This recap of RuPaul’s Drag Race episode 1610 contains spoilers.

Ru loves a twist! Almost as much as she loves America. This is a very frustrating episode if your politics are left of liberal and/or if you think it’s time for certain queens to go home.

But first! The queens are reeling after Plasma’s surprise exit. Well, some of the queens. Q is glad some competition is gone and Morphine tells Mhi’ya she’s surprised she wasn’t sent home for doing a wig reveal without another wig. This leads to a full-on Miami vs. Miami fight. Q says she wants to see them hash it out in a lip sync, but Morphine would rather get on top.

It’s a new day in the workroom and the queens are at the point in the competition where close proximity is leading to horniness. Q says she’s been having dreams about her sisters and Dawn admits to having some crushes before bursting into giggles. Speaking of crushes, Morphine looks SO GOOD in her bell bottoms.

It’s an election year which means capitalist fracker RuPaul is here to blame us for the state of the country. She says that drag queens have always been on the frontlines of social change so people should… vote. Sure!

The main challenge this week is for the queens to write solo verses about what they care about most for a song called “Power.” They’ll be choreographed by guest judge Jamal Sims and the song will be featured on stage at the Werk the World Tour.

This is the week Plane’s immunity potion expires so everyone is being extra nice to the season’s villain. Nymphia is especially in need as she admits Megami wrote her lyrics last time. I do think this should calm some people’s anger over the whole Sapphira making Mhi’ya’s dress controversy. All the queens help each other. At least in the beginning.

Mhi’ya’s sisters don’t seem to agree, because they are being MEAN during her recording session. They keep giggling about her rhyming equal with equal. Then again, they also laugh at Q who says she can sing and then, um, does not prove that to be true. Q is usually serving unt (uniqueness, nerve, and talent), but this episode she’s un-un.

The cattiness continues during choreo as the queens watch as they one-by-one learn their steps. Dawn says Q has Barbie hands. Sapphira says Plane is delusionally confident.

Back in the workroom, Dawn continues to endear me to her. And not just because we have very similar mental health diagnoses! (If I had ADHD we’d be twins.) As the queens give producer-prompted speeches about the importance of voting, she pointedly calls attention to local elections and the importance of being well-informed on local politics.

I’m not sure I’ve ever felt less positive about the federal government or less patient for RuPaul’s sickening liberalism. But I do agree about local elections!

The performance is almost unwatchable. The only exceptions are Morphine, and NOT just because I love her, and Sapphira, who is exceptional but also boringly patriotic. The other verses are so bad.

The runway is True Colors. The standouts are Morphine in royal purple, Dawn as a mix of blues from her childhood bedroom, and Sapphira in a royal blue to match her royal gown.

Plane surprises everyone but me by giving her immunity potion to Nymphia. It’s a brilliant move! It shows confidence and generosity while not really risking anything. Nymphia wasn’t good but she wasn’t bottom two bad. And Plane was middle of the road, but also not bottom two worthy. She gets to look like a hero — and give Ru good television — with only minimal risk.

The judging this week is baffling. They’re very, very positive about the queens during a week where everyone but two felt like major flops. Ross even says Q’s outfit during the performance was the best of the week?? I thought it was the ugliest thing Q has ever worn??

Ru then does a fake out, telling the queens she has to ask them a serious question. It turns out just to be whether or not they’re registered to vote. It would’ve been very funny if she fact checked them and was like, actually records show… But no, they all say they’re registered and Ru takes them at their word.

Ru starts telling the queens they’re safe as the music intensifies. One by one, possible bottom queens get told they’re safe, until Morphine and Sapphira are named the tops of the week. No one is going home but the top queens are lip syncing for the win.

“Made You Look” by Meghan Trainor… isn’t a good song?? The lip sync ends up very muted for all the fanfare. Sapphira wins and deserves the win but it still feels… idk. If you’re going to have queens lip sync for the win give them a good song.

Teleport Us to Mars!! Here Are Some Random Thoughts:

+ RuPaul’s latest book launch has not been going so well with supposed pal Lady Bunny calling out her hypocrisy.

+ I LOVE Morphine’s astrology sweatshirt.

+ What do we think is actually in that potion??

+ During Untucked, Dawn’s boyfriend has a pre-recorded message. At first, my alarm bells went off when he said at first he didn’t like her drag persona, but Dawn explains it’s because it made her anxious and she would snap at him. As the partner of an actor, who I frequently help with self tapes… I get it.

+ Queen I’m rooting for: Morphine

+ Queen I’m horniest for: Morphine

+ Queen I want to sashay: Mhi’ya

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