The finale of this generation’s Grand Guignol is upon us! We open on the four titans pensively wandering around Los Angeles to the tune of Alicia Goodwyn’s “Flashes of You.” In an uncharacteristically hopeful moment, Saint, Sigourney, Dhali, and Hoso are stripped down to their most human forms. Will their accomplishments thus far, and their plans for the finale, lead them to the sanguine crown? That’s for the Boulets to decide.
The Challenge: The number of finalists may have changed, but the Battle for the Crown remains the same. Each shall prepare distinct floor shows based on the three tenants of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula – Horror, Filth, and Glamour – and perform a lip-sync to Austra’s “Change the Paradigm” during Glamour. Before they take the stage, the monsters must spill their guts during a visit to the Boulets’ podcast “Creatures of the Night.” We see the Boulets in the Twin Peaks boudoir ready to interview their Uglies for the first time. Saint joins first, and emphatically states she is not Saint 2.0, but Saint Perfected, and will turn it out during the lip sync; let’s hope so. Next up, Sigourney discusses the struggles of being an AFAB queen and hopes her life experience will snatch the crown and bring attention to others like herself. She insists she will still bring her glamour to the other categories, but at what cost? Dahli follows and reflects on their borderline self-extermination from Season 2 and rising from the ashes. Every artform evolves, she says, and should not be bound by limitations. Last but not least, Hoso resolves to inspire international and Asian ghouls, as she is now an iconic face of the franchise. Her recent journey through chemotherapy has pushed her to defy the odds.
The Drama: Despite disagreement at the Last Supper, the foursome enter the boudoir on good terms. Hoso is proud, stating they all deserve the crown. In the spirit of things, Dhali shows a moment of vulnerability and repentance. They have felt worthless for years due to past mistakes, but arriving at the finale gives a glimmer of blood-stained hope.
Glamour: Without further ado, the Boulets appear onstage via a flashy laser show, and the grand finale begins! Sigourney stuns and slays the lip-sync in her usual silhouette, blood-splattered in the vein of a toned-down Carrie; has she set the glamour bar too high for her own good? Dhali serves their version of glamour in a gender-bending ringmaster lewk, and perhaps out lip-syncs Sigourney. Hoso displays range in understated, yet richly saturated traditional Korean glamour. Meanwhile, dripping in sequins and blood spatter, Saint outshines her glamorous hair with an overstated dress.
Horror: In what the Boulets feel is her strongest look, Sigourney transforms into a mad science seductress. She guzzles some potions, and her face comes undone, oozing and peeling in an exhibition of comedy and restraint. Blasphemy personified; Dhali struts the stage as an undead bishop in an unfortunately uninspired performance. Hoso Terra Toma lives up to her name and gives new meaning to the term “fivehead” – sporting five heads on her shoulders – in a bloody hospital gown moment. She is high-performance art, showcasing her pain from chemo in a powerful moment the Boulet’s wish was grosser and more fashionable. Lastly, Saint is a quintessential childhood nightmare as the tooth fairy who leaves gore, rather than coin, under your pillow.
Filth: Sigourney transitions from face-melting to pustule-popping in a nightgown befitting glamour rather than filth. Dhali astonishes in the Boulets’ favorite performance of the night, providing a voyeuristic window into a scene of autoerotic asphyxiation that speaks to our morbid curiosity as a society. Pushing herself to the limit, Hoso shocks “like a dagger in the heart” with an irreverent and disturbing commentary on how the western world views Asians – especially post-covid. And Saint, as a 1950’s housewife, takes cleaning out the litterbox to the next level by ingesting its contents in a nauseating display.
Crowning: Who will claim the title of the next drag supermonster? Sigourney, the beauty pageant killer queen; the morbidly fabulous Dahli; sophisticated and talented Saint; or Hoso, the incredibly monstrous storyteller? The four titans gather and await an unholy coronation. After an arduous, years-long journey from Season 2, Dahli is CROWNED. Drenched in blood, they cackle their way to the underworld, and it cuts to black.
Quote of the Episode: “We now anoint you with the blessing of filth, the freedom of drag, the power of glamour, and the terror of horror…” -Swanthula
Honorable Mention: Saint’s tooth fairy was out of a Guillermo Del Toro film and one of the night’s best.
Rating: Season 4 culminated in a breathtaking display of Horror, Filth, and Glamour. Thank you for a fascinating descent into hell. (9/10 Shudder Subscriptions)