This will be a hard episode to blog, and not because anything happened that makes me sad, nor has so much happened that it’s going to be overly complicated to explain. Indeed, this may be one of my shortest blogs of the season, due to how little there is to go over, and how little in depth I need to cover it. No, the problem is that, love or hate an episode, I usually have a good reason for my feelings. The intensity of said feelings can change, to be sure, but there’s always a reason. This episode, however, is an enigma. If I didn’t make it clear, very little happens this episode, and so there’s not a lot for me to commentate on/snark at. The trouble is, I still can’t help but like it, at least on some level.
Perhaps starting from the beginning will bring some clarity. Down one member, Hunah Poo-Poo hopes to get their numbers back by resuscitating the word “gnarly”. Frankly I’m surprised this wasn’t the work of Woo from “Survivor Cagayan”. In any case, it does nothing towards earning them another member, and now Jon finds himself on the outs, explaining that while he was Drew’s friend, he saw his shortcomings, and says that he’d have been on board for voting him out. I’ll say this much for Jon, while he talks a bigger game than he has (though not, admittedly to the extent of Drew), when he IS forced to play he plays halfway decently. His reaction to the vote-off is just about right, and while he’s a bit unsteady in the tribe, he’s doing a good job at getting back in their good books.
Not that this matters to Jeremy, as it’s once again time for IRONIC CONFESSIONALS! Jeremy states that he has no intention of letting Jon into the fold again, and that Jon is the next to go, which I find surprisingly shortsighted for Jeremy. While I admit that Jon is outside your alliance, and more of a threat to your game than the other people out there, he’s also really strong. After the demise of John Rocker, you can afford to lose SOME strength, but this might be a bit much. In any case, I’d say wild card Keith is more of a liability at this point, and it might be more worth it to target him. Or, at the very least, hear what Jon has to say (and I mean actually hear what Jon has to say, not just pretend to listen to him). Dear lord, this is almost EXACTLY the same mistake Drew made in the last episode (Jeremy is at least more polite about it). All this culminates in the one accurate statement of Jeremy’s, though it is also the most ironic. He states that he is in control of Hunah Poo-Poo at the moment. And I’m SURE this doesn’t mean a tribe swap is around the corner!
Coyopa, however, is not immune from the ironic confessionals either. Alec decides to soliloquize about how STRONG his brother is, and there’s no way that Hunah Poo-Poo would vote him out first. Cut to the tribes meeting up at what SHOULD be the reward challenge, and we see that Hunah Poo-Poo has voted out Drew first. Mouths drop on Coyopa, as all state that Drew was strong, and they can’t believe he was voted out. To me, this is bullshit. Apart from the fact that, like Jeff and Neil Patrick Harris point out, the Coyopans have no idea what’s going on at Hunah Poo-Poo, you guys voted out John Rocker, so obviously voting out strength wasn’t an issue for you either, and also, Drew was kind of an idiot. Yeah, a lot of it happened at the camp you couldn’t see, but there’ve been a few incidents at challenges where he’s demonstrated his idiocy. I think you could probably guess as much.
Well, the promised tribe swap happens, and now the tribes stack up as follows. Hunah Poo-Poo retains Jeremy, Natalie, Julie, and Reed, and gains Neil Patrick Harris (always a plus), Alec, and Wes. Coyopa, meanwhile, retains Jaclyn, Baylor, and Dale, while gaining Jon, Missy, Kelley, and Keith. There are a couple of insights one can see from this tribe breakdown. Hunah Poo-Poo would appear to have an advantage, having four members on each tribe, always a majority, but given how put off Jon was, it’s no guarantee that that will happen. As so often happens in a tribe swap, the tribes are uneven in terms of challenge ability, with Hunah Poo-Poo once again appearing to have the upper hand in challenges. But the big one, the one the show focusses on, and the one that is ultimately the most relevant to the outcome, is the pairs of loved ones. The tribe swap on the first “Blood vs. Water” was a bit later in the game, and due to how that one fell out, only one pair ended up united on a tribe (Tina Wesson and Katie Collins). In this case, there are a lot more pairs left, and one tribe is full of them, while the other tribe has comparatively few. Coyopa has the pairs of Missy and Baylor, Jon and Jaclyn, and Dale and Kelley, with only Keith as a singleton. Conversely, Hunah Poo-Poo only has the pair of Spider-Man and Neil Patrick Harris, while Alec, Natalie, Wes, Julie, and Jeremy are all singles. Probst questions the tribes about being with their pairs, but apart from Jeremy raising a slight red flag by saying that pairs are powerful (which does make sense, as he himself is without a pair), nobody goofs.
The tribes head back to their new respective camps, and here I must complain. While I know that challenges are not the biggest part of the game, I’ve stated before that I still enjoy them. Now, if an episode wants to skip a reward challenge in favor of a tribe swap, I’m fine with that. Tribe swaps take time, and there’s only so much footage you can put into an hour. However, if you’re going to do things that way, then DON’T SHOW ARIAL VIEWS OF A CHALLENGE ALONG WITH YOUR TRIBE SWAP! It just makes us feel denied of something awesome. If you’re doing a swap, why even have a challenge there? To fool the tribes? I’m sure there’s another way you could do that. And if they DID run a challenge, and just didn’t show it, then I feel cheated. I know the show’s supposed to be “real”, but you could edit out the missed challenge bits, and we wouldn’t mind, guys.
We get to see Hunah Poo-Poo first, where Neil Patrick Harris laments their lack of a food basket. I don’t blame him. Often, after a swap, tribes get some sort of food basket to ease the transition, and with how low Hunah Poo-Poo’s food levels are at the moment, they really can’t afford to not have food. The old Coyopans especially complain, as they both rationed their rice, and apparently had more abundant food supplies at their old camp. Jeremy, however, has greater concerns. Despite Hunah Poo-Poo having the majority, he doesn’t feel safe. Paranoid, he is certain that Reed has turned against him, and that he’ll be targeted first. Not an unfounded fear, I suppose, as of himself, Natalie, and Julie, he’s clearly the biggest threat, but I must object. From what was shown, there’s NO evidence of such an alliance, and even if there is (since it’s not an unfounded suspicion), there’s no guarantee they won’t go the “vote off the weak” strategy, meaning that Jeremy is the safest of the three. It’s a shame to see Jeremy not playing an optimal game, because while he’s not one of the greats, he’s certainly a pretty good player when it comes to strategy and building alliances, and for this season, easily outclasses most everyone else. Paranoia really seems to be his problem. While he does come up with good strategy, he doesn’t necessarily need to, and seems to overreact to threats that aren’t really there. This seems like it could be a real hindrance to his game, and I hope he starts playing better in future episodes.
As a quick aside, I’ll also say that I’m sad that we didn’t really hear any strategy from Neil Patrick Harris this episode. Like Jeremy, he’s the other good player of this season (random vote-switching aside), and it would have been a joy to watch the two smart people of the season go toe-to-toe. Granted, it would probably have resulted in one of their losses, which would have been a disappointment, but you can’t deny, it would have been a HELL of an episode.
But whatever, let’s say, for the sake of argument, that Jeremy is correct in assuming that the tribe dynamics are the way he thinks. At the very least, it can be agreed upon that he is no longer in control. Assuming that Reed has indeed betrayed him, the strategy he and Natalie come up with is actually a pretty good one. They decide, since they and Julie make a threesome, that pulling in one of the old Coyopans is a good idea. The zero in on Alec, for two reasons. First, he’s an idiot, like his brother. I’d say he’s less arrogant that his brother, but otherwise about the same. Second, and most important, he’s the other person without a loved one still in the game, and they start making this point to him. This strategy seems based on logic, and their arguments for who to draw in do make sense, so that’s a bright spot in the episode. Whether it works remains to be seen, as Alec never weighs in on the subject. Perhaps they were a bit too subtle for him. In any case, it’s too early to say, but I feel like Alec isn’t thinking enough to consider flipping from his original alliance. Besides, for him, it’s a bad move. Yes, you’re alone, but only one person wins this game, and better to go with the devils you know versus the ones you don’t. Either way, I expect he’ll be played for a sap, so maybe it’s six of one, a half-dozen of the other.
One wrong I should right, though, is Natalie. While she still has some of the negative qualities that I mentioned would hinder her in the game (note the blowout with John Rocker when she personally was not slighted by him), she’s proving, outside of the influence of her sister, to be a pretty good strategist (she and Jeremy seem to be the big brains for the original Hunah Poo-Poo), and much less annoying that I thought. Good for her!
Meanwhile, at Coyopa… Ooh… I’m sorry, Jon and Jaclyn, do you need a room? I mean, I get that EVERYTHING gets filmed, but this is a bit much! Put it this way, we don’t need FIVE FULL MINUTES of footage of Jon and Jaclyn snogging. Shame. We go from the best part of the episode (Jeremy and Natalie strategizing) to the worst part of the episode (pointless kissy face). Just when I think Baylor will share my disgust, she states that she’s jealous, as she’s 20 and single. OH NO! POOR YOU! Twenty and still haven’t found your soulmate? You HAG! You’re doomed to a life of celibacy now!
Still, Jon and Jaclyn break their liplock long enough for Jon to talk about how he’s taking over the tribe. Sure Jon, I’ll believe it when I see it. Keith, meanwhile, does appear to be on the outs with the new tribe, as there’s a telling show of them gossiping, while he’s about 50 feet down the beach fishing. Keith says he isn’t worried, due to his having an idol, and I suppose that makes sense. On the other hand, Keith, wouldn’t it make more sense to try and make friends/get in an alliance so you don’t HAVE to play the idol? Just seems like it might be a better strategy. I guess, though, that we’re talking to Keith, the man who doesn’t understand the concept of the “two-person alliance”, so we can’t expect too much.
Back at Hunah Poo-Poo, we get another short scene lamenting the rice situation. Wes informs us that they have maybe another three days’ worth of rice left. But more importantly SPIDER-MAN SPEAKS! True, it’s just to inform us that Hunah Poo-Poo is indeed low on rice, but it’s more words than we’ve gotten out of him so far, so hurray! Alec also takes this time to inform us that this was what caused Drew’s idiot behavior. Evidently, he needs three square meals a day, or he doesn’t function. Personally, I think he’s just an idiot through and through, but that’s just me. Spider-Man also comes up with a spider-plan to offer Jeff another deal at the challenge, though in a way that won’t make them “look like idiots”. More on that later.
Rice is also a problem at Coyopa. Specifically, Missy apparently brought over Hunah Poo-Poo’s eating habits, and makes what Dale considers a “double batch” of rice, destroying the rationing system. He cautions her in a slightly harsh tone, but manages to avoid an all-out tribal row, which is good. Still, it alienates him and Kelley from the rest of their tribe a bit, and it doesn’t help that Dale is still fuming. This is bad for them. Keeping conflict like this bottled in is not the way to tribe harmony. Granted, it’s a hard situation to handle, and I don’t think Dale is the most socially cogniscent guy, nor do I think he’d be good at having a polite discussion with someone he doesn’t consider an equal. On the other hand, most anything is better than how it’s being handled so far.
CHALLENGE TIME! Once again, it’s a bit of a stretch, but I’m calling it original and good. It’s another obstacle course, starting with the tribes digging up a pair of keys. Once they have them, the tribes move through a mud crawl to a gated pen. Using the keys, they must unlock the pen, and then shake a giant pole with a basket on top. The basket contains dirt, but also twenty beanbags. Once all the beanbags are out, the two tribes toss the bas onto a swinging platform, the first tribe to ten wins. While not as epic in scale as some of the challenges we’ve seen this season, it’s still pretty good. While digging, keys, and mud-crawls are “Survivor” staples, the platform is wobbly enough to be nicely difficult, and I just love the concept of swinging the basket. Hope they bring that one back. All that, plus the fact that the contestants get dirty (always a plus), give this challenge a thumbs up in my book.
Going into it, it’s a bit unclear who will win. True, the new Hunah Poo-Poo has the edge in challenges, it would seem, but I feel like we’ve gotten more strategy talk from them. Any thought that they might lose, however, is shattered in the first part of the challenge. Hunah Poo-Poo goes all-out with the digging, while Coyopa seems timid. This gives them a lead, which Coyopa cannot come back from, particularly when their timidity keeps up when shaking the basket. I thought Coyopa might have a chance since the beanbag throwing looked tough, but Jeremy and Wes manage to make it look easy. Hunah Poo-Poo’s victory was a predictable outcome, but I do like that Probst, usually so attentive at saying how far ahead a tribe is in a challenge, got so caught up in encouraging Coyopa that Hunah Poo-Poo has to call out their own score. One point for hilarity.
The aforementioned deal does come up, but after Coyopa has left, evidently so as to avoid embarrassment. I have to admit, my heart dropped, as I worried they would give up immunity for food. Thankfully, they aren’t that dumb, wanting to make just about any deal other than that, and Probst puts the deal on hold, as that little bit of rice means they won’t starve. These deals are starting to frustrate me. For all that Hunah Poo-Poo is overall the smarter tribe, they keep doing dumb things, and need to compensate. Also, when did this show turn into “Deal or No Deal”? Granted, the image of Probst with a shaved head is pretty awesome, but it’s not what I came here to watch. As to the “mystery” of what the deal will be… C’mon guys, they’re not going to trade their flint back, so Probst will want the shelter reward they have. Besides the same deal was made in “Survivor The Australian Outback”, and we all know how much “Survivor” loves to rest on its laurels of late.
Debate begins at Coyopa, and surprisingly, Jon’s prediction of being the kingpin comes true. Missy hates Dale, Dale hates Missy, and their loved ones feel compelled to come along. Since they need a four-person majority, they decide to try and recruit the remaining pair, meaning Jon and Jaclyn have all the power, God help us. A bit of a tough decision, but I’d say siding with Dale and Kelley is the smarter move. Missy and Baylor seem uncommonly tight, while Kelley, at least to the camera, has indicated limited infatuation with her dad. True, they might be harder to beat later on, but there are other ways to get a majority, and they’ll help more in the short term. What also amazes me is that NO ONE is concerned about Keith. I’ll grant you, he’s the odd man out, but Missy and Baylor are talking about splitting the vote. If you don’t pull him in, he could screw everything up. Better to get him on your side if you can.
Sadly, another bummer of the episode is that this is one of the more boring Tribal Councils this season. Missy snipes at Dale a little bit, but apart from that, it’s just the usual talk about how the alliances formed. The Dale/Missy conflict is brought up, and Keith rightly calls out Jon and Jaclyn as being the swing votes, after establishing that he’s integrated better than we saw. Still, it is a real mystery as to who goes home, and the answer is: Kelley.
Drew has his wish. I don’t know what the deal was, but I get the feeling there must have been something about Kelley that we weren’t seeing, because EVERYONE was out to get her, when from our perspective, nothing of value was lost. In any case, if you’re going to side with Missy and Baylor, why go for her rather than Dale? Dale’s the bigger threat, less help in challenges, and the one causing the most conflict, so yeah, I don’t get this one, but I think it was the wrong move.
While maybe not the worst episode on the surface, it still had some problems. The kissy face, the relative lack of strategy, and being denied a reward challenges. Parts of the episode were a toss-up, but the outcome in each case was pretty even regardless, and a few things were spoiled. On those merits, I’d call this episode slightly below average. Not horrible, but definitely not good. Why, then, do I love it so? It goes back to something pointed out in Tribal Council that I did not touch on to save it for this dramatic reveal: How to handle living with someone whose loved one you voted out. Due to how the tribe fell out, you had pairs going up against pairs. Now, we’ve seen the drama of one half of a pair remaining before, but we’ve always had it be on opposite tribes, or after the merge. Here, you’re now splintering you tribe, and thereby creating drama, in a way that DOESN’T ruin a relationship. This is something that the first “Blood vs. Water” never did, and it’s FASCINATING to watch.
Admittedly, you did have something similar after the merge on “Survivor Blood vs. Water”, but that was individuals taking out pairs, which somehow makes it less personal. Here, it’s pairs against pairs, which, for whatever reason, amps up the drama. My major gripe with this season, apart from lackluster strategy, is how much the show has tried to tie itself to the first “Blood vs. Water”. I said the concept could work twice, but something new needed to happen. By tying it to the old “Blood vs. Water”, you hinder that. Here, you have the season striking out on its own, trying something new, and it working. This was a good episode to watch. Here’s hoping they can keep it up.
-Matt
Title Credit to Jean Storrs.
idolspeculation 