Reality Recap Thursday - PR Finale Part Un
Why? Two words: Collier Strong. Ack!
The first part of this episode shows the lovely and talented Tim Gunn doing his obligatory visits to the designers at home. First, he goes to Atlanta to see Michael Knight and his, er, barely started collection. "Street Safari" is the theme (sounds like a euphemism for drive-by shootings, doesn't it?). There's a mostly-completed white dress on the mannequin, and it has great potential. Then Michael shows Tim a flowy, multi-animal print dress. And Tim looks thoughtful and declares that Michael needs to work on his cohesiveness. What he was thinking is, "are you Michael, or are you Uli?"
Next up, Laura in New York! She's got a fabulously glamorous and huge loft apartment that you know cost puh-lenty, in which she showed off a rather colorful assortment of evening wear, including some striking red pieces and a really great chartreuse coat with a velvet belt.
:::picking up the phone:::: "Hello? Laura? Do you do plus size? I must have that coat!" I can see that coat over skinny black trousers....
Anyway...Tim doesn't seem to like the coat as much as I do, but he is pleased that Laura has gotten so much work done. Then Mr. Bennett comes home. He looks just like how Albert Einstein would look if he combed his hair once in a while. And the rugrats are tearing up the place in the charming manner that small wild beasts have. One tries to hand something that looks like a large turd to Tim. "What is that?" "Turtle poop!" the child says, not without some glee. "I'm drawing the line at turtle poop, " Tim says, squeamishly. Laura calls it an "olive branch."
Did you know you can buy fossilized turtle poop on the Internet? So, Tim, if you ever change your mind, if you ever un-draw that line, I can hook you up with a nice selection.
Next stop, Uli's Miami abode. Her theme is "Tropical Safari" (what's with the safari crap? And, wasn't that a title for an episode of CSI: Miami?) and her collection is full of her usual flowy multi-print outfits, just perfect for running away from rampaging lions in Africa. Tim expresses concern that people will think she is a "one-note."
::::cue violin music::::
They then take a walk on the beach so Uli can tell her tale of being raised in East Germany and starting to sew at age 8. She was influenced by Miami Vice in her desire to come to America. "Everyone comes to this country because things can happen." Ah, corruption by Western decadence -- truly the American dream!
The last visit is to Jeffrey in LA. Tim meets his mohawked girlfriend Melanie and the now-infamous Harrison Detroit. They show baby pictures of Jeffrey when he was a blonde, and he tells his sordid tale of starting drugs at an early age and his attempted suicide by hanging a handful of years ago.
::::end violin music::::
He then shows Tim his vast sewing studio/sweatshop and bits of his collection. Tim is rapturous and exclaims, "Unexpected!" and "Beautiful!" and is particularly impressed by the green Christmas-candy striped dress festooned with zippers.
Ok, enough with the home visits. Next we see the designers arriving back in New York with their designs in tow. Tim takes another look at the now-completed collections. Jeffrey is done. Not a zipper, hook, or button to sew. Uli worries Tim by having gotten rid of a lot of her prints. Laura has ditched the gorgeous green coat and the red and is left with a boring monochrome palette. And Michael, who loves his collection and thinks it's "hot" and "nasty," again makes Tim concerned. The once lovely white dress we saw in Atlanta now has tacky silver sequinned disco pockets, courtesy of a dream Michael had in which Kayne appears to him as the muse of Fabulousness. Somewhat like Olivia Newton-John, in Xanadu, but prettier. "It looks cartoony," is Tim's verdict. I think it looks like hell, but what do I know? We next see Michael adding still more sequins to the dress. Apparently a "Street Safari" is hunting season for drag queens.
Next on the agenda is model choice, and we see lots of tall skinny women in stiletto heels swing their shiny long hair and walk back and forth in front of the designers. Yawn. So what was Uli looking for in a model? I think she should have picked ones who exemplified the woman who would actually wear her designs:
Mrs. Roper rocks those prints! She even rocks Nazri's hair!
Then we have the obligatory Collier Strong moment...a good time for a bathroom break.
After my break, I see the designers are back in their Macy's-provided studio, working on fittings and last-minute details. Except for Jeffrey, who is literally twiddling his thumbs. As soon as he leaves the room, Laura suggests to Uli and Michael that Jeff's been cheating - there was no way that he could have finished every single detail and have nothing left to do, when none of his other pieces had that level of finishing. Michael agreed, and Uli tried hard not to. Miss Tattletale then goes off to Tim to tell him she thinks Jeffrey had outside help, to which Tim replied he would take it to the producers.
Laura then tells Jeffrey what she's done, and he seems genuinely shocked. Tim then comes in and asks for the truth. Jeff insists that he did everything himself, except for some pleating on two pieces. He even did all the leatherwork himself. Tim doesn't quite seem convinced, although he does state that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. But he's going to check receipts!
Will it be curtains for Jeffrey? Next week's teaser has Tim using the word "unfortunately" and Jeffrey crying on Uli's shoulder. Are they tears of relief, or was he disqualified from prize eligibility? Will we see Laura offer him an "olive branch?" Stay tuned for the next and final exciting episode of Project Runway!