Drag Race Down Under power-bottom ranking episode 7
the queen is dead, long live the kween
Howdy! This has to be a super quick one, and I apologise, because yes I did watch the episode, but then I had to fly to Sydney for a death in the family, so I’m writing this on the plane!!! And boy are my arms tired.
This was one of the classics of the drag race genre: the makeover episode. I quite like the conceit of this one - a big family with a gay son and supportive father and uncle (i got a bit confused at the connections tbh) of pacific background?, and the way many of them connected with the queens was super gorgeous. Namely, Spankie and Kween truly shone.
I think we have a Spankie win in the finale next week, she’s just the one with the biggest buzz by the judges. She also danced the hardest at the premiere, which at first I thought was because she was the first person voted off (that was Faux, who danced the second hardest) - but i now realise could be the dance of victory.
However I’d also be super happy with a Kween win, because as I’ll get into soon, she’s just such a special person as well as queen.
Anyway, one episode left after this! I can’t wait, because I’m tired.
Let’s rank.
WINNERS
Spankie Jackzon +2 points
Spankie continued to shine this episode, and really connected with the uncle type that she got given. Her ability to empathise with people, and very genuinely engage with the queens around her, while also maintaining her own strength and boundaries is very impressive.
She managed to do a great job with this person, even though her makeup was fucked up - but she always looks ratchet herself, and the judges still love it, so no surprise that she did so well this ep.
Kween Kong +4 points
Kween Kong honestly astonishes me with her generosity and strength. One of the most important part of this season was her discussion with Hannah about her past issues of cultural appropriation, which kind of served as a reflection on the mistakes of the first season, and provided some context. Kween’s engagement with her virgin queen was honestly a gift, and showcases just how amazing Kween is. I think that Kween is a great queen, but if she won this season it would be because of her exceptional humanity.
That said, her queen also looked the best by FAR. She deserved her win.
Losers
Molly Poppinz
This was a nice episode, and nobody truly flubbed it, even when the virgin queens didn’t look… wonderful. But Molly managed to create a narrative around her being stressed, and therefore didn’t connect as much with her subject. PLUS she made the mistake of choosing the gay drag race stan, so it was never going to be the kind of affecting narrative that the other queens got, about bridging gaps etc. Every cis gay believes they would be an amazing drag queen, and that’s the energy Molly had to work with.
Anyway, Molly was sent home, which wasn’t a big surprise. I like her! But she wasn’t shining, and I believe her only win was in the very first episode.
ANYWAY. see you next week for the finale!!!!