Without Loosey LaDuca in the competition, the Werkroom is finally not tense anymore. Of course, Luxx does feel the need to say, “Karma is a dish best served cold, you thought you got me. Whose face is the egg on now? Yours.” But at least Luxx and Mistress are happy Loosey said she was playing the game in Untucked, finally admitting she gave Luxx a harder teacher to paint after Luxx said Loosey should go home on the mainstage.
The next day, the girls are very excited to have made it in the top four, which usually means they’re already in the finale. The next day, Mistress even admits to feeling like she is letting herself free in the competition. Initially, Ru announces the girls will be featured in her song, “Blame It on the Edit, and perform in her space themed extravaganza music video. The queens will also have Tic-Tac chit-chats with Ru and Michelle Visage. But Ru rains on their parade, surprising everyone that only three of the contestants will be making it to the finale.
First up for the Tic-Tac interview is Sasha. Michelle begins by saying, “Welcome to the Sasha Colby meet and greet,” and Ru is already cracking up. Michelle asks if she struggled in this competition. Sasha’s genius comes out by mentioning the inner sabatour without Ru even bringing it up. When she won two maxi challenges in a row she thought the girls were going to hate her and almost felt like someone should’ve won so she could let go of her personal triumphs in order to be liked by everyone.
She then asks herself a question and answers it! Ru and Michelle really are at the Sasha Colby meet and greet. Sasha wondered why she needs to be liked so badly and the answer came to acceptance as a child, particularly from her mom. All the pageants and challenge wins, everything she did was to have her mom say she loves her and is proud of her, but she’ll never get that.
Sasha is still in control of the interview when Michelle asks when she came to that realization and barely lets Michelle finish the question. She explains that it was a growing process from when her father passed away about 6 years ago; he had hung himself at 80. She says he was a good man and her biggest ally. That was the hardest thing she ever had to deal with, especially since there were so many questions when her father had left Sasha with everything after he passed. “The queer, as they call it in Hawaii, the māhū, being entrusted with this generational land, it felt like paps seal of approval,” Sasha says. That’s when she started to try and make meaning of life and what it’s all for.
Next up with Anetra, Ru points out how quiet she is when she isn’t in drag on the runway. Anetra explains it’s contributed from growing up Mormon; Ru exclaims, “Mormon!” She felt like she had to be quiet especially with her queerness while not feeling comfortable with who she was. With drag, she can express anything. Michelle then says the Anetra and Marcia lipsync is the best in the show’s history. Anetra explains that in the famous “Free Willy” moment, before she could complete the thought of doing it, she was already jumping over Marcia.
Then for Mistress, Michelle brings up her outspoken personality. Mistress shares that she’s the type of person that when she feels a certain way it cycles in her head so she’d rather let it out. This gets her in trouble sometimes, for example, with Loosey. But to make this moment actually about herself, Mistress says that since her family has let her down, she wants to make her drag family, home town, drag mother Chevelle Brooks, and more importantly herself proud.
Last but not least is Luxx. She shares that her parents conditioned her to think very highly of herself and she also gets her confidence from her parents. Luxx says, “It’s very important for black queer people to be very confident because there’s always going to be someone to say we shouldn’t be.” Then she gets the kiss of death from RuPaul, she tells Luxx she has such a bright future, which translates to but not with the crown.
Finally the queens start practicing group choreography for the “Blame It On The Edit” music video with choreographer Miguel Zarate and Michelle is just there. Anetra is in a red mesh and sequin catsuit with a gold chain dangling on her chest. Luxx is probably in a Mugler inspired black bodysuit with clean ribbing and spiky shoulders with white lace up thigh high boots. Sasha is in a Barbarella meets Barb Wire look in a shiny black hardware corset with matching latex gloves that expose her nails; she also has on chains dangling from her choker and black vinyl thigh high boots. To top it all off, she has a big Pamela Anderson, freshly fucked wig on. Mistress is wearing a catsuit covered in scattered and shattered blue, pink, purple, and orange sequin shapes with black lines that exenuate her overall shape and her blonde and brown mohawk wig is from her entrance look I believe.
Luxx and Sasha pick up the choreography immediately, but Sasha adds her sexy, seasoned dancer flare. Anetra surprisingly has some trouble picking up the choreography, but not so surprisingly Mistress doesn’t give it her all until Michelle asks, “Are you just going to give it to these bithces or are you going to fight for it?” She then turns up the energy and gives it her all.
For the last time the girls paint their faces together, they go over their first impressions of each other. Mistress and Luxx didn’t expect Sasha to be so nice since she’s been around for 20 years and they also comment on Anetra being soft spoken, but very lively and has shown who she really is. When Sasha and Mistress met on the first episode, since the queens entered the Werkroom is two separate groups, she told Sasha: “Auntie these bitches are whack, I should’ve been in y’all’s group.” Then they point out that Luxx was a part of metal gate, heaven gate, 40 inch gate, baby bump gate, meaning she was involved in all of the dramatic, argumentative moments this season.
On the runway, the category is “Drag Excellence.”
Anetra is in a velvet cobalt blue gown with silver appliques, rhinestones, and glass beading dangling from her shoulders and hips with a white, sculpted wavey and pointy wig that also has silver rhinestones encrusted in it.
Luxx is in an all white gown with a slit on the front left of her hip, giving a kind of Greecian-Dior look with a gathering of fabric on her right side and silver and white beading on the right part of her bodice. Along with her big fluffy hair and breads and makeup, she looks stunning.
Sasha continues to never miss the mark on the runway. She is in a gown completely covered in AB (aurora borealis) silver crystals. There is serpent-like piping on the holter top morphing into her breasts which are covered in bigger silver stones as well as on her hips that are also covered in larger stones. She has on seven massive silver bracelets or arm rings, as well as other jeweled bracelets. There are stoned orchids cascading in her wig, silver jewels blended into her makeup, and the dress gives us a little peek at her shoes as well. It’s an awe-inspiring look.
Mistress is representing Southern drag in a dress made entirely out of glass beads that are intricately placed to make cheetah spots out of only beads, not fabric patterns. Her hair is kind of a standard pageant loaf, but her shoulders and skirt are doused in dangling glass beads. She says the dress is about 60 pounds and I believe her.
Finally, it’s the premiere of the “Blame It On The Edit” music video. Heavily inspired by Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson’s “Scream” music video, even in complete black in white, RuPaul is barely in the video which is not surprising. Anetras’ verse references her duck walk song from the first episode. She is in a catsuit with black lines throughout the piece that excenuate her figure and I believe she’s wearing the same black helmet covered in silver spikes from her entrance look. Luxx sings the first part of her verse until switching to rap. She is in a white wig, corset, and the same lace-up boots from earlier. It’s a simple but effective look.
Sasha continues to steal the spotlight from everyone this entire episode. Her verse begins with “Bad bitch body, I don’t come to play” and that is an understatement. My mouth was agape during her whole verse. As a professional dancer and music video vixen, she knows how to move her body without actually needing to dance by popping and locking like an entranced, dancing cobra stealing our attention. In a catsuit that looks like it was painted on her body, her shoulders are padded to look like horns, there are crystals covering her breasts, crotch, and random spots throughout her body. She has cat-like contacts in her eyes with a flame-shaped head piece that makes her look like a sexy alien empress. Mistress is wearing a latex balero and lace bodysuit with cagey hip accents and big classic drag hair.
For the critiques, every queen gets a massive amount of praise except Anetra and Mistress. Anetra’s look is very well received, but her performance was a little lackluster. Ross likes that Luxx was the only queen who sang. While Michelle and Ross talk about how Sasha came into the competition already well known, she exceeded expectations since Sasha murdered the competition from day one. Ru says, “Well done mama,” which is a nice contribution as the judges praise her. Ross calls out Mistress for missing a few steps during the music video, but also really liked her solo close up shots, which means she’s in the bottom two this week.
The traditional “cry at your childhood photograph” segment is next. The queens have to answer the question: “If you could travel back in time, what would tell….” Anetra’s is heartwarming and optimistic. Luxx doesn’t show a lot of emotion throughout the season because she’s a very strong and confident person, but her speech is passionate as she cries throughout it.
Sasha’s speech is particularly emotional, telling her younger self that her dreams are going to come true. She says she will find herself so quickly and will be questioned about it, and she will hold it down so fiercely, no one can tell her anything. Her speech ends with: “I love you so much chokes up for a second because I know you don’t hear it a lot. I love you so much and I’m so proud of you.” Mistress immediately starts crying, talking about feeling invisibile as a kid but there is something that always holds onto hope.
Sasha Colby then earns her fourth win and makes it to the finale with Luxx, but Anetra and Mistress must lipsync for their lives. They perform to “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland. While Anetra does a bit better with her dance moves and taking off her skirt to reveal a leotard underneath, Mistress holds up with her incomparable lip syncing keeping up with every word and emotion in the song. Also, her dress is heavy so kudos to her.
Shocker, no queen gets eliminated. Finally, the finale is close though.