Chicago queen Lucy Stoole joins me this week to kvetch about the Drag Race! (Photos of Lucy by Erik M. KommerPhotography)

Chad: It's funny--I was looking back at when we chatted last season, and it was also for the third episode! Which also featured an awkward acting challenge! But also beards.

Lucy: That's awesome! 3 is one of my lucky numbers.

Chad: I'm sure Lucy loves her threesomes. Your favorite way to get lucky!

Lucy: HAHAHAH You know me so wellllllll

Chad: Ha! So, I've been stewing over last night's episode. To me, it felt like kind of a let down on a number of levels. But first of all, what did you think of Naysha's return?

Lucy: I would like to say that I'm surprised about the return, but it was the pretty obvious choice. It could have been cool to throw a real curve ball and have another girl appear from a previous season, but I think it made sense. I did want to see more from her, but I also kinda believe that if you go home first, you probably deserve to. That sounds so harsh, but it's how I feel!

Chad: Ha! Yeah, I had gone deep down the reddit rabbithole -- there were some really wild speculations, and I LOVED thinking through the different possibilities. My greatest hope was to have an entirely new queen show up and have to prove her worth. I think Naysha seems cool, and she definitely brings the beauty -- as she likes to keep reminding us -- but I was hoping for something a little more dramatic. Did you find the episode's main challenge as cringe-worthy as I did?

Lucy: ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh *insert biggest eyeroll ever* That main challenge was a snoozefest, and so were most of the looks that came across that stage.

Chad: I feel like I'd so much rather see the girls in the workroom than reciting some awkward lines and being directed to act more ratchet. There is so much more wit and warmth in their normal interactions than there ever is in these group acting challenges.

Lucy: I KNOW! And it's so hard to try to really bring your personality through with some of these awful characters the show is coming up with.

Chad: Yeah, I was especially bothered by the "multiple personality" character and the militant lesbian. They felt like they were antiquated stereotypes from an entirely different era.

Lucy: Also, I'm just really over people throwing ratchet around as the new "ghetto".

Chad: Ru coaching Kim on how to incorporate more tongue pops and head bobbing made me die a little. I really dislike seeing black queens being told to act more ratchet/ghetto. And I also really dislike seeing queens who aren't black being told the same.

Lucy: That was one of the most awkward moments for so many reasons. I get the Empire parallel they were trying to make there, but what happened to the intelligent humor and activism, Ru? I'm kind of frustrated with RuPaul on a few of these issues...

Chad: Dish, girl! DEEP dish!

Lucy: I really need for her to have her "Beyonce Awakening"

Chad: Oooh, that's a great way of putting it!