Going in Curse First: Reviewing ‘Dungeons And Drag Queens’ Episode 2

Welcome to the table,

In the time before streaming services like Dropout, there was an age unheard of, where I planned a lot of my schedule around what was coming on TV and at what time, so I did not miss what was coming and could stay aligned with the cultural conversation. It seems the ancient times have come again for me, because the wait between episode 1 and episode 2 of Dimension 20’s Dungeons and Drag Queens, though only a week-long, felt like an eternity.

An eternity that was totally worth waiting for! 

The episode picks up with some brilliant mood-setting narrative delivered by the Storyteller, Brennan Lee Mulligan, as we find the party in the land of the dead. The world setting has a charming class fantasy TTRPG feel that I’m very much vibing with.

Our party of Troyánn (Monet X Change), Princess (Alaska Thunderfuck), Gertrude (Bob the Drag Queen), and Twyla (Jujubee) continue to make their way towards the long lost throne of a forgotten god of the dead each burdened with their own purpose for adventuring in the world of the undead.

I’ve been running tabletop role-playing games all of my life. One of my absolute favorite things that happens at the table is when the party finds their voice and falls into their characters. It’s in those moments that the RP comes alive. The absolute charm and wit flying at this table as these Queens seem to have shaken past the first session nerves and sunk into their characters is so cathartic to watch. You get these truly delightful moments where people forget they are on camera and making a show for an audience and they just play and explore the space.

Early on in the episode the party clashes with a small group of undead and there is such a real excitement that washes over the table as the rolls start flowing and spells and axes clash with bone and rotted flesh. Each of the Queens grows more and more excited as the dice rolls hit success after success and the joy is infectious. I found myself cheering like I was at a sports game as I watched them play.

The party is joined in combat by an unexpected ally, Princess’s deceased uncle Kerwyn Foehammer. Kerwyn serves as a charming NPC who not only aids the party but gets them started on the adventure note of the adventure.

Our questing queens find themselves heading to Hollowgrave, a waystation-type town that serves as a kind of official entry point to the Underworld, and the last place those who walk the lands of the living and the dead can venture to before being fully immersed in a world devoid of life.

The party encounters a jackal-headed demon who calls himself Nyruth and hatches a plan to buy a soul from him to further their adventure.

Some seriously wonderful role-playing happens as the party becomes true agents of chaos in a way that I was not expecting and in true TTRPG fashion the dice tell the story as rolls ( good and really bad ) make for some really memorable moments that are only punctuated by laughter and worry from the players.

If I could give any analog to what Dungeons and Drag Queens feels like and why I love it so much, I would have to say that it feels like the best parts of The Golden Girls meets the best things about Sword and Sorcery in a way that just makes me want more.

Dimension 20 has a gem on its hands here and I can only hope beyond hope that we keep getting more and more of Dungeons and Drag Queens as it is a breath of fresh glitter-filled air in a world that is often way too gloomy to see the joy in it all.

Until next time, it has still not been established if Princess was going to eat them or not… and I really want to know!