Well, ladies and gentlemen, it happened. I have been made a believer. I’m not one to believe in superstition or hocus pocus or whatnot, but I have now been presented with evidence that even I can’t refute. Prophecies are real, and should all be believed without question. Yes, even the ones that contradict the other ones. Really, my only surprise in all of this was that Mike didn’t get an ironic comeuppance in all his words coming true. But before we can get to that, it’s time for another edition of…
MATT’S MESS-UP!
Given the sheer amount of craziness at last episode’s Tribal Council, it’s really no surprise that I forgot to mention something. While I sung Carl’s praises for using his idol nullifier correctly, I forgot to note his showmanship as well. You see, following Dan’s torch getting snuffed, Carl held up the note, and said “Bing” to get everyone’s attention, clearly signaling that the idol nullifier was his. While potentially seen as obnoxious, the fact that Carl didn’t go on about it is a good move. Unlike other advantages, the idol nullifier does little for resume building, since the whole idea is that no one sees you play it. This way, Carl gets retroactive credit for the move, and thus was a good thing for him to do, again, barring that he took it too far and became obnoxious.
Speaking of obnoxious, you’d expect the former Davids to be tactful upon returning to camp, since they want to exploit cracks in the former Goliaths. Happy, to be sure, but tactful about it. Instead they loudly boast about the whole affair, and I’m frankly still amazed nearly 24 hours later that this didn’t come back to bite them. Though that’s probably because the former Goliaths are too busy having their own fallout. Another aspect of the last Tribal Council I neglected to mention were two votes for Angelina, from Kara and Alec. Presumably they got scared at the vote steal, and decided to split the votes to get in good with the former Davids and save their own skin, facts that are confirmed here, and thus allowing me to mention the existence of the move without adding more to the “mess-up” category. Angelina takes this well. And by that, I mean she channels the spirit of Abi-Maria (“Survivor Philippines”), and declares her former alliance dead to her. She tells the former Davids as much, thus making them all the more secure in their soon-to-be majority.
This is still not enough to reassure the former Davids, however, and so Nick and Davie once again get up early to go idol hunting, reasoning that Dan’s idol must have been re-hidden. Taking the logical approach that the idol will not be hidden in the same place twice, they search a different part of the island. After a token effort they find a note, which is a clue telling Nick (the one who specifically found the clue) that he’ll have to leave tonight after dark and take a long walk to find said idol. Ok, I have to object to this method of idol obtaining. Yeah, we’ve had people have to sneak out of camp for idols in the past, and I haven’t complained, but there are key differences here that make me complain now. When Chris Noble left for his idol on “Survivor Ghost Island”, he had to take a boat, meaning the island could reasonably have been well-searched for him in his absence, and is a loud method of having to leave camp. Even with Jeremy’s trip on “Survivor Camobodia”, which most closely resembles Nick’s trip here, the distance and the need for secrecy was emphasized. Here, all Nick has to do is take a walk after dark. There’s an easy alibi here: Say you had to use the bathroom. Yeah, the length of time might make people suspicious, but you’ve been living on RICE for the past 27 days. You’re gonna be a bit constipated. I think people will buy needing a half an hour to pass a deuce.
Onto our reward challenge, and all the enthusiasm from last episode is gone. We’re still on team challenges post-merge, and this one’s not even that original. Teams of five will cross a rope and then swim to platform, where one person must throw rungs horizontally onto a ladder (if they land diagonally, it doesn’t count), with the first team to three rungs winning a picnic. I’ll give this challenge credit for TRYING to do something different, with rungs instead of rings, and a different type of rope bridge, but it just feels like too little, and not enough to make up for a team challenge post-merge.
Our purple team consists of Davie, Carl, Angelina, Nick, and Kara, while our orange team consists of Alion, Mike, Gabby, Christian, and Alec. Since this challenge is purely physical in nature, you would expect the orange team to lose horrible. At first, they follow the trend. While multiple people struggle on the rope bridge, Alison is the only one who falls off completely. This, plus some other weak performances nets the purple team a one-person lead. Unfortunately, Alec channels the spirit of Malcolm Freberg (“Survivor Philippines”. Man, evidently this is just the night of channelling “Survivor Philippines”), and dominates the throwing competition, winning his team reward. Credit where it’s due, for all that Probst tries to force the theme of the season at every possible opportunity, I fully expected him to make a David/Goliath comparison given the outcome of the challenge, but he resisted the impulse. Good for you, Probst.
Off at reward, everyone’s in high spirits, and this of course leads to strategy talk. Alison and Alec are the ones to cave in this 5-5 standoff, making their apologies to Gabby and Christian, and talking about how they want to work with them. I’d be a bit suspicious of Mike sitting there and not saying anything, especially given how open they’re being, but given that we never see anything come of it, I guess Mikes kind of of the same mindset, just quieter about it. Gabby now states that this is a strength for her, and allows her to play from a position of power, rather than from the bottom. I’d argue that Gabby was never really on the bottom on any tribe so far save possibly Tiva, but true, she now has more power than she had. But how does she use this power? Stay tuned, my friends. It will be epic.
During all of this Alec makes the comparison between wooing an alliance and bartending. He notes that when you bartend, you flirt with the customer. Not necessarily because you like them, but because you want a bigger tip. Thus, right now he’s “flirting” with Gabby and Christian. Wait, did we just get a job/“Survivor” comparison that actually makes sense? UNHEARD OF! Quick, cut to something different!
Oh, thank God, Alec discovered the letters from home. It’s a sweet scene, but with nothing truly deep to come of it, so I’ll just say it’s nice to see that Gabby’s not the only one who can get emotional out there.
In the meantime, Carl is back at the camp, cooking rice. It was brought up at the reward challenge that neither Carl nor Angelina has been on reward. Since Angelina had her fit earlier regarding receiving votes, it’s now Carl’s turn to act like a jerk for something that, while justified, still doesn’t make him look good. Seemingly in revenge for not winning reward, Carl boils a large pot of rice. Yes, I know, there’s strategy talk as well, but trust me, Carl and the rice are important. Noting that Alec was the one to carry the orange team to victory, Carl suggests voting out Alec next, since he’s a physical threat. Sound, if simple strategy. Now, all that’s needed is for Carl to make sure he only tells the right people. There’s a split in the former Goliaths now, it’s true, but that doesn’t mean Alec has no allies. Granted, Nick and Davie are probably safe bets, and given how pissed she is at Alec in particular, you can probably let Angelina in on things as well. Just make sure Kara isn’t around when you do. With Dan gone, she’s probably closest with Alec out of anyone, and thus you probably shouldn’t clue her in to what’s happening.
Or, you know, you could just tell her how it’s going to be bluntly. That works as well. You know, if you’re playing like an idiot. Even Kara comments on how stupid this is of Carl.
After our mandatory “Vomiting from eating too much too fast” scene, we cut to night, where Nick finds his idol. Davie keeps watch for him, with shots set to scary music of others getting up to vomit come more. This plus Davie’s commentary makes the whole thing seem more tense than it truly is. As I discussed earlier, there’s really no fear for Nick in getting this idol. Sure enough, it’s an open and shut case, with no one the wiser.
Our immunity challenge is yet another endurance challenge, this one the one designed to make it look as though the contestants are crucified. Oh, and we get the “You can sit out and eat” twist as well, this time for nachos and beer. Since the word “beer” was mentioned, you can bet that Carl is going to sit out, but what of our other sit-outs? They’re Nick and Angelina. Now Nick I can understand. He’s got a hidden immunity idol, and can feel fairly safe about not being targeted. But Angelina? She received votes and has a decent chance of winning this challenge (it favors the skinny, after all). But no, she sits out. I guess in the end it doesn’t hurt her, but it’s too risky for my blood.
I should hate this challenge. It’s generic, it’s bland, it’s like every other individual immunity challenge lately. And yet I don’t, and that’s because the storytelling here is fantastic. Alec, not being an idiot, realizes he’s probably being targeted, even without Kara warning him. Thus, you want him to last a while in the challenge, to add tension. Despite his size, he would still be a contender. But his opponents at the end? It comes down to him, Gabby, and Christian, which is not what you’d expect at first glance. However, both Gabby and Christian have the same compelling story here. If it doesn’t involve a puzzle, you’d doubt either of them would win a challenge. Yet, given that this challenge favors skinniness and willpower, this is a physical challenge THEY COULD ACTUALLY WIN! Thus, for their own personal bragging rights, both stick it out as long as they can. It’s hard to convey in just words, but with the way this scene is edited, it’s quite touching.
Gabby cracks first, after an impressive showing, breaking down crying when she can’t take it any more. Sad to see, but I have to admit, it was touching to see the whole bench rooting for her, even if it was partly so that Alec would not win. Plus, this is a case where a bit of crying is justified. Christian, realizing that endurance alone will not be enough, decides to use his natural talents to his advantage, and starts yammering on and on about this, that, and the other thing. I should be really happy at this innovative and entertaining strategy, but I can’t because IT WAS MY STRATEGY! CHRISTIAN! HOW DARE YOU STEAL MY WINNING IDEA? I WAS GOING TO BE THE GUY WHO ANNOYED OTHER PEOPLE TO WIN AN ENDURANCE CHALLENGE! SHAME ON YOU FOR GETTING ON THE SHOW BEFORE ME!
Christian’s speech eventually winds down into the aforementioned explanation of why he’s so determined to win. Alec, realizing the story arc is now against him, steps down. Good for Christian.
Alec contemplates his fate, correctly realizing that he has been royally screwed by the story arc. Some hope is needed, and that hope is in the form of Carl being an idiot. Now, he doesn’t start out that way. Like any good “Survivor” player, he checks and double-checks his plan with everyone, to make sure nothing goes awry. This, in turn, makes Gabby uncomfortable, since she’s smart enough to realize that maybe telling the close ally of the tonight’s evictee about the eviction is a dumb idea. Now, here’s what’s frustrating about Gabby. In confessional, she’s nice and articulate, pointing out all the logical fallacies of this course of action, and positing that Carl may be more of a hinderance than a help at this point. But can she do that with everyone else? Nope, she instead gets all teary-eyed with Carl, forcing Christian to act as translator. So we, the audience, know that Gabby can be a smooth, strategic player, but she herself can’t show it to everyone else. That, to me, is frustrating and disappointing, not the least because it severely diminishes her chances at winning. Not to say she has NO chance, but she’s got an uphill battle. The trouble is that, like Dawn Meehan on “Survivor Caramoan”, despite being a savvy strategic player who deserves a lot of respect, everyone will see her as just an overly-emotional wreck. Again, with some moves under her belt and good articulation of her points, Gabby might have a shot, but she needs to start putting some heavy work in, and she needs to do it now.
Still, this gives us our misdirection for the night, as now Carl’s name is being thrown out there. Don’t get me wrong, Carl is a liability, particularly to Gabby, and thus probably needs to go. But it’s too soon. After fighting tooth and nail to even the numbers between original tribes, the last thing you want to do is even those numbers back up. And true, Alec wants to work with you, but he’s also a threat. He needs to go at some point. Why not let it be now, and keep the heat on Carl to save yourself down the road? Sadly, it’s pretty clear that Carl is doomed, despite it being the wrong move. Alec’s been getting too much good press this episode to leave.
Tribal Council number one has some good double-speak from everyone present, but not really anything worth taking time out to note, so instead I’ll just cut to the results. To my surprise, but delight, Alec goes home. Not only is it the smart move, but I prefer it from a character standpoint. Alec was by no means annoying, but he was just kind of a generic nice guy. Carl, in spite of (or perhaps because of) his flaws, is far more interesting to watch, and again, the better person strategically to keep around. Thus, I can be happy with the outcome here.
For those who might suggest that no balance of misdirection can satisfy me, let me say it here: THIS is how you do misdirection. The whole episode seemed set up for an “Alec escapes by the skin of his teeth” storyline, yet still made it clear why either side might be good to eliminate. Give us a storyline you’ve done before, then subvert our expectations. That’s how you fool the audience without making them feel cheated.
After the expected celebrating by Carl, we get some lamenting from Alison. Sadly, the “big move bug” has not yet left her body entirely, and she’s now lamenting not having flipped to work with the former Davids. I’d think that the vote against ALEC from the Tribal Council immediately prior to this might have given them the impression that you were willing to work with them, but whatever. Holding more water is Alison’s argument that as the next biggest physical threat, Carl will target her. Sounder reasoning, but given your connection with Gabby, Alison, I still wouldn’t worry too much.
Our second reward challenge is, if anything, worse than the first one. Not only is it another team challenge post-merge, not only is it small in scale, but we get yet ANOTHER challenge with a sit-out with no shot at reward here. How many times do I have to complain about this for it to change?
To be more specific about the challenge, teams of four climb a ladder, jump into the ocean, and retrieve buoys. After taking the five specially marked buoys from the chain, these must then be dunked in baskets, with the first team to five winning reward, in this case a boat cruise and fried chicken. Need I say anything more about the lameness of this challenge?
Christian is our sit-out this time, which surprises me. Granted, this challenge doesn’t exactly favor Christian’s strengths, but over Gabby? Over Kara? Over Angelina? Something’s up here.
Once again, our purple team (Davie, Carl, Kara, and Mike) greatly outmatches our orange team (Gabby, Angelina, Nick, and Alison) physically. This challenge, however, explicitly lists beer in the reward, and so you know that Carl won’t let history repeat itself. Sure enough, despite a valiant effort, the purple team wins reward.
Kara and Mike, realizing they are now down in the numbers, decide to make nice with Carl and Davie, Kara in particular hoping to lean on the old Vuku connection to see her through. First, though, Davie realizes that Christian’s determination story can get someone good screen time, and thus decides to steal it. Davie made some impressive slam dunks during the challenge, which as a self-described blerd (black nerd) is impressive. People assume that, as a black man, he must be good at sports, which he decidedly is not. This, however, shows him in a good light, and as he puts it, gets him back his “black card”, so that no one will ever doubt him again. For all my snark, this is actually a really nice scene, and some good character development for Davie.
Sure enough, Carl targets Alison, which Mike and Kara readily agree to, since, you know, it’s not them. Key here, though, is that Carl insists that Gabby not be informed, since she and Alison are so close. Sound reasoning, but I’m willing to bet that Gabby’s crying at Carl for talking to Kara the other day also has something to do with it. I don’t see Carl taking too kindly to that. This plan then gets laid out at camp after everyone gets back from reward, thus filling in those who need to know who were not there. Throughout this episode, Carl has been getting “Godfather” comparisons, with everyone coming to him to figure out the next move. This is exemplified here, where Carl lounges in the hammock, and tells everyone how it’s going to be. Some take this well, like Angelina. Due to working closely with Carl so far, she feels she’s weaseled her way into what was once Gabby’s spot in the alliance, thus allowing her to get her revenge and stay strategically sound. Less happy is Christian. He never seemed the type to want to kowtow to anyone, let alone someone like Carl, who while actually quite savvy in general (talking to Kara notwithstanding), you can imagine he’s not too happy about all of this. He lets us know this is a hilarious sarcasm-filled confessional where we get another Carl/Godfather comparison, with Christian putting particular emphasis on how Carl is STILL sloshed from reward. It doesn’t help that Carl wants Gabby, probably Christian’s closest ally, kept out of the loop, with Angelina as the decoy boot. To no one’s surprise, Christian clues Gabby in on the real plan pretty quickly. This, of course, justifies Gabby’s vendetta against Carl, and thus she talks to Alison and Kara about the possibility of getting out Carl instead. Both are happy to agree to this plan, and with good reason. Alison, of course, would go home if not for this plan, and while Kara did bond a little with Carl and Davie on reward, this is a better deal. Carl really wouldn’t listen to anyone outside his inner circle on this, so Kara has more power this way. Still, that’s only four, so you’d think they’d go to Nick for help. Mason-Dixon alliance and all. However, he and Davie have been getting chummy lately, presumably dissolving some trust, and so Mike is called upon to be the swing vote. More on that post-immunity challenge.
Still, this strategy talk is boring, how do we spice things up? I know! Angelina can talk about bargaining with Probst! Yes, apparently Carl’s rage-cooking of rice kind of left them shorthanded, and Angelina wants to bargain with Probst for more. Because that ALWAYS works out well for everyone. Evidently Probst is getting soft in his old age, as after dismissing Angelina’s (admitted) low-ball first offer, Probst only asks that one person sit out the challenge to gain the rice. Come on, Probst. At least make half of them sit out! Make it tough! Of course, Angelina is the one to sit out, which is the smart move, since she’s unlikely to be targeted, and started this whole mess. Might as well put your proverbial money where your mouth is.
We finish off our quorum of unappealing challenges with admittedly probably the best of the bunch. Contestants traverse a series of obstacles collecting blocks with letters, which they must then use at the end to make the vertical word “Perspective”. The puzzle here is both the saving grace… and my biggest complaint. See, “Perspective” is a good word to use. Difficult, but not impossible to come up with. Tied in tangentially with “Survivor”, but not so much that it’s bloody obvious Plus, to making things even more difficult, there are actually two unneeded letters in the puzzle, meaning that even if looking at the word as a whole, you don’t have all the information.
But it’s with these extra letters that the problem with this challenge arises. You see, Carl uses those extra letters accidentally. I’d have no problem if he used them to misspell an actually word, but instead, he used them to spell “Perceptions”. Correctly. For this to work, the extra letters needed to make for a solution that was close to an actual word, but not a real one. Rather than feeling like Carl made a mistake, it just makes it seem like he had the bad luck to come across a solution that’s arbitrarily wrong because Probst said so. Instead, Alison and Davie both take his idea, and race to make the actual work. Davie narrowly wins out, thus continuing our trend of the winner of immunity not mattering in the slightest.
Misdirection is really irrelevant here, as the debate is whether or not Mike will side against Carl or Alison. Christian is, of course, concerned, given the whole “Mike voted against him twice” thing, and Mike is doing a good job playing both sides. As to which side he should go with, though, it’s clearly the side against Carl. With the former Davids now up in numbers, they can afford to lose someone, and as said, Carl is a liability, given his power complex. But Mike is a former Goliath, so where’s the advantage for him? Well, apart from having more “Ins” with the Gabby/Christian coalition (recall the original cross-tribe alliance, plus his original connection with Alison), this alliance would also leave original Goliaths out ahead, up 3-2 over Gabby and Christian. It’s the smart move, and some evidence to the contrary, Mike usually makes the smart move. Plus, Mike was rightly annoyed by Angelina’s bargaining. That alone is reason enough to side against her.
Tribal Council has more good double-speak, and a lot of good shocked expressions, but little fanfare. Angelina does smoothly work her bargaining into the mix, but other than that nothing of note happens. The only real tension from this vote is that it’s a 5-4 split no matter what, but the editing has been leaning so heavily on Carl that there’s no way he stays. For once, this season, that assertion is correct, and Carl goes home. I’m a little upset, but can’t be too sorry. Carl had clear reason to be eliminated in this case, and while he was an interesting character, we got a good look at him, and I’m more intrigued to see where this new alliance goes.
And with that, Mike sees his prophecy come to pass. The man who declared that Davie and Carl would never pull anything, and that Gabby would never lead an insurrection has now seen just that. Over the past couple of episodes, Davie and Carl have pulled advantages that have helped them gain power, and this episode Gabby (along with Christian) led an insurrection. Ironically, it was Mike himself who made this come to pass, as Gabby’s insurrection would not have worked if not for him. This little bit of good foreshadowing is the cherry on top of a good double-length episode. We had good intrigue, good character bits, but mostly good narrative flow to keep one invested throughout. Plus, we’ve got intriguing storylines to come, as it looks from the preview that alliances will dramatically shift next episode. If so, it may be what this season needs to stand out and be memorable. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the hell out of this season, but so far for me it’s been similar to “Survivor Philippines”. Definitely a top-tier season, but more for technical proficiency than for anything stand-out. This may be the stand-out moment this season needs to truly shine amongst the greats.
-Matt
Title Credit to Jean Storrs.