u/PyDesigne

I am glad to see Joseph McCrae handle the comments with such grace. Law is literally beating this man down for the same shit he does. It felt more like jealousy or resentment of this beautiful black gay creative man who has a brand and a voice. Law is arrogant as fuck WITHOUT the skills to back it up; he has to back up his name with the names of other famous people and the things made by other famous people that he has to beg to dress the famous people that allow him into their closet. He is not a designer. I understand Joseph wearing the same fabric as his design messes up some of the objectivity of judging but Law could phrase that better without tearing someone down.

On another note, this is why I still like Tyra. I don’t love her but I do appreciate when she stands up for her or others (rare). Because no one else would be able to attempt to shut this down, and I’m not sure Heidi would have chimed in if she weren’t there. Good to see Heidi not fall in line. I hope it is Law who finally learns a lesson about cockiness. It is hard to appreciate his expertise (and I have been mostly okay with his bitchiness as a TV charade until this episode) when he approaches judging so negatively. He’s what I might call an organization terrorist the way he disrupts morale amongst his peers. The guest judge also didn’t take the bait and answered Law with such grace that it made Law look even more like an ass. Love to see it.

When he told Bao about her design tonight, he said “in this world, with this group of judges, it’s a tough sell.” Exactly how I feel. The judges this season don’t represent an eclectic view like previous seasons have. It’s good to see that at least Christian is aware of this. You don’t have to just nail the challenge. You have the judges view of the challenge along with their specific tastes and views. I know that’s what real clients are like too, but it seems more apparent on the panel since season 21 to now, and even in season 20.

I don’t mine 22 contestants, we got to see more looks! We got to know most of them a little bit, although I think eliminating 6 was too much for the time spent introducing them. So far the eliminations feel correct; I don’t think any of the 3 left standing on stage would be a bad decision to leave. As a Drag Race fan I know both queens are capable of designing great things, but they chose the wrong looks for this show.

People say stunt casting, but it looks like the biggest stunts are about to go home or remain on the judging panel. The drag queens were a big sell for fans of Drag Race and once they go home, it feels a lot more like old school, talented runway designers to me. The model-turned-designer went home, the pageant winner is likely gone. There are a lot of interesting people who I don’t think are merely there for stunts. There is still that one rivalry involving the long haired dude and Asian guy but at least the immunity-winning look was memorable even if it was a walking mattress. Don’t think that rivalry will last long.

Nina’s hair kept us from seeing her face the whole episode, that was weird and maybe it means she is taking a back seat. But she is a NEEDED judge. She is the real world and someone who’s still got their feet on the ground compared to Heidi: up in the clouds with her opinions (I feel like she sides with Law too much). I don’t think she’s bad as a host. I think Law is the problem judge for me but I understand it as a Drag Race watcher. He has some good moments. They need to never have him solely judge another episode ever again. He is the drama on the panel, which paired with Tyra makes it more likely to have panel drama and infighting which honestly Law needs someone like her to push back on his outlandish and ignorant opinions.

I don’t mind Tyra as a judge. This isn’t like Top Model where her judging focused on the models and their bodies and personalities in a gross and manipulative way. Now, she is forced to focus more on the actual clothes and also on having to sit next to Law who I think she might argue with. Her opinions on strictly clothes and aesthetic so far feel much more promising and at least competent, compared to Law whose critiques can mostly fall into one of: “I have seen this before” and “you should have removed ____ accessory”.

The cliffhanger is annoying but I’m pretty sure it’s clear who they will be sending home, much like last season. It is what it is there. Mostly, I kind of like that more designers = more looks and more time spent on the actual runway. The deliberations and especially Law’s bullshit felt way more cut down because there were so many looks. I think Tyra is chaotic but in a different way than Law, and maybe that will help balance that out. Tbh, I’d prefer a solely-Tyra judged episode than a Law one like we got before. Although I don’t want that to happen ever again anyways unless it was Nina or a guest designer.

Christian is an icon, he is one reason I keep watching and I think he does a great job. I wish another former winner was a judge.

Heidi is literally known for her Halloween costumes so I would prefer her on a show like Face Off if it ever came back. I know she is the face of this show, but that is more plastic than real and it reflects in the show. I didn’t mind her before Law, but hopefully she stops catering to his tastes. She is tacky.