Tag: RuPaul

So there we are then: the end and damn it Rupaul, you almost made me cry!

What a journey and how happy I am that I kept watching after a rough start, even though I am now sad about having to let go of my new drag family.

Ruby and AJ have reached their destination: the Dallas pageant and it seems AJ is even more invested in Ruby winning than Ruby is. AJ is worried about how Ruby will fare without her once she leaves for her grandfather and wants her well taken care of.

Meanwhile in New York Cocoa is visited by AJ’s mother again, this time she is ready to listen. Finding out where AJ is and where she is going she seems horrified. Stealing some money from Cocoa she quickly leaves to find her.

AJ and Ruby find themselves in trouble: all the other queens seems to have brought busloads of fans with them to help their chances at winning. Ruby and AJ only have each other. AJ decides on a plan.

Finding her police officer lover has let her down Cocoa travels to Dallas to join her friends. Ruby needs all the support as a call from Sanchez has sent her wavering.

A lot of things happen: Sanchez realises he might have feelings for AJ, Lady Danger has escaped prison and has gone after him – he has all her money.
The other queens, including the two divas destined for number one, played by Trinity the Tuck and Jujubee have noticed AJ trying to get their fans on Ruby’s side and they are not happy.

Meanwhile, anti gay/drag protesters have descended onto the pageant.

The pageant rehearsal is a joyous line up of former Racers and seeing Rupaul stand alongside them is so moving. You can see that despite being their former judge she is one of them too, she came from this world and this is her love letter to them, to drag.

Meanwhile, Lady Danger seems rather jealous of the fact Sanchez choosing Ruby and searching for her stolen money she decides to trash her wigs. Finding out Ruby thinks the protesters did it, then the other queens. The speech Ruby gives the protesters is gorgeous but the way the other queens (the bitchy rivals) rally round to get Ruby wig hair so she can still compete is heartwarming.

Sadly Ruby doesn’t get to compete as AJ’s scam and story has sent the police and child agencies to the pageant. Meanwhile, Ruby, in utterly gorgeous drag, is visited by Sanchez – he brings her the money and his heart, or so he claims. AJ drags Ruby out, with money and all – of to grandfather before it’s too late.

While they flee Cocoa decides that even if Ruby can’t compete there is no reason to leave her place vacant. So for the first time ever Cocoa performs again, and she is everything!!

Ruby and AJ have reached grandfather. Fearing he might be conservative AJ asks if Ruby can drag her up, to fit in. Then they say their sad goodbyes. Ruby’s face as AJ explains why Ruby can’t come with her to meet her grandfather is sad. 

But things get worse: waiting in her van to make sure AJ gets home to Pop-pop safe and sound she makes a shocking discovery. She has to find her.

Then, in such a beautifully acted and filmed emotional moment Ruby thinks AJ is finally hers. The daughter, friend and companion she always wanted. But then …

No, you will have to watch it yourself to find out, please do. It is a journey that will warm your heart.

Poor, poor Ruby, AJ has gotten into her heart. 

Finding themselves at a playground, Ruby teaches AJ how to swing (she had never played before). Sadly AJ asked for a push too much and flies of, breaking her arm.

Overcome with fear and seeing something wrong with her arm Ruby takes AJ to the hospital. AJ, though, doesn’t want to go, she is terrified. Soon we find out why: a hospital is where she was separated from her mum.
We find out AJ would rather be in pain than lose Ruby as she knows that difficult questions might be asked the moment the doctors and nurses separate them.

She is right, soon people start to ask questions: what reason could a black gay man possibly have to travel with a white child? The fact that no-one even thinks of the possibilities: adoption, teacher, nanny, baby sitter is shocking.

Stumped for an answer Ruby blurts out she is her pageant coach.

This is both a tragic and hilarious episode all in one, as at first, the hospital staff all want something from Ruby. A cute young doctor wants drag advice, a nurse wants pageant advice for her grand doctor and – more offensive – a desk nurse wants to know if she could judge her daughter’s black boyfriend.
The young doctor is the kindest one and helps out when Ruby has to take desperate measures to get AJ back.

We flashback a lot between four key hospital moments: the present, AJ’s birth as well as the moment she got taken away from her mum, while the relationship between Ruby and best friend and drag sister Cocoa is further explored as we flashback to the incident that caused Cocoa’s disability. This gave Rupaul the chance to display one of her most fabulous looks of the series. To see her run through the corridors in that red dress is a visual delight. The scene of her talking with Cocoa in the hospital bed is beautiful. They have great chemistry.

Back to the present where Ruby pretends to be a Jamaican intern. For some reason, RuPaul can really get away with this look and actually knows how to do the accent, which sells it. This end scene makes the episode end on a high.

During the hospital visit, we got to see how much Ruby cares about AJ and how much AJ has started to care about Ruby. In the next episode, we zoom in deeper on this.

When they reach Texas and the club Ruby was supposed to perform in is bulldozed down AJ asked if Ruby can maybe bring her to her grandfather immediately. Ruby immediately thinks of things they could go and do before that and quickly settles on visiting an old very rich friend (instead of, you know, the war museum.)

There a lot of things happen, an important one is that Jane Krakowski plays Beth her old friend fabulously. Meanwhile: Ruby has to explore her own fears, Beth’s marriage and life isn’t as fabulous as she claims (though she is rich) and AJ befriends the couple’s reclusive son.

The next day Ruby is roped in to be the entertainment of the party Beth is planning. The entertainment manager is non-other than Ginger Minj who proves herself to be another fabulous actor. These queens are so damn talented!!

AJ haggles Beth’s husband to pay Ruby $4000. Then the poor girl collapses. It turns out that the innocent health juice she thought she drank was Beth’s special juice – 90% vodka.

Ruby carries AJ in and looks after her. Spaced out the girl tells her “I love you” and Ruby breaks down.

She is further upset when Cocoa calls her to say that the mother has visited her and she is sending the police after her.

Ruby admits: she doesn’t want to give up AJ anymore. She has grown to love her as a daughter.

The rest of the episode explores Ruby’s own identity. It turns out she was always afraid of her feminine side and instead of admitting it thought it was Beth who stopped her playing with dolls and with her female friends. It was her own fear holding her back.

A positive trans message is included as well.

AJ tries to break away with the couple’s son, crashing the van. She explains she tried to leave without saying goodbye because she fears she will never be able to say goodbye to Ruby.

Both agree they want to travel together a little longer.

Yas Queen!! If episode 3 and 4 got me excited, this one snatched my wig!

This is what I was looking for: warmth, joy, LGBT history, gay icons from history, gentle life lessons and camp and all this in Gilmore Girls Town. Girl, I was living for this episode.

Following a performance gone bad, Ruby feels low, something that is worsened when finding out AJ is unaware of some of the most iconic performers in history. Diana Ross the main one.

The scene where Ruby tries to explain what a Diana show was like is slightly confusing, as it makes you wonder why she doesn’t show AJ pictures and clips as she has internet. But Ru’s personal passion for Diana makes it work.

Ruby decides to educate on camp and glamour, starting with AJ needing a more sparkly outfit, the girl isn’t convinced about this, though and refuses.

AJ wonders why Ruby is so hung up on all these female performers and why she has no male icons she looks up to. Ruby has one: Bob Mackie and this time she does go online to try and make AJ aware of the famous designer. A good thing she did, as she finds out that there is a museum dedicated to the man close by. Well, six hours away.

This is when we reach the best location yet: Mt Juliet, or as we know it: Stars Hollow – yes the whole episode takes place in Gilmore Girls town!!

There is almost disappointment for Ruby as the museum turns out to be a house, a bed and Breakfast none the less. But things change when she meets the owner Lloyd Johnson who is as passionate about Mackie as she is and realises that the “house” contains all his most famous dresses.

AJ decides to treat Ruby on a night at the museum, then leaves to have some fun of her own.

As Ruby and Lloyd bond over camp and glamour, AJ soon realises she should have kept her money when she finds the puppy she always dreamed of. She quickly hatches a scam with a girl selling lemonade on the square to get the money.

Here we reach the emotional heart of the episode. Ruby receives a call from Cocoa Butter who by now is VERY happy with the officer of her dreams, telling her they found out just who AJ’s mother is. It is worse than we or Ruby could ever have thought.

AJ’s scam backfires when the girl she bought the stall from turns out to have a mother that is rather controlling and cold, wanting the money AJ earned back. Ruby protects her, saying things that are meant for the mother to hear but upset AJ. They fall out.

If anyone claimed that Rupaul was getting “tired of drag” they should be forced to watch the “Endless Love” scene on a loop until the end of time. The sheer joy and delight on Ru’s face when she comes down the stairs in that Diana Ross outfit and the perfection with which she mimics Diana’s expressions when she lipsyncs the song: she has waited for this moment all her life!

Meanwhile, Sanchez and Lady danger are still out there, waiting. Though Sanchez isn’t sure he even wants to do all this anymore. He seems regretful and just can’t scam anymore.

This episode makes you long for this being the place where Ruby and AJ settle down: Ruby should marry Lloyd and live her glitter dream forever and AJ should befriend that girl and help her rebel and find herself. But of course, they have to move on, after AJ learns actually having a mum that is “there” isn’t what it is cracked up to be either.