The queens return, after a 7-month COVID hiatus, to battle it out for the crown. However, new twists emerge and the competition thickens.
Hello readers, we’re back again for another DYCAL recap. This time, normal service has resumed after my brother Charlie gave me a week off last week. I used that free time very wisely to defend Sister Sister on all forms of social media.
To catchup on prior recaps by us, click below!
Drag Race UK Season 2: Episode 1
Drag Race UK Season 2: Episode 2
Drag Race UK Season 2: Episode 3
Drag Race UK Season 2: Episode 4 (Special Heterosexual Edition)
Speaking of social media, if you like these recaps you can follow DYCALmag on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. That’s @DYCALmag *wink*.
SO onto this weeks episode, immediately we are faced with a shocking revelation that the Coronavirus has halted filming for seven months. SEVEN months for the queens to use the judges critiques to better themselves and their drag. You may be asking how does a queen better themselves? Well, a shit tonne of plastic surgery is a good start, apparently.
We see A’Whora, Bimini, and Sister have all had plenty of work done; luckily in the confessional booth the camera has been placed at least 30cm closer to the queens faces to take it all in! Tia for sure is the queen who looks just the same as day one, we love plastic surgery but we love consistency too!
As for Veronica Green, she has had so much work done that she now looks like an international cabaret superstar from Brighton. After testing positive for Coronavirus, the remaining queens have to VOTE for one of the eliminated queens to return instead of Veronica. Joe Black is ultimately chosen to return to the competition! Due to her not being able to show what she could do previously, I would have voted the same.
We move quickly on to the main challenge, and it’s one near and dear to my gay and sad heart. I thought based on Ru’s questionable wig we might get an Austin Powers spoof, but nope, finally we get a Eurovision challenge! Anyone knows that Eurovision gays are not to mess with when it comes to pure unadulterated facts and figures. With rumours of the ‘Frock Destroyers’ from Season 1 of DRUK being chosen for this years UK Eurovision entry; this episode could not have come at a better time.
Initially, I was a little disappointed to find out that this was the girl-group challenge. I thought it would have been some sort of lip-sync extravaganza where each Queen would be assigned a country to perform… As such there were pretty much zero references to famous Eurovision entries; Even the song seemed to be inspired by Ja Ja Ding Dong from the Will Ferrell film about Eurovision, instead of an actual Eurovision song.
The returning queen Joe Black and the winning queen Lawrence Chaney are the team captains, and select their teams of four from the bunch. Joe clearly has a very ‘camp’ strategy, whilst Lawrence chooses queens known for their dancing. Can I just say, picking Bimini and Tayce was the smartest thing Lawrence has done this competition, and she is absolutely a force to be reckoned with because of her brain. A’Whora and Ellie Diamond are picked last because, well, because.
The first team is comprised of Joe, Tia, Sister, and Ellie. Ellie is the first to say how happy she is with this group! Until they start dancing of course and she realises Tia’s choreography is basic AF and regrets her position immediately. ‘Bananadrama’ is fun! The name places them as a throwback of sorts to older girl groups. This could have been used to their advantage, but I think the character work they do with Joe Black on the stage, once again, does not translate on the big telebox in my living room!
The second team features, Lawrence, Tayce, Bimini, and A’Whora. Together I think they have enough diversity to really look like a modern girl group. Their choreography feels fresh, and Tayce’s decisiveness really is a pleasure to watch; certainly in regards to Lawrence who doesn’t get it at first (again). However, under a watchful eye and a tighter group, Lawrence doesn’t falter or crack! Her presence is once again felt in the group, despite being the least put together performance-wise, and for that I have to say well done.
I love to watch queens in the recording booth, but I was surprised to see a musical talent such as Joe falter with the rhythms. I know that sitting at home is completely different in every way to what the queens go through, but honestly there are rare moments where you think ‘I could do that’ LOL. A’Whora made me actually scream with laughter when recording her vocals. This queen is consistently having a (usually singular) moment every episode to make me fall in love with her.
When it comes to the main stage performances, the song is actually a Eurovision bop, but only of a UK standard. The choice to have the queens rap about themselves feels like a cop-out; we already know these queens so the introductory-like verses feel out of place. I don’t think the song will have the chart success of the Frock Destroyers last year, but I appreciate the unnecessary key changes as a true Eurovision fan. Also, rappers (on the whole) do not win Eurovision. Making jokes through speech just doesn’t translate to a crowd of 200 million… That being said, the highlights for me were, without a doubt, Tayce and Bimini in the first group. For me, Sister also did the best in the second group but the group lacked cohesion.
I have to say, there is a new positive energy that exudes from Sister Sister this episode. It really shows she’s used the lockdown to not only change her outer appearance, but also the way she presents herself. Previous episodes she was hardly featured at all, but her presence tonight was absolutely felt. She shone in the main challenge, but unfortunately was the best of the losing group, again. Next weeks Snatch Game will ultimately decide if she is the rising star of this season.
The runway theme this week is ‘A Day at the Seaside’. If there is any one runway challenge for Joe Black to excel at this is the one… more on that later.
First up is Bimini Bon Boulash, who looks absolutely killer in a pale blue parasol fantasy. It’s so on brand; once again giving high-class stripper. If you’re going to dress like a whore, at least make sure you’re the highest paid one. It also fits the challenge whilst staying true to the queens sense of self. A winner for sure.
Tayce’s look is similar to Bimini’s, and is also extremely successful. This time netting is used to create a sexy cat-suit and matching… drapery thing… (shawl? idk). The colour palette for both queens works exceptionally well for their bodies. These two complimentary outfits were practically begging Ru to give a double win.
A’Whora goes for a high-fashion camp look. It’s really fantastic and very true to her. I did not like her headpiece at all though, I only understood it was ketchup because of the bottom of the outfit.
Lawrence’s gown is exceptionally clean; it’s a sort of simple camp that is particularly easy to digest, and to be honest I really admire that about her – especially when it looks this good. A strong monochromatic orange look is always fun because you rarely see it at all either on the streets or dressed up. I’m still not 100% on the populist humour she brings to the competition, but a great week for the people’s favourite undeniably.
Ellie’s look is… divisive as hell. I love it because she’s taken the idea of the Itsy-Witsy-Teenie-Weenie-Yellow-Polka-Dot-Bikini and just completely fucked it up LOL. My Mum hated it because, as Graham said, it’s a bit costumey. Horror fans rejoice!
When Ru & Michelle were getting interviewed for the promotion of Drag Race UK Season 2, they spoke about certain queens not amping up their looks in the lockdown. I thought this critique was going to be about Ginny Lemon (RIP) but alas it was about Tia Kofi. As MNEK said, ‘I didn’t even get it was supposed to be ice cream’. Why does she keep wearing those NECKLACES.
The Sister Sister runway is… so unfortunate! AGH. Can’t we have one episode where the fans don’t attack her for something! After the confrontation between Sister and A’Whora backstage, fans truly believe she copied the outfit? As Joe said, A’Whora thinks she ‘invented a cone of chips’. What would Sister have to gain from copying a look, especially a look in the same competition that would be seen at the same time?
I would get angry if I were Sister Sister too, to accuse her of theft is to discredit the entirety of Sisters point of view as a drag artist. She’s kooky, campy, but with a high-fashion mind. She has a million references in her arsenal, its such a shame that this particular runway happened to have the same idea as another queen. A’Whora’s did look better, but Sister’s hat was an amazing touch.
Moving on to Joe Black, who’s runway look truly was their moment to shine. Ever since we caught a glimpse of the ice-cream wig in episode one I wanted to see what it would become, and I was not disappointed. A similar look has been done on Drag Race Holland by Chelsea Boy, but nobody is out here accusing Joe of stealing it either. Loved the ticket scarf! So well crafted, and even the ice-cream was off to one side.
The queens are judged in groups this week, and Team Lawrence are given the Eurovision douze points. I was a bit gutted to find that all four winning queens received a Ru-Peter badge. To me, clearly the win was Bimini’s and Tayce’s to take. Lawrence absolutely does not need another win, and if A’Whora had won last week (as she should have) the playing field would have been very level moving into episode 6, with most queens having a single badge.
When it gets to the judges individual critiques I have just one thing to say: I DON’T want to see any F*CKING H&M! Ru’s slamming of Joe’s performance outfit sends her down a dark spiral into a Tyra Banks ‘I was rooting for you’ moment. We love to see it! Ru did say that the 14 days of quarantine from across the pond allowed her to become aggravated, and this is the Olympics of drag! STEP IT UP. Joe’s performance outfit was horrendous, and completely detracted from the group performance I agree, and that’s what puts Joe Black in the bottom, again.
Ellie Diamond and Sister Sister are rightfully announced as safe, because unfortunately Tia’s outfit is enough to put her in the bottom. Tia’s main critique from the judges was to tailor her clothes to fit her amazing body, and she didn’t do it. They asked Sister to step up her confidence when performing and boy did Sister do it, even so, the only other queen actually in danger was Ellie who had a very creative and strange concept, so was safe.
The lip-synch could have gone either way with this iconic and campy number from the Communards. Having just watched Russell T. Davies’ fantastic new drama It’s A Sin (on Channel 4) with my family, this song was very fitting. However, I think the writing was on the wall for Joe, who, after getting scorned by Mama Ru, seemed to give up after Tia gave all she had once more. I worry for our Tia Kofi in future lip-synchs, as I fail to see how she can surprise us again. We shall see.
This has been Freddie once again for DYCAL, join us next week for another recap of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 2, the Snatch Game edition!
If you enjoyed this ad-free review, please consider supporting us by following us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook: @DYCALmag
DYCALmag 
5 thoughts on “TV RECAP: RuPaul’s Drag Race UK – Season 2 Episode 5”