Had the bizarre experience of watching this with my father, who mostly played around on his phone through the episode, but suddenly had questions every time something dramatic happened and then offered an unsolicited opinion on the lip sync for your life. What can I say, the man loves sports and this was like a perfect game.

A great episode now that we’ve gotten the filler queens out and the girls have both established their characters and grown to like each other—or at least tolerate each other. Beyond that, though, this really showcased how talented the girls were. Everyone did well. Even Salina surprised me. The judges weren’t lying when they said this was an all-time great Rusical.

Beyond that, though, the drama was so juicy. Mistress and Luxx have really found how to make their mean girl act fun now. I will admit that I felt bad for Loosey when she was crying over their treatment, but her deciding to be MORE self-centered was a wild lesson to take from that moment. 

And the who should go home question has never been better. Mistress’s dig about the Sasha Colby meet and greet, Sasha brushing it off by not even naming Mistress as competition, Luxx going through each girl. The final choice literally made my dad ask, “now what is she trying to do??” I was salivating for Untucked after that.

As for challenge performance, I loved Sasha showing versatility and as the judges keep saying, a certain fearlessness and willingness to try anything, and I’m so relieved to see her come roaring back after what I hope will be her only low placement. That said, Anetra deserved the win. She’s had a tough time since the premiere and this was a nice boost for her arc. Puts her back in the running for the finale.

Speaking of, though win count would suggest Loosey would be there with her, this was also a real boost for Mistress, who I absolutely think is top 3 material. She just gets how to play this game and make great TV. She was excellent in the challenge, drove stories in the werkroom and had possibly the best look of the night. Says a lot that I applauded when she chose Sasha rather than turning on her. She will do more for the franchise going to All-Stars than winning this season (especially once she learns to channel her natural humor into the actual comedy challenges), but she will be unstoppable with more experience. She gives me Raja vibes or something. A real throwback to an earlier version of the show we all miss. We should all pray girls in following seasons learn to stop self-consciously editing themselves the way she does.

Last thought, I went subatomic when Sasha’s tête-à-tête with Ru was interrupted by Loosey’s breakdown. She deserved the space, but I’ve been waiting to see that interaction all season and it felt weird to cut away when Sasha, as a trans woman who is a bit of a trailblazer in drag, has perhaps the most experience and most at stake in the political moment the Rusical represents.

Specials

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Season 8

Season 9

Season 10

Season 11

Season 12

Season 13

Season 14

Season 15

Season 16

Season 17

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