Ahoy there, Racers! This week’s episode might as well have been called “Talkin’ Bout My Generation.”  Age often comes into play when pitting RPDR contestants against one another, but more often than not the ageism skews towards younger queens being underestimated or too big for their thigh high boots. When it comes to the show’s “seasoned” queens, one hopes the mature gal of any season is like iconic spiced girl Chad Michaels…and not some old bird covered in chicken salt.

This week, the edit really picked at the carcass of the heavily seasoned chook that was Charlie Hides, before telling him to get plucked…once we’d gotten some sweet meat off those bones.

The Challenge

This episode challenged the queens to perform a live spoof of rival morning TV programs. I’m not sure where Ru got the idea to put overly made up women running their offensive mouths off on live morning television…

The “Drag-Queens-on-Daytime-TV” challenge was a direct recycle from Season Three, and it showed. With the exception of the star power of the initial Lady Gaga pageant, we’re yet to be wowed by any challenge. After the non-traditional start, bonus cast members (#CuCuGate2k17) and the higher-than-stiletto expectations post-All Star Two, there is a very real fear that this year might be another lacklustre Season Seven…

As with last week’s Orlando massacre conversation in the you-better-werk room, the scene in which the queens are getting made up for the runway yet again provided the emotional heart and main drama of the episode. Firstly, Aja and Valentina made up after the Bitter Betty of Brooklyn attacked the Virgen de GaudaLoopy on last week’s Untucked (and at the top of this episode). This bodes well for Aja, as everything about Valentina’s narrative is pushing her towards a top spot. As we learned from the great battle between Roxxxy Andrews and Jinkx Monsoon, you don’t bully the talented underdog and end up winning (…unless you’re Raja).

This week’s Eureka Moment was two steps forward, two steps back. Her natural comedic ability paired perfectly with Nina Bo’Nina Brown in the challenge, but then she made an off-colour joke about eating disorders and acted the fool when Sasha Velour called her out. Sasha won this week’s challenge with Shea Couleé (the two of them are emerging as a slow burn force, and may blossom into top four material), so Eureka needs to watch her damn mouth.

When HIV/AIDS came up in the workroom, we got our real heartstring-tugging moment of the episode. Charlie asked Cynthia about his work dealing with newly diagnosed people living with HIV, which opened up an important conversation about the experiences of older gay men and what they endured during the AIDS crisis.

For those men who lived through that time, some experience what’s now known as AIDS Survivor Syndrome. For those of us who weren’t yet alive, but are directly affected by HIV today, it’s important we hold space for our elders to share their experiences, their grief and their trauma.

Sasha yet again showed himself to be an intelligent, erudite queen in his cutaway during the discussion on HIV/AIDS, highlighting the impact on the gay community by wondering aloud just how many incredible artists we lost to the epidemic. HIV may not equal AIDS any longer, but it’s certainly not over.

The Runway

Look, I won’t lie. I misheard this week’s runway theme as “Naughty 90s” and I was looking forward to someone trying to top Tatianna’s T-Boz look on All Stars Two. Turns out though that the runway theme was “Naughty NIGHTIES.”

*subtly puts Cross Colours T-shirt and Spice Girl deodorant back in my bottom drawer*

Clearly, the editors thought all that sleepwear was going to send us to sleep, so they rushed through the runway faster than Eureka jumps into a conversation. This means we missed out on the A-grade pun game we’ve come to expect from Ru, Ross and Michelle (sorry Carson). Here’s what I think we might have heard, had the runway been given more time:

Luckily, Logo put up the longer edit of the runway for us to enjoy.

The Lip Sync

Aja’s entire winning team were deemed safe, which means Trinity’s losing lot were all up for elimination. Special shout out to Ross Matthews who posed a challenge to Nina Bo’Nina Brown who broke down on the runway, telling her “you’re going to need a thicker skin to get through this competition.” Nina’s on track to be the redemption narrative of this season, with a focus on self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and anxiety. Watch this space.

After some argy-bargy on the runway in which Eureka acted the fool AGAIN, Trinity and Charlie were sent to lip sync for their life: Charlie for flubbing the challenge, and Trinity for failing to lead the team.

Given Charlie’s moving battle cry in the workroom reminding all gay men that they are worth it, special and beautiful, it was rather devastating to see him give up during the lip sync. Trinity served up A+ hairography and cakeography to a Britney Spears number, while Charlie simply stood on one spot, serving up nothing but sadness.

Charlie was sent packing, and even admitted to giving up as he isn’t a lip sync queen. All in all, a sad ending to what could have been a Chad Michaels-style queen who brought experience and maturity to the cast. Not that Charlie was necessarily in the running, but so far we’re picking off the distinct characters with no clear winner emerging.

In a way, this isn’t a bad thing. Previous seasons that have a clear winner (Bianca Del Rio, Bob the Drag Queen) get predictable, despite the talent on display. Where to from here for Season Nine depends on an A-grade Snatch Game and some queens stepping their game up.

This Week’s Real Winner Is…

AIDS Survivor Syndrome. Go read up about it and hug an elder, or be kind to them online, then thank them for what they endured so that the rest of us may live and thrive today.

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RuPaul’s Drag Race is fast-tracked from the US each Saturday on Stan. Read more Drag Race recaps here.

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Nic Holas has written for The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, Archer Magazine, and Hello Mr. You can find him on Twitter @nicheholas, or in his role as co-founder of HIV movement The Institute of Many.