Call Me Mother — Midseason Review

We’re half way through Call Me Mother and, if you haven’t been hooked every week, I truly don’t know what to tell you! It’s really exciting to see this show break away from that other drag reality competition show and develop something that’s truly unique.

One thing this show has been doing really well is deconstructing the elements of drag and setting everyone up on an equal playing field. Drag Race has been critiqued in recent seasons for its high standard for looks, which comes at a heavy price for the drag performers who decide to go on this show. 

While yes, it’s a platform to showcase your drag, it’s also disheartening to see queens who are labeled “craft” or “costumey” get sent home because they couldn’t afford the extravagance that is to be expected from contestants on the show.

Call Me Mother differs in that respect. While each drag artist brought their own respective looks for the family runway portion of the episode, the final showcase looks and styling are a collaborative effort between the Salon Crew consisting of Lucinda Miu, WigZaddy, and the yet to be named on-screen yet still iconic Connor McCalden. 

These moments on the show provide a peak behind the curtain of how much work it takes to put together an amazing drag look. And trust me when I say there have been some amazing drag looks thus far! The inclusion of the Salon also makes this show more approachable. It makes these drag artists feel more real without losing the huge spectacle that comes with drag.

It’s also shifted the way the judges critique the contestants. They’ll judge the looks originality and concept over the finer details that often come with money. It feels fair and balanced in a way that Drag Race critiques sometimes don’t. 

You’ll never hear something to the effect of “come on, this is Drag Race” or “I don’t want to see any fucking H&M.” The premise of this show, at the end of the day, centres mentorship above all else, and that core has been the thing that draws you in week after week.

The best part about this show is, obviously, the contestants. The eliminations each week are unpredictable and heartbreaking. It’s really refreshing to see each contestant portrayed in a flattering light rather than giving someone a “villain edit.” At least to me, nobody’s gotten a negative edit, and everyone’s so good. It’s also great to see the houses work together to elevate each other’s drag.

There’s also been some important conversations about what “good drag” is on the show. In episode 5, HercuSleaze brought up a very interesting point regarding the way they’ve been getting critiqued — and after seeing the judges scores for them on their runway, I wholeheartedly agree. 

Drag artists like Herc — and Toddy — represent an angle of drag that hasn’t really been featured outside of places like Dragula. It’s disheartening to see drag artists that fall outside of the “Drag Race ideal” get nitpicked in these smaller ways.  I hope it leads to more of this type of drag in other mainstream reality drag competitions shows (*cough* Drag Race).

Call Me Mother has been such a needed breath of fresh air. Whether they get awarded for it on the show or not, every drag artist has been incredible and the show feels more supportive. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s made me look forward to Mondays, something I never thought possible.

Call Me Mother premiered on OutTV on October 25, 2021.
Watch it here.