Three weeks in, the queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race season ten are finally getting their sea legs. Alliances are forming, personalities are starting to come out, and Eureka finally remembered that she has a bag full of giant, vertical wigs to use. (No shade, we love them.)

Things kicked off with some light reading of eliminated queen Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams, who spelled cute with a “k” in her mirror message, before we launched right into the Drama™. The Vixen, last week’s winner, was noted by a couple of the queens for borrowing a wig as part of her “Best Drag” runway look — including a moment to camera from Aquaria, which would come back to haunt her later this episode.

Meanwhile, Monique Heart had a wobble as she contemplated almost being in the bottom two last week, promising she was simultaneously woke, shook and awake and ready to win. Cut to Vixen, reading Monique’s view of her own brilliance versus the judges’ critiques: “If you’re not getting what you think, step your pussy up.” Sage advice.

Enter Mama Ru for this week’s mini challenge, and an oddly demure, almost sad voice was on offer. Was RuPaul under the weather? Had Klein Epstein & Parker just cut off her credit line? Whatever the reason, she revealed that the queens would once again be doing quick drag to star as fresh-to-Hollywood ingenues, following absurd directions as they modeled for RuPaul’s chocolate bar. (Gotta get those brand checks in…)

This was… bizarre. Some of the queens tried their best, with Dusty Ray Bottoms making a crack about nuts in her mouth and Blair St. Clair delivering an amusing sight gag as she frantically tap danced, but overall this mini-challenge was awkward more often than it was amusing.

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TFW you've been on a diet for 5 mins… 🍫@BlairStClair #DragRace pic.twitter.com/iw2aPgUNU9

— RuPaul's Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) April 6, 2018

Blair, Monique and Monét X Change were deemed the winners, with each leading a team for this week’s maxi-challenge: filming an advert for a new RuPaul-approved dating app. Blair got End of Days, for armageddon preppers looking for love, Monét received Madam Buttrface, for those with a great body “but her face,” and Monique had Fibstr, for pathological liars.

More high school gym class flashbacks as the girls selected their teams, with Yuhua last to be picked and thus put into Monét’s team — much to Monét’s dismay, as she wanted strong competitors who were also creative. (Monét has previously read Yuhua for being a seamstress, not a costume designer as she claims.) Cut to Yuhua immediately trying to brainstorm a new name for the app. You know, the one that RuPaul has already named. We share your exasperated looks, Monét.

Things didn’t go better in the challenge. Yuhua failed to grasp that Buttrface required the girls to look ugly except for Monét, who as narrator was serving a beautiful face and terrible body to contrast. Even Aquaria got on board, gluing prosthetic noses everywhere (including a Milk-inspired Pinocchio number). However, none of it mattered, because this group was all about Asia O’Hara, who delivered the single funniest moment of the episode — one that reduced Michelle and Carson to fits of laughter as they tried to direct the commercial — as she freeze-framed behind Monét.

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Over on team Monique, things weren’t going much better. Mayhem Miller, winner of episode one, faded into the background as Dusty, Monique and Kameron Michaels brainstormed how to sell an app for pathological liars. In the absence of a character, Mayhem opted to be narrator, but was quickly steamrolled by Kameron who thought she could do better because she wrote the lines.

She couldn’t. Come filming time, Michelle and Carson looked summarily unimpressed as Kameron spoke flatly, Mayhem struggled to work with the small role she’d been given, and Monique micro-managed everything — she even even shouting “Action!” and “Cut!” as she performed her scenes. At least she was humble about it:

When you are asking your friend's new bae too many questions… #DragRace @IAmMoniqueHeart pic.twitter.com/9CBoooaXJZ

— RuPaul's Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) April 6, 2018

Team Blair seemed to be having an easier time of things. Vixen quickly had no time for Eureka, who repeated last week’s mistake and steamrolled proceedings with her own ideas, including the now iconic line: “Who would be open to being my lesbian lover?” Eye rolls aplenty from Vixen.

However, once it came time to shoot, Blair’s skills as a leader shone through — impressive, given she looks young enough to need an adult guardian for an R-rated film. Her team nailed their lines. And for all Vixen’s pouting, she was arguably the weakest member here, fading into the background as the doomsdayer warning the other queens about the coming Rupocalypse. Eureka, meanwhile, worked her hardest to steal every scene — and pretty much succeeded, included the driest “We know girl!” ever. Plus, we got this great line from Blair:

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When it's the end of the world… but you got urges. #DragRace @BlairStClair pic.twitter.com/ZPznaoIyZH

— RuPaul's Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) April 6, 2018

Once filming was done, it was on with this week’s runway. The theme: Feathers. And in the workroom, we saw two sides of the Drag Race coin.

One of the things the show has always done well is showcase the  problems that LGBTQ people still face. It started with Blair telling Eureka that she missed her mother, with Eureka offering to be a surrogate during their time together. That led to a deeper conversation about family, where Blair revealed that she grew up in an “extremely Christian household,” but that her mother was her biggest fan (she even wears Blair’s merch). Dusty then said that she also grew up in a religious house, but her experience was wildly different.

Not only did her parents not know that she was on Drag Race, but they had totally rejected Dusty’s coming out, even forcing her to get exorcised —  because they believed there was a “gay demon” inside of her — and pushing her to the point of strongly considering conversion therapy. Ultimately, she fled, and is thankfully now engaged and happy. It was heartfelt, it was powerful, and it was one of countless moments where Drag Race has veered from zany fun to gut-punching emotion, highlighting the harsh reality for many LGBTQ people across America.

On the other side of the coin, episode three also served up a heavy dose of Drama™ in the workroom, and — shocking no one — Aquaria was at the center of it. After two episodes of Aquaria versus Cracker (both times Cracker won), she turned her attention to Vixen borrowing a wig for her “Best Drag” look last week. “Can we talk about how your best drag is someone else’s wig though, that’s confusing,” Aquaria said — to the mirror, it should be noted, not to Vixen’s face. “I brought my best drag, I didn’t borrow [it].”

Vixen, who called Aquaria out on her bullshit last week, snapped back, “You brought your best drag? Why didn’t you wear it on the runway?”

Wigs were being snatched left, right and center as the other queens prepared for war. Aquaria, who clearly cannot finish an argument but loves to start them, said, “I’m just saying…” and then failed to actually say anything. Vixen pounced, quickly shutting Aquaria down.

“America, let the facts be the facts,” Monique said to camera. “Aquaria handed Vixen her ass in a gift bag.”

But it wasn’t over. Vixen revved up to go again, only to be interrupted by screams — so many screams — as the queens spotted a spider on Monique’s dress. Cue Mayhem jumping over a table to get away from it. No, really. “That spider, saved Aquaria’s life,” Vixen noted to camera. Well, almost. After Dusty’s emotional reveal, Aquaria tried to make a joke. “It wasn’t funny,” was Vixen’s reply. Cue a tense exchange as Aquaria tried (and failed) to clap back, and Vixen relentlessly jabbed at her. The end result? Aquaria, unable to combat Vixen verbally, stormed out of the workroom. Diva, please.

Anyway, on with the runway. This week’s theme: Feathers.

Our Top:

• Monique Heart. Sorry, but no one else came close to Monique’s goddess-inspired white and gold outfit, not even Asia’s Tweety Pie look. After almost landing in the bottom last week, with a confusing runway reveal, Monique came back with a bang.

Our Bottoms:

• Dusty Ray Bottoms was Monique’s opposite, crashing down from the best last week to among the worst this week. Her Poison Ivy-esque bodysuit just didn’t work.
• Yuhua Hamasaki was arguably the worst interpretation of a crow-themed costume, with a mismatched wig and makeup and cheap finishing on the dress.

As for the video challenge, End of Days nailed it. No surprises there. Neither Fibstr nor Madam Buttrface could manage more than a few chuckles, but Blair’s team produced consistent laughter.

Blair, Eureka and Asia were judged to be the best this week, but it was Asia who walked away with the win. That face freeze… we’re still laughing. This week’s worst performers were Kameron, Mayhem and Yuhua. Kameron slipped through into safe thanks to her runway look (which, to be fair, was her strongest yet), and it was Mayhem versus Yuhua lipsyncing to Hole’s “Celebrity Skin” — courtesy of guest judge Courtney Love.

Mayhem worked. it. out. Yuhua tried some air guitar and a drop into the splits, but Mayhem stomped over every damn inch of the runway as she rocked out the track and even tore the feathers out of her own outfit to emphasize the emotion. When RuPaul announced her as the deserved winner, Mayhem broke down, affirming that she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Sorry, Yuhua. After a bright showing in episode one, Yuhua going home.

And that was episode two. What did you think? Did you gag over any moments we missed? Who will Aquaria feud with next week? Let us know in the comments!