Project Runway 8, Episode 10: A Positive Spin

Wow, I'm really enjoying this season of Project Runway. Last night's episode was another "best in years".

Family Visit
I must begin by giving a shout-out to Diana for correctly predicting the family visit based on the promos. Did anyone else see that coming? I wouldn't have. It had a very interesting effect on all of them, grounding and inspiring some while flumoxing others, and by "others" I mean Andy. Mostly, it relaxed them. You could visibly see the stress rolling off of them, and as a result, they all got nicer and lovey-dovey. Alas, it doesn't look like it lasted into the next challenge.

The Judging
Jumping to the end a bit, the judging session last night ranks near the top all-time for me. Everyone, designers and judges alike, seemed respectful, and the judges had good and bad things to say about everyone's outfit (except Mondo's because it was perfect.)

Character Development
Tim and Heidi both made comments early on that they got particularly attached to this crop of designers. Somewhere between this mix of personalities and the 90 minute format, lives a lovely mass of character development that I'm enjoying rolling around in. These people have dimensions! You know, like real people. That's something rare, I think, in reality TV.

Gretchen
She's gone from being the hated villain to someone you could actually feel for. If you didn't have some measure of sympathy for her as she broke down thinking her mom hadn't made it, you need to have your human credentials checked. I liked her print, but 100% agreed with the judges that varying it in size would have made a big difference. Interesting that for a challenge with such a personal inspiration, she produced a look so very un-Gretchen.

Michael C
Looks like that collection we took last week worked. Either that or having his mom and son visit or something grounded him, but I think it was that collection we took up to buy him a genuine bone for his body. Finally! We saw him be him, not who he perceived a reality TV contestant should be. Again, based on the promos for next week, it doesn't look like it sticks, but wasn't it refreshing not to see Michael C and Gretchen cutting each other down? As for his Tie-and-Vest-Chest-Armor... Eep.

Andy
Andy's brain went south for this challenge. He is so self absorbed that having his mom visit just got him even more wrapped up in himself to the point that his mind was in la-la land and he slept-walked through the challenge. Like Gretchen, he produce his most un-Andy-like outfit of the season. He survived because they liked his print, and it just wasn't his time to go yet.

Christopher
I like him, but if he doesn't step up and stop being the invisible man, he's done. I still consider him a dark horse, but he's in danger of being the odd-man-out soon. And why did his husband come and not his mom? That seemed oddly a non-issue. Oh, here's his Sea-Wave-with-Fog outfit.

April
Damn, I like her. I want her to be in the final three, and I'd pick her for it right now as a shoo-in were it not for this nagging gremlin on the airplane wing telling me she has the potential to really tank a challenge at any moment and get auf'd. Diana's theory is that her youth is her biggest asset right now. She's so soon out of school that she takes criticism and critiquing better than the rest. Here's her Broken-Tree-Bleeding-Heart piece.

The Loser
Valerie's number was up, and she knew it. I didn't really see her Blue-Print-Disaster as being as referential of her Napkin Dress as the judges did, but looking at that runway, hers and Michael C's were clearly the bottom two, IMHO. He survived because he'd won two challenges in the past and Valerie had just barely survived the week before. I LOVED her little love-fest after getting auf'd, telling everyone what she felt about them. As with her emoting last week, it could have easily become her making it about her, but it really seemed heartfelt and true. And she'd just been auf'd, so it was about her after all.

The Winner Winner Winner
Holy fucking shit Mondo. Damn, that was an emotional ringer. I mean, clearly, courageous heart-exposing runway revelations aside, his Mister-Positive-Pants was far and away the best design. Thank god. How awkward would it have been if we'd won because of sympathy or had that moment over a crappy outfit. And as much as I rip on the producers, well done. If you watch, he clearly had not told ANYONE until it came out on the runway. All of the confessional footage was shot afterwards. It was all smartly edited for maximum dramatic effect. With the over-the-top exception of trying to build to a cliff-hanger before the commercial break. I mean, come-on. A blind mole-rat knew the judges loved his work before they opened their mouths. You built no suspense.

I just have to say it again... Damn! I hope you told your parents or at least your mom before that episode aired. You better make the final three because I want to see the follow-up home visit.