RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16 Episode 2: Queen Choice Awards

The completion of RuPaul's Drag Race's split premiere introduces the remaining seven queens to the competition. Echoing the same format, this episode flies by without the burden of some of the administrative details of the first premiere. It allows the cast and their chemistry to take center stage and holds promise for next week's episode when all 14 queens unite. Here are some thoughts on the latest episode.

Six vs. One vs. One vs. Six

The most noticeable shift in the split premieres is the cast dynamics. Hershii LiqCour-Jeté, Plasma, and Geneva Karr, the first three to enter the Werk Room, are so cordial with one another that it borders on boredom. The vibe is considerably shaken when Plane Jane arrives smack in the middle of the seven-queen lineup. Whereas the first premiere had six queens bullying one (Amanda Tori Meating), this premiere had Plane Jane bullying six queens. When Plasma suggests her as the villain of the season, Plane Jane retorts that she's just a "bitch." The difference may prove negligible. To be fair, most of Plane Jane's comments lacked the sophistication of good reads or shade — she often just calls the other queens ugly — though it is stimulating for someone to embrace a villainous role with such relish.

Banana Branding

Following Plane Jane, Megami, and Miami's Mhi'ya Iman Le'Paige make their entrances, but the producers save the best for last with Nymphia Wind. Her arrival is wonderfully anticipated when Plane Jane conjures a fall, which Nymphia completes by slipping on her own banana. You have to wonder if Plane Jane and Nymphia ran into each other on set earlier. Nymphia's impact comes from clean and clever branding of her self-described "conceptual, cultural, and very yellow" drag. Her banana branding, a cunning reappropriation of the pejorative "Banana," meaning an East Asian person assimilated to white/American culture, is even more interesting when it is revealed that Nymphia only recently relocated from Taiwan to Brooklyn. The banana concept carries on throughout the episode, from her literally selling bananas during her entrance to the campy life cycle of a banana runway and a traditional Chinese-Taiwanese water-sleeve dance. By never deviating from her brand, Nymphia proves to have a rich and well-developed drag persona.

Improv at the SheMV

As with last week's episode, the mini-challenge photoshoot is really a guise for an improv challenge. The key is to make RuPaul laugh. Rather than front yard props, a ring camera, and a remote RuPaul, the queens are transported to the SheMV for license photos. The standout moment of the segment revolves around Mhi'ya. At first, it's hard to determine if Mhi'ya is sleeping or doing a bit, considering that she's at a DMV. It appears to be the former and suggests the "Queen of Flips" shuts down when she's stationary. It feels indicative of Mhi'ya's presence throughout the episode. There appears to be a disconnect between her body and her voice. During the talent show, Mhi'ya brings the Palace to the main stage with a high-energy performance full of stunts, but elsewhere, she feels sleepy. Even after waking up at the SheMV, she has no banter with TS Madison or RuPaul; she simply responds physically to their prompts. Mhi'ya seems to speak with movement. As far as the Miami queens, Morphine made herself a main character, but Mhi'ya fades the background when she isn't moving. She'll need to channel her flipping energy everywhere else to last in the competition.

The Werk Room Afterschool Special

Nearly every episode of Drag Race since season nine incorporates a serious message. These often highlight significant issues for the LGBTQ community or something traumatic from the contestants' lives. Last week was the "closet," and Morphine confessed her parents don't know about or acknowledge her drag, and this week is all about the rising anti-LGBTQ movement in the United States. Megami was the first to introduce the idea, which she also channeled into her talent show performance. Nymphia provides a contrast by discussing Taiwan as a leader of LGBTQ rights in Asia. Likewise, guest judge Becky G, like Charlize Theron last week, hammers home the importance of "representation."

The political becomes personal when Hershii shares her story of adopting her boyfriend's sister's kids and the discrimination they face with family as well as society. It is a touching moment for Hershii, but one that might not bode well for her place in the competition. Call it the Drag Race curse, but a queen who reveals a sad or personal story is often the next to go home. This, combined with a confused mini challenge and a lackluster RuVeal runway, puts a target on Hershii. Even her rather entertaining Whiplash performance, the perfect complement to Mirage's heel-clacking last week, suffers from some details like the quizzical jungle setting and the unflattering safari ensemble that begs for a reveal that never comes. Ultimately, the biggest ding to Hershii's chances this season is that her drag sister Kornbread, of Season 14, almost gets equal airtime.

Queen Choice Award Talent Show

RuPaul trades in spring break for a take on the Teen Choice Awards but keeps Derrick Berry, who appears more present this week, as host. Even though, as with last week, most of the performances are good, the fatigue of lip-synching tracks is inevitable. Except for Nymphia, each queen gives a lip-synch-based performance, each with a slight twist, to be fair.

Plasma's performance is perhaps the most revealing of the performer herself. The stereotypical theater queen – she even donned a Jan robe getting ready – Plasma is already complaining about going unnoticed in her first episode. Ironically, the self-proclaimed underdog overstuffed her one-minute performance slot so much that her myriad talents had no time to shine. The try-too-hard, over-the-top energy is established early in the mini challenge, and her talent show spurs a warning from Michelle to be a master of one rather than none. However, talent is undeniably there; she just needs to relax, like Mhi'ya  — but maybe not that much.

RuVeal Runway Redux

The recycled RuVeal Yourself runway again demands both an actual reveal as well as a more metaphorical reveal of each queen's drag persona. Only a few queens managed to capture both this week. Nymphia's banana look is polished camp but is more about her brand than herself. Plasma's numerous reveals show burlesque but not personality. Plane Jane manages to show her two faces by highlighting the duality of an elegant Russian princess and Boston bimbo but doesn't make the connection clear in her narration.

As far as the runway, Geneva captures the prompt best. Next to Nymphia, Geneva has the best banding of the episode. Her patriotic entrance look, catchy tongue-in-cheek talent show, and RuVeal runway screams Mexican Pride. In the face of some less-than-spectacular reveals, from Megami's non-existent reveal to Hershii and Mhi'ya's coat checks, Geneva's reveal feels magical. Rather than leave debris on the stage like the other queens, Geneva's look is a two-in-one. The fluid change from mariachi to a traditional dress of Mexican women, Geneva demonstrates not only heritage but also the gender play essential to the art of drag. Her reveal was more than a reveal; it was a transformation, visually and narratively. This week also inadvertently revealed two runway trends: Morphine and Mhi'ya representing Miami swimwear, and Sapphira, Mirage, and Plasma giving pasty reveals.

Constructive Critiques

Like last week, the judges are mostly complimentary, constructive, and encouraging. However, it was the close proximity of Megami and Plane Jane during judging that was most illuminating. The proximity of the two queens highlights the juxtaposition of sincerity and stupidity essential to Drag Race. These are the two fundamental modes of the show, which can sometimes overlap. One is not necessarily better than the other, but most importantly, both require precise execution to succeed. This is where Megami's talent show and runway fall, and Plane Jane's soars. Megami's performance feels uncomfortably sincere. While her heart is in the right place, the number is so literal that it comes off as rudimentary and underdeveloped. It is without nuance; it is literally written out for the audience. In contrast, the stark simplicity and stupidity of "Burger Finger" is executed so smoothly that its power cannot be denied. Only one of these performances will likely be remembered by next week, but Plane Jane's reaction to Megami's performance is unforgettable.

Rate-a-Queen Part Deux

For better or worse, RuPaul's Drag Race is highly produced. The producers rarely relinquish power to the queens. There is the occasional advantage of deciding a lineup, but those have little consequence in the grand scheme. In All-Stars, a winning queen can theoretically send a bottom queen home, but they rarely capitalize on that advantage out of fear of how the toxic fandom may react. The rate-a-queen twist didn't have any real teeth last week because the queens parroted the judges' critiques. Luckily, this week, Plane Jane proves to be a contestant unafraid of ruthlessly competing in a reality competition show. Similar to the energy of the iconic Naomi Smalls saying, "Life's not fair," Plane Jane flips the script. She goes against what she tells the other queens earlier and ranks the queens strategically. Plane Jane votes up the worst performances and votes down the best performances to gain a personal advantage in the competition. Even more thrilling, the calculated choice appears to impact the race. While it is uncertain who precisely the top two may have been, it is clear that the top three of the week are Plane Jane, Geneva Karr, and Nymphia Wind. It is conceivable, if not probably, that Plane Jane's tactical plan knocked Nymphia out of the top two. Now, the burning question is whether all the queens' rate-a-queen rankings will be disclosed next week. It could make for a dramatic third episode.

A Nip Slip Lip-Synch

The top two are Geneva Karr and Plane Jane. Geneva, who appears to be a genuine Becky G fan, gives a joyful, if generic, performance to "Shower." Plane Jane, on the other hand, molds the song to her performance style. Giving a highly sexualized performance, including a prolonged, likely purposeful nip slip, Plane Jane puts her unique stamp on the song. It is clear that with Amanda's folding neck, Sapphira's floor-smacking boobs, and Plane Jane's nip slip, this is the season of the unruly breastplate. The other defining moment of the lip-synch shows Plane Jane's ruthlessly competitive nature when she attempts to obstruct Geneva's performance. Coincidently, they nearly collide later on with two synchronized stunts. Maybe drag is a contact sport, after all. Eventually, the edit shows the winner when it cuts away from Geneva, who looks directly into the camera in favor of a Plane Jane close-up. Plane Jane plays to win, and her victory adds a needed dose of drama to this season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Hopefully, this gameswomanship continues next week when the two casts merge.