Ron Does Stuff

International Snatch Games are always a hit or miss affair for me. The Snatch Game for some of the countries are too…insular? Too specific to their own country? That I end up not getting the jokes or not knowing why the people are laughing.

The best international Snatch Games are the ones that manage to find that universal kernel of truth in the characters they’re imitating that allows the viewers to get the humor in general even if they don’t get the nuances that would make the joke even funnier.

This is the second Snatch Game for Drag Race France. Will they be able to find that kernel? Let’s find out!

The queens, of course, are all sad that Kitty Space had to go, but at least Cookie Kunty is taking her bottom placements in stride by calling herself the lip sync assassin of the season because she actually is. She’d probably send home the Drag Race Mexico queens as well!

The next day Mami Watta is expressing her desire to get out of the bottom placements and that could either be just a little sprinkle of spice for this episode or it could be foreshadowing either of Mami’s departure from the show or her success. I am thinking it may be her departure because when they talk about what the Maxi Challenge is going to be and Ginger Bitch mentions Snatch Game, Mami says “Not that” and Mami your fate is halfway sealed now.

The mini challenge is wedding games in celebration of a decade of marriage equality in France and I am more than a little bit envious because they already have 10 years of marriage equality while my country doesn’t even have an anti-discrimination bill.

They only have 15 minutes to get into drag and I can’t handle Sara Forever saying she and Punani look like Princess Diana and then the editing sneakily adding creaking sounds the shade of it all. This episode also features a Drag King like the previous season did and you know what? Other franchises need to catch up!

Piche and Ginger Bitch are deranged but what really got me was how long this mini challenge is??? I thought it would end with the marriage vows bur they did say the mini challenge was wedding games. But it just seems the mini challenges are too challenging for little pay-off, at least for the queens. Like can’t they at least get some coin? It was hilarious for me though!

We move on from the wedding games to Snatch Game! The queens are excited — even Mami Watta — but Punani is a little more subdued since she’s going to be playing Amanda Lear and Amanda Lear herself is going to be in the Snatch Game and the judging panel.

But wait, THERE’S MORE. Cookie Kunty and Sara Forever are both doing French rock singer Johnny Hallyday and neither one of them is budging initially. The tension is building and as an audience member I am excited. However, Sara Forever decides to give way and I just know that Cookie has once again booked another ticket to the bottom because that’s the way it goes with Drag Race. Editors love to cut a queen down. In fact, it already started the moment Sara capitulated because she got the sad music while she was explaining her choice in the confessionals. Are we getting a third Sara win?

Okay, early on in the Snatch Game I know nothing of the majority of the characters the queens have chosen but they seem funny so far! It looks like they may have found that kernel of universality that makes things funny even if the audience doesn’t know the nuances of the references!

Well…that was right for some of the queens at least. Cookie really is gunning for a bottom placement again because she is not funny and Punani is fumbling right in front of Amanda Lear. Keiona and Mami Watta are doing fine and Ginger Bitch is looking like she’s going to be the winner. I am not so sure about the other queens because I don’t think the subtitles are fully conveying the punchlines of their jokes. The Snatch Game players were sometimes funnier than the queens!

The runway theme I’m guessing is under the sea. — I can’t speak French — and Piche opens strong with a freaking Rose from Titanic outfit complete with a door. But it doesn’t stop there because from behind there’s a frozen Jack with the Heart of the Ocean. THIS. BITCH. The other queens’ outfits were great as well; I liked Moon’s and Keiona’s. But this one from Piche just…I was gagged.

And then we move on to another gagging moment when Cookie Kunty is safe. Really? If anything saved her it was the Hokusai coat because that Snatch Game was not it. And then it turns out Punani was actually doing well? The editing didn’t make it seem like it! Or maybe, once again, because I don’t speak the language I am not getting the performance. AND they didn’t like Ginger Bitch, who I thought did really well! My golly!

In the Werk Room, safe girls Mami Watta and Cookie Kunty are having a kiki and Mami Watta is pushing and prodding and trying to make Cookie Kunty say Sara Forever’s name and I love it! When Cookie does say Sara’s name it’s to make clear that she’s not guilty for possibly being the reason Sara’s one of the bottom girls.

Meanwhile, Piche has convinced herself that she’ll be lip syncing tonight and I find that an impossibility because that look was great! But then again I thought Ginger Bitch was going to be either at the top or safe and look what happened.

Punani wins this week and Keiona is gooped and I can’t blame her! She’s been consistently within arm’s reach of a win and they snatch it away from her again and again!

Piche is in the bottom and now I’m gooped. Despite that Titanic outfit? REALLY? Sara Forever is safe and the production is really setting up this Cookie and Sara rivalry because in the confessionals Cookie says a lip sync would have done Sara good.

I mean I like Ginger Bitch and all and I even thought she would win this episode but I am just. so. over. queens taking off their outfits during a lip sync, especially when the reveal is just…a black swimsuit. Having said that, it did look like she was actually lip syncing when compared to Piche, who unfortunately was sent home. Je suis triste.