RuPaul’s Drag Race S16E7 Recap: You Begin With Do-Re-Megami

Tonight I’m reminded of Phyllis Nagy’s screenplay for Carol. Incredibly incisive and thoughtfully romantic, but I’d just like to speak to a narrative device of beginning with something and then coming full circle on it so as to not feel overworked yet stay effective. Carol explains this to Therese in the film via breakup letter that things usually work out this way, for a universally unknown and sometimes frustrating reason. Anyway, I’ll bring this up again later in a way that hopefully doesn’t feel overworked yet attempts to stay effective. 

The Queens walk into the Werkroom after Mhi’ya Iman LePaige recreates Simone Biles’ 2016 floor routine against Geneva Karr, effectively ending the latter’s run on drag race. “I think the new lip sync assassin has arrived,” Mhi’ya proclaims to the other girls after performing in one lip sync. I understand where she’s coming from, and am certainly not discounting her performance last week, but at least win more than one before we start this. They move over to the couches to have their latest gab session where Megami referring to Dawn as Buzz Lightyear was perhaps the funniest thing she’s done on the show. More, Megami, more! Sapphira attempts to explain her decision to use the Immunity Potion, but since she doesn’t have a good reason (and knows it), she explains that she’ll be working harder to stay in the competition since she doesn’t have a safety net anymore.

The next day, Ru greets the Queens wearing a massive flower adjacent to an accessory Carrie Bradshaw would wear, informing them that director Adam Shankman will be the guest judge this week. He will also direct this season’s Rusical “The Sound of Rusic,” a parody of The Sound of Music. If you had to guess, which one of the Queens lost their mind? Quickly. If you guessed anyone but Plasma, I’m not sure you saw the way she spoke about Barbra Streisand a few episodes ago. Musical theatre gays are among the scariest people on this planet, a curated obsession of showtunes that drives them towards one another. When it comes time to choose roles, Plasma grabs and holds onto the lead – the Julie Andrews-adjacent character – with less argument from the others than usual. Megami and Q tussle over their desired role, but Q takes the role after a victory in rock/paper/scissors against Megami secures the role and sends up a chorus of queer screams. 

“Plane could teach a masterclass in being a villainous twat,” Q says in a confessional, as plane and Xunami prepare for similar roles by being shady towards the others. The girls start doubting whether Plasma can handle the lead role or not. As the only role she wanted, she has no choice! They move on to rehearsal with Adam Shankman, and it certainly struck me as a missed opportunity that not one person asked him what a joy Mandy Moore was to work with on A Walk to Remember, a movie that matured me too quickly as a child. Not long into practice, his “assistant” finally appears and reveals herself to be Melissa McCarthy, who throws out a couple jokes before taking a moment of sincerity with the Queens about carving out spaces and continuing towards greatness. 

“What I’m feeling is that Q is going to be lip syncing,” Megami whispers while a different group has rehearsal time. The editors gleefully allow Megami to throw her shade before cutting to her not getting the pretty simple choreography she was given. Reality television is at its peak in moments like this! Everyone rehearses, then we move into the next day where everyone is getting ready for the Rusical. Megami asks the others about their proximity to theatre, posing the question: “Are you musical theatre gays?” Dawn’s reaction and quick, dramatic “no” got an audible laugh from me because I, too, answer that exact question with that exact response. Her visible distress as perhaps being thought of as such is hilarious to me.

The Rusical is pretty fabulous, almost everyone brings their best efforts to the challenge. Plasma excels and more in the lead role, attentive to mannerisms while allowing humor into her performance. It’s fun to watch her in a space that she clearly feels comfortable in, excelling in the role as promised by her. Sapphira is a standout again this week, Q overcomes her inability to walk with a feminine edge, and Nymphia – for the first time – is fine. There is a malevolent energy to Dawn’s makeup during the Rusical that bothers me for reasons I can’t explain. Everyone’s group performs well, a couple of competitors not bringing the same intensity as their fellow Queens, amongst them Megami and Mhi’ya. It’s frustrating to see Mhi’ya perform poorly after taking the role to blend in and not draw too much attention to herself.

A quick rundown of the runway:

• Plasma brings out my new favorite look of the season, she looks the best she’s looked yet in the competition in this look that also accentuates the essence of her drag
• While Sapphira looks beautiful, she also brings final Digimon evolution to the runway with her look
• Morphine’s look is a little basic, especially coming from her, but her hair and makeup are great and her body looks fabulous
• Mhi’ya brings body to the look but I personally don’t love it
• Dawn comes out looking like Guillermo Del Toro’s original vision for the lead character of Crimson Peak
• Megami is moments away from showing up to Lana Del Rey’s wedding photos
• Nymphia is a psychedelic nightmare waiting to unfold the closest person tripping on acid when her leaves come out
• Q is reminiscent of a floral Silent Hill character 
• Plane Jane’s look is boring this week, the wig is fine but the look isn’t enough this far into the competition for a wow-factor
• Did you grandmother ever give you the strawberry candies that had packaging resembling the fruit? That’s what Xunami’s look reminds me of this week

Plasma wins the challenge this week, surprising no one. Why shouldn’t she? She knew she could do it and did! She has basically trained her entire life for this Rusical, so I’m happy for her and her BFA. Afterwards, Megami’s face reeks of fear when she’s placed in the bottom with Mhi’ya, who brings the episode full circle by walking in at the beginning fresh off winning a lip sync, then ends with her winning another. She penguin slides into victory, which is almost exactly how Todd Haynes’ critically acclaimed film Carol ends with Therese going to see the titular woman in the Oak Room. It isn’t exactly the same, but I would say the two endings are almost interchangeable. Who would I be had Carol Aird performed a back somersault from her seat when she exchanged those final glances with Therese Belivet? A better person, surely. “Flung out of space,” whispers Carol, and also the homosexual watching Mhi’ya performing multiple flips around the stage.

Photo: MTV