Obvious outcome is obvious. However, this is one of those rare episodes where I don’t actually mind that you could tell before the lack of an intro exactly who it was who would be going. Yes, there was barely any suspense, but it had great editing, great clips, and even a good bit of strategy here and there. Definitely the first good episode we’ve had since the merge, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
Fresh from Tribal Council, we get Katie lamenting her situation. Strategize though she might, she just can’t seem to break the block set up by Tyson. Still, she soldiers on, realizing that the next obvious recourse is to hunt like crazy for the hidden immunity idol. The fact that Tyson has it means that this plan is pretty much worthless, but given the information Katie has at this point, it’s understandable.
Thankfully keeping a discreet distance, Ciera and Laura celebrate being the last pair in the game, despite the fact that Laura should have been gone about 12 days ago. They keep it small and intimate, which is nice. However, while Laura continues the nice sentiment in her private interview, Ciera is not so optimistic. She correctly realizes that A: Her Mom is not very popular, B: Her Mom is something of a physical and mental threat, and therefore C: Her Mom is likely to be voted off sooner rather than later. While Ciera understandably wants to work with her mother (it’s an extra vote that you have, essentially, and probably the closest you can come in the game to actual trust with someone else), she realizes that this is an individual game, and she has an actual shot to win, and therefore it might be in her best interest to vote Laura off. This is one of the good things about this season: it brings out these sort of ethical dilemmas. It’s true, they come up in other seasons, but the genetic link just makes it all that more personal, as well as more compelling. I respect Ciera, even if I’m not the hugest fan of her, but tonight I was riveted by her confessionals, which was probably a good thing, as they made up approximately half of the episode.
Sweeping over to Redemption Island we see that Aras, Vytas, and Tina will be facing a repeat of a repeat. It’s the Redemption Island challenge in which Cochran nearly beat Challenge Jesus (my heart quivers with joy at the memory) from “Survivor South Pacific”: After using a grappling hook to retrieve 3 bags, the duelists must take a small ball from one of the bags, and navigate it through a maze to an end slot. First to finish gets to give away a clue to the hidden immunity idol, last place becomes the first member of the jury. I must say, although this challenge is very derivative (notably, it’s very similar to a couple challenges from “Survivor Marquesas”), it hasn’t been done in a while, and I give it a pass just for the good Cochran memories.
So, it looks like we’ll have a jury of 8 and a final 3 once again this season. Joy.
Normally, I’d give good odds that Tina would lose a Redemption Island duel against Aras and Vytas. This is not to dis her challenge skills by any means, far from it. Tina, while not a physical force, does hold her own very well in the challenges, particularly when factoring in her age. So, it’s not that she’s bad, by any stretch, but just that Aras and Vytas are EXTREMELY good. This challenge, though, is not one where physical strength is necessarily an asset. It’s more about dexterity and balance, which could go either way. My only concern for Tina is the grappling hook leg of the challenge, and if she can survive that, she might just have a shot at this challenge.
And survive she does, somehow edging out Aras and Vytas on the grappling hook. After a funny moment in which Aras encourages Laura to encourage him as well (she’d previously encouraged Tina and Vytas), things end up fairly even on the maze. A mistake by Tina means that Vytas gets first place, and I start to feel sorry for Tina, given that she was doing so well. It seems that mazes and Aras don’t agree, however, as Tina still manages to survive, and given all her effort, I’m happy for her. Plus, it’s Aras, in my opinion the most boring of the three, who leaves. Can’t say I’m too sorry over all. While he did surpass my expectations strategically, he was still pretty boring in interviews, and made some pretty dumb moves. And to all you Aras fans out there, don’t worry, he’s still on the jury, you can see him.
Before he leaves, however, Probst tries to make Aras and Vytas epically recount their life story, as well as give contrived platitudes about how their relationship has changed and will continue to change. Vytas gains respect in my eyes by cheekily saying that he doesn’t think their relationship has changed very much. Since no one questions Probst, though, Vytas is forced to give the platitude anyway. Bummer. I liked his first answer better.
Vytas decides to give his clue to Katie, who, wisely realizing that she can’t get much more on the chopping block than she already is, keeps the clue. Back at the camp, Katie publicly announces her bathroom break. Everyone at camp wisely realizes that either Katie is something of an odd duck, or she’s going idol hunting. As it’s the latter, everyone hilariously lampshades it, while Laura suggests, not unreasonably, hiding all their digging tools to make like harder for Katie. It doesn’t matter, though, as we see that for the time being Katie has absolutely no success in finding the idol.
Meanwhile, Laura goes in for another counseling session with Ciera, where we once again reaffirm that Ciera is more than willing to vote off her mother, while Laura remains perfectly naïve about the threat that she poses. The one interesting bit is Ciera’s current advice to her mother, which is to not go around strategizing, and to wait for Tyson to make the first move. On the surface, this could be seen as legitimate advice to prevent people getting paranoid about Laura, but it could also be read as a self-serving move by Ciera. If her mom isn’t strategizing, it’s all that much easier for Ciera to control things. You go, girl!
Speaking of Tyson making moves, he decides it’s time to have an interview or two, and comes to the same conclusion that Ciera has. He admits that Laura’s a threat, both as an individual and as part of a pair, and therefore needs to go. Thinking at first that he can do it without Ciera, he approaches Hayden and Caleb with the proposal to eliminate Laura rather than Monica should Katie win immunity. This serves only to give Hayden another generic interview, but it is good strategy on Tyson’s part, save for one caveat. He admits that it’s another betrayal, which makes him look more like a villain, at a point where jury management becomes a big factor. Look, Tyson, I appreciate the improved strategic game, but you need to consider not being the messenger for once. Try and NOT make people feel betrayed by you.
Enough about that, though, as we’ve come to it, the emotional heart of the episode, the thing that makes it just so great. Ciera, unable to contain herself any longer, takes her Mom down the beach, and admits that she’s probably going to have to vote her off fairly soon, probably at the next Tribal Council. Laura, naturally, protests, pointing out that it might be short-sighted of Ciera, as the guys probably won’t take her to the end, anyway. Still, she’s not mean about it, Ciera seems appropriately embarrassed, and Laura goes so far as to admit that despite this being a game, she’s able to separate out being proud of her daughter for coming into her own. Ciera, for her part, puts things gently, explaining via sand diagram exactly why things will come down to Laura being voted out. I LOVE this scene. Not only was it handled well by the players, but it was shot and edited impeccably. The action felt intimate, we heard just enough to understand the situation, while at the same time not seeing so much as to make it repetitive, and it was just gorgeously done! On top of that, the music was impeccable! Music, in my opinion, is an underappreciated aspect of “Survivor”. As you might expect, we don’t think about it very much, but you notice its absence. This time, those absences were used perfectly. The music added to the emotion, while not being overpowering, and particularly emotional moments were underscored by silence. My hat’s off to the composers on this one, they were really on the ball.
Katie mentioning that she needs immunity leads us to today’s challenge, hailing this time from “Survivor Nicaragua”. Castaways hold on to a rope while standing on an angled platform. Overtime, they inch down the rope, until they fall into the drink. Last person standing wins. As repeat challenges go, this one isn’t bad. It’s only been done on “Survivor Nicaragua”, it’s a good endurance challenge, and is a solid idea all things considered. I do take issue with it being a repeat challenge, as well as the fact that it’s neither big nor epic, but I’ll let it live.
This challenge is good news for Katie, as being about balance and holding your weight, it favors the small and the skinny. Katie, however, is out somewhat early, leaving Monica, who was not even a target this time around, with immunity, and the extra reward of a cheeseburger feast. Yeah, did I mention that I HATE REDEMPTION ISLAND FOR ELIMINATING REWARD CHALLENGES? BECAUSE I DO! Still, Monica handles it all with grace, giving up her feast for the losers (which I’m somewhat surprised Probst allowed, as it lowers the drama somewhat). Probst questions Caleb as to whether this was a personal or strategic move, because lord knows Caleb needs SOMETHING to talk about. Caleb wisely points out that the move can be both, and everyone save Monica enjoys their burgers. I would point out that this is kind of a double-edged sword for Monica, as it makes her more of a jury threat, but since she has immunity, it’s not as much of a concern.
Hey! Who left the transition snake on the Kasama camp set? You know that the castaways and the transition animals must NEVER been seen in the same shot. Oh, great, there goes the meta-meter. The episode is ruined.
Not to be deterred by errant transition animals, Katie attempts to seize the day with another idol hunt. Laura, desperate to save her own skin, does the smart thing of tailing Katie and digging where she digs, so as to keep Katie from finding the idol. What do you know, a move from Laura that actually makes sense! Never thought I’d see the day.
Tyson, however, still wants his screen time. He decides that Ciera ought to be approached, so as not to offend her by blindsiding both her and her mother. Ciera, however, is one step ahead of him, anticipates the move, and smartly agrees to go along with it. Man, Ciera has really upped her game this episode. Tyson also seems to have learned from his earlier errors, as he pins the blame for the idea on Hayden and Caleb, rather than himself.
So, the plan seems set, but Tyson still won’t tell people he has the idol (good man), so what’re they going to do about Katie. In yet ANOTHER brilliant strategic move, Ciera bluffs Katie into giving up that she didn’t find the idol, by saying that she (Ciera) did. It’s two people bluffing each other, and although it seemed comedic at first, it became very serious and game-changing. Katie’s falling first makes her lose power, and doesn’t give her much of a position in the tribe. It does, however, boost Ciera’s position, as she’s now the one with a link to Katie, and therefore potentially another vote in an emergency situation.
The one department in which Ciera falters is in not bragging. She admits her scheming ways after the fact to Tyson, who clearly sees this as a threat. This not only cements Laura’s doom, but also makes Ciera more of an obvious threat, where one of her great strengths originally was her ability to blend in and not be considered a threat. It wouldn’t surprise me if Tyson was on the warpath for her in the next few episodes.
Probst wisely just lets things run at Tribal Council, as we get Laura giving saving herself the old college try. She has a few compelling arguments, pointing out that a pair in the game is two votes for the price of one, and that one of a pair on the jury and one in the finals is a vote everyone but the loved one won’t get, but unsurprisingly, that doesn’t work too well. So Laura is gone, and while I still don’t like her and am happy to see the back of her, she did leave in such a manner that I at least respect her more now.
This episode was not particularly surprising, but it didn’t have to be. It used pathos effectively, it kept me interested (if not fooled), and it showcased some good strategic thinking, so I’m quite fond of it. It’s not earth-shattering, but still quite good.
Still, this blog feels short, and this was such an emotional episode that it merits a:
TOP 5 AND BOTTOM 5!
Today’s subject is emotional boots. Every Tribal has a tone to it, and while most are fairly average, some are really respectful, and some are downright bitter. As such, the Top 5 list will be happy/respectful boots, while the bottom 5 bitter boots. With that, I present to you:
TOP 5
5. Christina Cha (“Survivor One World”): Kind of a stretch, as the vote off itself wasn’t really respectful, but I did like the fact that, whatever Probst made out, Christina really didn’t defend herself against the at that point inevitable, and just enjoyed her last day. However stupid it may have been, she went out on her own terms, and that’s respectable, at the very least.
4. Laura Morett (“Survivor Blood vs. Water): As I said before, beautifully edited, easy to watch, and overall just made for a good episode. Only loses its higher spot on the list because most of the emotion happened before Tribal Council, not at it.
3. Rudy Boesch (“Survivor All-Stars”): A bit of an odd choice, as it was a blindside of a poor old guy doing the best that he could. What puts this on the list is a genuine, heartfelt speech by Probst after Rudy left. It felt right, it showed respect, and made the blindside much more pleasant. See there, Probst, I don’t hate EVERYTHING you do!
2. Ian Rosenberger (“Survivor Palau”): Yes, “Survivor’s” first ever impromptu Tribal Council was also one of the most touching. We’d seen Ian struggle, both physically and mentally, over the last several episode, but it climaxed at the final 3 immunity challenge, where after 10 hours on a buoy, Ian stepped down after getting Tom to promise that he WOULDN’T take Ian to the finals. I didn’t put it in the top spot on the list, because it was kind of a stupid move on Ian’s part, but still a very sweet moment nonetheless.
1. Dan “Dan Fuego” Barry (“Survivor Exile Island”): Without a doubt the most respectful Tribal Council I’ve ever seen. La Mina didn’t want to vote out what was effectively their patriarch, nor did they like kicking an old man when he was down. But they had to, and so they agreed, not only to tell Dan, but to defend him on a united front at Tribal Council. Dan scrambled, to be sure, but he accepted his fate with good grace, and this Tribal Council just felt right for him.
Honorable Mention: Russell Hantz (“Survivor Redemption Island”): Not a particularly respectful vote, but one that makes me happy nonetheless.
BOTTOM 5
5. Benjamin “Coach” Wade (“Survivor Tocantins”): This one might have seemed respectful, and Coach really wanted to make it grand and epic. And in part, he succeeded. However, some of the voting confessionals (not undeservedly) trashed Coach, perhaps to the point of excess. I’m no big Coach fan, so I didn’t mind that much, but it still felt a bit mean-spirited.
4. Keith Tollefson (“Survivor South Pacific”): While I side with Cochran on this issue, and admit that Keith didn’t have that bad of a time at Tribal Council, he still bore the brunt of the blame for being horrible to Cochran, when I’d say Ozzy and Jim Rice were both more to blame for that. Kind of a bland character, but I still have a soft spot for the guy. He didn’t quite deserve the trashing he got.
3. Jane Bright (“Survivor Nicaragua”): Much like with Laura Morett’s boot tonight, this one was mainly unpleasant before Tribal Council. Tribal, however, was not easy for Jane either. I liked Jane ok, so to see her be fairly unceremoniously booted off was a bit disappointing, but I understood its necessity. Her complaining and haranguing of people just strategizing like they were supposed to really just made everything worse.
2. Randy Bailey (“Survivor Gabon”): Like Russell Hantz, this was someone I was glad to see voted out. However that does not excuse the wasting of an excellent quality fake idol on a practical joke, that was meant merely to humiliate a man on national tv. Shame on you, Sugar.
1. Lex van den Berghe (“Survivor All-Stars”): This was a fairly heated Tribal Council, but nothing special on the surface. Dig deeper, however, and you find a barrel of unpleasantness that was the way Boston Rob (“Survivor Marquesas”) handled it. On top of that, the All-Star season just felt more personal, making this vote most painful to watch of all.
Honorable Mention: Gretchen Cordy (“Survivor Borneo”): At the time, this was the height of dishonor, as it went against what people thought the game should be. However, interviews after the fact reveal that people really loved Gretchen, and hated doing that vote. For this reason, it needs mentioning, even if it can’t be on the list proper.
So there you have it! See you all for what is hopefully an even better episode next week!
-Matt
Title Credit to Jean Storrs.
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