First, I must say that your certainty about what production would fix is hilarious. The script will be just as funny seeing Reem's reaction when Keith arrives, if he arrives: She is in desperate nneed of a provider but she will be left with someone who needs her to be his mother. And with Kelley still in the game, she keeps her fans riveted. Anyway, she's still in danger so she may join Reem before too long and then you'll get your psychological warfare! The fix is usually in favor of returning players. Now, on to my take of the episode:
Previously on Survivor, at the Kama Tribe, the returning players were on the outs... (We see Eric and Gavin plotting against Joe and then hear Eric’s confessional where he said: “they had their chance.”)
At the Manu tribe, Reem, Keith and Wendy were isolating themselves... (Here we got Rick’s interview saying: “Those were the three we wanted to vote out anyway.”)
At Tribal Council, Reem dug her own grave... (we heard the part of the argument when Kelley said it was all part of the game) and was the first person voted out... and the first person to face a new twist: Go home or grab a torch and go to the edge of extinction.
The choice of characters highlighting the summary is always very telling. This time, the editors chose to present Eric, Gavin, Rick and Kelley as the ones directing the game. Therefore, we have to keep an eye on those four and see if they keep the same roles in the future.
If we go by this episode, it’s possible that each episode will start with the cameras filming the players on Extinction Island. Since most will not return to the game itself then I will make the editing choice to ignore their interviews unless they tell us something about a player still in the game.
Manu Day 4
Extinction Island had isolated drum sounds to underline its primitive nature while Manu barely a tune at all; it was almost like disorganized notes to accompany the image of a crab falling off a crate. If the intent was to show Manu has a disorganized tribe then we can predict they won’t be very successful at this game.
Wendy had the first interview: “At Tribal Council, my strongest ally, Reem, was voted out and now, I feel like I’m the next in line and I blame Kelley. She is the ringleader and I’m just like oh! it makes me so angry. Kelley has played two times before this. For me, she had her shot: Two times and you can’t do it then you can’t do it. Don’t try to mess up first time players’ game. She has this type of personality where she’s trying to become your friend and a lot of these people are eating that up. Not I, like I can see right through that.”
Unfortunately for Wendy, when she said a lot of people were eating whatever Kelley was feeding them we saw a group of three people standing next to a laughing Kelley and they were, you guessed it, eating! This alone is a hint to how this episode’s vote would turn out. The tribe would not so quickly abandon Kelley.
Wendy tried to get Rick and David on board.
Wendy’s interview went on: “David, the other second time player, I think it’s resonating with him but right now he is playing more of a “go with the flow” kind of game. I understand that but I think that Keith is with me so if Rick and David are on board then I just need one more vote.”
How many plans have failed for lacking just one more vote?!
Wardog and Lauren warned Kelley about Wendy’s intentions.
We heard Kelley’s reaction in interview: “I completely understand Wendy’s position because I’ve been there. I’ve been on the bottom, I’ve been the target; I know exactly how it feels. She’s trying to get something going and someone in camp who is freaking out and knows they’re on the bottom is very dangerous. We can’t let Wendy fond the idol. I mean everyone else worked with me at the last Tribal and I’m getting the sense that they want to continue to work with me but any time your name’s thrown out there it’s just like “what if?” because sometimes these things catch fire. So, at this point, it’s Wendy on this side and me on this side. We’re basically going to battle and one of us is going to win the war.”
Just like Kelley predicted, her name did catch fire but it was quickly extinguished. Wendy lost another soldier so how far can this war last? Personally, I think Kelley missed a great opportunity to have peace talks with Wendy and turn her around. Like Kelley said, they had something in common, something over which they could have bonded. Sometimes, an olive branch is better than a sword.
Kama Day 4
Unlike the minimalistic music that opened the scene over at Manu, here we had a very joyous rhythm, a sign of Kama’s good fortune both present and future.
Ron was trying to build the Kama choreography.
Aurora’s interview: “Morale, I think, is a huge reason why we are doing well in this game right now, why we won the other day. You have to be in a positive place. We need to feel bonded and for us, dancing has become our thing.”
Aurora had a tribe dynamics confessional in the premiere and she’s continuing with that role in this episode. That’s telling me that Aurora is going to be around for a while but she’ll never really be part of the actual strategy of the game.
Aubry’s confessional was juxtaposed to Aurora’s: “I hate Kumbaya Survivor; it’s the worst but I want to blend in with everybody else. I like going to Tribal first when play Survivor because you see immediately where the lines are and you know how to work with it. When it’s Kumbaya and everybody is just wow! we just won the first challenge, you don’t really know what the hell is going on.”
If Aubry’s intention was to blend in but, unfortunately for her, the lack of rhythm she showed during the dance really made her stick out in that scene. She was always one step behind, one movement short. She may regret going to Tribal Council. Victory builds team spirit and team spirit gives a savvy player an opportunity to manipulate their “friends”. That’s what Aubry should be looking for. Fortunately for her, Joe is taking care of the winning. What happened next really made me question Aubry’s chances in this game.
Aubry started working on a lot of people in the tribe, mainly with “I bought an extra vowel” Victoriaa, Julia and Gavin. They listened to her pitch but where rather non-committal.
Aubry had another interview: “I’m finding it frustrating that these newbies aren’t being forthcoming about their perceptions of returning players.” I know Joe and I are under a magnifying glass; we’re like these ants that people are looking at real hard and I’m afraid the sun is going to come and zap us the hell off this camp.”
Victoriaa told Ron about Aubry’s comments. Rightfully, Victoriaa said she couldn’t do anything else but agree with Aubry. Ron repeated the line that they had their moment to shine.
Victoriaa gave us an interview: “Aubry, right now, is just going to everyone and I think she’s a little panicked. She’s saying: “I really like you. I think you’re a good player, you remind me of myself” and she says all that crap. She’s just doing her best to pull somebody in with her. She’s doing a great job at it so she might have to go.”
We then had a very clever montage showing Aubry repeating the same lines to everyone: She wanted to open a dialogue and they all reminded her of herself. This editors’ decision to present this montage really undermines Aubry’s chances in the game. It’s especially bad that we heard Victoriaa, Ron and Julia talking about Aubry’s words before we actually heard Aubry ourselves. It made it seem like Aubry was repeating the same lines to everyone for at least the second time.
Aubry’s plan was to lay low and wait for the right moment to strike but she’s already playing too hard to fast, trying to have a “secret” alliance with everyone! The worst part of the scene is that it ended with Aubry appearing satisfied, eating two handfuls of fruit, enough to satiate her appetite. It seems to symbolize that Aubry was satisfied with the work she had done on the newbies. A swap cannot happen soon enough for her.
Manu Day 4
Again the music was rather in staccato.
Kelley and Lauren were looking for an idol. Rick and David were doing the same.
David’s interview: “Wendy thinks her back is against the wall because she lost her only ally which was Reem, so she’s worried that she could be next to go. So Wendy’s pitch is that we should get rid of Wentworth and the funny thing is that I know Kelley Wentworth is not going to let me get too deep into this game. I know she wants to cut me soon. She’s a really smart player and she’s going to do anything she can to eliminate threats. Orchestrating a blindside is very delicate. You have to be so careful about who you let know about it. I mean Keith seems to be tight with Wendy but trying to pull in Wardog that makes me very nervous because he doesn’t like to talk strategy until it is absolutely necessary. But at the same time, Wendy’s loyalty and trust, that could be worth than money in this game.”
Is this a nod at David’s paranoia that nearly got him voted out at the beginning of his first season? We haven’t heard anything from Kelley about targeting him. In fact, it’s been the opposite; Kelley wants to work with many people including David so maybe paranoia is returning.
Under the watchful eyes of two Bats, Rick and David made a pact to have each other’s back until Final 4.
Will the two bats come to symbolize Rick and David? If so, it will be a great sign for them that a strong animal imagery is associated with them.
Rick’s interview: ‘My strategy coming into this game was get with big guys and kind of slip through and I think David might be my guy. We’re two peas in a pod. I think we see the world the same way, we see the game the same way and I’m going to use my sense of humor and try to get in tight with him.”
David’s next confessional: “Rick’s is hysterical! I love the guy; he’s so much fun to be around. Rick is, honestly, the person I trust most in this game. Also, he’s very smart and strategic and that could be really great for my game. So, I’m going to try to keep Rick around for as long as possible.”
These two confessionals combined are of great value for Rick’s standing in the game. Not only did we get immediate confirmation that Rick’s sense of humor is drawing David to him but we hear from a known quantity, a mostly respected returning player that Rick is smart and strategic. Rick almost got David’s endorsement for the title of Sole Survivor. As for David, the symbolism wasn’t as positive; he told us he’d want to keep David around for as long as possible JUST as the camera showed Rick turning his back on David and walking out alone into the jungle. I think this scene told us that Rick will outlast David. He will be able to use the big guy and slip through unarmed.
Kama Day 4
Once more the music was upbeat for our approach of the Kama camp.
Eric and Gavin were talking about the hidden immunity idol.
Gavin’s interview: “This is Survivor season 38 and advantages and idols are on everyone’s mind. I’m the biggest fan here; I’ve been wanting to do this for so dang long. As a fan, watching through the TV I’m thinking how in the heck do people find these stuff and it’s the same for me now: It’s just shooting in the dark. You truly have no idea where it’s at.”
Eric’s confessional: “Geographically, this space is huge. We have no idea where these idols are hidden or if there are clues or markings and the jungle is so thick that you really have to search for an extended period of time and time away from the tribe is suspicious.”
Julie’s interview: “Recently, I’ve seen the men disappearing and they are gone for a long time. Whether they are going off alone or going off in pairs it’s quite obvious; there’s a lot of idol searching going on.”
Next we had Victoriaa’s confessional: “You know, I wish I knew what is going on with idols and advantages. I’m sure people have started looking but I have no idea how you would even begin to start looking. I mean; it’s a big place and everything is unique in its own way but also exactly the same. They are all trees that look funky. Where do you begin?”
Julie’s interview: “It is interesting to me that the women and men do fall into these preconceived roles. I don’t know if it’s about living this primitive life style where the men were the gatherers and the hunters...no the women were the gathe...who the hell were the gatherers... I don’t know. I think it’s my own personal issue that I have to figure out: I’m not a sneaky person and it feels kind of sneaky to me to have to slither off searching for idols.”
This isn’t very promising for Victoriaa and Julie. It makes me wonder if either will fall victim to someone’s idol. The answer to Victoriaa’s question is easy: You begin by getting up off your ass and open your eyes and walk around. It must be noted that all this searching is a great set up for the player that will soon come up with an idol. Viewers will remember that everyone including David, Joe and Kelley failed but that someone was successful. And that someone was on the other tribe.
Manu Later in Day 4
Lauren’s interview: “There are a lot of people looking for an idol and the odds of me finding it are slim but, ever since I was a kid, finding an idol was on my Survivor bucket list because my two favorite female players were Parvati and Kelley Wentworth. Those were my role models, they were my Survivor Queens. They weren’t just women that went around riding coat tails, they were badasses especially Kelley Wentworth. I mean Kelley found two immunity idols in her season and she used them brilliantly. So I always wanted to find an idol and this is Survivor; you can find an idol anywhere. I see this tree that is fallen over and I’m thinking; if I were an immunity idol, I’d be hiding in there. I can’t believe I pulled out my beautiful immunity idol package! I feel ecstatic! Finding it on the same tribe as one of my role models makes it astronomically more exciting. I just have to hide it because I’m 100% keeping it to myself. I’m very tight with Kelley but I’m definitely not telling her. I’m glad I have it and she doesn’t.”
That was a remarkable interview. I would have preferred hearing that Kim Spradlin was one of her role models but that’s just me. We have to be impressed that she plans on keeping the idol a secret even from Kelley but will she follow through on that idea? Also, I hope the idol doesn’t get swept away at high tide because I didn’t really like her hiding spot! With the set-up of everyone looking for idols, two women saying that they don’t even know where to look, I think it’s a tremendous sign for Lauren. She should have a nice journey in this game.
Day 6
I guess nothing happened on Day 5. Well if no idols were found on the day what else could possibly interest the new school viewers? It’s not as if they’re interested in camp life...
The camera did show Julie when Jeff mentioned that Reem had been voted out but we didn’t really get a reaction from her.
Julie sat out for Kama which tells us what the tribe thinks of her.
The challenge itself was rather long and boring but again, would they show us camp life instead? It’s not as if this show was meant to feature people building a new society under drastic conditions. It’s all about idols and challenges and “big moves”...
With Joe once more leading the way, Kama won rather easily even if Manu gave them a bit of a scare in the end.
Keith’s performance in the water, in the cage and during the ring toss was simple atrocious.
That led to Wardog’s confessional: “Losing our second challenge definitely is deflating. It hurts. But now I’m thinking this isn’t just a binary equation of just Wentworth or Wendy even if they’re going to war with each other. Maybe there’s another option. There is a Pan C that no one is thinking of: Keith is a liability in challenges. Maybe a new game plan has to be enacted.”
Manu Day 6
Chris was apologizing for letting his team down but no one wanted to hear it; Chris, they all agreed, had done his best.
No one was comforting Keith, the one that had all the reasons in the world to feel bad. At least his interview told us he knew it was his fault.
Out in the ocean Wardog seemed to surprise Lauren with his idea of eliminating Keith.
In confessional Wardogexplained: “At this point, we’re down in numbers. We can’t lose again; we need strength and Keith is not strong in challenges. He’s killing is, All the things add up and I’m asking myself how is Keith in this game helping the Wardog out and the answer is that he’s not.”
Wardog is shown to be very cold and analytical; a trait often shared by many eventual winners.
Kelley wasn’t impressed: “I knew that this was going to happen; Wardog is leading the charge to vote out Keith and it’s stupid. I don’t know what he’s thinking. Yeah! Keith failed miserably but he’s not a threat to anybody whereas Wendy wants to get me out. So I’m not happy.”
Kelley is becoming a one-note character, fixating on Wendy when the vote against Keith was just about to save her skin.
Wardog explained his reasons to keep Wendy, the better swimmer, over Keith.
David’s interview: “I knew that convincing Wardog to vote out Wentworth was going to be difficult and sure enough, Wardog is very adamant that Keith is going home. So now, I don’t think that I have the five votes I need to get rid of Wentworth and it’s like damn!”
Personally, I don’t get David’s fixation on eliminating Kelley. Doesn’t he realize that it would open the door to voting him out next? It’s like these weaker players who agree to vote out the weakest not realizing there next in line. The funny thing is that it also applies to the stronger players: As soon as Mike agreed to vote out Joe in Worlds Apart, he stood next in line.
Chris finally had his first confessional of the season: “Unfortunately, Keith has shot himself in the foot which kind of sucks because he’s a good kid and I know this game means a lot to him. Honestly, I don’t want Keith to go because Keith has specifically told me: “I’m with you until the end. I’m going to stay loyal to you over anyone else” and that’s not the type of player you vote out.”
Chris will not be able to save his ally and friend but, editing-wise, he gained a lot of momentum: In a rather disorganized tribe filled with cold, calculating players, Chris comes out as a good guy, the type of guy that viewers like.
Hearing Chris’ plan, Rick had a quick reaction: “Holy crap! We might still be able to take out Wentworth and the vest part of that is that Chris actually came up with the idea. I mean, Chris came to me and we both think it’s prime time for a blindside. This is huge.”
What Rick saw as a huge opportunity turned out to be a wet petard.
David’s confessional revealed his enthusiasm: “This is so exciting: I feel like we’ve been handled this gift. It’s Christmas because I’m all about blindsiding Wentworth. I think that’s a great idea. This tribe is not big enough for two returning players so I want to take her out before she comes after me. As long as everyone is on board with this plan, it’s almost going to happen on its own.”
Unfortunately for David, the Grinch was in Fiji in the person of Wardog who saw Kelley as a potential shield.
Wardog’s confessional: “Chris is throwing cold water on my plan. He wants to take out Wentworth but I think that’s very short-sighted. Yes, she’s a returning player, she’s a threat, she plays the game hard, she finished in fourth place the last time; she’s a gamer but she has a bigger target on her back than I do and that’s a great reason to keep her around. I want the plan to be my plan but I want everyone else feel like it’s their plan too. I don’t want them to look at me as the one calling the shots; that would just get me in trouble. So Chris and myself, we have to make a decision but if we are going to take out Wentworth, this is the vote.”
Wardog is showing to be a smart player; not only will it be his plan that works out in the end but he’s managed to stay shielded and he isn’t reveal himself as a strategic threat.
We heard Kelley’s thoughts: “People are acting very strange and it’s making me nervous... There has been a shift and I’m like; if I were in their shoes what would I do? There is no question I would vote me out. It’s not like these people know each other’s game but they do know mine. I’ve been in this position before and both times I was blindsided. I trust Lauren but not these other people so my heart is beating very fast right now. IK feel like it’s going to be déjà vu and if they take me out before Keith I’m going to be so pissed off.”
There was a very noticeable break in Kelley’s confessional right after she said that people were making her nervous. It made her observation sound even more accurate because we saw people looking suspicious.
Tribal Council
There were lots of talk of loyalty and challenge performance but, in the end, we saw one vote against Wendy, one against Kelley and the rest were against Keith.
Reaching the fork in the road, Keith left us hanging...
The StoryUp to know, both episode titles have come from returning players; we first had Joe sating “It smells like Success” after making fire and now it was Kelley’s turn to comment that “one of us is going to win the war”. Kelley won this battle but it wasn’t fought against Wendy. That is still up in the air. The strange thing is that the episode made it almost certain that a returning player will not win this season. David will probably get cut unexpectedly by Rick, Aubry doesn’t realize that everyone is aware of her tactics to get in with the newbies, Kelley is fixating on Wendy while Joe was left out of the story altogether.
The Island of Extinction has forced a change in the traditional formula; we no longer get Jeff’s “words of wisdom” after snuffing the torch and the episode started with the player that has just been voted out instead of hearing those who had returned from Tribal Council. It takes away from the game itself but it’s the cost of making this gimmick work. Both Reem and Keith received an unusual amount of content for players voted this early and that will probably continue for the next exits. That adds to the confusion of reading the long term players’ stories: Players on the Island of Extinction are going to be long term characters even if they won’t be returning to the game itself.
The CharactersIn the Tour de France, they have what is called a “voiture-balai” , a “broom-car” that hangs at the back of the field to take out the cyclists that are so far behind that they have to be picked up and are thus eliminated from the competition. These players should get on the “voiture-balai” .
Julia: We still haven’t heard an interview from Julia. It’s certainly not a good sign for her long term prospects.
Aurora: She is narrating the events of her tribe but it’s almost as if it’s a disembodied narration. Some stories are told in the first person, the author squarely putting us in the position of his hero and letting us read his thoughts. Tony in Cagayan was an example of this story telling technique. At other times, the story is told in the third person, the author putting us in the position of an unnamed observer. We’d have to go back to Borneo for an example of this technique. In that first season, Jeff’s off-camera narration often told us what was happening. Here we have a combination of the two; the narrator isn’t completely anonymous but is she really part of the action?!
Wendy: We have to give it to her; she isn’t giving in. She fought back nicely and performed well enough in the challenge to merit another three days in the tribe.
Julie: Can we really take her seriously as a player? I don’t think so.
The Over-the-Hill Gang – Often, old glories try to play one more season and it kind of takes away from their greatness. It seems all 4 returning players are in over their head this time around:
Aubry: The editor’s montage making fun of Aubry’s strategy killed her chances of being viewed as the Sole Survivor.
David: His character had depth in the Gen X tribe but, in Manu, he has become a one-note character, obsessed with getting Kelley out before she gets him. The fact that we haven’t heard Kelley once say she’d want to get David out makes me think that she’ll outlast him.
Kelley: The war between Dominick and Chris that was so meaningful in Ghost Island casts a shadow over the one between Wendy and Kelley just like a conflict between India and Pakistan outweighs a discord between Macedonia, a new country, and Greece, an old Glory. Our old Glory is becoming a one-dimension character that is obsessing over a trivial opponent and forgetting to solidify the bonds with the others, just relying on their good will.
Joe: He was a large part of Kama’s win but he was only a small part of the story, mostly shown but not heard while looking for an idol. That seems to tell us that he’ll need that idol but won’t get it.
The Peloton – These players are hanging back in the pack, waiting for their time to pounce...or not:
Chris: Yes, Keith would have been a loyal ally but it was much too early to be thinking about carrying someone to the end so Chris made the right choice, presumably voting against his ally. (I’m going on the assumption that Kelley was the one that voted against Wendy while Keith voted against Kelley.) We had evidence that Chris’ input in the tribe’s strategy is being considered which is all that he needs for now.
Gavin: There was nothing bad about Gavin’s presentation in this episode except that it was very limited. He had an interview but it was only to set up Lauren’s find of the idol. His only other moment was as a participant in the scene mocking Aubry.
Eric: Just like Gavin, his presence was minimal but he was a large part of the challenge win so maybe that was enough to keep him in the viewers’ mind.
Victoria: I noticed that Victoriaa was the one carrying the idol into the challenge, she was the one who went to accept it from Jeff after their win and she’s the one that told Jeff which reward the tribe wanted. If anything that means she’s the tribe’s representative and that’s a better sign than being the tribe’s sit-out. She was also the driving force in telling us that Aubry’s attempts at gaining allies were completely transparent. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Victoriaa leading the charge to send Aubry out of the game.
Ron: Initiating the Kama dance certainly helped Ron’s status within the tribe. He has been able to socialize with these younger players and he seems to be appreciated. More importantly, he was part of Victoriaa’s talk about Aubry and he clearly stated that he’d side with her over the returning players. Now, it’s not enough to have social skills, we have to see if he can transpose them into a social game, using his bonds to get his allies to vote the way that is best for him.
The Échappée – These players are at the fore-front just like cyclists that take the early lead in a long stage. Some cyclists do it only to show their sponsors’ colors, others try hard but fade before the final sprint while some manage to hang on and win the race. Which are these?
Rick: He’s found a solid ally in David who gave him positive comments. Such a nice personal endorsement, especially coming from someone that the vast majority of the audience appreciates, is a tremendous way to advance someone’s story. We know that this news anchorman is a good companion, that he makes people laugh and that he has a strong handle of the game. Will it be enough?
Lauren: Some players stumble upon idols while others can’t keep theirs a secret. Lauren’s find was nicely set up: We heard that the search grid was enormous, we heard that there was nothing that stood out to help the search and we also heard that women rarely find idols but then, suddenly, violà! Lauren had an idol in her hands and was determined to keep it secret to everyone. This montage looked too important if this was to be a wasted idol so I expect that Lauren will do damage with it. Will it carry her to the end?
Wardog: Not bad for a guy who had the reputation of not being strategic. He wants others to see his plan and think it’s their own and it worked. His presence at Tribal Council was both reserved and on point. He could be an emerging orchestra leader. Up to now, Wardog’s presentation hits all the right notes; we heard a bit of his personal story and we’re starting to hear his tactical thinking. We’ll have to see if his character can keep growing. How far can he go?
Voted out - Keith: He has to pick up the torch and head for the boat or else he didn’t deserve to be there.
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