That was quite a messy episode, wasn’t it? With the original bunching point, the noisy Hanoi traffic, the maze in Vac and the muddy coal, no one ran a clean race! It also made for very choppy scenes except for the momentary break in the action to remind us of the history behind the location. The stark horror of the Vietnamese prison was poignant. The acknowledgment of Senator McCain’s bravery was moving even to this Canadian.

The racers are fairly well established by now so I thought it would be appropriate to focus on the highlights and see what quotes or scenes stick out.

The Opening quotes:
They can be viewed as hooks to get new viewers into the story we’ve been following. In that sense, Sarah talking about her prosthesis problem is to be considered meaningless. It does nothing to advance their story. The same can be said about Tom and Terry and Rob and Kimberly. Lyn’s comment had a negative ring to it.

Some comments had no bearing on future events but were put in to prepare the settings:
Duke’s comment about not serving in Vietnam but having many friends who never returned set the stage for the mood of the episode.
David and Mary were going on a very emotional leg. We got a quick preview when David told us that his father was in the Vietnam war and Mary hurt her ankle.

The opening words from Tyler and James and Dustin and Kandice talked about the race itself:
Tyler: “James and I are happy with how things are turning out. We haven’t fought…as long as we focus on the race, we’ll be fine.”
Kandice: “What we learn in this thing is to be confident with our directions.”

Completely different from the other confessionals, we had Erwin mentioning, “In my heart, I’ve already won, because each moment…I’m looking out the window and seeing these wonderful places along with doing it with my brother! How many people have these opportunities.” It was nice moment but coming from a team that had underachieved, it left an impression of two good guys not really into the race. Was it to get the viewers to cheer for this win because they don’t get many? That is the impression I got but it could be interpreted the other way.

A confrontation at the ticket line:
The move by Dustin and Kandice at the ticket line may be viewed by many as bad behavior. However, we heard Dustin explain it to us first, how Tom and Terry left the counter open. That tells me the editor’s intent was to show the beauty queens were real competitors. Having Tom telling them off afterwards rather stressed the guys’ immaturity. Hearing them say, “They are not going to win a beauty pageant of kindness, that is for sure” was the kind of nugget the editors would love to throw in for the ironic value if they are to win. Equally meaningful was Kandice’s comment about being on the ball. So many lost because they weren’t. To complement that scene, we heard a confessional from James telling us, “The blondes are conniving. They’re always looking for any inch they can get on anybody else.” The confessional wasn’t done while waiting for the plane because at the ticket counter and upon arriving in Vietnam, they have grey and blue shirts and while they talk about the conninving girls, they have the black and purple shirts they wore the next day. For an unimportant event, it got a lot of editing attention. Things to definitely keep in mind was that Tom was wrong and that James spoke about the girls negatively. Usually that turns against the one speaking.

A Second Alliance:
There was another thing to notice in that scene: Before knowing everyone would be on the same plane, Rob secured tickets to Hanoi and he high-fived Tyler who were joining them. It was “awesomne” that they were on the same plane. There is another alliance besides week two’s “Back Bus alliance”; the “Buddy Alliance” of Rob and Kimberly and Tyler and James. Remember, Rob stopped to give the guys his jack last time. They were together when asking for directions to the flower market. That two team alliance was also heard laughing at the blondes who had stopped for the accident. Team Iron Man and the Blondes would be the only ones left not seen in an alliance.

Surprises and Hard labor
The new twist of starting a leg with no money and the rule preventing to beg or sell was surprising. The father-daughter team were immediately having problems. They thought they had made a wise move, securing the help of a local. They hadn’t counted on being taken for a ride 30 minutes off course. They were last at the “Hanoi Hilton” but it was another bunching point. Being the eliminated team however reinforces the idea that the theme is “The race is tough, you have to be ready for surprises.”

The prison’s horors were griping but for the player’s edit, only Edwin and Godwin’s moment of reflexion “Even though it meant we’d be in last place” held meaning. The feelings expressed had nothing to do with the race.

From the detour to the roadblock and the pit stop what stood out was the strong performances by Edwin and Godwin, Tyler and James, Rob and Kimberly and Dustin and Kandace. Tom and Terry had a good leg going but you HAVE TO READ THE CLUES! They fell from 2nd to 8th and Phil’s words about “This has to suck” seemed meant for us to agree they deserved their penalty.

That whole sequence was mainly David and Mary’s story and it was used to draw sympathy, for ratings a cynic would say. The occasion couldn’t be ignored even if it has no bearing on their longevity. Their story is about a couple of nice ordinary country folks discovering the world and making friends. What matters to the race is that they are the heart of the “Back Bus alliance” formed during the trip to Mongolia. That alliance made its first victim when sticking together proved the better strategy over going alone. It could help boot other strong players along the way.

Duke and Lauren had been presented has calm efficient racers. Their quiet race and uneventful edit made us think they could go far. We should have been alerted by their lack of airtime. It wasn’t because they were boring as Lauren showed a dry sense of humor. First after her father said, “we’ll find out” if they’re last, she answers with a deadpan expression “Yeah! When we’re eliminated.” And then later with “When we’re arrested because we can’t pay him.” There was more to them than the strained relation. The editors not bothering to show them much should’ve been seen as a sign they weren’t part of the end story.

Losing Teams

-The scene when Sarah had to crawl to the pit stop while Peter couldn’t be bothered to give her a hand was the “coup de grâce” for their edit. Maybe he knows she adamantly refuses help but, for us, she desperately appeared to need it. The camera stood well back, amplifying the distance she had to travel and the separation between them. Peter and Sarah do not win!

-The “Back Bus Alliance” won’t see the Bama Moms, Kentucky or Tom and Terry win.

Teams with Fading Chances

-Rob and Kimberly had very little face time in this episode and we will take this as an indication that they aren’t the winners. They kept their villain role, that means they’ll make it far but probably not as winners.

-Of the “Bus Alliance”, the Cho Brothers still have some chances. Edwin and Godwin had little airtime in the first two weeks. They had a very good 3rd leg but nothing to point to them as having the determination to win. Last week’s quote about there being strong competitors in the back bus could have served to tell us about the alliance rather than any team in particular. They can’t be discounted, as some scenes can be interpreted differently, but they don’t seem to be winners. A surge in their face time is needed to consider them as real contenders.

The Front Runners
The race seems to be shaping up as a confrontation between Tyler and James and Dustin and Kandice. From the girls’ early comments about the guys being dangerous to the recognition that the blondes are conniving, these two teams seem ready for a showdown. The guys have laughed at and talked negatively about the girls a few times. The girls have been getting the editors’ favors for now. Even the Cho Brothers commented that “You can be the most intelligent person in the world… but two young females...are going to sell more flowers.” What about their race success? In both tasks, they were shown enjoying themselves. Where Tom and Karlyn were seen arguing with locals, the girls were smiling while selling flowers. They also had smiles when commenting on their brick-making exercise. Everyone else complained. Does all this make them winners? It could, but it could also simply serve to make us think they can!

I'd love to read how you see it!