HBO
As We’re Here continues its second season, the Queens roll into Watertown, South Dakota, and for the first time since th series began I genuinely feared for the safety of everyone involved, particularly the residents of town participating in the show. Bob the Drag Queen, Shangela and Eureka could sense from the moment they arrived that the welcome mat was not being rolled out for them, in fact it was pretty much being rolled up and set on fire. Nevertheless, they persisted. They had a job to do, people to help, and hopefully open some eyes in a town that desperately needs it.
Justice and Jaadon
Bob, this week, got to work with identical twins Justice and Jaadon. Identical except in their sexual orientation with Justice being gay and Jaadon straight. But Jaadon has always been there to support his brother, particularly in a town in which they both felt like outsiders because of their ethnic background, calling themselves the ‘brownest people in town’. They also note that Watertown — which Bob said has no water and very little town — is about two decades behind the rest of the world. To put it bluntly, it’s a very white and very conservative part of the country. Justice is doing the show to be more visible in the community and show everyone that he’s non different than any of them, and his brother — admittedly way out of his comfort zone — is willing to put on a wig and some heels to support his brother and perhaps shatter some stereotypes of masculinity in the process.
Amy
Amy was a typical wife and mother living her life in Watertown, pretty much oblivious to anything outside of her bubble. When Amy’s child came out as trans, she found her eyes suddenly opened to an heretofore unknown LGBTQ+ community in Watertown and the struggles they, including her child, faced. It all came to a head for her when one of her child’s friends took their own life because of bullying and lack of acceptance. If that could happen to someone else’s child, it could happen to hers too so Amy started the LGBTQ+ support group Watertown Love, meeting once a month, giving people in the community a safe space to gather and plan ways to make themselves more visible, hopefully facing less resistance and hate from the community. It’s an uphill battle in Watertown, and Amy’s performance is not only for her own child, but for everyone in town who needs to see it. The question is, will they come? Amy and Shangela have a lot of work ahead of them.
Erik
Erik might be one of the hardest subjects the show has dealt with, and Eureka is up for the challenge. Erik has many self-image issues, many that he’s kept hidden since he was a boy in what sounds like a very unstable environment for a kid to grow up in (his father’s four marriages, drugs). At 38, Erik is happily married to a woman, but Erik had always considered himself bisexual. Now he’s leaning more toward pansexuality, being attracted to a person emotionally regardless of their gender, which his wife accepts. But Erik has another secret that only his wife knows about (until now) — he likes to cross-dress, sometimes just feeling more comfortable in women’s clothing. But Erik finds himself unattractive and has so many burdens on his shoulders that he needs to throw off before things take a turn for the worse.
The Preparation
HBO
This week, perhaps due to the location and filming during a pandemic, the Queens and their teams have taken over a local bowling alley — and I have to admit I was surprised that any local establishment would offer up their space — which affords everyone time to mingle and get to know each other (Erik actually found out about the program through Watertown Love) and truly bond over this experience … something of utmost importance in this town. The twins are a hoot as they rehearse their choreography, and Amy has her own cheering section. Erik is still reserved but Eureka is helping him come out of his shell.
One of the major moments comes at a lunch with Eureka, Erik, his wife and his father. I genuinely tensed up when Eureka started talking about Erik to his dad, not knowing how much had previously been revealed and at one point Erik told Eureka to go ahead and say what she had to say. When Eureka mentioned some cross-dressing, Erik’s father took it very well and that gave Erik a chance to really unburden himself. And his father was more supportive than I — and maybe Eureka — could have imagined. That went a very long way into helping Erik move forward with his performance at the upcoming show.
Another pivotal moment came when the cast learned they were featured on the front page of the local newspaper — and it wasn’t exactly the rave review they’ve been used to, with the article basically accusing production of corrupting the children of Watertown by throwing these drag queens in their faces. After seeing how people reacted to them when they first arrived in town in full drag, and seeing reactions from the locals as they tried to pass out flyers for the show while people waited in the drive thru for ice cream (though the employees of the shop were excited to see them), I really feared that there was going to be some kind of loud protest the night of the show. But all of this only strengthened the resolve of everyone involved and proved that Watertown truly needed this show.
The Show
HBO
The night of the show arrives and while people are lined up outside the theatre and the participants are putting on their faces, there was a protest outside — six people praying to deliver their town from evil. SIX! Maybe the cameras kept more people from coming out, but that seems to be a typical turnout where people against something are vastly outnumbered by the supporters — maybe a sign of hope for this town. One of the make-up artists summed it up perfectly when talking about the prayer group: They think they’re doing something important, but these people participating in the show actually are doing something important.
Bob kicked off the show with a wild number and comments addressing the resistance they’ve faced from the locals (as one person put it, all the old white men running things) calling them degenerates and crazy, saying ‘I got your crazy’, and then Amy performed a number that sincerely brought me to tears to the appropriate song ‘Chosen Family’ by Rina Sawayama. Joined by Shangela, it was an emotional, heartfelt, welcoming performance for all those in attendance who perhaps have not felt like they have any family in Watertown. Amy mentioned how she started to do this for her child, Alex, but it grew far beyond that, and hopefully this gives her group more visibility and power in Watertown. Erik was up next. Earlier he mentioned how he was influenced so much by Annie Lennox, seeing her in a man’s suit in the ‘Sweet Dreams’ video and thought why couldn’t a man be that comfortable in a dress. He also is a toy collector and loves sci-fi, so his and Eureka’s outer space, day-glo performance to ‘Sweet Dreams’ was a culmination of Erik’s journey, bringing his wife and father on stage and publicly admitting that he likes to wear women’s clothing from time to time. He also thanked his father for being so supportive, and it was another emotional moment.
Justice and Jaaden were the last to perform, and being twins the costume design put them together as ‘one body with two heads’ (reminded me of Sarah Paulson’s character in American Horror Story: Freak Show) performing ‘Sisters’ from White Christmas (although the Better Midler/Linda Ronstadt version) with a reveal that separated them and went into a rap/hip hop version of the song (that may have been created especially for this performance since Shazam can’t find a match). They both did great and Jaadon really got into his performance. At the end, Justice had a message for the people outside protesting because they’re scared of progress — they should be scared because the LGBTQ+ people of Waterown are tired of being shoved in the closet, they’re out, they’re proud and they are here to stay. Justice said backstage that he’d finally had it with 21 years of pent up anger and he just let it all out on stage. Good on him. Jaadon was overwhelmed by the support they received when the curtains opened and saw how his brother and others need that and he hopes that people see this and can progress in their own lives. And really, that’s all we can ask.
Once again, We’re Here shows us what an important series this has become. If just one mind is changed, they’ve succeeded.
What did you think of this episode? Tell us in the comments section below!
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