Survivor has long abandoned the idea of putting a theme on the season but I haven't! This was:SURVIVOR M*A*S*H*
The star of the evening, well the one that we saw most often, happened to be the Medic and, while medical shows have always been popular, that's not exactly what we wanted to watch.
OK, we happen to know that this was filmed in Fiji where SeeBS has established a small colony but since any and all cultural references have long disappeared from this show, let's pretend we were in back in Korea for a Sequel to M*A*S*H*
The Patients - Most of These Players Kept our Medic Busy while another Sure Look Like she needs Help:
Bruce: His story is already done although, for the life of me, I can't understand why they didn't bring him back if he was doing so well and he hadn't missed a challenge.
Matthew: He was interviewed on the beach by Jeff. He said he had mixed emotions but he wasn't afraid right now.
Matthew explained that he stepped up for the «Sweat» Challenge because he was the oldest and the smallest guy. He wanted to get rid of that target.
He wasn't the first to make fire but he was the one that stepped up for Ratu. He was called the provider and showed his abilities to forage and build. In confessional, he thanked his mom for his sense of adventure and all the fun he was having. We got even more insights into his personal life as we were introduced to his husband and their son. That's when he went a bit too far, climbing a rock and falling off of it. He dislocated his shoulder and gashed his foot. Medic came in but he continued with a sling.
Once Lauren left on the trek, Matthew, again, was the one that narrated the search for the Bird Cage Key. He got them to split in group so that the person finding it couldn't hide it.
* His shoulder injury could get him voted out but his tribe is so fractured that he shouldn't have a problem rejoining Brandon. We heard playrs say that they like Matthew so that will help him extend his game.
Brandon: Brandon's first confessional was about not wanting to do a puzzle so his tribe chose the coconuts for which he, of course, was designated. Matthew joined him and, after a lot of effort, they succeeded. It took more than the 2 hours he expected though!
Brandon found the key and he tried to conceal, it butm Maddy noticed the bulge in his pocket. Realizing he had been caught, Brandon came clean and opened the cage in front of everyone. Brandon realized he had put a target on his back.
* His heatstroke didn't prevent him from reading the room properly. As far as I remember, this was the first time an idol was played correctly in the very first episode.
Carolyn: Her first presence showed that there's something missing up there. Doesn't she know how confessionals work? After 43 seasons?? Drug Counsellor or Drug Addict? Hard to tell, wasn't it?
Carolyn's second confessional about the bird cage made her look like an addict who had to find a way to take the drugs out of the cage.
It must be remembered that Carolyn lost the first reward challenge for her tribe, being the only one unable to fling the ring. Why did she think stripping out of her pants would help? Was it a reflex?
On day 2 we started to see paranoia in Carolyn. She realized no one was talking to her. She tried talking to people but it never went far. Next, she was shot down when she volunteered to go ion the boat.
The Visitors - They made briefs appearances on screen and maybe one or two will turn into stars but, for now, they are to be considered as numbers to be eliminated sooner or later:
Jaime: The 3rd confessional of the evening went to the Yoga instructor who seemed to think she has a magic wand that will give her the money. Then we saw her fall out of the boat as they reached land.
Josh: His first confessional told us he was a real life Survivor but he didn't get to expand on his life story.
Then Josh had a solely narrative confessional about feeling great about the challenge win and the utensils that came with it.
Danny: He had a day 1 confessional about liking the vibe of the Soka (Green) tribe. He was disappointerd that no one stood up in a bad way so that he could have an easy vote.
Claire: The evening's second confessional went to our Tech Investor. She wants to show that she can get 17 people to give her a million dollars.
In confessional, she gave us her thoughts about the bird cage twist being so public.
* Always watch for those early million dollar quotes. Claire had it this season.
Kane: His first and only confessional was a narration of the tribe's thoughts when they spotted the Bird Cage.
Heidi: She had her shining moment when she easily made fire for her tribe. She got to tell us that she is used to being under-estimated. She told us she was an electical engineer and that engineer are all about solving problems Just like Survivor. She promised us that there was alot more coming.
Lauren: I had trouble recognizing Lauren who went from having a huge Afro in the beginning to having her hair pulled under her buff by the time she gave her first confessional about the tribal challenge that awaited them on their beach.
She proved even sneakier when it came time to determine which Ratu member would go on the tre. They picked rock and she confided that she placed the grey rock in the bag so she knew its shape and had no problem pulling it out. She wanted to go to nhave something to show at the end. She was there to play Survivor.
Lauren was lucky on her first pick (or maybe not since she had no «lose your vote» message to show her tribe): She got THE BANK YOUR VOTE ADVANTAGE. Form the price of skipping the next vote, she could keep it for a later TC.
Lauren gave the simplest explanation to her tribe: She lost her vote she said. It would have been a good thing excpet for the talk between Matthew and Heidiv during the IC. Matthew immediately lost trust in Lauren because she hadn't shown them her message.
The Technicians - If only one or two characters had shined, we could have put them in the category of Doctor or Nurse but, with this group, it seems the best we had were the Technicians. They know the game and they were in charge of the events just like Technicians are on charge of running the Medical Tests:
Yam Yam: His first confessional contained the episode's Title Quote: «I Can't Wait to See Jeff!» It showed his excitement about the game.
Of note, Yam Yam was the first one Jeff addressed. He told Jeff what he looks for in a winner.
Yam Yam was also the Tika (Purple) Tribe Member chosen to give us the confessional about the bird cage that they found when Helen and Carson were handling the two sphere puzzle. He was the one who got the good laugh thinking about the Ratu (Orange) Tribe that was still dragging coconuts.
Yam Yam discussed his Porto Rican heritage and his resistance to extreme heat and humidity while we saw him making fire very quickly.
Yam Yam confessed that he felt bad for Bruce.
With his description of what it takes to win, Yam Yam gave us the appearance of a juror. Will he make the jury?
Unless he becomes the male equivalent of Maryanne, this guy will only serve for comic relief.
Helen: Her first confessional came when it was time for her tribe to do the «Savvy» Challenge. She knew it wouldn't be easy but she had to step up because she likes brain teasers and puzzles. She looked to Carolyn for her second (does that tell us that Helen is a bad judge of people!) Luckily, Carolyn knew her limitations so it came down to Carson.
During the challenge, we heard Helen's train of thought as she solved it without any apparent hesitations or second guessing.
On day 2 we saw the first Tika allaince between Helen, Carson and Sara. Sara gave us the details: She felt good with them because they were on the same page.
Maybe her story is a little light but I think the viewers who spotted her will have noticed that she is a smart player. This gives her lots of room to develop.
Matt: Matt jumped in on Frannie's train of thought to tell us that the adventure was real.
As soon as Soka reached their beach, Matt had his second confessional: He spoke of his long time desire to play and how it frightened him. He also spoke of coming out of a break-up while the camera kept focusing on Frannie. These two seem destined to go a long way together.
Sure enough, Matt's third confessional was all about the good vibes he got from Frannie.
Having to go on the trek, Matt told us he wasn't happy to leave the tribe so early.
During the early stage of the trek, it was Matt's confessional that was chosen to inform the audience. He talked about the opportunities for those who make it through the darkness. Even after the 3 players split Matt's thoughts were the ones we heard. It was all about risk which can get you from a vulnerable situation to a very strong one.
The first package drawn from the bag cost him a Vote. He risked a second pick and lost a second vote.
Matt showd his tribe that he had lost his vote but then, surprisingly, Josh asked if it was the only one. It definitely caught Matt off guard and his hesitations showed he was lying when he said yes.
Matt had a very strong edit. Sure, his trek had to be shown but we often saw the events through his eyes. That's a greag sign.
Carson: After Carolyn's crash and burn, Carson had the first real confessional. He told us about his casting on the show and what it meant to him. This NASA engineer prepared hard for the show. He was ready to see his hard work pay off.
In confessional, Carson told us he didn't want to be the guy who claims to be good at puzzles. He wanted the tribe to push him in the challenge which is exactly what happened.
During the tribe's shelter building scene, we heard that Carson considered himself a nerd. In confessional he admitted putting on 30 pounds to get stronger.
I think we should accept that his hard work may very well pay off because Carson had a very sympathetic and complete edit. He does seem prepare for everything and he doesn,t stand out as a target sio he could go far.
Sarah: Her first confessional was about Bruce's elimination. It gave their tribe a rude awakening, she said. He was strong and a coach, she added, so they would have to reevaluate how to succeed as a tribe without him.
Sarah picked the short straw so she got on the boat to join Matt and Lauren. Sarah explained the bag twist. On her obligatory first pick, she lost her vote. Getting greedy, she risked a second pick which got her THE INHERITANCE ADVANTAGE It means she can steal all the advantages and idols played at a TC.
Explainig herself to her tribe, Sarah could have simply showed the Lose Your Vote message but she embellished, saying she risked her vote and she didn't know who got the advantage.
The editors did present her as a player We got to know her in a very positive manner. She merits our attention.
Frannie: The research Coordinator sees Survivor as a test and she loves tests. She had a 2nd confessional during the opening segment, telling us that her feet have touched the sand so it felt real to her.
Frannie was also one of Jeff's interview. She explained how quickly the tribal bond formed.
Another important note was that Frannie, despite her 2 previous confessionals, was the Soka chosen to describe the Bird cage sighting even though Heidi and Josh were with her when they stumbled on to it.
We had a fourth confessional from Frannie, confirming that she was having a lot of fun and laughs with Natt. They were both a little awkward, a little nerdy. The two linked up, Frannie describing Matt as someone that made her feel comfortable.
Compared to the injured players, those who stood up for challenges or went on trek, there was nothing to Frannie's story. She could easily have been ignored by the editors but, instead, they gave her plenty of airtime. Why? She looks like a long term player for sure.
So who should be considered as Top Contenders? If the Editors wanted to give sympathetic edit to the futre winner then it has to be one of the so-called Technicians: Helen, Yam Yam, Carson, Sarah, Matt and Frannie. Another worthy of consideration is Matthew. Maybe someone else could emerge but, for now, those are the players I will be watching.
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