LAST EDITED ON 07-24-08 AT 10:37 AM (EST)

For specific discussion of this season's 'relationship' and the many details which don't make the broadcast (some of which are missing because there's no way to get them into broadcast standards).

Right now, the current state of the union seems to be this:

April's basically admitted that she's playing Ollie. It's the same thing Matt did to Natalie: find a sucker, keep a sucker -- except that April seems to be giving out the majority of sexual favors in this relationship instead of receiving them. As far as we've heard from April, this is all about controlling an alliance partner via the most direct means she could find. The majority of this hasn't made the broadcast beyond a quick admission that it was gameplay on her end: our show audience doesn't know how she's holding the leash. But unless she manages to find feelings somewhere under the 'So who cares? It's not as my father will ever see most of it', we're looking at Heartless Be-Yotch Version Too.Many.

Ollie, gawds help him, seems to at least partially believe it's real -- at least, he may think April really cares about him and wants to be with and around him. He might have some idea that it's just in a showmance context: they'll have fun in the hamster cage, and afterwards -- which is where we hit the problem. Ollie just might be starting to believe there's a chance at 'afterwards'. His feelings appear to be sincere. Yes, he's being very naive, and you can add a hefty dose of raw dumb to that, along with a bit of the classic 'now moving thought processes from primary head to secondary head' -- but for the moment, he's a victim, and his final fall could break bones.

People saw what Matt was, and I'd like to think it had some impact on his social life after the show. As in 'obliterated it'. We're seeing what April is, and it's Matt's reflection in a funhouse mirror.

This is already very, very ugly -- and it has the potential to get so much worse...

It's not Angela & Tony, but it's way too close.