Frankly, this title is not clever. That is because this episode is not clever. Granted, this episode is more clever than this title, but that’s largely because most everything is cleverer than this title. Much like how this episode is more tense than last episode, but only because last episode set such a low bar. Ok, now this introduction is getting confused. Point being, this episode is a repeat of last episode, just done slightly better.
Speaking of repeating things from last episode…
MATT’S MESS-UP!
Three in a row! Six more, and I get a free milkshake! Actually, this mess-up pertains not so much to last episode, but to my commentary on hopes for this episode. In my praising of the double Tribal Council, I cited it having been gone for a while as a factor in my enjoyment. Specifically, I stated that this twist had not been seen since “Survivor Redemption Island”. In fact, I was slightly off, as this twist was last used on “Survivor South Pacific” one season later. Now, this still does not defeat my point here, but it does make me lose some cred as a “Survivor” nerd. However, as those two seasons are considered by many to be part of the worst four-season run the show ever had, I think I can be forgiven for my encyclopedic knowledge failing me this time around.
As one would expect from a blindside, there’s fallout from it, but not the fallout one usually sees on “Survivor”. Rather than questioning or screaming, there are instead hugs and kisses. Domenick is very happy that Laurel gave him the correct intelligence. He credits her with saving him, despite the fact that he was never a target, but whatever, one big happy family. Laurel, for her part, returns the love, noting once again that Domenick and Wendell have become her “Ride or Dies”, thereby sucking what little dramatic tension was left out of this season. What’s that? You say there’s still a couple of spots left? Don’t worry, the ending of this episode will take care of that.
The next morning, Wendell and Domenick talk about how close allies they are. Why, they even make goo-goo eyes at each other. Not since Rodney and Joaquin on “Survivor Worlds Apart” has there been such a bromance. Only this one ISN’T made up of douchebags, so it’s much more fun to watch. Wendell then takes the time to spell out the alliance, noting that he and Domenick are riding the “Naviti Strong” train to weed out their competition, while having the sub-alliance with Laurel and Donathan, allowing them to take it all. To their credit, as I’ll come back to later, they HAVE done a good job of hiding the alliance. People like Kellyn are definitely AWARE that Laurel is working with them, but they clearly have no idea how deep. Where Domenick and Wendell differ, however, is in how they feel about each other. Wendell goes what we might call the “Rupert Route” (so named for Rupert Boneham of “Survivor Pearl Islands”), and says he’s with Domenick to the end, and will not vote him out. Domenick, however, while he wants to work with Wendell, admits that he’d cut him loose, should need dictate. Wow, even for a season with weak misdirection like this, that’s pretty lame. I’m sure some people will say “It’s the end of the Domenick/Wendell alliance!”, and it’s definitely concerning for Wendell that Domenick doesn’t quite share his feelings. However, it’s pretty clear that Domenick meant this in a “Him or me” type scenario, not that their alliance was breaking down. No, after tonight, there’s pretty much no way that happens.
This talk does segway into more idol hunting from Domenick, and it’s not too long before he finds a suspicious looking coconut. Inside he finds a fake idol, but not the one he made. Instead, he finds the one made by David Wright on “Survivor Millennials vs. Gen-X”, which I have to say looks much more authentic with the hot pink paint having faded somewhat. As indicated above, though, this idol has NOT gained power, and is instead just a fake for Domenick to use to fool somebody. I both love and hate this. I do love the fact that this plays with our expectations. The note sounds similar to real idols, and this is the first time that production has planted a fake idol. On the other hand, Domenick’s shown himself to be not so bad at the “Fake Idol” game himself, and thus this all feels kind of pointless. There are far fewer ways a fake idol can impact the game, and all this really lends us is possible future Domenick scheming. We could have been building relationships, or coming up with convincing misdirection, but nope, gotta find that fake idol!
As one would expect with a double Tribal Council, we cut immediately to challenge time! We do have yet ANOTHER endurance challenge, but this one at least is original. Rather than balancing something or pushing up against something, tribe members pul up on a bar to keep a ball against a pole. Last two people standing win immunity at the upcoming double Tribal Council. Not the worst challenge, and I get why they did it here, but again, I could use some variety.
So, how will we divide up who gets immunity? Will it be a gender-divided contest yet again, or will we finally get to see everyone duke it out in an all-out brawl? Unfortunately, we get neither, and my disappointment with this twist comes to fruition. It is NOT taking its cue from the double Tribal Council or “Survivor South Pacific” gone by, but rather from the merge Tribal Council of “Survivor Fiji”, infamously the WORST Tribal Council the show has ever had the misfortune to have. Players will be randomly divided into two teams of five, with each individual five some going to Tribal Council with one person immune. To make things SLIGHTLY more interesting, the team that wins outright gets to go to Tribal Council second, both getting an early peek at who the other team voted out, and getting their bootee extra prize money. Whoop dee do. SO much better than a straight-up double Tribal Council.
Now, before I go further, let me state that this twist is not AS bad as the one in “Survivor Fiji”, for two key reasons. One, it’s coming later in the merge, so alliances have had more time to form, thus making things less of a crapshoot. For another, talking pre-Tribal Council is allowed, thus preventing Probst from engaging in a cheep line of questioning. I can also understand WHY production would want to do this. “Naviti Strong”, and the relative dominance of the Domenick/Wendell alliance has been sucking the life out of this season, as I indicated at the top of this blog, and dividing up the merged tribe means the possibility of a shake-up, even if only for one vote. But the fact that so much of it comes down to luck still bothers me. I know that “Survivor” involves luck, more than most people are willing to admit, but this just seems like a bit too much this late in the game. Plus, the twist doesn’t even work in that regard! One team has Domenick, Wendell, Laurel, Kellyn, and Michael on it, while the other has Jenna, Donathan, Angela, Chelsea, and Sebastian on it, meaning the original Naviti STILL has the numbers, not matter how you slice it. So all this does is slightly speed up the Pagonging. Granted, that’s hardly a BAD thing, but not enough for this lopsided twist, especially when a straight double Tribal Council would have worked so much better.
Ok, ok, calm down. There’s still a chance for this to work out well. If Michael wins immunity, the Domenick/Wendell alliance will have to eat each other early, making for some great drama. What’s that? Michael’s out super early in this challenge? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! So much for that!
As if this challenge couldn’t be any more anticlimactic, no one exciting wins on the other team either. Chelsea wins again, and once again is rewarded with exactly ZERO confessionals. She must be so pissed at production right now. It comes down to a friendly rivalry between Domenick and Wendell once again, with some good trash-talking between the pair. Domenick ultimately pulls out the win. It changes nothing, but good for him.
Back at camp, we discuss Michael’s options, as Domenick has given the order that Michael is to be the next to go. Frankly, Michael’s options are few. His best hope is to get the idol that Donathan foolishly found with him around. True to my dire warning from earlier, Donathan refuses to give Michael his idol, and as well he should. Michael is tough competition, and never seen as a super-close ally for Donathan. Playing an idol on someone else is risky at best, and playing it for someone you have only the most tenuous of alliances with? Really not worth it. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that Donathan looks like a jerk for not having over the idol, and can pretty much guarantee himself a lost jury vote. Michael’s backup plan is to simply FAKE that he has an idol, and hope that his paranoia will infect the rest of the alliance and save him. Kind of a flimsy plan, but given how solid this alliance has been so far, I can’t say I fault him for going this route. And I’ll give him credit, he’s quite a good actor. He neither over or underplays it, but does pull off the convincing look of a guy who has an idol. It’s no wonder some people believe him later.
Michael first floats his idol lie to Kellyn, which initially struck me as a poor decision. After all, even if you convince Kellyn, it’s unlikely that Laurel, Wendell, and Domenick will turn on each other, and if they think you’re voting Kellyn, worst case scenario she goes home, and they stay loyal. However, Michael’s wisdom is soon understood, as it turns out that while Kellyn may not have the most power, she DOES have the most paranoia. She falls for the acting job hook, line, and sinker, and thus floats the prospect of eliminating Laurel to Domenick. Domenick is his usual, diplomatic self, and flat out tells her that no, Michael doesn’t have an idol, despite very little evidence. To be fair, Domenick finding the fake idol might indicate that there is no real idol re-hidden, but that’s flimsy evidence at best, and as Domenick doesn’t share his evidence with Kellyn, he just comes off as crazy. More sympathetic is Wendell, who tips a hat to Michael’s acting ability and admits that Kellyn may have reason to be concerned. Showing of HIS acting chops, Wendell subtly implies that he could vote for Laurel to Kellyn. Privately, however, he wants Laurel safe, and like any good ally, warns her of the impending votes. Naturally, this makes Laurel scared, since, to emphasize the point yet again, Michael has done quite a good acting job in this situation. Seeking reassurance, Laurel asks that the vote switch to Kellyn, which might not be a bad plan. The only thing that could potentially undo the Domenick/Wendell alliance (apart from a defection by Laurel, which seems less and less likely with each passing episode), is Kellyn getting off the “Naviti Strong” train, and using that enormous brain of hers. In that sense, she’s arguably more of a threat than Michael. Wendell, in confessional, still wants to stick with the plan, and even if Wendell DOES think Michael has an idol, it’s still a smart more. Worst case scenario, you’re probably not going home, and even if you thought that, you have an idol in your pocket. Laurel may not be too happy, but she’s one vote on the jury, and you can explain your plausible deniability on Michael’s idol. And, since we as the audience know Michael has no idol, there’s really next to zero risk.
What COULD put Laurel at risk is Kellyn’s extra vote. Yeah, remember that? Neither did I. You know you’ve got too many advantages in a game when you can’t keep track of them all. Kellyn intends to use it tonight to pile an extra vote on Laurel, which makes sense. If Michael’s immune, she’s a likely target, and so having one extra safety vote for someone who’s not you is a smarter play. Thus, Laurel takes her concern over to the other group of five, who are having their own strategic kerfluffle.
This kerfluffle, however, is simpler. With neither Sebastian, Chelsea, nor Angela being the great strategic minds of our time, they quickly agree that Jenna has to go, using Donathan as a decoy. A smart plan, but I guess that means that the “Sebastian/Jenna Romance” thing was all for naught. Jenna, not giving up, angles for Donathan’s idol, which he’s tempted to give over. I understand the temptation here a bit more than I do at Michael’s request, since Jenna is closer to Donathan, and it would be a resume-builder, but even so, it seems like an unnecessary risk for someone not in your core alliance. The talk does get Donathan slightly spooked, and so he and Laurel go off to confer in the Spooky Shack… I mean, the jungle. Laurel is truly concerned that she’s in danger and so Donathan considers giving HER his idol, something that I could actually get behind. If Donathan gives Jenna his idol, it’s possible HE’S in danger. Giving Laurel his idol still puts him in danger, but no more than not playing it at all, and helps save someone who’s ACTUALLY a close ally of his. But no, Donathan acts like he’s going to do the stupid thing and give it to Jenna, citing wanting to save his friends to “reverse the curse”. Personally, I don’t buy it. Donathan’s no strategic mastermind, but he’s not an idiot, and saving Jenna would gain him so little, I personally don’t see it happening.
Still, I’ll give the episode this: there’s at least SOME credible tension at both Tribal Councils. Will Donathan do a stupid and play an idol that votes himself out? Will Wendell protect Laurel and all costs, swinging the vote towards Kellyn? Both more plausible scenarios that save this episode from being awful, but again, comparing it to the previous episode, that’s not saying much.
Our first Tribal also sees us without our good Tribal Council talkers, and is thus quite dull. As such, let us skip ahead to the only interesting part of this: whether or not Donathan will do a stupid. At first it seems like he won’t, and then he stops Jeff Probst. Fortunately even Donathan is not stupid enough to vote himself out, and does play his idol, but on himself. Frankly, this is a move I can’t fault too much. While Donathan clearly wasn’t going home from our perspective, there was risk from his. All his main allies were on the other team, and given the whole Jenna/Sebastian romance, there’s a chance he could be axed unexpectedly. Whether or not this reverses the curse is unclear, since Donathan did play the idol and negate votes, even though he didn’t need to. The point is that Jenna goes home, and I’m not at all sorry. Name one thing that Jenna did on this season, besides romance Sebastian. I’ll wait. Yeah, she was kind of a non-entity this season, and probably to be the forgotten cast member this time around. I’m sure some would argue that Chelsea should get this honor, but oddly for me, the fact that we’ve seen so little of Chelsea makes her more notorious than Jenna. It’s sort of like Purple Kelly on “Survivor Nicaragua”. Yes, she did nothing, but she did SO little she’s actually more memorable than the people who actually did stuff. Jenna, you seem perfectly nice, but on “Survivor”, you’re a non-entity.
That being said, I call bullshit on Jenna not getting final words aired. However much of a non-entity you may have been on a season, everyone deserves at least that much respect, and it’s not like there was no way to record them after the second Tribal Council. Again, bullshit.
Since all the good show-biz people were in the latter team, their Tribal Council is much more entertaining. Granted, we start off on an awkward note, with Kellyn making comments about how attractive Michael is. Not saying that Michael isn’t attractive, far from it. However, even with Michael’s lying about his age, Kellyn believes she is still a good TEN YEARS OLDER than he is. A little creepy, if you ask me.
I’ve been giving Michael all the acting props, but I should be giving plenty to Laurel as well. She can amass laurels, if you will. The lady KNOWS she’s in with Naviti at this point, but does SUCH a good job of acting like a Malolo with nowhere to go that even I was convinced of it for a minute, and I know where her loyalties lie! You go, girl!
There’s also some good whispering from Wendell and Domenick to up the tension, though I do wish we found out what they were talking about. Still, I do want to highlight something Wendell did this episode. It was commented on “Inside Survivor” that Wendell was playing to the jury, being about the only person to directly address them, and in a diplomatic manner, no less. Since this got pointed out, I’ve been watching for him to do it again, and he did it tonight. He acknowledged the threat of an idol knocking out an “innocent bystander” indicating Libby in this regard, and thus hopefully indicating to her that he sympathizes. There’s that social game I know and love! That said, I’m not sure how well it worked in this instance. Libby seemed more offended at being called an “innocent bystander” than flattered at being acknowledged.
We have a pretty tense vote, where Kellyn does player her extra vote, as she should. I’ll also give her credit that she does a damn good job of hiding said vote, such that no one knows who played it, which could make for some good chaos next episode. This play, however, results in a tie, with everyone save the immune Domenick receiving votes (Michael voted for Wendell, Laurel voted for Kellyn, Kellyn’s two votes went for Laurel, and Wendell and Domenick both went for Michael). This removes all tension, as Michael rightly goes home on a revote. I can’t say I’m sorry to see him go. While I did grow to like the guy, and he was way smarter than I gave him credit for, his storyline was just getting too repetitive, and this season has too much of that as-is. Wouldn’t mind seeing him back at some point though.
Everyone this episode, I would argue, made the correct moves given the information they had to go on. While this keeps me sane, it also makes for an odd episode. I can’t outright dislike it, as we DID have some good misdirection, but again, for this season, that’s not saying much, and this ultimately cements Domenick, Wendell, Laurel, and Donathan as the final four in case they weren’t already. With no sign that Laurel and Donathan will flip anytime soon, and only eight people left, even assuming that Kellyn rallys Chelsea, Sebastian, and Angela to her side, it’s still 4v4. When that happens, it comes down to idols and advantages. Wouldn’t you know it, but all of those are now in the pockets of Domenick and Wendell after tonight.
Think I’m just blowing smoke? Here, let me predict right here, right now, how the rest of this season will go. Kellyn is gone next episode. She’s the only real strategic left to the Domenick/Wendell alliance, and with her paranoia getting the best of her, they will be able to convince Chelsea, Sebastian, and Angela that she’s too unstable. This gives the Domenick/Wendell alliance complete control for the next few votes. Chelsea goes next, having won at least two immunities at this point, and being Kellyn’s lieutenant. After that they’ll take out Angela, as she’s smarter than Sebastian and has probably won more immunities. Sebastian will lose on a puzzle and be voted out, bringing us to the final four, where things get more interesting. Here’s where the season gets less predictable, and where my enjoyment will subsequently perk up again. My guess is either Domenick or Wendell wins immunity, and keeps the other safe. Laurel and Donathan make fire, with Donathan most likely losing, and thus giving us one of the more competitive final three’s I’ll have seen. Then it will be interesting, but until then, a slog.
-Matt
Title Credit to Jean Storrs.
idolspeculation 