The Wine Is Working

In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.

With Gunnar gone, Christopher and Ven move into the apartment with Fabio and Dmitry. Then, they go to Radio City Music Hall to hear about the challenge. The Rockettes are there! Gorgeous. They have to make a versatile and flashy and modern costume for the Rockettes to wear. At Mood, Elena is over budget by nearly $150! This does not look good for her. Also, all of her fabric is blue, which Dmitry notices and remembers how she was always ragging on him for choosing blue. Christopher puts on a turban and lipstick to mimic Sonjia and it's kind of awesome.

They all go out to dinner and Elena apologizes to Dmitry for being so mean to him during their group effort. Also, Ven explains a little about how he grew up sort of solitary. Sonjia seems out to sea during most of the challenge. She's just sort of feeling her way through the challenge. Melissa's outfit has 18 pattern pieces, which Fabio rightfully points out as insane. Tim comes in and is immediately concerned for Sonjia. She simply doesn't know what she's doing. Elena's outfit looks like a band uniform and everyone sees it. Because everybody seems completely screwed, Tim gives the designers more money and another visit to Mood. Well, that's unprecedented. Ven, Fabio and Dmitry stay behind and keep working at Parson's. Christopher gives some of his money to Melissa, which is really sweet. Sonjia skypes with her boyfriend and he is legit DREAMY. The conversation gives her the steam she needs to commit to an idea and get to real work.

The day of the challenge everyone seems a little more confident. The fitting is like one of the giantest shit shows of all time. Seriously, girls don't fit into the stuff, stuff is falling apart and all the while Christopher is teaching his girl how to walk real jazzy. Debra Messing is the guest judge, which really excites the designers. Unfortunately, the challenge isn't correcting the fashion choices for her character on Smash.

The models all look kind of silly in these costumes. Christopher's idea, which includes a sequined replica of the New York City skyline, is pretty adorable. Sonjia's feathered concoction looks pretty cute to me, but we're set up to believe that this is her Waterloo. And, it seems that it is. Nina thinks that 30 Rockettes in feathers would be a "turkey fest." It seems like they only like 2 of the looks, Christopher and Dmitry. Elena starts crying on the runway and Heidi even disclaims that the judges take their decisions very seriously. They kind of like Melissa's look, but they start hating it during the judging. That's rough. Christopher wins the challenge and he meets Debra Messing! The bottom two are Ven and Elena. And, Ven goes home. Wow. I didn't expect that.

Want more? The full recap starts right below!

Previously: The designers created their own textiles based on "cultural dossiers" delivered by their mothers or other appropriately intimate intimates. Surprisingly, Elena does not appear to be the daughter of the devil. But, appearances can be deceiving so I'm going to reserve judgment on that one. Gunnar, who was really inspired for the challenge, just couldn't get his construction skills up to par and was sent home. Ven was also given a stern talking to for using that same fan effect in his construction. But, Dmitry won his first challenge and that was very nice.

Hello, Atlas Apartment Building. Dmitry says to Fabio that it's weird not having Gunnar there. Fabio answers that he slept in his bed. Well, that's just the sweetest thing. He interviews that the absence of Gunnar's energy is noticeable. Christopher says to Ven that they got their asses handed to them during the challenge. True dat. Ven interviews that it was upsetting being in the bottom two because the challenge (and the hibiscus print that was based on his cultural background) meant a lot to him. He thinks that maybe the judges don't know where he's coming from. It sounds like you're coming from Zombie Town. Pick up the energy, Ven. Ven and Christopher then move to the apartment with Fabio and Dmitry.

In the girls' place, Sonjia sorts who has won challenges and how many they've won in order to arrive at the declaration that Elena is the only person who has not won a challenge. Yeah, everybody needs to hear stuff like that first thing in the morning. Sonjia is gorgeous and talented, but sometimes she has problem with tone, like when she's ragging on the guys being more feminine than the girls. Sometimes, the things she says just sound wrong. Elena interviews that, if she wants to win the competition, she's going to have to step out of her comfort zone and do things that are different for her. She also says that she needs to manage her stress level because it affects how your whole day is going.

The designers meet Tim at a secret location that turns out to be Radio City Music Hall. Oh God... it's getting close to the time when they'll start playing the commercials for the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular or whatever it's called. They are horrible and insidious and do not leave your brain for hours. The music that the production has prepared for this intro to Radio City is just the worst. It's like what synthesized crap would be used in a porn set in the Wild West. Tim is joined onstage by the Rockettes, which is cool. They (without Tim) perform a routine and everyone is spellbound. Then, Heidi comes out in a matching green outfit (the others are in red) and they make themselves a little kick line. Christopher is dying, he needs his inhaler, he can't breathe. Heidi looks really cute.

After the dance, she tells the designers that they will be designing a look for the Rockettes and the winner will be worn by the actual ladies. To help them better understand the challenge, Tim has enlisted the help of Linda Haberman, director and choreographer of the Rockettes. Linda has the same short spiky haircut of every single choreographer of her era. It's uncanny. Tim tells us that she worked with Bob Fosse back in the day, which I think has become code for "slept with Bob Fosse." Linda tells them that the Rockettes work year round, not just at Christmastime, so the designers should create an outfit that would be appropriate year round. Maybe make an outfit of rocks? Rocks work all year, that's for sure.

Melissa tells us that she has never designed a dance outfit and I'm not sure I needed to be told to know that. Heidi reminds them that the outfits have to play to the balcony too. The duds have to play to the cheap seats. Tim spouts a bunch of hokum about glamour and contemporary audiences with the result being that he tells the designers that they should embrace a modern aesthetic for the challenge. The designers file out in sync as Heidi tries to keep up with them. They get to study some of the costumes that have been worn by the Rockettes in the past. Christopher points out for Elena the costume with the pronounced shoulder pads, which makes me chuckle. It would appear that the people who didn't previously like each other have slipped into a kind of tolerance of each other which is sort of nice to see.

At Mood, Melissa chooses bright pink for her costume. That makes me nervous for her. Christopher has decided to replicate the New York skyline on the bodice of his costume. That sounds pretty exciting. Ven can't find the crystals he wanted, so he has to move in a different direction. Elena is having a lot of problems finding stuff that she likes. She ends up with a lot of crap that she considers ugly, but she hates almost everything so that's a pretty broad descriptor. Then, she's over budget by $150. She's not sure what to do, so she just leaves behind random stuff.

At the workroom, Tim comes in and tells them that they will only have until 7:30 that evening to work, because they are all going out to dinner! Fun! Christopher says that it will be a nice break from sewing all day, then going home and eating cold food, then going to bed. He's so excited and that's fun to see.

They get to work and Elena is already coming from a place of no. She hates her colors because she thinks they are reminiscent of a marching band. She's afraid that her design looks like an ice skating costume. Well, it's nice to know she has a future in two other arenas, too bad they weren't the ones that the challenge is regarding. She chases Dmitry around while holding her fabric and says that she has been around him too long and is now using blue. He must love that joke. Dmitry wonders why Elena is always making something that she hates.

Ven says that he is keeping the lines from his design very clean. He tells Elena that he thinks the danger in this challenge is over-designing. OK. Has he ever been one to over-design anything? The danger ALWAYS is repeating your mistakes. Don't worry about other people's mistakes. Think about your own. And don't make them again.

Suddenly, we see that Christopher is wearing a turban, sunglasses and lipstick a la Sonjia? It's more Nina Simone, but it's still funny. "What are you looking at?" he asks of Elena who just walks away like he's a weirdo. Something like this needs to happen every year, like when Santino was all "What happened to Andrae?" Some meta joke about the people around them. It's completely necessary and I hope that it continues. Sonjia looks in the mirror with Christopher and says that she loves how this is real life for her and a costume for him. Elena says that he's an effing one-man show. At least there's a show happening. He asks Sonjia how her piece is coming along and she says that she isn't sure, so he asks her what her sketch looks like. "Baby girl, you know I don't sketch." Wha? He replies that Baby Girl should indeed learn how to sketch tout suite. She tells us that while feeling her way through her design, she decides to make an entire skirt out of feathers. "Cock-a-doodle-DON'T" is all I can hear Michael Kors saying right now.

Fabio is at his dress form when Christopher leaps towards him and says, "Stop what you're doing, bitch. Let's go eat!" Fabio giggles and tells him to get out of his face. Everyone, I love Fabio. I love him. I can't explain it except to say that I want to have him over for a dinner party and have him compliment the colors in my kitchen and my magazine subscriptions. And maybe make-out. Not anything serious, if that's not available.

Fabio interviews that he thinks dinner is a good idea because everyone is stressed out to some extent. Sonjia is not into it though. She wishes she could have worked during this time instead of going out. I hope she doesn't bring everybody else down. Elena apologizes to Dmitry for being such a bitch to him! I wasn't expecting that. Then, Ven says that, while Elena can be difficult, he has always thought of her as very talented, which she uncomfortably accepts. Dmitry interviews that the wine is working. Ven tells the table that his siblings were much older than him (he's 28! A friend pointed out that she would have thought he was 48. I just want to know what proportion of him is human), so he spent a lot of time playing by himself. This revelation makes Elena feel like she has gotten to know him a lot better. She says that she didn't think of the challenge once during dinner.

The day, they're back in the workroom. I'm trying to detect any hangovers in the room, but it looks like they all practiced restraint. Lame. However, Christopher notices that a lot of the work in the room is subpar. They seem generic and costume-y. He doesn't think that some of them even look like they are for dancers. Ven says that it's nice to see Elena do something graphic, but her design looks like it's meant for cheerleaders.

Sonjia is still out to sea. Melissa has 18 pattern pieces for her look. Crazy. Fabio thinks that she's insane. Elena puts on her outfit and she and Chris dance around the room like Rockettes. This is part of her efforts to be less stressed out. She points out that the stress has made her skin break out and it's sad but true. I'm surprised she's still allowed on TV. Christopher is gluing shit to his look and Sonjia says that she can't like and his look is popping. Then, she calls him a bitch. Man, she's competitive. Guess you can't blame her. Otherwise, why would she join a competition? I'm glad I worked that out for myself.

Tim comes in to consult and seems incredulous when everyone says that they're doing fine. He approaches Sonjia very seriously tells her that he can read her from across the room. He says that she seems very disabled, which would be horrible to hear. She doesn't know what the neckline is going to look like and Tim says that she's making him very nervous. Dmitry wonders if she's running out of ideas.

Elena's outfit is wrong. Tim thinks she should go to the accessories wall and look for a baton. Dmitry says that no matter what she does at this point, it's still going to look like an ice skating outfit. Dmitry's outfit is very fitted with multiple cut-outs which Christopher thinks is very high school dance team. Fabio is having a hard time working with sequins. Elena thinks that it is a train wreck. Tim convinces Fabio to use whole swaths of sequined fabric instead of cutting it, which was giving him the issue. He decides that maybe it was a good thing that "bitch" was being so difficult. Tim instructs him to "bitch slap that bitch." That happened. He tells Christopher that his skirt is too short, though Sonjia interviews that she loves his look and thinks, if executed well, it will be a show stopper.

Melissa is worried that she doesn't have enough sequins. There's nothing shiny on her dress right now, which can't be good. Tim tries to persuade Ven to add some interest to his garment, but it doesn't look like he's game. Afterwards, Tim tells everyone that he doesn't feel like they are feeling the urgency required to get this stuff done. He's offering them some more money and another few minutes at Mood. Christopher takes this as a message that they are all fucked and need to get some new stuff right now. "Get in the van!" Fabio decides that he likes his materials and wants to stay behind and work. Dmitry feels the same way. So does Ven. The music lets us know that Ven is not making the right choice. Elena says that when you are given another chance, you should take it. Coming Christimas Day to a theatre near you. Seriously, that sounded like a tagline.

At Mood, Elena gets nervous and buys more of the same shit. Melissa doesn't even know what to buy. Christopher interviews that he really likes Melissa and doesn't want to see her go home, so he helps her. He leads her around to the stuff that she needs and when she doesn't have enough money, he gives her 50 dollars of his own. He's really sweet. Sonjia doesn't really work it out.

When the designers are back, the models come in for their fittings. Elena's model loves her design, which is very polite of her to say. Sonjia still doesn't have a top for her model. She's having a rough time. She skypes with her boyfriend who is straight up dream town. He's so cute. He tells her that everyone is very proud of her no matter what and it makes her start to cry. Then, they air kiss at the screen and say that they love each other. It helped her remember why she's there though, so she gets to the workroom and commits to an idea.

Ven says that he likes his dress and will be disappointed if the judges don't like it. At 11, Melissa is still not feeling confident about her work. Damn. The day, Ven tells the other guys that he feels confident about his look. Once in the workroom, he comments that Melissa, while good, works very slowly. He volunteers to help her hand sew as she's scrambling around doing other stuff. That's so nice of him. Dmitry says that Sonjia's dress reminds him of... and he clucks like a chicken. Hair and make-up happens. Elena is very serious about how much lipstick she wants her model to be wearing. It's kind of aggressive.

Melissa completely rips off her zipper and Sonjia and Fabio both offer their assistance. She's really lucky that people are being so generous. Everyone notices that Ven's dress is completely simple. Fabio says it's underdesigned. Elena says that it doesn't even look like a costume. Christopher teaches his model to walk really bouncy, which is kind of cute. It's unanimous that everyone kind of loves his dress. I guess it's sort of a moment like Jay's Chrysler Building dress from Season 1. Christopher says that this runway show is going to look like the Gay Pride Parade just trampled through it. All of those models are wearing at least like twice the amount of clothing as the people in the parade, except for the women. In the end, Melissa feels like her outfit is cute, but she's unsure how the judges will feel about it.

On the runway, Heidi greets everyone. Fabio is wearing this hat that makes him look like he's from the Dust Bowl. Depression Chic. I'm all about it. She introduces the judges, including Debra Messing! Christopher is dying. He's so excited. The show begins with Dmitry's look. It's a high necked look with asymmetrical cut-outs, as well as one sleeve. There is fringe on the skirt that moves beautifully. Dmitry is very happy with it. I think it's really cute. Christopher may have had somewhat of a point about it being drill team, but the skirt sort of takes it out of that territory, I think.

is Melissa's look. It's color-blocked pink and black sequined fabrics. The neckline is similar to the Lord & Taylor dress that she made where it stands up by itself. She has a little pillbox hat on her model which makes her look like an old school cigarette girl. I guess that's not the worst idea, but it doesn't seem terribly versatile. Also, the blocking makes it look like the number 1 is on the bodice. Melissa thinks it's the funniest thing she has ever designed.

Ven's dress is . It's a halter dress in shiny silver with a racer back. And...that's it. There is not really another embellishment on this look. This look for the Rockettes, who have never sold themselves as the vanguard of muted. They freaking kick for 15 minutes at a time. They go big!

Elena's look is . When she sees her model, Elena giggle-whispers, "She's so shiny." She feels like the look was really overwhelming and it is making her worry. I mean, it's not classy or anything, but I don't see why ice skating and the Rockettes seem like worlds apart to everybody who is judging. She has made a blue sequined get up with a lot of little cut-outs. It's not terribly original or tasteful, but forgive me for pointing out that the Rockettes aren't exactly Downton Abbey. However, there's an idea there, isn't there? Her girl does a high kick when she's about to leave the stage. Straighten those legs!

Christopher's girl is and her interpretation of the bouncy walk is like Marion Cotillard on painkillers. So Christopher has made a dress with silver shiny stuff that is cut into the shape of the New York City skyline. The rest of the skirt is shiny as well and the negative space around the skyline as well as long sleeves are made with a nude fabric. There are little stars of sequins sprinkled around the top as well. Christopher says that it's everything he wanted it to be.

Sonjia's look is and it's a skirt of purple feathers with a purple and silver shiny top and feather shoulder pads. It's cute. It doesn't look like someone could dance in it though.

Fabio's look is . I like this a lot. It's silver and resembles Roman and Greek imagery from the early part of the 20th Century. Like, women would be costumed like this when they were portraying ancient heroines or something. The skirt moves a lot, though it seems a little heavy.

Afterwards, Fabio is cleared to the level. He tells Debra Messing that it was a pleasure to meet her as he leaves the runway. The models all return to the runway. Sonjia starts talking about her look. She wanted something fun and flirty. Heidi thinks it's not a show stopper. She doesn't think that someone would dance in it. Nina doesn't think it's practical because feathers are so delicate. Debra adds that she once wore a gown with feathers, of course she did, and feathers would fall off when she just walking around. Michael says that it doesn't move at all and doesn't seem glamorous enough. Nina thinks that all those girls wearing feathers would look like a turkey fest.

Dmitry tells the judges that he wanted to make something athletic yet glamorous. Heidi loves it. She thinks it's original. She also loves the fringe on the skirt and finds it flattering. Michael thinks it's modern and polished and represents Dmitry well. Nina loves that it's bare and covered up at the same time. Debra finds it glamorous but wonders if it's family-friendly enough. Oh go on. America.

Heidi tells Ven that she finds his dress boring. Then, she says that the dress has to song and dance on its own and I'm sure that idea came directly from her mind and was won't applied in post-production after a producer decided she should say those exact words. He tells them that he didn't go back to Mood with everyone else. Nina doesn't think it has any drama. Debra disagrees with everyone. She likes the simplicity, but she notices that the hemline is off.

Heidi says that she sees more and more things that are incorrect about Melissa's outfit. She does think it's too short though. Michael likes the colors, but he feels like it seems more like a cocktail dress that has been cut off. They all hate the 1 on the dress. Nina likes that she seems like a cigarette girl, but otherwise feels like it's a big miss. Debra was confused by the dress. She thinks that the neckline is awkward. They all commend her for making the most of her return to Mood.

Christopher describes how he was inspired by New York and all of the dreams that everyone has here. Heidi loves it. Debra thinks it's magnificent. Christopher replies, "Thank you, Debra Messing," which makes her chuckle. "Did you say 'Thank you, Debra Messing'?" asks Heidi. Yes. They all laugh, except for his model, who is still contemplating her bouncy walk. Christopher says that he's such a huge fan of Debra's.

Elena says that she wanted to use a color that wasn't normal for her. Michael thinks it's tacky. Debra thinks it belongs in the circus, but she's not trying to be rude. Nina thinks that she chose the wrong fabric. Also, the matching of every single thing that she was wearing was not the right choice. Elena cries and says that she's been fighting herself. Before they leave, Heidi tells them that they take their decisions very seriously, which I find sort of refreshing.

Backstage, Sonjia tells Fabio that the judges said her girl looks like a bird and Christopher makes sure he knows that they said 36 birds. He just likes for all of the information to be out there. The judges loved Dmitry's look. Michael thinks that at full length, it could be an Oscar gown. They all love the story of Christopher's dress, though there was no movement. Michael liked Melissa's dress and found it rather charming. They're really not fans of Sonjia's feathers. They think that Ven's dress would bore the children in the audience to tears. They think that Elena chose the ugliest fabric ever. They've made their decision.

The designers return to the stage. Melissa is in. It was really hard for me to tell at first if she was part of the top or the bottom. So it looks like Fabio just barely avoided getting reamed because if hers was one of the top, they must not have liked Fabio's very much. She goes backstage and says that she didn't know what side she was on either. Christopher is the winner! He's so excited that the Rockettes are going to be wearing his dress! He tells Debra what a pleasure it was to meet her as he leaves the stage. He goes backstage and tells the others how excited he is! Dmitry is in. Sonjia is in! She goes backstage and is wiping away tears that I don't see. Melissa says that she knew she'd be safe.

Heidi tells Elena that her outfit is crazy, but they're glad that she stepped outside her monochromatic boxy shoulder pad box. Elena... is in. She starts to cry and goes to hug Ven. She leaves the stage crying. Backstage, she tells everyone that she feels bad for Ven. They try to get her to cheer up, but she's pretty upset. Ven gets his kisses and he's gone. He interviews that he's upset because he knows that he could put on an amazing show and wishes he had the opportunity. Backstage, Elena is still crying and he tells her to stop. Christopher tells him that he wants to see "Clean. Chic. Sophisticated. Ven" on a t-shirt and all the other designers chime in.

Tim comes in and says that this is a wake-up call because no one saw this elimination coming. Ven says that he enjoyed every second and walks away. He says that he will never give up.

Jeff Long is a writer/performer living in Brooklyn. He can be reached at jeff.long75@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @jblong.