The cold open this week shows what may be the aftermath of the wine night at the Boulet compound, as it appears most of the guests are dead. The whole scene has a vibe reminiscent of late 70s horror. Jokes about cult followings aside, as the contest resumes, Dollya confesses that she is all the way over Hollow Eve and her need to have the final word. Yovska’s elimination comes as little shock to the cast, but there is no time to cry, as the siren blares to summon the monsters to the stage.
This week’s main challenge is an advanced campaign as Dungeons and Dragons-themed characters! Each performer gets a race and a class, and the breakdown is as follows:
Priscilla - Elf Bard
Evah - Reptilian Warrior
Dollya - Orc Priestess
Maxi - Reptilian Rogue
Maddelynn - Dark Elf Necromancer
Landon - Elf Barbarian
Louisianna - Elf Priestess
Hollow - Dark Elf Rogue
Once they show off the looks, they will act out a campaign as their character in a Renaissance village. The first acting challenge of the season is high fantasy, though one of the prospects is set to roll one too many critical failures.
In the boudoir, as the party prepares for their campaign, Israel brings a scroll into the room, which tells the cast that there is a key in the room, a Key of Life and Death. Dollya finds it, and while its purpose is not revealed at this time, Dollya is assured that she will know when the time is right to use it.
The table read is a bit shaky at best. Hollow Eve is a trained actor, so it appears that she will have an edge in the acting portion. Following the table read, Maddelynn and Dollya step aside to follow up on their conversation from the previous episode. In so many words, Maddelynn took up drinking again, and that shook the trust Dollya had in her. Drag family sticks together, though, and as such, the two make up and reach an understanding.
The second emotional high point comes from Evah Destruction, who talks about her childhood. She was kicked out of her home at the age of seventeen, and spent time in a facility reserved for “troubled” teens. Nothing in her life felt like it was truly hers until she started doing drag, and it is for this reason that she has stuck with the medium for so long. It may be a cliche, but it’s still true that drag changes and saves lives, folks.
Guest judges for this week’s challenge are Michael Varrati, co-host of the Dead for Filth podcast and director of the main acting challenge this episode, and the returning Darren Stein, director of Jawbreaker and GBF. First out is Dollya, whose look is true blue as an Orc. Maxi’s mask is super distracting, and I feel it may cost them come the acting portion. Otherwise, the look is passable. Maddelynn has a badass staff for her prop, but her makeup is rather basic, as if we can tell what she invested more of her time into for the week.
Priscilla’s characterization is a huge plus for me, as she appears to live and breathe her persona. Louisianna had said she was going for light and ephemeral, and boy, did she nail it on this one. Hollow’s white contacts helped take this look up a notch, adding an edge to her Dark Elf character. Landon looks like a lost character model from World of Warcraft, and that is most definitely a good thing for this challenge. Evah’s purple color scheme helps bring her look together. At this point, I would put Landon, Hollow, and Louisianna in the top of the rankings, while Maxi and Maddelynn would be in the bottom for me.
I only have so much to say about the acting challenge. As someone who isn’t big on Dungeons and Dragons, I don’t have a lot of cutting-edge commentary to offer here. What I will say is that Maxi’s character voice secured her place in the bottom of my rankings. The reference to the infamous “NOT TONIGHT!” speech from season one of the show was a nice touch, and the fight between Hollow and Priscilla was fun.
At the start of the judgment portion, Dollya is called forward with her Key of Life and Death. As hypothesized, she can use the key to either save herself from extermination (Life), or condemn someone else to the extermination challenge (Death). She chooses Life, and the judges widely regard this as a wise choice on her part. Priscilla joins her as safe, leaving the remaining six to be the top and bottom performers for the week.
While Maddelynn did take direction on her acting from Michael, the prop she had was a bit too much. Louisianna’s taking critiques and notes is noted, as well as one of the best tuck jobs this side of Trinity Taylor. Landon was a strong performer this week, even if his overall acting could have been a bit more versatile. Evah’s tail for her reptile was another level of craftsmanship, and her performance in the campaign was Darren’s favorite of the show. As expected, Maxi’s mask is deemed a liability, especially when she is acting. Louisianna score high marks, but Landon and Evah are the top two for the week, with Evah snatching the challenge win overall. Maxi and Maddelynn are the bottom two, though it is pointed out that had Dollya not saved herself, she would have occupied the spot that Maddelynn now occupies.
At the threat of being ridiculed and pelted with food by her peers for the extermination, Maddelynn, in so many words, flips her fucking lid. She is convinced that she will be thoroughly embarrassed, without any chance for redemption, should she go on with the challenge. We get the T-shirt-worthy quote of “Fuck the big picture, Clint!” before Maddelynn puts her head down and goes for it. Ultimately, Maddelynn turns her public humiliation into a roast, reading all of her cohorts for filth.
Try as Maxi might to keep up and spin the narrative in her favor, Maddelynn made chicken salad out of what she perceived to be chicken shit, and as such, Maxi finds herself trapped in the labyrinth, getting her head bisected by an offscreen figure for a brutal extermination scene. The field is now down to seven performers, as the dynamic shifts once again.
