She’s got the persona. One hopes that’s not a paper-over job for janky, baby-queen bustedness, because she seems genuinely sweet and entertainting.

I just think the critique just didn’t complete the thought. For me, the beakers and dry ice gave me more Mad Scientist Laboratory; in execution, the Black Hole felt like someone without Deep Nerd bona fides trying to project a bunch of mish-mashed sci-fi ideas, without specificity, from a place of unawareness instead…

Inviting Susanne Bartsch, I find - lampshades the implication that the brief is really more specific than a generic club scene. The Limelight Club Kids are the clear go-to inspiration, of course. But there are plenty of club scenes in other metropolises worthy of meeting that spirit. The Tranimals of LA. The…

Slipping past the velvet rope with some Random ‘pinions:

As supportive of a drag king season as I’d be - I’m reminded of an aphorism I’ve been spouting for years:

In no one’s defense, I encountered “gooped” in advance of Monique. So it’s coming from somewhere other than Gretchen Wieners.

I’m in agreement that ‘Kitty Girl’ is probably the weakest selection for tonight’s lipsync parade. But I would’ve expected that Farrah could’ve found an adorkable connection to the spastically dorky energy of the song. I’m thinking of her performance in the ep2 main challenge - the Henny supergroup.

I’ve gotten the sense since AS2, that moreso than the hangry audience, a significant demand for the rapid-fire All Stars seasons has come from the queens. To get the opportunity to expand an audience, reignite booking demand, get a humanizing redemption arc, and showcase talents previous appearances may not have shown…

Oh, Derek.

Random ‘pinions for your nerves:

I can definitely grant that there’s still a sense, even from my position that the All Stars format still seems to be searching for a solution to that problem.

The mix of weirdness, camp and everything goes in Monique is so addictive. The preacher today was one thing then the other then another following a very thin theme of the singing “praise the Lord!” voice and I was so into it.

For the last 10+ years, she’s been repeatedly pounding it into the fandom’s collective heads that “the final decision is hers to make,” so the unsteady and often seemingly ‘rigged’ formats of the All~Stars seasons have always been rather ​objectionable.

The duets with Collins (“I’ll Cover You”), I recall being more sung than sprechgesang. And demanding some pretty tight harmonization, too.

I feel like we’ve had similar workshop-style rehearsal segments in previous seasons’ comedy challenges. I’d have to research some, but I’m seeming to remember Kathy Griffin, Deven Green, Bruce Vilanch performing similar mentorship and coaching duties in seasons past?

It’s extra-smart for embedding a small character moment in the visual majesty of that whole mourning-brella lewk.

This is the best produced season in years, possibly ever.

I find this wholly and fundamentally correct.

Quite the contrary - I see Valentina as being 210% self-aware. Just not in a way that actually resembles how other people see her.