Well Red – Dragula – S4 E2
Hello uglies, let’s talk about Dragula S4 E2, shall we? Welcome to “Well Red,” Haunted MTL’s weekly review and recap of Shudder’s horror drag competition, The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula. We’re going to catch you up on who slayed, who stayed, and who passed away. We’ll also give the overall episode a critique.
Dragula – S4 E2: What Went Down
“It’s *my* fault for letting you control me.”Astrud Aurelia, The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula – S4 E2
The second episode of this season brings us the Nosferatu Beach Party! Despite a perhaps overlong and overindulgent opening (it is the Boulet Brothers, after all), the episode presented a fun challenge, a dramatic shakeup, and an astoundingly dramatic fall from grace. All in all, just another episode of Dragula, really.
The big shakeup this week was the return of a former Dragula competitor, Dahli, who won the Halloween Resurrection Special. We also see some alliances form and some drama revolving around Sigourney Beaver. La Zavaleta, also seems to have had a slight reality check since the first episode, but how long will that last?
Fright Feat
The fright feat this week was a feeding frenzy fit for a vampire, or at least a vampire with a self-hating streak. The contestants were challenged to consume garlic and drink pig’s blood. It was every bit as horrible as you’d expect. Queens absolutely gagging everywhere.
La Zavaleta took the fright feat for the night and got to pick the pairings for the main challenge. La Zavaleta partnered with Saint, then paired Merrie and Koco, Sigourney and Astrud, Dahli and Hoso, and Betty and Jade. Conflicts began to pop up, as they inevitably do.
Main Challenge
The main challenge was to create a vampiric look for a beach day. The workroom proved pretty rocky as well with Merrie Cherry stirring up a lot of drama. Merrie is cementing herself early on as the problem child of the season. The real shock, however, was how quickly things seemed to have gone off the rails for Sigourney and last week’s winner, Astrud.
When it came to the looks, guest judges Vanessa Hudgens and GG Magree joined the particularly Nahzgulish Boulet Brothers to weigh in.
- Saint wore a leather one piece with cowl and batwing floaties.
- Merrie Cherry ran with a angler fish look complete with lighted headdress and a mermaid tail.
- La Zavaleta ran retro Hollywood vampire chic in a red one piece and face prothetics.
- Sigourney Beaver went with a striped and angled two piece with parasol and red beehive hairdo with sunglasses.
- Koco Caine busted out with a one piece, a sheer red cover up, and knee-high leather boots with cute bat wings on the ears.
- Bitter Betty went sixties glam with a black and white wig, bat shaped sunglasses, a red houndstooth one piece and a sheer black cover up.
- Jade Jolie made an impression with blond hair, full face prosthetics, a black and white angled striped one piece, and completed the ensemble with a leather jacket with arm fringe and knee-high boots.
- Hoso Terra Toma arrived wrapped in baby blue with curly hair, sharp teeth, and later revealed a red and gem-studded lifeguard swimsuit.
- Dahli arrived as the pervert Nosferatu scoping out the action, hiding a tan single peice swimsuit with ruffled collars under a trenchoat. Sick, sick, sick.
- Astrud Aurelia wore a short, frilly top, open of course, and briefs with thin suspenders, coifed with curly hair and a small, ribboned hat.
As a whole, the performances were mixed. Conflicts in the workroom resulted in tepid performances from Merrie, Koco, Sigourney, and Astrud. The only pair that really looked like they were having fun on stage was Dahli and Hoso. The campy song and beach activities in the lip-sync were naturally a lot of fun, even if some of the competitors weren’t exactly vibing at the beach.
As for the results, I found myself mostly in agreement. The criteria were “look,” “performance,” and “teamwork.” While the participants were paired for the challenge, they were judged as individuals.
Jade, Merrie, and Sigourney were safe. The judges had some words for Merrie, however. Merrie seemed to be too much in her own head, which led to her lackluster performance this week. It didn’t help that her look didn’t really match the theme, either. it was a big stretch, but the Boulet Brothers seemed to like it. Overall, I feel the judges were a little kinder to her than they needed to be.
The bottom looks included Astrud, Koco, and Bettie. The main critique with Astrud was that her outfit felt a bit dull, and the performance seemed forced, as though she was working against her partner. It didn’t help that Astrud really should have taken the critique in stride, but that was not the case, the rest of the episode featured an agitated, interrupting Astrud, much to the embarrassment of her drag mother, Dahli.
The top looks included La Zavaleta, Dahli, Hoso, and Saint. La Zavaleta’s look was pointed out to be a bit lackluster, but the performance saved her. Dahli’s look was absolutely perfect and paired with a fantastic, campy performance. Dahli was my personal choice for the winner. However, Saint’s sexy leather and wings look took the win for the evening, which was well-deserved.
The final decision, however, was about who to eliminate: Astrud or Bettie? Astrud quickly made a case for herself backstage with a legendary temper tantrum.
Elimination Challenge
The elimination challenge for Astrud and Bettie involved submerging their arms in tanks full of leeches. The was blood, naturally, and somehow Bettie managed to get a leech right between her breasts, again, naturally. Leeches, while initially gross, do not really hurt as they have anesthetic properties. That’s partially why they were used medicinally for centuries. So this was a more mild elimination than last week’s.
Still, it made for a fun, gross elimination. However, only one could survive, and Bitter Bettie lived to drag another day while Astrud Aurelia died with a caved-in skull on the beach.
The Results
Winner: Saint (shown)
Top Looks: La Zavaleta, Dahli, Hoso Terra Toma
Safe Squad: TJade Jolie, Merrie Cherry, Sigourney Beaver
Bottom Looks: Astrud Aurelia (RIP), Koco Caine, Bitter Bettie
Episode Score
This week was a stronger episode than the premiere for a couple of reasons. The window dressing surrounding the competition was filed back, which really helps the flow of the show. The theme also proved to be quite fun and overall created a general sense of aesthetic through the whole of the competitors, making it easier and more reasonable to figure out who gets eliminated. I also am there with the judges this week, Astrud needed to go, particularly given their terrible behavior after the floor show.
As a whole, this episode worked out quite well. The addition of Dahli in the mix should really stir things up, as with Merrie Cherry surviving another round. Who knows what trouble will be stirred up later?
(4 / 5)
We hope you enjoyed our coverage of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula – S4 E2. Let us know what you thought of the competition and who you think will take the prize. We’d also love to hear your assessment of the looks. Which gagged and which were groaners?
Episode three of Amazon Prime’s Fallout continued the themes we’ve seen so far, with an added twist. With comedy and gore already blending, the story has added an air of tragic history for one of its least cuddly characters.
Let’s discuss.
The story
Our story starts with a flashback to before the bombs dropped. We see Coop, filming a movie. His wife is on set as well, and their adorable daughter. Coop has a comfortable life with a family he loves.
Isn’t that just a knife in the heart?
Back in the present, Lucy is traveling through the wastelands with the head of Wilzig. And she’s doing so with the same fear and joy that we’ve seen from her so far. Until that is, she runs into a Gulper. And after eating a defenseless deer, it swallowed up the head.
Eventually, The Ghoul catches up with Lucy and decides to capture her. After using her as bait, he decides to drag her along with him.
Meanwhile, Maximus gets a message from the Brotherhood of Steel. Rather than coming clean, he claims to be Knight Titus and is accidentally sent a new Squire. That squire is Thaddeus, one of Maximus’s bullies from the base. And Maximus wastes no time in taking some sweet, sweet revenge.
Finally, we return to Vault 33. The vault is healing from the Raider attack and the loss of Lucy. Norm and Chet are being punished for letting Lucy leave, by being fired from their jobs. This throws Chet because he had a cool job.
Norm, on the other hand, didn’t like his job. He didn’t like any job. So, since this is the only way anyone gets punishments in the vault, he’s given the task of feeding the Raiders.
And talking to the Raiders was maybe not a healthy thing for Norm to be doing. He might learn something he didn’t want to know.
What worked
The first thing I have to talk about is the massive creature called The Gulper.
This thing was fascinating. It was voracious, fast, and horrifying to look like. It was like a giant axolotl from Hell, with human fingers lining its whole mouth and throat. Why did it need fingers lining its mouth and throat? The better to drag someone down its throat and into its stomach. And the better to drag itself into my nightmares. This creature was well done.
On the flip side of this, I love the fact that the people of Vault 33 are so kind. They’re so willing to forgive, willing to care for their fellow man even when their fellow man is trying to kill them.
I don’t trust it, to be clear. But the perceived kindness from these people is uplifting. And I’m sure it will make whatever is going to eventually happen to them all the worse.
Of course, I can’t talk about the goodness of the vault dwellers without talking about the absolute horribleness of The Ghoul. The Ghoul is not a good person. He is cruel, and selfish, and clearly dislikes Lucy for some reason we do not yet know, and is probably not her fault.
But we kind of understand how he got that way, don’t we? During the flashbacks, we see that he’s lost his wife and daughter. We also see that he was used as a mascot for the very company that created the vaults. And, while we don’t have any concrete proof yet, we can probably guess that these are not the good guys. Even if we haven’t played the games, anyone who’s even slightly genre-savvy can already guess that.
Which is the last thing I want to bring up here.
We know something stinks with the vaults. Something beyond the obvious issues of wealth disparities and the people left outside to die while those who could afford a Vault spot were saved. Something is rotten with the vaults, we all know this. What we don’t know is what form this rot will take.
Not yet.
What didn’t work
Now, I wish I could say this was a perfect episode. But sadly, it wasn’t. And my biggest issue with the episode is with the character Maximus.
Now, I love Maximus. He wants to do good things in the world. He’s the underdog, and who doesn’t love that? He’s honorable and believes in the organization he belongs to.
I don’t love that he cannot do anything right. It feels like he wins fights by falling over and tripping into succeeding. And this character deserves so much more than that. Can we please, just once, see him be good at something or make a sound decision?
All that being said, this was still a fun episode. It was funny and bright, with an ominous feel and a horrific finger-ridden monster. I had a great time with it.
(4 / 5)
Last night’s episode of American Horror Story Delicate was wild. From its star-studded start to its powerfully quiet finish, I was enthralled through every moment.
Let’s discuss.
The story
We begin this episode at the funeral of Dex’s mom. While he’s giving a eulogy, which was very nice, Ms. Preecher walks in. She shouts to the room that Virginia didn’t commit suicide, she was murdered. She also tells Dex to listen to his wife.
What a concept!
Touched by this, or maybe just curious, Anna goes to the hospital to check on Preecher. She falls asleep at the hospital. When she wakes up, Preecher is gone. A nurse says that she was discharged to a group of women.
While at the hospital, Anna also discovers that she’s been nominated for best actress.
At a publicity event for the awards, Anna runs into Cora. And she sees the coat she remembers from her late-night visit near the start of her pregnancy.
With the slightest amount of pressure, Cora spills it all. She and Dex have been having an affair, and Cora was trying to sabotage Anna’s pregnancy. So Anna, channeling her inner Madison Montgomery, kicks him out and heads to the awards ceremony with Siobhan.
There, Siobhan asks her if she wants an Oscar more than anything. If she’d be willing to give up anything for it.
And Anna says yes.
The bargain is then sealed with a kiss.
What worked
I’d like to begin, paradoxically, at the end of the episode. We’ve seen Anna have some terrible, loud, frightening hallucinations in this season. At least, we assume they’re hallucinations. But this one wasn’t loud. It was, in fact, very quiet. Anna is led off stage, without a word, leaving nothing but a puddle of blood behind.
In horror, like in all art, the notes you don’t play are as important as the ones you do. And the notes that weren’t played her rang like a bell.
I also appreciated that this episode describes why being a celebrity would be a huge pain in the ass. Imagine going to an event where the whole purpose is for people to take pictures of you while holding their product. Imagine if they invaded your personal space, sprayed things on you, put things over your eyes, and you were expected to smile and pose.
I don’t know what it is about being a celebrity that makes others feel entitled to a person. To talk with them, take their time, and share in their moments. To touch them without consent. Yes, there are way worse things happening to people. But this isn’t a great way to live. It’s no wonder so many of them go nuts. This is most clearly shown in the scene when Anna is sitting next to Preecher’s bed. She wakes up to find the older woman gone. But all anyone wants to talk about is how she was just nominated for an Oscar. At that moment, she doesn’t give a damn. She cares about this kind woman, and where she’s gone. Just like any other person.
Finally, I appreciated that this season didn’t do what so many AHS seasons do. Which is to say that this episode didn’t feel like the last episode. It felt like the penultimate episode. It felt like there was still more story to tell, not just loose ends to be wrapped up. I appreciate that the writers have finally learned that lesson.
For this season, at least.
What didn’t work
The first thing that bothered me in this episode was Cora’s confession. I said something about this during our live-watch event on Threads. (Join us next week for the finale. Bring popcorn and wine.)
I don’t believe Cora’s confession. I further don’t believe that she just dumped all of this incriminating info on Anna with no more prompting than a wide-eyed look. There was just no reason for it. So, Anna saw her coat? Lots of people have similar coats. This feels fake, and she brought no receipts.
I also found Siobhan’s behavior confusing. At times she seems genuinely concerned for Anna’s wellbeing. At other times, she is more than willing to let her suffer and risk her pregnancy.
While this has been going on all season, it was happening every few minutes in this one. Either Siobhan cares about the welfare of that fetus, or she doesn’t. But she needs to pick a lane.
All in all, I don’t know what to expect from next week’s season finale. Anna has her Oscar, but now she might lose her baby. She might also get sucked into some horrible cult and experience a bad death. We won’t know until next week.
See you then.
(4 / 5)
Episode two of Amazon Prime’s Fallout was equal parts funny and bloody. This almost always leads to a good time.
The story
We begin this episode with the birth of some puppies that look like they’ve had a rough start to life. Each one is weighed, with the ones who fall short being incinerated.
One pup who is just below the correct weight gets a bit of a thumb on their scale. The scientist weighing them, Wilzig, writes down the proper weight. He later takes the puppy home to raise instead of putting them into what looks like an unforgiving training program.
Eventually, we see Wilzig put some blue glowing thing into his neck. When a soldier comes for him, Dog attacks the soldier, and the two escape.
We go from there to the wilderness, where Lucy is recovering from the last episode and enjoying a campfire at night. Wilzig and Dog come out of the shadows, saving Lucy from a bug monster. Wilzig tells Lucy she should go home. And if she’s not going to go home, she needs to evolve.
The next day Lucy finds her way to a town called Filly. As a Pennsylvanian, it hurts me to spell it that way. Lucy is entranced by this town, though clearly put off by the fact that no one is very nice here.
She eventually finds her way to a shop run by a delightful woman named Ma June. Ma doesn’t seem particularly interested in helping Lucy. Or, frankly, having Lucy in her shop.
Or in her town.
Eventually, Wilzig is tracked to this same shop, being tracked by The Ghoul. This is our final primary character. Lucy defends Wilzig, being aided at the last moment by Maximus.
Maximus, by the way, has been having a terrible time. After finally becoming a squire he’s disappointed to find that his knight, Knight Titus, is a terrible person.
Fortunately, Maximus doesn’t have to put up with Titus for long. After Titus gets the bright idea to go hunting, he’s attacked by a mutated bear. Maximus freezes, unable to save him. Then, well, he decides not to save him.
It was Titus’s idea to go hunt the bear, after all.
What worked
The first thing I want to draw attention to is the shootout scene at Filly. This scene checked every box a fight scene should check. It was fun to watch, with great effects. But it also gave us insight into the characters. Lucy is a decent fighter and has a strong moral compass. The Ghoul is callus and desensitized to death. And Maximus continues to be, well, sort of bad at this whole fighting thing. But with enough moral fortitude that we have a hard time blaming him.
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the dog. Who’s name, as far as I’ve been able to ascertain, is just Dog. Which is fine. He doesn’t need to have a name to be a very good boy. He’s sweet, loyal, and fearless.
Also, puppies. Puppies are always great.
Finally, I’d like to shine a spotlight on Lucy’s reaction to the world at large. She is both amazed and terrified by everything. And while she certainly doesn’t want to be rude, she also doesn’t want to be taken advantage of. The best example of this is when she stops to ask for directions with a bright smile and a gun.
Once again, I don’t have anything bad to say about this episode. It was funny, dark, and fun to watch. I’m very much looking forward to the rest of the season.
(4 / 5)
