This is a recap of RuPaul’s Drag Race episode 1514. Spoilers below.
I love this top four! Ru had me convinced the show was doing a top three this year and while I do think the finales were in need of a shakeup, I was not pleased with that possibility. This is the best top four since the show started doing a top four finale in season eleven — they all deserve their place.
With Loosey gone, this episode is low on drama and big on feelings. Even with the specter of an elimination hanging over the queens, they spend most of this week celebrating themselves and each other.
The main challenge is a music video — with verses of course — to Ru’s song “Blame It On the Edit.” While three of the queens are writing, Luxx takes a nap. A sign of confidence, for sure, but one that will prove itself earned.
The Tic Tac lunch is back, but its origins as a fatphobic dieting joke at least go unmentioned. Sasha goes first and gives Ru exactly what he wants — talk of her saboteur and talk of trauma. She says that she’s uncomfortable with winning and her people-pleasing comes from an old wound of wanting her mom to love her. She then shares that her dad died by suicide and left everything to her which felt like a complicated sign of approval to his trans child.
Anetra’s lunch is a bit lighter — a bit — with her talking about being soft-spoken because she had to be growing up Mormon. Michelle tells Anetra that her lip sync against Marcia was Michelle’s favorite of all time. Anetra then shares that her love of ballroom comes from the internet not actually being a part of the culture — something that has led to some controversy and discussion.
Mistress was also not allowed to be outspoken as a child, but that’s why she’s so outspoken now. She calls out Loosey for being two-sided and Ru says, “We call that an undercover cunt.” I gasped. Mistress ends by saying that she just wants to make her drag family proud shouting out her drag mom Chevelle Brooks.
Luxx, a young queen with a supportive family, acts as a foil to the others. It’s clear Ru sees in Luxx the future that she wants for queer people. Luxx also talks about planning every outfit off stage as well as on — something very evident in her incredible crop top jean suit. Ru is also very excited to find out Luxx went to a high school named after Cicely Tyson.
Music video time! They’re all dressed in a sci-fi aesthetic and look amazing — especially Sasha who is referencing Barb Wire. Mistress struggles with the choreo, which is made even more difficult by the fact that they have to film immediately after learning it. Meanwhile, Luxx picks it up immediately.
While Sasha is dancing, Anetra says, “Sasha is so hot. Am I lesbian?” And while I do not have an answer for her, I do have an answer for me and that answer is yes very much so.
There’s no guest judge this week and the runway theme is Drag Excellence. Anetra is dressed as a grand empress with blue velvet dress with white tassels and pointy white hair. Luxx is in a bridal look, less slutty than usual but still gorgeous. Sasha is in a crystal dress covered in rhinestones with discs on her arms and orchids in her hair. And Mistress, with my favorite look of the night, is in a sixty pound (!) gold dress with beaded cheetah print.
The video performances are as strong as the runways. Even Mistress pulls it off by leading with confidence and having a strong verse. But amid all this excellence, Sasha Colby is easily the standout. She’s remarkable.
The critiques are mostly just gushing, followed by more emotion as the queens talk to their younger selves. Sasha calls drag the love of her life and the picture of baby Sasha in pigtails was so cute I died.
While the judges deliberate, Ru mentions that she challenged herself to have an elimination every week. I did appreciate how the season moved along, but I do think there were times double saves were in order as well as double eliminations. My ideal would be one double save and one double elimination when it’s really earned.
By this point, it was clear that the bottom would be Anetra and Mistress. And, I’m going to be honest, even though I loved Anetra from the beginning, I felt myself leaning toward Mistress.
The queens come back out and Sasha gets her fourth win of the season. Luxx is safe. And Anetra and Mistress lip sync to “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta and Kelly Rowland. It’s not a song suited to Anetra’s acrobatics so it ends up being a very equal lip sync. And thankfully no choice has to be made.
After all that talk, both queens make it to the finale. As they should! Anetra, Mistress, and Luxx all equally deserve to lose to Sasha Colby.
Teleport Us to Mars!! Here Are Some Random Thoughts:
+ Mistress points out that she is the only queen from her half of the premiere to be in the finale.
+ Mistress also notes that, in her opinion, Malaysia didn’t look anything like her picture.
+ I’m obsessed with Luxx calling herself The Gatekeeper for being involved in all the various “gates” of drama.
+ I just finished watching every George Cukor movie and his second to last movie is a US-USSR co-production kids movie called The Blue Bird where Cicely Tyson plays a cat. She’s great, as always, but I can’t say the movie is worth a watch unless you’re on a lot of drugs.
+ During Untucked, the girls realize the first letter of their names spell SLAM. It’s cute. I would attend the SLAM Tour.
+ Next week is just a reunion episode, so there will be no recap from me. I’m very excited to watch, but there won’t be much to analyze other than summarizing whatever delicious drama we have in store.
+ Queen I’m rooting for: Sasha Colby
+ Queen I’m horniest for: Sasha Colby
+ Queen I want to marry me: Sasha Colby
Was it Anetra who made the lesbian comment?? I thought it was Luxx! I’ve been shipping Anetra and Sasha all season and I never thought I’d come this close to it being a reality!
Agreed that after so many seasons of there being too many gals in the final, this felt like one of the first times it was so deserved!
It was Anetra ! Dreams maybe do come true !
I love the April fools moment on Autostraddle every year but I was like THIS BETTER NOT interfere with the drag race recap! I look forward to these so much, thank you Drew.
Just adding my name for the also a lesbian for Sasha category!
“While Sasha is dancing, Anetra says, “Sasha is so hot. Am I lesbian?” And while I do not have an answer for her, I do have an answer for me and that answer is yes very much so.”
LOL, for all the sexual confusion that RPDR queens have provoked through the years, it’s about time they admitted to some themselves!
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And speaking of “Gatekeepers”: I have some kind of feelings re “Anetra then shares that her love of ballroom comes from the internet not actually being a part of the culture — something that has led to some controversy and discussion.”
Who gets to define who is “part of a culture” and who isn’t?
I speak from the personal experience of a cultural festival that I was a part of—let’s just say For A Long Time—that up and declared last year that “the Drum Circle will be banned because it’s cultural appropriation.” A spontaneous communal event among participants . . . when EVERY CULTURE ON EARTH DRUMS???
Yes, cultural appropriation is a real issue. But it’s also possible to “Gatekeep” into irrelevancy. And banning spontaneous drumming, or saying Anetra can’t vogue, is how you get there. There, I said it.