Ok, episode, I’ll grant you that your DELIVERY is much improved from your last outing, but that doesn’t change the fact that you have yet to DELIVER! Normally I wouldn’t mind so much, but we’re now NINE episodes in, and this season has yet to stand out. Oh, this Tribal Council TRIED, certainly, but the fact remains that all that great buildup lead only to a thrilling anticlimax. Was it worth the journey? Let us move on to find out.
We start off the morning after Desi’s depressing departure to find that Dr. Mike is doing what pretty much everyone assumed he would. Consider the fact that the former Healers are now effectively dead in the water. We’ve got a fairly ironclad alliance against people who haven’t been to Tribal Council all that much, and thus haven’t tested their bonds as much. Add onto that the fact that Dr. Mike has allies in the dominant alliance, and the fact that he was never that close to his original tribe to begin with, and there’s really no reason for Dr. Mike to stick with them. As such, he starts throwing them under the bus, both subtly and unsubtly, but for the moment the dominant alliance seems happy.
Dr. Mike may not have as many allies as he thinks, however. Lauren takes time out to brag with Ben about how well her plan went off last night. This brings me to the point that these people must be IDIOTS considering that 10 votes were read with 11 people left, meaning that SOMEONE should have realized something was up. But no! No one mentions anything, or at least doesn’t care! I know one’s intellectual faculties probably diminish with a lack of food, but this is insane. What Lauren says that’s damning to Dr. Mike here is that Ben is her closest ally. From what previous episodes had shown us, it seem like Ben was Lauren’s closest ally in terms of the alliance, but that Dr. Mike was closest overall, hence his in to the current dominant alliance. Now, however, Ben seems to be Lauren’s number one. The pair laugh at how well it went off, which admittedly they do deserve.
Ryan, meanwhile, is forging bonds of his own, noting to Devon that he has an idol in his pants. While I’m normally a fan of the “Keep the idol to yourself” school of thought, I have to admit, I can’t really criticize Ryan here. While his current alliance is good for now, he has to prepare for the inevitable break-up between them. Keeping a close ally like Devon is therefore essential, and sharing the secret of an idol strengthens that bond. Plus, Devon has proven himself very trustworthy so far, so there’s little risk. Now, if Ryan were to share that secret with anyone ELSE, he’d probably be making a very bad move, but there’s no way that would happen, would there?
There’s really no point in talking about this reward challenge. My thoughts on team challenges post-merge are well documented at this point, and nothing about this challenge stands out, aside from the ladder element. Hell, it’s basically the same challenge as last episode, only with a diving element and shooting baskets instead of hitting targets. The team of Cole, Joe, Dr. Mike, JP, and Chrissy win a meal on a yacht, which is also standard fare. Chrissy admits to being upset that she’s not with the people she’s close to, which is understandable, but takes comfort in the fact that she can “control the conversation”. Oh Chrissy. You should know by now that when Joe is around, the word “control” does not apply. To his credit, though, Joe is both subdued and actually pretty funny, cutting through a giant chocolate cake looking for a clue. Failing to find one, he fake reads off a clue that the fifth idol is under the yacht, which is funny in and of that it seems just realistic enough to have that “gotcha” feeling. He looks under other things as well, notably beanbags, but fails to find anything of note. The yacht also passes by their beach, just to rub it in the noses of the losers. Said losers moon the yacht, which is fair.
Joe manages to have two scenes in a row in which he is A: funny, and B: not completely horrible at the game. Recognizing that people last episode probably dug under the flag for a reason, Joe tries digging under the flag, just in case. He doesn’t find anything, but I did enjoy his comment about how it’s always when he’s about to give up that he finds things.
Dr. Mike, unfortunately, is not having such a good scene. Trying yet again to get integrated into the majority, Dr. Mike initiates conversation. Unfortunately his attempt is incredibly forced, with his introduction basically being “Oh, that wacky Joe!” Even if his delivery had been perfect (spoiler alert: it wasn’t), Joe is not someone people like Chrissy and Ashley are happy to talk about, much less to. Driving this point home, Joe comes up to talk with them, which is good for Dr. Mike, because it takes all of the focus off of how awkward he is and puts it on how awful Joe is. He’s basically back to his chaos schtick, calling out Ashley as a goat (a not entirely unjustified charge, but an exaggeration to say the least), and being generally belligerent. I’m not saying that trying to shake up the majority is bad, but I am saying that his way of going about it is. Talking over people and not really leaving room for counterargument is not the way to win hearts and minds. It gets so bad that Chrissy outright gets up and leaves. Hey Joe! When your tactics don’t work, TRY SOMETHING NEW!
So, remember how I said Ryan telling other people would make him a big idiot? Guess what happens! Ryan informs Ben of the idol in his pants, which does admittedly have some benefits. Ben was one of two swing votes, so giving him secrets to keep him close might not be a bad idea. However, a secret like an idol is likely to push him away, given how much Ben has been in favor of idol flushing this season, and how he has no real bond with Ryan. Ryan claims that “Truth is power.” on “Survivor”, but I refer you back to my comments regarding Cole a couple of episodes ago. On “Survivor”, knowledge is power. The more people have your knowledge, the less powerful it is, and by extension the less powerful you are. Granted, Ryan doesn’t go full Cole and tell EVERYBODY, but the idiocy still remains.
Case in point, Ben decides HE needs to use this information to bond with someone. Bad enough for Ryan since more people would know his secret, but Ben chooses to inform DEVON of this. On the surface, it doesn’t seem too bad. Devon does a pretty good job acting like this is the first he’s heard of this, and Ryan hasn’t lost everything. However, Devon then blows his cover, and he and Ben figure out that Ryan trusted them both individually, making them both feel a little betrayed, and putting Ben on alert. Way to go, Ryan.
While our reward challenge was literally nothing to write about, our immunity challenge is much more fun. True, it’s yet another endurance challenge, but it contains a new, as Probst puts it, “‘Survivor’ Torture Device”. Everyone squats with an apparatus supported on their shoulders. Balanced at the end of this apparatus is a pot of water, suspended over a fire. Dip too low, a flag pops up. Go too high, the pot tips, and the fire goes out. Either way, you’re out. Basically what you’ve got is your standard challenge with that nice little “Survivor” touch that makes it work a bit better. Not much has changed, but somehow adding that fire (and fire going out) is a pretty cool touch that turns what could have been just another challenge into something at least semi-memorable.
As you’d expect, Probst talks a lot about squatting in this challenge. Somewhere in Cincinnati, Lillian Morris (“Survivor Pearl Islands”) sits back and smirks, as memories of kicking Jonny Fairplay’s ass come swimming back. One other benefit to this challenge is that they do a pretty good job of faking us out. Chrissy’s form gets complimented early, making it seem like she’s set up for victory. Even other people fall out as a result, as Ashley’s comments distract both Devon and Joe. Ashley comments on her power to Dr. Mike, which might have to do with his proximity, but lends credence to the idea that Dr. Mike is getting in with the majority. But no, Chrissy drops out. Then we get some determined confessionals from Ryan, talking about just how awesome it is to be on “Survivor” Surely Ryan is our victor, then? But no, Ryan falls out as well. Well, Cole got that reward, and is trying to make sure that he stays alive. Maybe this will continue his story arc? No, he falls out pretty much out of nowhere, giving Lauren the victory. Good for her, and good for the show for providing so many convincing fake-outs.
As with last episode, we can’t really pretend that one of the Healers isn’t going, so we need to up the drama with a split vote. Ben lays down the law, saying that four will go for Cole, and three for Dr. Mike. Ashley, however, is upset that Joe isn’t even in contention, since she’s the person left most upset with Joe. Privately, Chrissy and others agree with her, noting that Ben is kind of steamrolling over everyone else here, not even open to the possibility of switching out Dr. Mike for Joe. Evidently wanting to keep Ben close, Chrissy brings up to him how people are feeling. Ben of course refutes the argument that he steamrollers over everybody by steamrolling over Chrissy’s attempt to make him see this. Thing is, for all his steamrolling, Ben actually has the correct idea. The presence of Joe as a common enemy keeps the alliance together, and with Joe likely to draw idol plays to himself, voting for Dr. Mike is safer in terms of idol flushing. Assuming Ben has just given up Dr. Mike as a lost cause, it’s the best strategy for all involved. But the best strategy in the world can’t help you if you don’t SELL IT! Ben, you can’t just tell people to do the smart thing and expect them to do it (believe me, I’ve tried), you have to get them to WANT to do it. This is the first real chink in Ben’s armor we’ve seen, and it’s one that doesn’t look good on him.
Not that Ben can’t pander at all, though. No, Dr. Mike asks Ben to tell him who to vote for, and Ben admits that Cole is the primary target at this point. Dr. Mike notes that this bodes well for him… if Ben is telling him the truth. Having been burned by Ben in the past, Dr. Mike is no so quick to trust his word this time. All that I can get behind. What I CAN’T get behind is Dr. Mike’s next conclusion. Evidently “Big-Move-itis” has not yet been eradicated, as Dr. Mike decides that TONIGHT is the best time to play his idol. This is completely wrong for a few reasons. First, the numbers. There are three possible targets from the Healers tonight, and Dr. Mike has little reason to suspect he’ll go before Joe or Cole. True, the alliance is smart enough to potentially vote for the guy feeling safest, but both are bigger, more disliked challenge threats, and so Dr. Mike has a reasonable degree of safety tonight. However, this means the idol only has a 33.3% chance of being played correctly, which is hardly good odds. Second, allies. While it’s true that Cole and Joe are better than no one for Dr. Mike, and that, as he says, he needs to shake up that alliance at some point, saving Cole or Joe is not going to make the big difference tonight. Dr. Mike building bonds is, but saving that idol for himself makes a good safety net. Get rid of that, and without some major shift, which given the numbers is no guarantee tonight, you’ve given up a lot for little to nothing. While it would make this episode completely boring, the right move for Dr. Mike is to keep his tail between his legs and vote how he’s told. For tonight.
Thankfully from an entertainment perspective, Dr. Mike does NOT do this, as he makes Tribal Council itself the one redeeming factor of this episode. Pulling a fast one, he first encourages Joe to “Follow his lead” during a time when people are distracted, specifically when Desi is walking in for the first time. Which, given how she looks cleaned up in that dress, I can understand the distraction. What this means soon becomes clear. Joe is unsurprisingly the talk of the night, following some discussion of the tightness of the dominant alliance, which is likened to the Knights of the Round Table. Somewhere, Coach (“Survivor Tocantins”) searches for a good lawyer. As you can imagine, this is a bit controversial, but then Dr. Mike takes leave of his senses and enters the fray. He calls the alliance out on its hypocrisy, stating basically that if they hate Joe so much, yet won’t vote him out, then they’re hypocrites. Which is hilarious, coming from Dr. Mike, probably one of the more (would-be) strategic players of the season, who should recognize WHY keeping Joe around is good for their alliance. Yet, he actually sells it pretty well that he’s offended. Unfortunately for him, selling it means burning what few bridges he had left, something Lauren calls him out on. You’d better hope that alliance REALLY needs a swing vote, man, because Lauren is not having it. With the alliance being likened to the English Arthurian Legend (which I think may actually have originated in France, but details), Dr. Mike likens himself to the Statue of Liberty and the USA, standing sentinel, victorious, against the English. That sound you heard in the distance was Hali Ford (“Survivor Worlds Apart”) having the world’s biggest orgasm. It’s becoming clear that Dr. Mike is trying to draw the votes to himself, to save himself with his idol. In this, Dr. Mike is a fool. If Joe has taught us anything, it’s that making an ass of yourself means this alliance is likely to keep you around. The trouble, I think, is that Dr. Mike has bought into the narrative of a “live” Tribal Council, and believes the target can shift freely based on his actions. While it’s true that people have been more open to changing their minds in the voting booth of late, I maintain that a lot of these “live” Tribal Councils are just clever editing, and not so much a result of any sort of shift in the game. As such, Dr. Mike’s move here is misguided. This point is brought home when Probst redirects things back to Cole, who had been doing a fairly effective job of staying out of things.
Beware the quiet ones, they say, and this alliance certainly seems to believe that. After Dr. Mike plays his idol and a certain amount of guesswork as to which Healer will go, the answer ends up being Cole, which I’m not too sorry for. He seemed like a nice guy and all, but he never really brought anything. Joe and Dr. Mike may be annoying and poor at the game, respectively, but they at least bring something to the table. As to the choice in terms of strategy, I maintain it was the best one. Cole is a challenge threat, and after tonight, less likely to be seen as annoying than the other two. Dr. Mike’s stupidity is complete by his wasting an idol, meaning that now things are looking even more down for the pair.
At the top of this blog, I stated that this episode improved on the delivery, but didn’t deliver in the outcome. While Cole is the smart choice to get out, it’s a bit of an anticlimax for a great Tribal Council. This doesn’t sink the episode, but it does move it down from “Good” (since a major shake-up is usually exciting) to just “Ok, I guess”. Granted, it it had been boring and predictable like last episode, it would have been outright “Bad”, and I’m glad we at least got what we got, but there’s only so much patience we have for a Pagonging. All I’ll say is that the preview for next episode had better not be misdirection, or we’re in for a rough season ending.
-Matt
Title Credit to Jean Storrs.
idolspeculation 