Dragula Season 4 Episode 2 Review (TV Series, 2021)
content warning: foul language, blood, gore, mental wellness
Editorial note: these Dragula reviews will feature spoilers.
Episode two opens with a trailer for a 1960s beach movie called “Nightmare Beach.” It’s a place where vampires can party all night long. The vampires notice that a human is on their way, disguised as a vampire, and are prepared to rip their throat out. This is a short, campy introduction to the episode.
Back in the Boudoir, the remaining contestants discuss the previous challenge and judgment. Quite a few contestants are not happy and they are not afraid to share their opinions. Season four is going to be full of drama. Just remember the number one rule for watching reality TV: these are real people in a produced environment. Be kind.
The new challenge is the Nosferatu Beach Party. The contestants are told they can be horrifying, campy, gory, or glamorous as long as they meet the vampiric beach party theme and represent their own drag. They will compete in a choreographed lipsync performance onstage with a partner.
Then the big twist happens. The Boulet Brothers bring back Dahli after their performance on Resurrection. This was heavily speculated when Dahli opened their eyes at the very end of the extermination in the special and it’s come true. I’m thrilled. Dahli was my pick to win season two and I’m glad to see more of their drag on the show.
The Fright Feat is a consistent element this season. This week, the contestants compete in a blood chugging challenge, season two-style. The Boulets added a garlic chaser, as in eating a whole bulb of raw garlic. The first contestant to complete the challenge gets to assign the partners for the mainstage. Production had to be celebrating when La Zavaleta got the power to stir the pot and pick the partners.
In a blink and you’ll miss it moment, Merrie Cherry reveals that part of the prompt for the challenge referenced Anne Margaret. The Boulet Brothers wanted the contestants to prepare 1960s-inspired looks. Merrie is partnered with Koko Caine, who does not want to compromise their drag aesthetic for this theme. The other teams seem more amenable to collaboration in the context of the challenge.
The judges this week are Vanessa Hudgens and GG Magree. They’re here to have a good time on a show they enjoy and that usually works well for judging on this series. Vanessa even references her “I’m so into voguing right now” moment on Drag Race with “I’m so into blood right now.” She understood the assignment.
The presentation of the Nosferatu Beach Party leaves no one a place to hide. The contestants are all onstage together at the same party. They need to be on the whole time and sell the assignment even if they’re not downstage center. The Boulet Brothers have been pretty consistent with this on performance challenges, which gives them a clearer reference point when comparing contestants. Think all the way back to the Pretty in Pink challenge in season one, where the contestants had to perform while being heckled by everyone else still in the competition.
I think the performance was a lot of fun to watch. None of the contestants really did what I expected, but that’s never a bad thing on this show. There were five teams approaching the challenge with their own vibe onstage. I’d call it a staged lipsync performance, as most of the groups focused on coordinating their different reveals or playing up gags instead of choreography.
From the edited performance, I think Jade Jolie/Bitter Betty and Dahli/Hoso Terra Toma stood out the most for me. They played off each other well and made choices that really set them apart. Jade and Betty had a great back and forth with a severed head prop and Dahli and Hoso felt super campy and in the moment through a horror lens.
Before the judging starts, The Boulet Brothers discuss some specific thoughts on contestants. Merrie Cherry seemed uncomfortable onstage and the Boulets worry that she’s stuck in her head. La Zavaleta rose to the occasion with her performance, but they worry if the costumes she brought are polished enough to compete this season. Dahli blew them away with their level of joy onstage, something they didn’t see in season two. Bitter Betty apparently had a rough go onstage, with her nerves showing through and her wig falling off (I thought it was a reveal to a bald Nosferatu look, but apparently not).
When the contestants enter the stage, the Boulet Brothers announce that everyone will be judged individually on three criteria. First is their original look. Second is their lipsync performance. Third is their ability to work with their teammate. I like this clearer judging criteria and I hope they keep it up throughout the season. Let the contestants and us know exactly what they’re looking for so we can all keep score accordingly.
Knowing that the challenge is judged individually does change some of my opinions. I originally picked based on teamwork as the leading factor. I think Dahli stole the show every time they appeared on camera and Sigourney Beaver did the best job mixing the 1960s beach movie with the vampire theme. I also like how Merrie Cherry spun the challenge to be a sea monster at the beach party; she’s clever in how she’s approaching the looks and I like that.
Jade Jolie, Merrie Cherry, and Sigourney Beaver are declared safe. The Boulets do talk to Merrie about her impression of the performance and offer her advice on how to do better in the contest. They clearly love her and want her to succeed.
To be perfectly clear, we know that the Boulet Brothers talk to the contestants between episodes and offer advice and guidance to everyone. Season three winner Landon Cider discussed it in his Hey Qween interview after winning. The Boulets specifically tell the contestants how they did and what they want them to do moving forward in the contest. The only thing special here is The Boulets addressing it onstage with Merrie.
Astrud Aurelia is criticized for her costume not really fitting the theme and looking unfinished onstage. Koko Caine has an awesome look and spin on the challenge, but allowed Merrie to upstage them. Bitter Betty has a great look, but didn’t seem totally comfortable with the performance onstage.
La Zavaleta is praised for her performance skills, but warned that her outfit is a little underwhelming. Dahli nailed their creepy Nosferatu at the beach approach to the challenge. Hoso Terra Toma is praised for her production onstage and how well her drag fit the theme, even if the final reveal was a bit too simple. Saint had an incredible look, performed well, and did a great job working with La Zavaleta.
Saint wins the challenge, leaving Astrud Aurelia and Bitter Betty to face extermination. The Boulet Brothers have teased leeches at the beach the entire episode and we finally get to see them. Astrud and Betty have to put their arms in tanks filled with leeches. Betty performed more with the challenge, acting like a monster and calling out why she should stay. I’ll bring this up every time: your performance during the extermination can be the difference between surviving and not.
This time, the extermination is much clearer. Only Astrud Aurelia appears in the footage, playing the human disguised as a vampire teased in the opening short. Astrud is a talented drag artist who should leave proud that she won the first challenge.
The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula Season 4 premieres new episodes every Tuesday on Shudder.
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