Coming out of the same studio that gave us RuPaul's Drag Race, and stacked with a whole crew of former contestants, Stop! That! Train! plays like RuPaul basically taking a bow for the entire franchise she's built. It's not really a gay film in the traditional sense, but with so many drag stars from Ru's shows popping up alongside a few cameos from well known out gay actors, I figured it earns a spot on this blog anyway. The whole thing is completely over the top, packed with GenZ slang, loud flashy visuals, and humor that's constantly winking at you knowing how ridiculous it is. Going in you'd assume it's meant to be a laugh riot, and a lot of critics online seem to be eating it up, but I just couldn't get into it at all. I've never really been someone who vibes with campy silly stuff like this, so honestly my reaction doesn't surprise me one bit. The setup follows Tess and DeeDee, two low level stewardesses who sneak onto the fancy Glamazonian E...
Ralph and Randy have ben a couple for forever now. Ralph is a needy romantic still clinging to his fantasy of a happy-ever-after marriage, while Randy is a vain and unapologetically shallow serial cheater who eagerly jumps at any opportunity to spit venom at his nebbish-y spouse. To call their relationship dysfunctional would be putting it lightly, for example they even get turned on the they physically and verbally start to fight; leading to some uncomfortable moments. In season 1, we see two anti-romantic leads spent each episode hashing out their differences in front of an ever-changing parade of therapists – none of whom are able to last more than one session with them. It sounds gimmicky but this was a lot of fun since every therapist brought their own fun quirks. Ralph and Randy are firmly established as hateful from the beginning of episode 1, and proceed to show us just how over-the-top their hatefulness is until we love them for it in spite of ourselves.
The second Eason gets a little more elaborate. Ralph and Randy are finally resolved to get a divorce, but after a financial catastrophe, where they evaded paying taxes leading to a brush with the law, they can’t afford it; furthermore, to qualify as residents in a new subsidized housing facility for LGBTQ elders, they must be a couple; so they are forced to continue living together. There are still a few therapists in the mix, 2 younger queens who are assigned to them to mentor, their parents are introduced where one of them is connected to all kinds of illegal activities. In this season, we get to see the couple’s interactions with other characters and experience their life together first hand instead of only through the catty and quippy recaps with which they would regale their couples counselors in season one.
As characters they ar both horrible still, but now we also see the interactions not just among them but even with others. The additional characters of butch lesbian manager of their new housing facility or the hunky Latino chef adds new and more fun dimensions to the show. Both seasons are still very much a fast-and-furious onslaught of bitchiness and bad behavior that will have you cringing and laughing at the same time. My favorite scene was the whole generational confusion over pronoun usage. The show may offend some, but hey it's still delightful. With a delightful chemistry that the two actors share, , sharp writing, and finely-tuned acting carrying most of the weight, that’s more than enough reason to cast off any preconceptions you might have and take a dip in this short format storytelling. (6.5/10)
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