For my money, Jessica delivers the performance of the week. I personally might’ve gone another way, though. After also delivering during the Night of 1000 Grace Joneses runway in a geometric look, Kandy takes the win. It’s like the “Don’t Rain on My Parade” parody Rosé got in Kandy’s original season: done poorly, it would be a real disappointment, but done well, it’s the obvious standout. While all the roles give the queens space to shine, Kandy’s is undoubtedly the showstopping number. Reader, she does! Kandy successfully executes her own Rudemption arc in this episode, nailing her choreography and giving a fierce, committed performance in the recording session. “Joan: The Unauthorized Rusical” is a surprise smash for “All Stars 8”, potentially putting the season back on the right track Credit: Courtesy Paramount+ Now comes the challenge: can she step it up in a demanding role when she nearly got eliminated for the Rusical the last time? The only dispute is between Kandy and Jessica over who gets the big centrepiece “No Wire Hangers Ever” number-but after an audition that Jess stumbles through, Kandy wins the part. We get relatively little drama when it comes to role selection, with Jaymes, LaLa and Jimbo getting exactly who they want, and Kahanna and Alexis both stepping into roles with encouragement from the other queens. Each queen takes a different “era” of Joan in the performance, with their song in a different musical style. The story of this production is largely modelled on Mommie Dearest, which Ru alludes to while giving Faye Dunaway her flowers for her committed performance (while glossing over that it’s a performance she regrets, as it effectively ruined her career). Since we never have time for mini-challenges anymore, despite the loss of deliberations, Ru jumps right into introducing the queens to Joan: The Unauthorized Rusical. Moreover-and I’m sure I’m not the only one to think this-this builds a story that will almost certainly end with Jimbo finally winning one.
“And I can’t stand it.” I appreciate hearing Jimbo’s frustrations about this it’s much better than the show just bouncing along ignoring that its frontrunner is failing at a core part of the competition. “This is annoying, it’s so fucking annoying! I love performing, and somehow I get on that fucking stage, and I choke every fucking time,” she says in the werk room. She expresses to both the other queens and in confessional that she’s embarrassed by her repeated poor performances. Meanwhile, Jimbo is a bit of a mess after losing her third lip sync this season (and sixth overall). This is not a case where existing RuPaul songs can be remixed, like we saw in All Stars 6’s Halftime Headliners challenge or in Season 14’s Moulin Ru! This will require all new music, written about an Old Hollywood figure that Ru reveres.
She is not a Madonna or Cher, with musical styles that Leland and the song producers can mimic. Moreover, while Joan Crawford is an icon, there’s something that feels misjudged about choosing her as a Rusical subject. Moreover, Jimbo and Kandy Muse, two of the biggest characters of this season, notably bombed Rusicals in their previous seasons, with Jimbo eliminated and Kandy only saved thanks to Ru’s iconic “ Kandy wait!” moment. Sure, Alexis Michelle did well in her Rusical back in Season 9, but queens like Jaymes Mansfield, Jessica Wild, Kahanna Montrese and LaLa Ri have never done one.
I wouldn’t have expected it to be the Rusical challenge that would turn RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8 around.
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