As it turns out, that coffin didn’t rejuvenate St. Lucia. She’s still dead.
Episode 3 opens with a safehouse ritual, the Boulets having stepped right out of Messiah of Evil to serve up some danger. They’re “making a new monster.” Episode 4 continues this story, with the remaining “kids” dying from spiked punch (one appears to be Dragula alumni, Erika Klash).
Yovska lives again to wear berets. She recounts her gross snack, while Maxi becomes the center of bad attention. Did they present vampire queen realness? Priscilla thinks not. Dollya watches with zero interest.
The first floor show is a Metal arena challenge, with two bands (ideally sharing a look-theme): SLAG (Evah, Dollya, Maxi, and Priscilla), and Koven (Maddelynn, Hollow, Yovska, Landon, and Louisianna). Afterward, Dollya confronts Maxi about “under the breath shit.” The two butt heads about pads (Maxi don’t want none, but she wants to be blue). Evah takes charge, but behind the scenes, she’s not feeling too confident.
Meanwhile, Hollow critiques Dollya for not practicing what she preaches—turns out that Dollya wasn’t happy with Hollow keeping their used tampons in the freezer or the dead bugs. This opens Dollya’s floodgates, transitioning to unresolved issues with Maddelynn. While what was meant to be a private matter about Maddelynn’s sobriety has spread, she doesn’t want to discuss her past. This continues into the next episode, and Maddelynn confesses that she’s afraid of being hurt by Dollya.
During Koven’s rehearsal, Hollow suggests a needle trick: they will have impaled cheeks, and the other band members will remove and reinsert the needles throughout the performance. What could go wrong?
“Drag Monsters of Rock” features glam, punk, and one jester. Judges include the infamous Peaches Christ and Henry Rollins, respectively. Hollow’s GWAR-ish shoulder pads swing maces, Yovska’s Harlequin-ing it up, and Landon looks like a Rob Zombie set piece. For me, Dollya’s barbarian look (again) steals the show. This one knows how to bring the “new.” Which is why it’s so shocking when her look in Episode 4 misses the mark.
Drama arrives in the form of a Hollow meltdown when a snafu with the needles happens. They halt the performance to vent. This outburst appears to completely disable Yovska, whose demeanor changes from warrior to child in the backseat of a parental argument. The change is noticeable.
SLAG comes out on top, with Evah winning the prize monies; Koven’s Louisiana and Landon are safe, leaving Hollow, Maddelynn, and lil’ Yovska at the bottoms Hollow expresses her rage, directing it towards “every fucking white gay man bar in this goddamn world.” While there’s a history of exclusion in queer communities when it comes to identities like trans and non-binary, I’m not sure how the needle snafu ties into this issue. Maybe I’m missing something. To their credit, they eventually turn their attention to Yovska’s poor state, but it’s too little too late.
“The Demons Blood” showcase is all kinds of nerdy. The competitors enter a D&D world, with the first performance skit of the season. Maxi is a reptilian rogue, Landon an elf barbarian, and so forth.While fabulous, the aesthetic doesn’t look all that different from what you’d see at a convention, but such are the limits of the roleplaying genre. Still, there are a couple of standout looks from the likes of Maddelynn(!) and Louisianna.
Prior to the floor show, manservant Israel delivers a scroll, which reveals the existence of a “life and death” key hidden in the boudoir. If memory serves, this is the first Survivor-esque item of its kind on Dragula. Dollya secures it, but no one knows exactly what she’s found.
This turns out to be a life saver. Dollya brings her weakest look, an orc-inspired job that hides all her best assets (face, shape). The mystery key offers her a choice of safety, or elimination chance for a competitor. She wisely chooses safety. Evah wins the challenge, with Maxi and Maddelynn on the chopping block.
And so the end is near. Extermination challenges are “bad tattoo” (which is only funny if you’ve seen the first two seasons) and “humiliation/plead your case.” I disagree with Maddelynn’s low placement, and so does she. This results in a tantrum that tops Hollow’s. Thankfully, she seems to actually enjoy the challenge, once the insults and rotten fruit begin to fly. She enters the stage with middle fingers high, while Maxi pleads to stay (“I don’t talk shit about anyone when they’re not in the room”).
So we say goodbye to Yovska, who finds death in the washroom via guitar impalement, and Maxi, who dies quicker than a first-level dungeon dweller (excellent effects by Cig Neutron here). May they rest in pieces.
We’re down to 7.
Episode reviewed via Amazon Prime
