withheld for the time being. The show really likes showing the bonds of queens from the same city, and bonds that have been made on the show but an actual drag mother-daughter relationship? Nah. As far as passive viewers know, LaLa and Tamisha are Atlanta queens and that’s about it. It’ll be riveting to know where this will go as the season continues.

As for the actual runway, the standouts are undoubtedly Kahmora’s “East Asian Mother of Dragons” look which incorporates gorgeous gold details and a train that resembles a dragon’s tail,  along with Symone’s “unapologetic” durag-train with matching coveralls and corset. The looks do well to celebrate the cultures of these queens and they both look stunning and gorgeous on the runway. There are few duds in terms of looks, but what’s a real surprise is that only one queen – Tina Burner – takes it to maximum camp and models her look on a train conductor (toot toot).

The three movie trailers are shown, and each one is actually pretty funny; but then again, making fun of Hallmark Channel holiday movies isn’t exactly a cryptic science. Each one includes a powerful corporate woman who returns home to the family business with ulterior motives, softens her hard edge, and then randomly gets the attention of a transformative prince played by actor and main judge of Canada’s Drag Race, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman. Most of the queens do a fabulous job in their overacting roles, which is a fine trend kicked off by last season’s absolutely stellar overacting “Gay’s Anatomy” challenge. It’s really going to come down to the runways for the top queen of the week, but it’s quite transparent who is in the bottom two.

I was rooting for you!

After RuPaul declares Elliott, Gottmik, Joey, Olivia, Tamisha, Tina, and Utica safe, Michelle Visage, Ross Mathews, and special guest judge, comedian Loni Love (Soul Plane, VH1’s I Love The ’70s) give their critiques. Michelle and Ross‘ feedback makes it obvious which outfit and performance they love the most and it’s no surprise whatsoever when RuPaul names Symone the winner of this week’s challenge, making her the early frontrunner with two official wins. The win is well-deserved and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Symone will be Top Three/Top Four this season. Unless she gets dragged down for not knowing how to sew, Symone will go to the end of the competition. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Kahmora Hall who finds herself in the bottom two with Denali, a queen who has proved that she isn’t someone you want to go up against in a lip sync, especially if you’re wearing a tight gown you can barely move in.

Their lip sync song is “100% Pure Love” by Crystal Waters and it is no contest – Denali wins pretty much by default. Not only does her unhindered movements allow her to really dance to the ore uptempo song, but she camps it up with her enormous green hair. Maybe if the song was a slow ballad it would have given Kahmora’s limited movements and model stride a better chance. As shown in this week’s Untucked, the two queens knew they were both in the bottom and their bond as Chicago queens and friends makes the inevitability bittersweet.

As the season’s first out queen, we at least had the privilege of getting to know Kahmora and falling in love with her for at least three episodes before she was sent home. As RuPaul said at the beginning of the season, there are no real losers in RuPaul’s Drag Race, except for us viewers who no longer get to see Kahmora’s unparalleled beauty and Bob Mackie gowns.

Conclusion: “RuPaulmark Channel”

In an entertaining episode that stays the course of a unique season that gradually gets better and better, we’re seeing so many different sides to these queens. Unfortunately, this means that some parts of the show get glossed over or ignored for the bigger plotlines, so here’s a breakdown of some of the highlights from “RuPaulmark Channel”:

• Tamisha not knowing any Cher songs and then killing it in the challenge with her Cher impersonation.
• RuPaul asking Utica if she’s ever smoked weed, cut to Utica answering the question in different facial expressions, and Ru laughing her ass off.
• Despite being in all green for the green screen, Kahmora still dressing up her body in drag, pads, and breastplate with nipples included.
• Kahmora looking like (Queen) Ghidorah from Godzilla: King of the Monsters on the runway. It cannot be said enough: her runway was amazing.
• Denali runway outfit being inspired by the Mesoamerican diety, dubbed Quetzalcoatl by the Aztecs. Finally, the queens can wear green without Michelle Visage‘s wrath!

As a last note, during Untucked, when the queens are talking about who they think is in the top and the bottom, Kandy Muse makes a point to say that she thought one of the safe queens should be in the bottom, namely, Elliott With 2 Ts. While I thought Elliott did a good job in her role – which is what RuPaul also believed – Kandy voiced her opinion, saying she thought Elliott had flatlined completely. Everyone seems taken aback by Kandy’s opinion but the conversation quickly shifts to other queens, seemingly putting the matter to rest. But we all know better. There’s no way that this issue is dead, especially after an episode dotted with Elliott-related conflict. Like a sailor reading the constellations in the night sky, the small pieces that have come into view are creating a bigger picture, a bigger narrative, and maybe a course that will lead the season into rough, unknown waters…and I am here for it!

What did you think of this week’s episode? Who do you think will be the next queen to go home? Let us know in the comments below!

A new episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13 can be seen every Friday at 8/7c on VH1.

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