It seems as though the numbers didn’t quite add up for the streaming giant Netflix as it looks to cancel a number of shows, one of which includes the RuPaul comedy, AJ and The Queen.
It’s also putting an end to Atypical and Insatiable, both include quite a considerable amount of LGBT+ representation.
Netflix has canned AJ and The Queen just two months after it premiered and RuPaul herself commented on the slay, tweeting
“Thank you for all the love & support. We’re so very proud of the work,”
AJ AND THE QUEEN
Of course, as it’s Netflix, no official numbers are stated, so we don’t know how well the show actually did on the platform, but clearly not as good as RuPaul’s other venture, you might know it: RuPaul’s Drag Race
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.
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.
The metaphor in episode six might have been about AJ, but in many ways, it could have been about this series. Sometimes things start rough, but if you wait long enough there is a diamond at the core.
Anyone that gave up on this show in the first two episodes, please continue, it gets so, so good!!
At this moment I feel like I have been on a journey with these characters, and after all this time I’ve grown to love them.
Here the team lands in a trailer-park to take a much-needed break. Sadly they don’t get much rest as very soon Ruby gets roped in by three excited women who are desperate for her to produce their show, while AJ befriends a shy boy and becomes obsessed with finding a diamond.
Also, Sanchez and Lady Danger are still on the trail and soon two lovely gay Cowboys have to save Ruby from a snake attack.
This episode in contradiction to episode two gets finding your identity and being yourself so right.
There is Ruby who wants to be herself and loved, but she doesn’t know how to connect anymore.
She thinks she is helping the women by trying to create the best show ever, but they don’t want that.
Ruby trying to rehearse the unwilling Pink Ladies in their Grease performance made me remember all those times when I was in that position. Why do people always want to perform but never rehearse? Why is trying to create something good so wrong in some peoples eyes?
Seeing her talk to her best friend about thinking that maybe she was too much for people to be around made me wish I’d had someone like her in my childhood, a person that actually wanted to put the work in, get the show done. She wouldn’t have been too much for me.
Then AJ was thinking she was worthless and only a diamond would make her grandfather keep her. More layers of her anger are peeled away.
Then her young friend: his silence hid a desire to be on stage in drag, maybe he could even be transgender. Sadly his conservative gun-toting father would not allow him to wear his dress. The scene where Ruby confronts the father in full pleather Sandy drag was wonderful, but the finish where the son confronts the father himself was a delight!! Yes, being attracted to feminine things doesn’t mean you can’t be strong!!
The cute ending with Ruby and AJ performing “You’re The One That I Want” is adorable.
Episode 7 was a mixed bunch for me. Plus side Latrice Royale and Monique’s heart. Fabulous. RuPaul’s chemistry with Latrice is amazing, Their real-life friendship is clear for all to see.
As seen in Drag Race Latrice is clearly a gifted actor and it would be wonderful to see more of her in the future.
Meanwhile Ruby flirting and getting it on with a hot guy was great, glad to see her being playful for a change.
Not great: The puppy story. The metaphor was a bit too obvious and the puppy seemed upset in various scenes. At least get an older dog for episodes like these.
Also: sometimes both children and dogs are better of in a new home even though they might be homesick even if the unfit parents love them.
The barbeque wasn’t needed either, as the scene didn’t really work or went anywhere we didn’t already know. Most Ru fans know she doesn’t like seeing people eat or eating in public and her discomfort was clear.
Sanchez giving in to Lady Danger’s emotional and sexual blackmail, why? I mean … yuck.
Which brings me to another plus side: Latrice and her drag gang getting that bi*ch good. Come through Miss Royale!!
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 thatRupaul was getting “tired of drag” they should be forced to watch the “Endless Love” scene on a loop until the end of time.
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.
Ah, what a treat!! These two episodes were much better. Ruby is slowly letting go of her victim-hood and is starting to present the glorious diva she is, while AJ has stopped her shouting and is growing as a personality.
As a Ru fan, I was feeling so bad about disliking the show he has worked so hard on for so long, so it is such a relief to say that episode three really picks up. The storyline is less scattered, the acting gets better and the pacing has improved.
It is good to see Ruby regaining some of her confidence and more importantly wit. Of course, she is still grieving for what she thought was true love, but she doesn’t let people take advantage of her anymore or sit quietly when others insult her.
In these two episodes, she brazenly takes part in a wet T-shirt competition in a southern town to earn money and gives mean queens back as good as she gets. She even defies them when they sabotage her act. Yes, Miss Ruby Red is rising.
Meanwhile, AJ has improved a lot: thankfully the caring side we glimpsed near the end of episode two has lasted and she is now taking care of Ruby as much as she is taking care of her. She has become fiercely protective of her. Most importantly: she has stopped shouting all her lines, which makes all the difference.
Still on their way to Texas episode 3 sees them stuck in a small town as they the route across the Hershey Highway. The reason why they ended up there: trying to drive away quickly before Sanchez and Lady Danger spotted them they ran into a car leaving them with a broken backlight (and AJ with 200 dollars little con-artist she is!) An exasperated policeman (in a hilarious scene) orders them to get it fixed.
Sadly the repair will cost $2000, as the man at the repair shop discovers that the van is more damaged than they thought.
In the shop Ruby and AJ build a connection with the owner’s wife, after a rough start, which will become important later in the episode.
Ruby tries to teach AJ that there is good in everyone and tries to get her to make up with her mom in between a big to-do about breastplates.
The mum isn’t a well fleshed out character right now, still isn’t in episode four. I hope we get to know what happened to her, because right now she is a bit of a cliché.
Meanwhile, episode four is glorious with both Chad Michaels and Kennedy Davenport in big parts. Here we get to know so much about Ruby and Sanchez and a slight hint that Sanchez might have cared … or is he trying to swindle Ruby all over again?
This episode has catfights between queens, more gay cop revelations, Rupaul doing a big performance to Sia’s Chandelier and Chad being Cher.
This episode also shows how much Ruby and AJ are a team now, even though AJ thinking she knows what’s best for Ruby is a little too soon.
This episode for me had a lot of the same highs and flaws as episode one. Ru and her queens (this time including the lovely Jinkx Monsoon) were a joy and the storyline set at the Pittsburgh club itself would have been enough for me.
The show’s best moments are in the club where Ruby meets with old friends and a frenemy. Their history, culminating in the most hilariously bizarre performance of ‘Proud Mary’ ever, moving into their subsequent making up was lovely and something that deserved more attention. It had that lovely sense of: “we may fight, but when you are down or in trouble I will protect you” that is so strong in drag family.
Sadly most of the episode revolved around AJ screaming and demanding.
Her part is very odd. So far, once again, she just does nothing but insult Ruby and the other queens, she is still stealing things and at one point even threatens poor Ruby into taking her to Texas. Then when she is called out or Ruby asks questions she starts to act the victim, poor girl she has been through so much …
But apparently this is acceptable and Ruby goes out of her way to please the little madame. Most people do. AJ is supposed to be this very special being for some reason and everyone treat her with such delicacy.
A long part of the episode was all about AJ’s gender identity. She dresses and acts like a boy because, she claims, people “leave boys alone”.
Sorry but what? This was a shocker to me. Claiming boys do not get abused or experience other forms of violence in any way is just not on. It is especially odd that this comes from the maker of Drag Race where the contestants often discuss all the terrible things they experienced as a child/teen. This often includes abuse.
What is worse is that even though the show and Ru wanted to make this lovely statement of not putting gender in boxes and living life as you are, it is not a good message for female to male transgenders.
It kind of states that any girl wanting to be a boy is damaged or probably had no good female role models. We are told that AJ has never seen any other example of womanhood than a hooker and a stripper. She has a mobile, access to the internet but no, that is all she knows. Okay, girl.
Thankfully Ruby spends the rest of the episode educating her, almost willing AJ to become a girl again to the point of performing a show in her honour all about how important being a women is.
The thing is, Netflix has so many strong feminist shows, it would have been great if this show could have focused on the strong LGBTQ+ message instead for a change. Why could AJ not simply identify as a boy? Such a wasted opportunity.
With all this going on you’d almost forget that Ruby is still in great danger: her criminal ex revealed to be called Damien and his boss Lady Danger are hot on their tracks. Seeing the hell Ruby is going through seems to soften AJ somewhat near the end of the episode. Hope this lasts.
Then one very important question that needs asking: why has Ruby never digitalised her Oprah tapes?
As a Drag Race and RuPaul fan, the thought of a comedy-drama starring Ru and so many of her girls sounded like a dream.
Sadly Episode 1 isn’t giving me entirely what I was looking for.
Yes, Ru is fabulous, as always, and the first half of the episode was brilliant: Ru as Ruby Red performing at the club, her reading of the owner in front of so many incredible Drag Race alumni including Bianca Del Rio. The scenes with Michael Leon Wooley who plays her fierce best friend. These were all great, with just that mixture of camp, drama and comedy you’d expect from a show like this.
The story moves along nicely: Ruby Red has been in the drag business for decades and has finally saved up enough money to start a club of her own. She dreams of making life better for her drag sisters.
This by itself would be an amazing show. The characters introduced so far work and Ruby thinking up ways to earn money to get her club after all with help from her drag friends would be a great series.
Sadly it’s when AJ arrives that the story goes off the rails. So far it is unclear why her character is needed as it takes the flow out of the story. AJ’s background story is written as very tragic, but the way Izzy G performs it does not evoke any sympathy. In fact, so far all she does is shout and annoy.
She also steals from Ruby and utters homophobic slurs. Not really clear to see why Ruby would be so caring towards her in return. Perhaps the idea is that we will see AJ grow and change as the series moves along. I hope that some of this change will be sooner rather than later as right now her scenes are difficult to watch.
Sadly, the man she thought loved her and would help her build her dream turns out to be a con who steals all her money and her dreams. This leads into a hilarious scene in the police office and a lovely scene of her best friend encouraging her to try again.
The story ends with Ruby leaving for a road trip to earn back some of her money while the police are working on her case that may turn out bigger and more dangerous than she had imagined.
Despite the minor niggle, the story has a big heart and a clear message: RuPaul’s message – it is okay to be you, it is okay to love yourself, you matter.
There is warmth and a strange comfort that is rare in TV shows these days and with promises of big performances, more Drag Race stars and adventure I am looking forward to what happens next.
