RECAP: RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 11, Episodes 1 & 2
We are back back back again for this “All Stars” gig, as a mere three weeks after the finale of “Drag Race” Season 18, we are back at the starting line for the 11th season of “All Stars.” I’m not even mad, folks. A Friday night without “Drag Race” feels like a Friday night that’s missing something. (Speaking of, where are the international seasons this year? Have we had any?)
“All Stars 11” brings back the brackets format from “All Stars 10,” and 18 new competitors (well, mostly new — we have a handful of returning All Stars in the mix again). This week we got 2/3 of the Orange Bracket, and I thought they were…decent. I like the vibe of the season and the interactions of the cast more than I cared for the challenges. But I did find myself laughing out loud and impressed by more than a few of the queens these episodes.
Read on for my take on “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” Season 11, Episode 1 and 2. SPOILERS AHEAD!
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I’m going to recap the episodes by weighing in on where I think each of the six Orange Bracket queens ended up by the end of the episodes. Note that I’m listing them in alphabetical order.
A’keria Chanel Davenport (S11, AS6)
A’keria is one of our two returning All Stars, having placed 10th on “All Stars 6.” I have always liked A’keria. She’s stunning. She has great runways. And she can be very funny, as demonstrated in the S11 “Cops”-inspired improv challenge. My issue with A’keria has always been that there’s a wall up — she never feels fully engaged and loose. That seems to be different this time around, as I thought she showed more personality and vulnerability than she had in either of her previous runs combined. A’keria was one of the queens that struggled with her lipysnc in Episode 1’s rap challenge (literally like half of them did), but she did great in Episode 2’s design challenge inspired by different types of gay bars. I’m glad that A’keria is getting this third shot. I don’t think she had a prayer of beating any of the other finalists on S11, and she is one of the few queens to compete on “AS6” who I think came out of it looking worse than she did going in (her noping out of the lipsync battle didn’t help). She seems to already be addressing her main issue in the previous installments, and has gotten a pretty glowing edit so far. She ends Episode 2 tied for first place, and has a real shot of making it to semifinals as of right now.
Dawn (S16)
Dawn is a wild card. Season 16 is one of the most stacked/competitive regular seasons of the past few years, and I always thought that in a different season, she likely would have been a finalist. She’s especially strong in her designs and aesthetics — she just had the misfortune of being in the same season as Nymphia Wind and Q, who were juggernauts in the same areas in which Dawn excels. Dawn seems to have come into “AS11” hungry for some wins, and she ends Episode 2 well fed, as she was Top 2 in both challenges. I’m not sure I would have given her that for Episode 1. She knew the words of her rap, she delivered the lipsync effortlessly, she looked great in the challenge, and she had IMO the best look for the LaToya Jackson runway (what a world we live in, that we have a LaToya Jackson runway), which also showed a new, sexier side to her elf character. So I’m not mad that she was in the top that episode, just surprised. She was undeniably in the top for Episode 2, with her piano bar-inspired look giving us something wild and memorable, and beautifully made. She is still giving us chaos goblin energy and great talking heads as well. Dawn ends Episode 2 tied for first. I thought she acquitted herself pretty well in the “Fergilicious” lipsync, but she still missed out on the win. Can she win a lipsync on this show? That’s the rub.
Lucky Starzzz (S17)
One of the two Porkchops in “AS11,” Lucky was first out in Season 17, which featured one of the weakest casts in the history of “Drag Race.” The thing is, Lucky is exceptional at what Lucky does. It’s a very niche kind of drag, but it is wonderful to behold. Lucky is also a stone-cold weirdo, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know her more in confessionals and in her interactions these two episodes, including in her spat with fellow Miami queen, Morphine. Lucky did not have a great Episode 1, as she did not know her rap lyrics (which she wrote!) and had one of the worst runways on the stage — “normal” drag is Lucky’s kryptonite. However, she had an outstanding Episode 2, and I really thought her look inspired by the kitsch bar could have been Top 2. I could see her visibly depressed at not getting that moment, but I hope she doesn’t take it too hard. The pinata donut outfit she gave us was epic, she got to really show the kind of drag that SHE does best, and she impressed the hell out of me. Episode 2 alone proved why Lucky deserves to be here, and why she is a queen who can do some incredible things visually. She ends Episode 2 with 1 point, but I hope she gets at least one or two MVQ points when we come back for E3.
Morgan McMichaels (S2, AS3)
Morgan is our other returning All Star in the Orange Bracket, and I welcome her back with open arms. Morgan is a fierce bitch, and a bona fide drag legend. She started out strong on Season 2, and then crashed and burned. “All Stars 3” was a failure to launch, with her leaving first after coming in super hot and competitive, being brought back during the iconic BenDeLaCreme late-season sacrifice, and immediately going home again. But Morgan is so much more than those runs would have you believe, so I’m delighted she’s getting another shot — and she’s making the most of it. Morgan was without question the strongest performer in Episode 1, being one of the few queens who performed her rap verse well, and serving one of the best looks of the night. Her leather bar look in Episode 2 was also quite impressive. With 4 points by the end of Episode 2, she has already redeemed herself after her previous run, and made it clear that she is and will always be an icon. I do think she will struggle to get MVQ points given her early lead, and the fact that Morgan is not playing the game strategically — she is playing it authentically. And I respect her for that.
Morphine Love Dion (S16)
In my opinion, Morphine came into this bracket as the one to beat. She had a great arc on Season 16, struggling through some of the challenges, becoming a lipsync assassin, narrating the whole goddamn season in her confessionals, and then making the audience love her with her pluck, her beauty, and her performance abilities. After S16, Morphine was involved in a very serious car accident that left her with significant medical issues — but she fought back, and is still out there performing as if nothing happened. The sad news is, something is not clicking for Morphine this season. I have to wonder if her not ending up Top 2 in Episode 1 really fucked with her confidence, because Episode 2 she really seemed to be struggling to process everything going on. I can understand where she’s coming from. I suspect Morphine put a lot of pressure on herself coming back this season, and given how much work she apparently did to choreograph the group in E1, her frustration at not getting a Top 2 spot feels valid to me. But that, coupled with allies Lucky and Dawn behaving in ways that Morphine did not expect (not that she was entitled to anything from them, but she was surprised) seemed to pushed Morphine off her game. She ends Episode 2 with only 1 point. I’m sure that will change with the MVQ in Episode 3 (although to be fair, her tropical bar-inspired outfit was…not good), but things are not looking great for Morphine right now. And that makes me sad for her.
Mystique Summers (S2)
I was legitimately excited to see Mystique come back for this season. For those keeping score, Mystique was the last Season 2 queen to return for “All Stars” who realistically COULD return — winner Tyra Sanchez will never be back after her several many scandals, and Sahara Davenport sadly passed many years ago. I was hoping that Mystique would experience a wave of support like her S2 sister Nicole Paige Brooks experienced on “AS10,” but after two episodes, I don’t see that happening. Nicole was iconic last season because she was being herself. In these two episodes, Mystique felt like she was trying too hard to not try too hard. I sympathize with her. Mystique was not portrayed charitably in Season 2, despite giving us numerous legendary moments in her three episodes (plus that chaotic reunion). I get that Mystique has waited a loooong time — 16 years! — for this chance, and she wants to make it count. But it feels self produced. Even S2 castmate Morgan encouraged Mystique to let loose and give the judges more of that wild, in-your-face energy that she exhibited in S2. But thus far, I’m not seeing it. Is she being diplomatic to get MVQ badges? Maybe. But that’s not going to win the fandom over, and that’s the real prize for coming back to “All Stars.” I personally liked her look in the Episode 1 challenge, but 1) didn’t know her words, 2) energy seemed low. I thought her Episode 2 design outfit inspired by the Western bar was probably the best thing she’s made on this show — I agreed with Kate Hudson, the purse was adorable. But thus far it’s not clicking. She ends Episode 2 with 1 point. Will she get more MVQs in E3? We’ll see, but as of now Mystique seems unlikely to make the semifinals.
What did YOU think of the “All Stars” 11 premiere? Which queens are you rooting for? Drop your comments below!
