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RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars Season 2 |OT| Let's Get All-Started!

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umop_3pisdn

Member
Alaska kind of wore out her schtick though. When she was crowned and said "anusthing is possible" again I was just sort of done. I think there's a section of people disappointed with Alaska's win because they know she could do better, and whatever strokes of brilliance she had this season (like her Bette Davis) were choked out by way too much self-awareness and callbacks. It just started feeling like vanity to me and not the kind that I can really get into.
 
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Mercury Fred

Banned
The thing about this season is that it gave us a chance to get to know Alaska better. But when we did, we saw a shallow, dull, two dimensional personality that withers under the slightest scrutiny. Ugly, predictable and played out.
 
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Soulscribe

Member
Mercury Fred said:
The thing about this season is that it gave us a chance to get to know Alaska better. But when we did, we saw a shallow, dull, two dimensional personality that withers under the slightest scrutiny. Ugly, predictable and played out.
Click to expand...

She was barely in any talking heads, or shown in many workroom banter scenes. That meltdown backstage was really the only time we got to see a real moment out of her, so it sucks that that's all we got. Doesn't mean those bad qualities are her only qualities.
 
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Garrett Hawke

Member
i like how alaska herself said that she was unlikeable and cold for the entirety of the season, lol.

then the show gives us alaska sending home a fan favourite, the meltdown of the season, and then we're supposed to be happy that she beats out the other fan favourite to win.

good job from the production team tbh
 
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Mercury Fred

Banned
Soulscribe said:
She was barely in any talking heads, or shown in many workroom banter scenes. That meltdown backstage was really the only time we got to see a real moment out of her, so it sucks that that's all we got. Doesn't mean those bad qualities are her only qualities.
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I disagree. Those qualities came out in her drivenness/ entitlement/ obsession about winning. Yes, she had some inspired moments, but the vulnerability she had on her original season has been replaced with a grim, relentless, joyless, continual regurgitation of an overworked brand. Of course those aren't her only qualities but they completely eclipse everything that used to make her appealing. And I say that as a fan of lots of her work. Sorry, Alaska is just gross, totally toxic and unlovable now.
 
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Garrett Hawke

Member
Mercury Fred said:
I disagree. Those qualities came out in her drivenness/ entitlement/ obsession about winning. Yes, she had some inspired moments, but the vulnerability she had on her original season has been replaced with a grim, relentless, joyless, continual regurgitation of an overworked brand. Of course those aren't her only qualities but they completely eclipse everything that used to make her appealing. And I say that as a fan of lots of her work. Sorry, Alaska is just gross, totally toxic and unlovable now.
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anusthing is possible.
 
V

valeu

Member
I agreed with the top 3 and out of them Alaska was the strongest and deserved her prize.

I would've liked to have seen Alyssa get the dignity she deserved and be in the number 4 spot but you can't have everything.
 
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mantidor

Member
Soulscribe said:
She was barely in any talking heads, or shown in many workroom banter scenes. That meltdown backstage was really the only time we got to see a real moment out of her, so it sucks that that's all we got. Doesn't mean those bad qualities are her only qualities.
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Of course but they leave a really bad impression. We know how it works, if she had shown vulnerability™ the editing would have milked it to hell and back, as it did with all the other queens, was that really her only emotional moment? If so... Yikes, I can't help but agree, we finally got a glimpse of Justin and it wasn't pleasant, it's the first time ever she's in the bottom and that was her reaction, not cute. Even freaking Chad Michaels, queen of all, was in the bottom in the season tailored for her and she managed it with grace.

It actually makes me recall Alaska's very first challenge, the underwater photo challenge and how she blocked out and simply quit, that was a huge hint back then about how she faces failure, even freaking Serena Cha Cha tried to make the best out of it.

And trust me I love Alaska, she is insanely talented, and I'm at peace about her getting the crown, but she didn't come out of this winning, I just hope she can understand what went wrong and grow from it.
 
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Shizuka

Member
Alaska's was a heavy win. She won, but it definitely cost her. Maybe it'd be better for her if she didn't win, or even if she hadn't participated. We have contestants like Adoe that quit early on and Willam that refused to sign, I think those were maybe wise decisions. The only ones that really benefited weren't anywhere close to the crown, showing once again that winning doesn't mean a whole lot.
 
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ZombiePlatypus

Member
Shizuka said:
Alaska's was a heavy win. She won, but it definitely cost her. Maybe it'd be better for her if she didn't win, or even if she hadn't participated. We have contestants like Adoe that quit early on and Willam that refused to sign, I think those were maybe wise decisions. The only ones that really benefited weren't anywhere close to the crown, showing once again that winning doesn't mean a whole lot.
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Welp, it means a 100k at the very least, which is definitely something. I think her brand and consistency throughout the years is strong enough to withstand one ungraceful episode.

Unrelated to that, is there gonna be a music video for Read U Wrote U? Roxxy's part was....eh, but I can really get into this track otherwise.
 
H

hateradio

The Most Dangerous Yes Man
ZombiePlatypus said:
Welp, it means a 100k at the very least, which is definitely something. I think her brand and consistency throughout the years is strong enough to withstand one ungraceful episode.

Unrelated to that, is there gonna be a music video for Read U Wrote U? Roxxy's part was....eh, but I can really get into this track otherwise.
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100K + 4 (5?) x 10K :p


Her new song is garbage, but w/e.



Edit:

Just saw the last episode of Total RuCall, and Katya brought up something that I forgot. She mentions that she thinks that there was a possibility of Alaska's breakdown moment be a "cracking" of her shell and make her more vulnerable (to the judges). I was thinking that as I was watching the episode, but having it turn completely the opposite made me forget about it.

https://youtu.be/H0YMTxT2GvI
 
M

Matt_

World's #1 One Direction Fan: Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you~~~
read u wrote u is the best coreo this show has ever done
 
M

mantidor

Member
hateradio said:
100K + 4 (5?) x 10K :p


Her new song is garbage, but w/e.



Edit:

Just saw the last episode of Total RuCall, and Katya brought up something that I forgot. She mentions that she thinks that there was a possibility of Alaska's breakdown moment be a "cracking" of her shell and make her more vulnerable (to the judges). I was thinking that as I was watching the episode, but having it turn completely the opposite made me forget about it.

https://youtu.be/H0YMTxT2GvI
Click to expand...

I saw it before, this really explains the "party" moment.

The most emotional moment for me was Katya's speech, when she breaks down and says she finally believes in herself, if that was acting it was mind blowing, pure, distilled vulnerability™, the other speeches were kind of lame.

And the little bit in Russian:
I am a star, forever, thank you very much.
, ugly-cry worthy :p


Also I'm meeting her tonight! I'm nervous I don't know what to say.
 
Monocle

Monocle

Member
Mercury Fred said:
The thing about this season is that it gave us a chance to get to know Alaska better. But when we did, we saw a shallow, dull, two dimensional personality that withers under the slightest scrutiny. Ugly, predictable and played out.
Click to expand...
I guess one reality TV moment carries so much more weight than all of her aftershow footage, Brolaska episodes, panels, and miscellaneous videos that that scene and that scene alone defines her personality.

Being a hater is not a good look to begin with, but a hater with no chill? Hmm.
 
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Garrett Hawke

Member
Being a Stan unable to accept your faves' shortcomings is nearly as bad as being a "hater" tbh

Also I guess now repeating what alaska herself said about the way she behaved on the show makes you a hater.
 
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mantidor

Member
Shizuka said:
Was it or was it not filmed before? I don't get it, did they film every queen winning?
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From what I gathered they showed every episode to the queens for the reunion, which was filmed before the finale, which is why Alaska already knew and it's not surprised here. In the previous for the reunion she has the crown, so all of the queens already knew.

This also means the reunion will probably not address the insane fan support Katya gathered since that happened also after the filming.
 
S

Shizuka

Member
mantidor said:
From what I gathered they showed every episode to the queens for the reunion, which was filmed before the finale, which is why Alaska already knew and it's not surprised here. In the previous for the reunion she has the crown, so all of the queens already knew.

This also means the reunion will probably not address the insane fan support Katya gathered since that happened also after the filming.
Click to expand...

IIRC, the reunion was filmed a few days before the finale, which means Alaska knows all about the snake emojis and the #TeamKatya support.
 
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mantidor

Member
Shizuka said:
IIRC, the reunion was filmed a few days before the finale, which means Alaska knows all about the snake emojis and the #TeamKatya support.
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Really? I thought it was filmed before the penultimate episode, I remember there was more than one episode that hadn't aired.
 
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Shizuka

Member
It has Katya's burned eye fantasy, which she shared earlier this week, not to mention the queens dressed as they're shown on a EW video posted on October 13th.
 
R

Red Liquorice

Member
I think Alaska really performed on brand this season, but I was never really dazzled by her like I was say, Detox and Katya. Her Mae West was outstanding though, definately a contender for best snatch game of all time.

Anyway, I think she deserved the win.
 
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Kasumin

Member
I had to look up some clips of this show for a class, and I must say. I was entranced, enchanted, intrigued. Any recs for past seasons to watch? And where I can (legally) find them to watch?
 
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Garrett Hawke

Member
Kasumin said:
I had to look up some clips of this show for a class, and I must say. I was entranced, enchanted, intrigued. Any recs for past seasons to watch? And where I can (legally) find them to watch?
Click to expand...

they're on netflix in the uk, not sure about the US

they're all good but starting on season 4 or 5 is probably best because they're more polished and accessible. 2 and 3 are amazing but might be hard to get into at first.

season 8 is a bit weak imo
 
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Garrett Hawke

Member
listening to read u wrote u and roxxxy's "singing" bit is so bad omfg

i can't believe they left it in/didn't even try to fix it. we've seen them work miracles before with auto tune, i'm inclined to believe they left it in on purpose :p
 
S

StrangeRoboMemory

Member
Alyssa should have won this, no question. Much more legendary imo than Alaska. I think Katya is great and I would have been happy with her as well. What confuses me about Ru choosing Alaska is that she'll have to be an ambassador and symbolic representative for the show, for Ru's brand, and for drag in general. Why pick somebody who is clearly bratty, arrogant, selfish, and can't take losing? Part of being a champ and role model is understanding how to deal with adversity. Constantly winning and then throwing tantrums when you don't is just so tacky and is such an awful statement. I don't hate Alaska at all and I think she's genuinely funny and talented, but Alyssa or Katya seem so much more graceful, good-humored, and empathetic.
 
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royalan

Member
In a way, I'm reminded of Tyra Sanchez. People like to shit on her win, even me at the time, but the indisputable fact is that Tyra was heads and shoulders above the other queens that season, and even all these years later is still one of the Top Girls to come out of Drag Race in terms of pageant glamour and polish: I mean...

shI7pP1.jpg


Where are the flaws?

But she's not remembered very fondly from her season for similar reasons: she was so focused on winning that she didn't really try to be jovial with the other girls or come off as likable. It took a while for Tyra to repair her image on the drag scene (actually being a fierce queen and a damn good performer certainly helped).

So we've seen before with this show that there is a such thing as winning badly.
 
D

Dandy Crocodile

Member
Garrett Hawke said:
listening to read u wrote u and roxxxy's "singing" bit is so bad omfg

i can't believe they left it in/didn't even try to fix it. we've seen them work miracles before with auto tune, i'm inclined to believe they left it in on purpose :p
Click to expand...
SERIOUSLY
I listened to the track alone yesterday and while the choreo made it, it wasn't terrible until the Roxxxy part. Absolute shit.

Kasumin said:
I had to look up some clips of this show for a class, and I must say. I was entranced, enchanted, intrigued. Any recs for past seasons to watch? And where I can (legally) find them to watch?
Click to expand...
Hulu US has seasons 4+.
 
L

Ludger Kresnik

Member
Kasumin said:
I had to look up some clips of this show for a class, and I must say. I was entranced, enchanted, intrigued. Any recs for past seasons to watch? And where I can (legally) find them to watch?
Click to expand...

Start with either season 3 or 4. I'd lean towards 4 since it's more accessible and has Willam, who is the best.
 
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