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"The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji"
VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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02-02-07, 03:33 PM (EST)
 
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"The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
Another season is around the corner  I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday season. I’m sure that those who post here have done much more detective work than the snippets I have regarding statements made about the contestants or the game dynamics so feel free to post them as they will only assist in our quest to guess the end game players and this season’s winner. Thank you to those who provided me with additional information so that I did not have to venture too far as contestant descriptions are quite valuable to me in any of my dime store psychologic analysis. However, I am not always given the complete descriptions so if there is more to add, I welcome those additions I will start off with my usual request for forgiveness as I tend to prattle on and my appreciation goes out to anyone who is patient enough to plow through my lengthy posts. I look forward to hearing from anyone who wishes to contribute as your insights are valuable to me. Themes Fiji is this season’s destination and Jeff Probst had indicated that some thematic approaches would be cannibalism which more or less could be deemed as a theme in a more visual sense. However, one can’t forget the symbolism set forth during Chris’s win and the “spirit stone” We did ultimately see an original keeper of the stone become the sole survivor so I for one, never overlook a potential nugget like that. He also mentions a season of “haves” and “have nots” which could certainly have consequences in how the game plays out with respect to how the contestants deal with this issue. Those who watch The Apprentice know the winning team lives in a lovely mansion while the losing team is sleeping outside in tents. Will those who “have” get lazy and smug and perhaps lose an important quality in winning this game? Will the “have nots” reach down out of desperation and drive to wipe the “smiles” off of the “haves” faces or will their resentment get the better of them psychologically? In the same token, we will see (ultimately) some “haves” feel a sense of compassion and cross some tribe borders out of a sense of empathy especially if they do not particularly like the way some of their fellow “haves” are behaving amidst their good fortune? It will certainly be an interesting dynamic in human nature. Another “theme” he mentions as an “overall theme” is letting the players make almost every decision in terms of how the initial set up is established. Obviously, making decisions is central to any season of Survivor and who can forget the ramifications when the tribes made their own decisions on who they want on a tribe. The Game Initial Tribe Formation From what has been indicated, we know that the game begins with only 19, rather than the original 20 and one person chooses the tribes. Leaving this type of decision in one person’s hands can leave us with all types of ramifications. I imagine there is some guideline as an alternating female/male situation or something of that sort. Regardless, people base their decisions on different criteria as we have seen in the past with the way Jake and Jan chose their tribes (for example) Picking those who appear strong or appear smart, etc. may not always have the outcome one desires. In other words, what you see ISN’T always what you get. It will be interesting to see if perhaps a tribe that visually appears “good on paper” ends up being a tribe full of strife with no ultimate victor. Contestant Diversity Again, a cast with more diversity in racial/cultural backgrounds has been established and it will again be interesting to see IF the same backgrounds will have an affect on alliances or not. Last season this was a forced issue by grouping the players in tribes made up of their own race/culture. This season, while we have again racial/cultural diversity, there are only two groups although they are filled with players that make up an array of various cultures/races. The premise of last season ““will those of their own background stick together after they are broken up” does not appear a goal this time but we cannot overlook that it may be a factor. In ANY Survivor, similarities tend to create alliances, bonding, or friendships. This is just something that happens with people. You meet someone with a similar background (i.e. religion, race, geographics, gender, educational) and there is a connection. It will remain to be seen whether those of the same race/culture seek one another out or if that flies out the window in light of there being such a vast mix. One can’t help but wonder if Sean and Vecepia would have been bonded if there were perhaps four African Americans that season as opposed to two? Consequently, the issue was forced last season and while there were bondings based on background, many did not “keep” and new bondings were just as easily formed. Being Exiled and the Hidden Idol We now have two past seasons of utilizing Exile Island so I think we now have a good indicator of how long term players are edited if they are exiled. There is always room for an exception but it stands to reason that we know they may need to be featured but it is up to objective viewing to discern if this player’s promotion is merely showing the situation at hand OR building upon a longer term player or someone who is integral to the flow of the game. If I am informed correctly, the clues to the HII are still located at the island but the actual idols are hidden at the camps. Someone can correct me on this if I am in error. This should be a fun twist and again, I would imagine the person who FINDS the idol will have an extra editing element while on HII especially since their quest for the HII will not be on EI. With this, there will now be two idols and either one or both (again someone can correct me) are actually played this season. The keepers of the HII in the last two seasons (Terry and Yul) were quite prominent on our screen; both found the idols and both were end game players but there were also differences in how they were edited as well; one being the winner and one not in terms of their relationship (so to speak) with the idol and how it was used as a vehicle for them to get further ahead. With the idol(s) actually and actively played this season, rest assured that the keeper of the idol and perhaps the person who benefits from it (and this is not mutually exclusive) will receive a certain care in their television showing. Obviously with the methodology of being able to use the idol before the votes are read but after the votes are cast will result in interesting game play but that is neither here nor there in terms of editing so to speak. That is a game play dynamic that will make for wonderful speculation; it is only interesting to me in terms of how they will edit someone who uses it and for which it will be successful or not. I also believe we are in for some wonderful television with the hunt being similar to Guatemala. Those who visit EI and receive the clues will need to take care in their search with their tribe mates not far from them. Like Guatemala, we may see people work together to find the HII quicker. What happens then? The person with the clues may get assistance and that “helper” may be, in fact, the one to find it for them. We now have yet another potential conflict in the making and may be a fascinating situation. Note also that with the formation back to two tribes there may not necessarily be an end game player with a big showing immediately. Last season with groups of four the editors were able to feature more contestants earlier on so we should not be surprised if someone receives a relatively benign first showing but then “breaks out of the gate” later on. The Players We have seen the editors catagorize different types of people and edit them in a certain fashion. Men and women on this show are edited quite differently with a strong male usually getting a very prominent and promising (sometimes misleading) edit. Consequently, many “strong” women do not receive this; they often are portrayed slightly negative (bossy). There has been criticism that the more successful women are sadly neglected in their edit which usually tells me to look for OTHER clues to their edit. “Characters” as we know, are often highly visible but without any real dimension. Villains are sometimes forced upon us as is the case with femme fatales and the like. Journey characters often appear quite transparent and quite often they do well enough for the audience to see them reach the end of that journey. Forced edits are normally not end game edits. This is not to say that end game players edits are not manipulated; they certainly are. However, the manipulation is subtle; it would have to be or else it would ruin the “surprise.” Manipulated scenes and conversations, unnecessary focus on something that should not be very important have all been utilized in the edit of an end game player. Contestant Analysis As we have learned, sometimes what Jeff does say about a contestant may be telling and sometimes it is misleading. Since I do this every season, these are the comments about past winners, which I like to note just to help encompass how Jeff discusses the characters. Yul could absolutely win this game; I’d be delighted if he did; a super likeable guy” and“Yul is a player. You underestimate Yul, you'll be going home before he will... He studied the show. As somebody who wants to play this game and have a shot at winning he's studied the show” "I'm not sure what he's (Aras) bringing. He's bringing a lot of talk. Does he know how to play Survivor? We'll find out. That's all I've got on Aras." "Danni is someone that I think people are probably going to get behind. She's in great shape. She's tall and she's got a competition background" "Tom is salt-of-the-earth guy. A father. A firefighter. There's no chance of this guy being a villain. You hope he lasts long enough in the game to be a hero. If he does last for a while, he's the kind of guy who could win it, because people are going to look at him and say, You know what, why not him? Everything about him is good." "If Chris is everything he reports to be, he'll do just fine in the game, that's the question. Is he putting on a really this strong "I'll tackle anything bring it on, you can't beat me kind of guy? I don't know. I think he's one of the guys that could either emerge as really strong or fade fast" Also, a guy you know will play the game like Mariano; super exciting to us....." (Recall this is coming off from All Stars) So, what about these contestants? I will add what I have seen and what I was informed. Again, please note that in any group situation, there tends to be gravitation of people based on certain criteria which we have seen time and time again. What is also interesting is that sometimes it doesn’t matter. Some of my commentary discusses that there may be automatic “bonds” in light of similar races/culture but as we have seen that doesn’t always necessarily happen because of personality differences but we can’t overlook that quite often there is a reaching out initially solely because of a similarity however, as days pass that initial connection may dissolve. Jeff: I think we have some great characters this season. I'm very excited. I like watching the personalities emerge and see who steps up and who fades away. I've got my eye on a few people this season to see how they do. And I'm sure I'll be surprised by a few others that I don't see coming. Whether this is carefully construed hype for a show that has lasted the duration, we shall see but Jeff appears to be very positive about a good portion of the players and I will back burner his mention of those who he may be surprised by I do not have any information on any breakdown of the tribes. They apparently all work together en masse and this is important since as we saw with Palau, although there were two tribes, the original setting of one big group did create some immediate bonds that carried over. We also know that typically speaking some first boot candidates are those who are overly bossy, those who appear weak or sick, the “oldest” (which is entirely dependent on how that person is contributing; one can be the oldest and be absolutely valuable to the tribe whether of a physical, leadership, paternal/maternal, maturity nature) those who are socially not integrating enough or those who may be directly responsible for the challenge loss. On a tribe that has more men then women, generally a woman will leave first (unless there is a male that is unbearable in some aspect) A tribe with more women than men, however, does not automatically result in a man going first as women do typically theorize they need physically fit men to win the challenges. Sylvia (52-California-Architect-Asian-married) The oldest woman this season (and unfortunately in many cases the eldest woman is an early casualty) Jeff said: “Sylvia is going to annoy some people. It too me 30 minutes for her to tell me if she could swim. Good Luck Sylvia” It stands to reason that any “older” woman has odds against her on this show unless a driving force wants this woman to come along for the ride. Syliva, in her interview certainly came across as someone who has no problem bestowing her knowledge on others which may set off an early tone about her. For her to take 30 minutes to do what Jeff stated certainly does not bode well for her and common sense tells me she is probably an early casualty as well Cassandra (42-California-Civil Engineering Manager-African American-married) Jeff says: “Cassandra is going to have a nice visit; she’ll be voted out early. I think that will be enough for Cassandra” Cassandra appeared to be a very amiable and likeable woman who also had the sense to question whether the “older” people may be voted out early. I think there are some other candidates that would go well before she does. Again, without knowing the actual tribe breakdown it is hard to judge how someone like Cassandra may fare. She has a racial connection with three men who may provide a buffer for her should there be, in fact, a connection of that kind. She, like other older woman may take on a “mother” role which may be of assistance as well. While it is easy to dredge up past Survivors and compare (as was done with her and Cerie) this is often problematic as people are different, the other contestants are different and the game dynamic is different. If Cassandra is as affable as she appeared to be, I don’t think she should have any early problems but keeping up in challenges is always something to be wary about. Should Cassandra become pivotal in daily life (mothering, camp work, etc.) any issues on her physical strength and/or endurance may be overlooked Rita (38-Texas-Pageant work-Hispanic-not married/mother) Jeff says: “Rita “I'm So Beautiful For My Age” is a fascinating woman. I think she should be a really good character on the show.” and “Can Rita win the game? No. Rita will not win the game.” and “Rita prides herself on being a single mom. She wears that as a badge of honor. She's also very aware of her looks.” and “Rita's pretty good, she's a good nurturer and that probably comes from being a mom. It's really interesting watching how the different roles play out. Every tribe needs a leader and every tribe needs a couple of followers. Every tribe could use some levity. And I think every tribe needs some nurturing. I felt that's what Rita provided. She was the compassionate one that would understand, would listen to an argument, would try to make you feel better after a loss. That can go a long way. It keeps you out of the way when people are looking for reasons to vote somebody out. Rita's nice, suddenly she's okay. I've learned over the seasons that anything you can do to not give them a reason to say yes to voting you out is a good thing to do.” To be quite honest, I’m not sure Rita has what it takes to last the duration on this show nor do I necessarily believe others will take to her in that “mother” role despite Jeff’s suggestion otherwise. In her interview she came across as someone very self confident about her appearance and there was a touch of “something” that I don’t necessarily feel that some of the women will like about her. Could she ingratiate herself with the men? I would suggest that the majority of these men do not appear to be playing that way. While she is one of the “older” women (in Survivor, unfortunately, 38 is an older woman ) I don’t necessarily see her meshing completely with the other two “older” women should they be together. Lisi, who is closest to her in age appears worlds apart from Rita. The Hispanic connection she could potentially have with Edgardo, Lilliana and/or Alex is not something I would bank on since we ultimately don’t know who will be grouped together and frankly I am not sure that any of these three would connect with her regardless of their similar background (perhaps Edgardo). I would have to agree with Jeff that I do not see her as an end game player; I’ll go further that it would be surprising if she was a long term player although Jeff’s indication of “character” reference would allow me to believe we may see quite a show from her during the time she is there. While she seems that she will be personable enough and, as Jeff indicates, could fulfill a mother role, I’m not too confident on her longevity. Jeff’s usage of the words that he “thinks” and I “felt” may be just general speak on his part but they indicate to me that perhaps he never was able to solidly define her role on this show Lisi (36-California-Customer Service/Musician-Caucasian-not married) Jeff says “I think she could be a crowd favorite or very annoying or simply disappear and be an early vote off” Quite a bit of double talk from Jeff and all we can construe from this is that however well she did he is either not willing to say or could never quite get a handle on the reaction of how her persona may be met. It’s a fine line that women with her type of personality walk especially on this show. Eccentric and/or sarcastic type personalities emanated by women are not usually met with the same response as a male unfortunately. “Funny” men are entertaining, “funny” women are obnoxious. While Lisi appears to be someone that the audience may enjoy watching, she may not be someone that will get the same reaction from those living with her. However, she may be someone who gets along quite well with some of these men and if situated with a majority, may be fine for awhile. Quite often “rougher” (my apologies as I am trying to speak as generally as possible and sometimes my descriptions enter stereotype territory to get a point across) women contestants mesh very well with their male tribe mates and we may see that from her. Erica (27-Louisiana-Non profit fundraising-African American-not married) Jeff says: Erica is a sleeper. Erica is an athlete also. I think she's a track star in her background and been in the military. She's a quiet force and she's not easily swayed which also comes up very early. I think in the first episode you get a chance to see that Erica has her own opinions and even though the tribe may be going left, if she feels it appropriate to go right she will which historically is not a great move and “She said something in casting that was a red flag; she talked about making the jury. I think Erica will be lucky to make the jury, nice person but doesn’t have the killer instinct to win this game” Although Jeff’s comments are often misleading, it appears that Erica has a strong personality and is a strong female which may be fine should the tribe need to rid themselves of weaker people but she may then fall victim to that scenario we have seen quite often when a unyielding woman is thought to be that “bossy woman” type that we often seen get booted fairly early on (Debb, Jolanda, etc.) Unfortunately, strong men and strong women are not regarded the same in society and on Survivor which may hurt her. I’m sure with her background, she will have some feature of the hardship she endured. Alas, this means nothing in terms of Survivor and if on a tribe with strong minded men and women who are not very tolerant of a “strong” woman, she may be gone sooner rather than later. A lot depends on her presentation. We can’t overlook any “bonds” that may be made though should she be with others of her racial background. While this may sound not very “kosher” it can’t be discounted. Last season we saw that it both had an impact and also did not matter. Yul and Becky’s relationship had strong ties because of their culture whereas it did not matter to other individuals. Stacy (27-Colorado-Advertising-Asian-not married) Jeff says: “I just can’t get a read on her. I would say that’s not a good sign because if you can’t read somebody it’s hard to trust them. Stacy cannot win this game” Stacy appeared to be quite vivacious with nothing adverse in her personality. Again younger women generally don’t do horrible on this show unless they are perceived as worthless. I don’t necessarily subscribe to Jeff’s opinion on not trusting someone you can’t quite read but again, it is all in the presentation which remains to be seen with Stacy. At this juncture, with nothing to go on, I can’t say that Stacy may not have “legs” this season but she is not one of the contestants that I have an early surface feeling that she will be our winner. However, not having a good “read” on her is not necessarily a negative thing and her first showing may give us a better feel for her. Jessica (27-California-Fashion Stylist-Caucasian-not married) Jeff says “People are going to like Jessica. She’s not a vixen; she’s just a nice person who will bring something to the tribe” and Jessica is the quintessential girl next door. I was pulling for Jessica because she had some family tragedy in her life and I think it's been a struggle at times. She's very likeable. Delightful smile, great personality and I think an underdog. I said before the show started Jessica was somebody who could win the game. I also said that about Boo. I thought Boo and Jessica both could win the game. Of course my track record is horrible. Well I don’t know how horrible Jeff’s track record really is but be that as it may... Jeff appears very positive about Jessica. I try not to get caught up with Jeff’s thoughts on who could win this game but I certainly won’t discount them either. Jessica sounds like a very sweet girl which brings up the always interesting conundrum with sweet girls. They either last well into the game or they leave early. It is entirely dependent on the rest of her tribe’s makeup and how valuable she is physically at challenges and around camp and so forth. This hopefully will be made apparent to us fairly early. Her interview did present a seemingly sweet person which essentially means nothing. Likeability is a great asset in winning the game but it won’t provide longevity unless there are other factors. I find it interesting that Jeff states “I think an underdog” which had me curious (compare to Dre as noted below). The “underdog” description is an absolute. One is either an underdog or they are not. For Jeff to have to “think” she may be an underdog makes me question whether Jeff never had enough time to solidly decide this about her. Last season he was quite definite about “underdogs” which in retrospect makes sense since it played out well into the season. For him to only “think” she may be an underdog doesn’t sound she was there for any length of time for it to become a realization. Again, I may be reading too much into that though. Lilliana (25-California-Loan Officer/former military-Hispanic-not married) Jeff says “(Lilliana) is somebody I am betting people will keep around” Not a whole lot from Jeff but she does have some aspects going for her. She is young, physically capable and with a military background would appear to be capable in this type of atmosphere. She does have a strong side it would appear but unlike Jeff’s description of Erica he does not delve into any aspect of her being inflexible. Like others with a common bond based on their race/culture, Lilliana, if with other contestants of her background, may have a buffer but until I know their breakdown that remains to be seen. Two contestants of Hispanic background, Edgardo and Alex are strong, capable men. Should she be with them, she may have an automatic insulation and I suggest she probably would be better received then Rita, the Hispanic female. There are often times that I have a decent feeling on someone with no rhyme or reason other than who they are up against and either the content or lack of content by Jeff. Lilliana may be a female to go a distance. Michelle (23-Ohio-Student-Asian-not married) Jeff says “I can’t tell if she is a dynamite package ready to explode or just a giggly school girl” and She's feisty and she's, I think, a little deceptive. When you see her and listen to her she has a way of talking that makes everything sound like a question. I think people might disregard her but she's a bit more of a player than I think people realize.” Again, not knowing the breakdown of the tribes, it is hard to discern how another young lady will fare. However, Jeff’s description tends to make me think that there will be more of Michelle for us to see. What I find again interesting is the contrast of how Jeff uses the word “think” again. Note the difference that Jeff indicates he “thinks” Jessica is an underdog. He states of Michelle “I think, a little deceptive” There is potentially a big difference in both Jeff’s statements using “think.” As indicated under Jessica’s description, an “underdog” persona is an absolute; one is either an underdog or they are not. For Jeff to only think Jessica may be this makes me question that his thought process never got realized. Whereas, Jeff’s usage of the word “think” with respect to Michelle and deception is not an absolute; for Jeff to “think” Michelle may be deceptive may indicate that she would require more time for that thought process to be instilled. Again, this may only be overanalyzing on my part as I tend to do quite often. Generally speaking, my judgement on longevity is reserved at this time as young women rarely seem to fall in the middle. They either are quite successful or early casualties which again, is entirely dependent on who they are with and what they contribute. She did appear very fun and extremely energetic while on camera. Gary (55-Minnesota-School Bus Driver/carpentry-Caucasian-married) Jeff says: “Has kids the same age (as some of the contestants) which he thinks may be an advantage because he has a great relationship with his kids. Can he win the game? He’s a dark horse” Unlike “older” women, unless an “older” male is unbearably bossy or unyielding, “older” men can do fairly well in this game. It was interesting to note that many of the other contestants were curious about him (mainly due to his appearance) Gary appears to be a very pleasant and down to earth man (as opposed to the BB’s and Willard’s we have seen) and while I agree with Jeff that while Gary may not be able to claim the title, I have no problem envisioning him to be a long term player. There does not appear to be any question that he will be an asset around camp (at challenges remains to be seen but many times this is forgiven) and he certainly appears to be one that will provide that “fatherly” figure that often times is needed for a tribe to function properly. Alas, at end game, physical abilities is often crucial but with the “final three” aspect we saw last season, it is not unheard of that someone like Gary could elicit the crown. At this juncture I have no reason to believe he can’t do well Yau-Man (54-California-Computer Engineer-Asian-married) Jeff says: “He’s a guy you can easily dismiss; you’re just too old. I’m pulling for Yau-Man (as a guy who is getting older). Can he win the game? Longshot.” and “Another guy who is one of my all time favorite survivors is Yau-Man who I think might be the oldest guy. He's from coincidentally Kota Kinabalu where we did the very first season in Borneo. He grew up on those islands. So he is really at home. This is a guy that knows how to open a coconut quickly, efficiently. I really do think that people are going to adore Yau-Man” High praise from Jeff indeed and the glimpse of him no doubt showed him to appear as useful as he is attempting to be. Like Gary, an older man may have a rough time at the end game where a must needed individual immunity may be crucial but with the general makeup of all the individuals, he also may be a contestant that is needed and embraced. However, one can’t discount that if he (or Gary) bring the tribe down in physical challenges, he may be viewed as a detriment and sadly voted off. Jeff’s opinion that Yau-Man is one of his all time favorite characters though tends to have me believe that he may do very well in order for Jeff to be that positive about him Earl (35-California-Advertising-African American-not married) Jeff says “That’s a good strategy (with respect to Earl advising of a seize or retreat strategy) It’s playing to win and as far as I’m concerned, why else are you here?” Not a lot said on Jeff but Earl appears to be strong without having an overbearing attitude. There was nothing in my glimpse of him that showed he would have any real issues in the social aspect of this game. As stated with other contestants, he may have a ready bond with other contestants of his race and this goes for gender, religion, age, etc. He is also sitting in the middle/upper tier of the age bracket and if on a tribe with brash younger males, one of them may be eliminated as Earl appears very capable physically to pick up the slack. He may get along quite well with the older males should he be with them and/or deal well enough with some of the younger males. While Jeff does not say too much, a good strategy is never a bad thing; time will tell if it can be implemented fully. I will say that upon my brief viewing of Earl, I had a positive feel for him and it would not surprise me if he is a long term player Boo (34-Louisiana-Construction-Caucasian-not married) Jeff says: “Boo could win this game. I'd be delighted if Boo won this game. I'm not sure I buy the New Orleans twang and charm, that's all Boo is. But it works.” and Without embarking on a debate of gender on Survivor; I have already stated that athletic, personable young men do relatively well. It is at the time of merger and beyond that they are then viewed as a risk to keep although one of the advantages of being a young, strong male is that winning individual immunity can keep you safe. It is usually a younger guy who is ridiculously arrogant, mean, etc. that would get eliminated before their time as logically speaking, pre merger tribes want to keep their numbers and a young, physically fit male who does well in challenges will do this. I tend to give higher marks to younger men prior to the show solely based on needing them physically unless there is something in their personality that strikes a negative chord with me. With Boo’s “twang and charm” he may sit very well with the women (provided this charm is held in some check and is sincere) If Boo is also personable with the men, he may do very well. Jeff’s indication that he could win the game means ultimately nothing but logically it can’t be disregarded as he was also “delighted” should Yul win the game. I can’t see any reason that Boo can’t do well unless/until he is viewed as someone who must be stopped (and often times those who are the most threatening can’t be stopped and the opportunity to do so is not taken) Anthony (32-California-Witness Locator-African American-not married) Jeff says: “Anthony is going to have a big challenge in this game. I just don’t think he’ll fit in. Anthony will not win this game” A very emphatic opinion by Jeff and I’m not entirely sure he is correct although far be it for me to believe that after all these seasons Jeff would certainly have a better read on those successful in this game over myself. Anthony appeared to be very likeable and there was no indication that he would not be useful. Anthony indicated he was fond of games and self described geek. I cannot ascertain if this would make any difference until his tribe makeup is shown and how much of the “geek” persona makes an appearance. For all intents and purposes, I can’t really see him being someone who goes early and for some reason (based on their interviews) I wouldn’t be surprised if he and Mookie get along should they end up together Alex (28-California-Attorney-Hispanic-not married) Jeff says “Very good socially; got looks, physical abilities. I would consider him an absolute threat. Alex could win this game” More optimism over another strong male and logically so. Alex has many ingredients to do very well in this game and without any indicators otherwise, it stands to reason he may do very well. Like stated, his Hispanic background may provide an automatic “meeting of the minds” with others of Hispanic heritage should they be on the same tribe. In any event, without anything else to go on, I doubt he is leaving early. His demeanor was very pleasant and I did not see any level of arrogance. He may also be someone I can see getting along with Anthony and Mookie should they be together and appears to be someone that women may enjoy being around. Edgardo (28-Florida-Advertising-Hispanic-not married) Jeff says: “...told us stories in casting (re: moral situation) In a game like Survivor, Edgardo could win” From the glimpse of him and Jeff’s word, we are no doubt in store for a very interesting “character” and will probably be highlighted if his interview was any indication of how he’ll act on the show. While Jeff observes that Edgardo’s methodology could have him winning the game, I would not be as quick to make that conclusion. Those whose “moral compass” has no limits may do quite well but often they pay the price near or at the end and he may be one that the audience will be delighted when they are eliminated. He may also group together with those of his background but if he is an arrogant person, it would not matter that there is a cultural similarity. Ultimately, this game is about others perceptions of you as a player and often those who have dirt on their hands will not get rewarded at the end. With that said, he is seemingly athletic and strong so that may be enough for him to be safe for a bit IF he does not have any issues with his tribe mates which could very well be his undoing James (28-California-Bartender/former military-Caucasian-not married) Jeff says: “The only way he wins this game is if he makes it to the final two by being a lunatic and then says it was all an act; I’m a Road Scholar. That’s the only way he wins” and “There's a guy, Rocky, his name is James Reid but he goes by Rocky and there's a reason. Rocky leaps off of the island. He cannot help himself. He's colorful and funny and challenging and at times irritating and you will know him instantly” No doubt, James helps to fulfill that “character” persona that makes great television. Whether this will help him reach the end game remains to be seen. These “types” of contestants are fascinating as while they must know their personality can be detrimental they are quite often kept around for precisely that reason. Needless to say, if he is athletic and helps with challenges (dependent upon who he is with) he may last for awhile (Robb was extremely hard to get along with but was crucial in challenges and there was also a quality about him that did not make him completely unlikeable. Jamie also was very grating but again, he was needed physically for quite some time. Shane caused much commotion but he insulated himself with a majority and was “attractive” (not in the visual sense) to keep around. James sounds like he will no doubt rub some the wrong way but in the world of Survivor that may bode well for him but rarely do we see those of his “type” actually win the game Dre (25-North Carolina-Cheerleading Coach-African American-not married/father) Jeff says: “...could easily end up on the outside through no fault of his own. Just an inability to know how to do the social thing and that would be a tragedy” and “We have another really interesting person in Dreamz. He was homeless, really, a homeless kid, a street performer. His story comes out on the show but in a nutshell, he lived in garbage dumpsters, scrounged for food. He's a gymnast. Him and his brothers would put on shows to make money. This is a kid literally off the street who has survived and made something of his life. He's an underdog. He's a guy that you listen to his story and you instantly forgive a lot of things because you know where he's coming from. I think his biggest challenge on the show is going to be his social adaptability. It's not something he's used to. Hang around 20 people and having to fit in and compromise and say the right thing is not something he grew up with. He's used to doing whatever he needs to do to take care of himself and his family right now. You will see that dilemma play out for him this season. That dilemma right there of how do I adapt to other people and try to get along when my instinct says 'do what's best for you right now cause that's how you grew up.” Notice that Jeff states decisively “he’s an underdog” That is an absolute rather than “thinking” someone may be which tends to reinforce my belief that while Dre may have some bumps ahead of him, his standing in the game is more optimistic than Jessica’s would be. Jeff appears to delve deeply into Dre’s background which is quite different (again) then how he speaks of Jessica’s back story. We also know Erica survived some hardship and that was not touched on that I could gather. Dre’s potential issues on this show are also fleshed out by Jeff which may be an indication that there is quite a bit of longevity on Dre’s part regardless that Jeff finds his “social” game to be a cause for his demise. Dre may, in fact, be a wonderful journey character indicative by the “underdog” tag and all that he may learn by being out there. There appears to be no question that physically he should be an asset and again, should he be with other African Americans, there may be an initial bonding although that is never a certainty. Quite often we see two individuals create a bond that often appears unusual and I would not be surprised if this may happen for Dre. Regardless of my flights of fancy, I do see that Dre could be a long term player if for no other reason that he is embarking on a journey that the audience will see play out. Mookie (25-Illinois-Loan Manager-Asian-not married) Jeff says: “If Mookie can stay in the game long enough to make it to the individual portion, he can be a threat” We have heard similar words spoken about prior contestants in this regard; I recall that Jeff stated this about Terry as well except for a notable difference. With Terry he stated that if Terry could stay in the game long enough and have the numbers to make it to the individual portion he could be a threat. We know that was crucial in Terry’s demise as he was the lone member of his former tribe. While his words about Mookie may not mean anything substantial, Mookie could be there for a good portion of the game. He appeared very fun loving and someone who may get along well with everyone. At this juncture, Mookie, on paper, may have a good shot for end game. How savvy he is at the game remains to be seen Looking forward to another great season with you 
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| Subject |
Author |
Message Date |
ID |
 RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
michel |
02-02-07 |
1 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
PepeLePew13 |
02-03-07 |
3 |
 RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
vince3 |
02-03-07 |
4 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
RudyRules |
02-04-07 |
6 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
CTgirl |
02-04-07 |
5 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
emydi |
02-05-07 |
7 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
dreamerbeliever |
02-05-07 |
8 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
vennui |
02-06-07 |
9 |
| Hey VS and Friends... |
Flowerpower |
02-07-07 |
10 |
| RE: Hey VS and Friends... |
SurvivorBlows |
02-07-07 |
11 |
| RE: Hey VS and Friends... |
Flowerpower |
02-07-07 |
12 |
| RE: Hey VS and Friends... |
Corvis |
02-07-07 |
13 |
| RE: Hey VS and Friends... |
Scarlett O Hara |
02-10-07 |
23 |
| RE: Hey VS and Friends... |
emydi |
02-07-07 |
14 |
| RE: Hey VS and Friends... |
Flowerpower |
02-07-07 |
15 |
| RE: Hey VS and Friends... |
emydi |
02-08-07 |
16 |
| Editing |
VerucaSalt |
02-08-07 |
17 |
| RE: Hey VS and Friends... |
Flowerpower |
02-09-07 |
18 |
| HOLY CHARLOTTE'S WEB BATMAN!! |
emydi |
02-09-07 |
19 |
| RE: Episode One Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
02-09-07 |
20 |
| RE: Episode One Thoughts |
Flowerpower |
02-10-07 |
21 |
| RE: Episode One Thoughts |
michel |
02-10-07 |
22 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
buckeyegirl |
02-11-07 |
24 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
CTgirl |
02-11-07 |
25 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
michel |
02-12-07 |
26 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Corvis |
02-12-07 |
27 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
emydi |
02-12-07 |
28 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Flowerpower |
02-12-07 |
29 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
emydi |
02-12-07 |
30 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Brownroach |
02-12-07 |
32 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
emydi |
02-12-07 |
33 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
princat |
02-12-07 |
31 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
VerucaSalt |
02-13-07 |
34 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
VolcanicGlass |
02-15-07 |
35 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
emydi |
02-15-07 |
36 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
michel |
02-15-07 |
37 |
| Flying bats of Ep 2 |
emydi |
02-16-07 |
38 |
| RE: Episode 2 Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
02-16-07 |
39 |
| RE: Episode 2 Thoughts |
michel |
02-16-07 |
40 |
| RE: Episode 2 Thoughts |
KLicK |
02-17-07 |
41 |
| Episode #3 Thoughts: |
michel |
02-23-07 |
42 |
| RE: Episode #3 Thoughts: |
DRONES |
02-25-07 |
43 |
| RE: Episode #3 Thoughts: |
VerucaSalt |
02-28-07 |
44 |
| RE: Episode #3 Thoughts: |
mysticjay |
03-01-07 |
45 |
| RE: Episode #3 Thoughts: |
CTgirl |
03-01-07 |
46 |
| Ep 4 THE ANIMALS WOWZA! |
emydi |
03-02-07 |
47 |
| RE: Ep 4 THE ANIMALS WOWZA! |
mysticwolf |
03-02-07 |
48 |
| Episode #4 Thoughts |
michel |
03-03-07 |
49 |
| RE: Ep 4 THE ANIMALS WOWZA! |
emydi |
03-04-07 |
50 |
| RE: Ep 4 Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
03-05-07 |
51 |
| RE: Ep 4 Editing Thoughts |
michel |
03-05-07 |
52 |
| RE: Ep 4 Editing Thoughts |
CTgirl |
03-06-07 |
53 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Outfrontgirl |
03-09-07 |
54 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
mimo |
03-10-07 |
55 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Outfrontgirl |
03-10-07 |
56 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
michel |
03-10-07 |
57 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Outfrontgirl |
03-10-07 |
58 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
VerucaSalt |
03-12-07 |
59 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Outfrontgirl |
03-23-07 |
64 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
architecturegirl |
03-12-07 |
60 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
VerucaSalt |
03-14-07 |
61 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
redbeard103152 |
03-15-07 |
63 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
flystorms |
03-14-07 |
62 |
| Episode #6 Thoughts |
michel |
03-23-07 |
65 |
| RE: Episode 6 Editing |
VerucaSalt |
03-26-07 |
66 |
| RE: Episode 6 Editing |
tidefan1987 |
03-27-07 |
67 |
| RE: Episode 6 Editing |
Whole Lotta Rosie |
03-27-07 |
68 |
| RE: Episode 6 Editing |
michel |
03-27-07 |
69 |
| Episode #7: Thoughts |
michel |
04-02-07 |
70 |
| Ep 8 Animals! |
emydi |
04-06-07 |
71 |
| RE: Ep 8 Editing |
VerucaSalt |
04-07-07 |
72 |
| RE: Ep 8 Editing |
michel |
04-07-07 |
73 |
| Episode #9: Thoughts |
michel |
04-15-07 |
74 |
| RE: Episode 9 Editing |
VerucaSalt |
04-16-07 |
75 |
| RE: Episode 9 Editing |
michel |
04-16-07 |
76 |
| RE: Episode 9 Editing |
forestfriend |
04-17-07 |
77 |
| RE: Episode 9 Editing |
VerucaSalt |
04-17-07 |
78 |
| RE: Episode 9 Editing |
forestfriend |
04-17-07 |
79 |
| RE: Episode 9 Editing |
michel |
04-17-07 |
80 |
| RE: Episode 9 Editing |
forestfriend |
04-18-07 |
81 |
| RE: Minor Alex point |
LionChow |
04-20-07 |
82 |
| Ep 10 editing - Earl |
flystorms |
04-20-07 |
83 |
| RE: Ep 10 editing - Earl |
forestfriend |
04-20-07 |
84 |
| RE: Ep 10 Editing |
VerucaSalt |
04-21-07 |
85 |
| RE: Ep 10 Editing |
forestfriend |
04-21-07 |
86 |
| RE: Ep 10 Editing |
michel |
04-22-07 |
88 |
| RE: Ep 10 Editing |
rose1974 |
04-23-07 |
91 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
redbeard103152 |
04-22-07 |
87 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
forestfriend |
04-22-07 |
89 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
forestfriend |
04-22-07 |
90 |
| Episode # 11: The Editing |
michel |
04-28-07 |
92 |
| RE: Episode # 11: The Editing |
forestfriend |
04-29-07 |
93 |
| RE: Episode 11 Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
05-01-07 |
94 |
| 5-3 Episode |
DRONES |
05-04-07 |
95 |
| RE: Episode 12 Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
05-05-07 |
96 |
| RE: Episode 12 Editing Thoughts |
michel |
05-05-07 |
97 |
| RE: Episode 12 Editing Thoughts |
CTgirl |
05-09-07 |
98 |
| RE: Episode 12 Editing Thoughts |
DRONES |
05-09-07 |
99 |
| 5-10 Episode |
DRONES |
05-11-07 |
100 |
| Episode #13: The Editing |
michel |
05-11-07 |
101 |
| RE: Episode #13: The Editing |
DRONES |
05-12-07 |
102 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts Episode 13 |
VerucaSalt |
05-12-07 |
103 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts Episode 13 |
Flowerpower |
05-16-07 |
104 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts Episode 13 |
michel |
05-17-07 |
105 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts Episode 13 |
Agent99 |
05-18-07 |
106 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts Episode 13 |
flystorms |
05-18-07 |
107 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts Episode 13 |
architecturegirl |
05-20-07 |
108 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts Episode 13 |
DRONES |
05-21-07 |
109 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts Episode 13 |
cayugasong |
05-21-07 |
110 |
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-02-07, 06:24 PM (EST)
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1. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
LAST EDITED ON 02-02-07 AT 06:29 PM (EST)
Hello Veruca, the season can begin! It is nice to see you in mid-season form even before the season starts. I've enjoyed reading your take on the players and the game.
I'll add that it will be interesting to keep an eye on the bonds made during the first few days. Koror's dominance prevented us from seeing how much the inter-tribe connections could come into play. Also, in Palau every player had a say in choosing their tribes. Here, one person will decide the make-up of both tribes. Frienships may be put on hold for a while but come back to play later on. Also, will the players assemble along loose racial lines even if the show doesn't impose it? For the players, your assessments are very interesting, I'll just add my first impressions on some of them: Alex is a Harvard educated lawyer. We saw how that worked last season! Smart and strong, Alex is someone to keep an eye on. Earl, from his video and previews, I think he could be a narrator for his tribe. He always has a smile and seems to have the right words. He is in advertising after all. Lisi could be another narrator from her previews. Lilliana spent 8 years in the Marine corps. She seems to have a friendly attitude. That is a great combination. Michelle seems friendly and smart. I can see her making an early alliance that could work out well for her. Anthony: Seems to think he's got all the strategy planned out. He could be in for the long haul or be caught trying to play too hard too fast Dre seems too good to be true. A character, with a story and a plan? I have my doubts. Gary, Rita, Yau-Man and Stacy could be useful followers. Yau-Man, in particular, seems to be too at home in the jungle to be booted first so that could carry him far. Sylvia is an older woman who seems very bossy. Not a winning combination. Our villains could very well be Edgardo and James. Edgardo is a sleazy guy. 
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vince3 17341 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-03-07, 01:32 PM (EST)
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4. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
Odds are good, post#2 wasn't very nice....
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CTgirl 8013 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-04-07, 02:52 PM (EST)
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5. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
Here are my impressions after viewing their videos –Earl is my pre-show pick. He’s smart, has charisma, is going with a “fluid” strategy and I think his marketing/advertising background will help him in pegging the other players. (His voice reminded me of Will Smith!) The others I liked-
Anthony – a lot of strategy talk, but too much?
Liliana – I thought of Danni when she started to talk about her big family and being a team player. I always think that people who grow up with a lot of siblings do well with lots of people around.
Michelle – Her talk about how being a rock climber compared to playing Survivor – mental strength, competitive, adaptable – impressed me.
Gary – He seemed like a nice guy with the survival skills (Vietnam Vet, camping) to help his tribe, but if he’s on the “have” team his skills may be extraneous and he could be cut because of his age and weight.
Yau-man was very endearing. His geekiness may be overlooked since he is native to the area and his knowledge could be invaluable. I also noticed a lot of visuals of Lisi in Stacey’s video. I didn’t like Rita and Sylvia. Rita was working it way too much and although Sylvia is probably very interesting in real life, I think she’s going to come off as too bossy. I was also happy to see the three African American men that were cast – it appears that they will continue to break the Survivor stereo-type like Nate did.
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Flowerpower 7262 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-07-07, 03:58 PM (EST)
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10. "Hey VS and Friends..." |
Thanks to Survivor Phoenix for posting this link to Survivor Fiji, it's the first 5 minutes. Follow the link and click on Survivor: Fiji. I thought this was an EXCELLENT little exercise we could do here as to who is edited in the priemere first 5 minutes of the series. I know this isn't the standard approach but, it's a head start that I thought was too good to pass up. Who are the editors favoring in the first clips? I definately made some very strong impressions just from this...would like to hear others assessments. But do not follow the link if you don't want to see a glimpse of the show.
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Flowerpower 7262 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-07-07, 05:36 PM (EST)
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12. "RE: Hey VS and Friends..." |
Please accept my humble apology, Webby! I won't make that mistake again, thanks so much for calling it to our attention! You're the best!
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Scarlett O Hara 3439 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Car Show Celebrity"
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02-10-07, 08:32 PM (EST)
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23. "RE: Hey VS and Friends..." |
My first impression was that the first five minutes is dominated by the men. It makes me wonder if the season will be as well or if that's the pre-merge storyline. Or neither!
You can say that again, Corvis! As someone who watches confessionals closely, I can tell you for a fact that the only woman who had any confessional at all during the first segment until after the first commercial was Cassandra. During that same timeframe, here are the men who had multiple confessionals: Edgardo, James, Boo, Anthony, Dre, Earl, Yau-man and Alex.
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Flowerpower 7262 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-07-07, 07:47 PM (EST)
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15. "RE: Hey VS and Friends..." |
Definately agree, Corvis, the first 5 minutes were definately young male dominated with the exceptions of Yau-man and Cassandra. I found it interesting the camera started on Boo, panned over Michelle, then there were shots of Yau-man, Dre, and Rocky, who were situated all in a row in the boat. Then the camera panned over Cassandra to Earl. Earl, Alex, Rita, Yau-man, and Rocky got the close ups.First confessional was Edgardo. Definately Anthony will be a narrator. Order of confessionals: Edgardo, Rocky, Boo, Rocky, Anthony, Dreamz, Earl, Cassandra, Yau-man, and Anthony. I thought that Earl had the most powerful confessional in relation to Fiji..."we are home, this is our home", as the camera pans around in a panoramic shot of the island and it's shores. The thing I found the MOST surprising was the time that Rocky got! I wonder if he'll be a late game player, or will he just be a narrator? Certainly clear to me was that people definately seemed to be bonding right away...Cassandra and Yau-man, Anthony and Edgardo jumped out at me. Would love to hear any other first impressions of the first 5 minutes!
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Flowerpower 7262 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-09-07, 11:17 AM (EST)
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18. "RE: Hey VS and Friends..." |
LAST EDITED ON 02-09-07 AT 11:19 AM (EST)Definately agree, Corvis, the first 5 minutes were definately young male dominated with the exceptions of Yau-man and Cassandra. I found it interesting the camera started on Boo, panned over Michelle, then there were shots of Yau-man, Dre, and Rocky, who were situated all in a row in the boat. Then the camera panned over Cassandra to Earl. Earl, Alex, Rita, Yau-man, and Rocky got the close ups. After watching the show again, I definately need to correct a few observations from the above statement to read: Definately agree, Corvis, the first 5 minutes were definately young male dominated with the exceptions of Yau-man and Cassandra. I found it interesting the camera started on Boo, panned over EARL to Michelle, then there were shots of Yau-man, Dre, and Rocky, who were situated all in a row in the boat. Then the camera panned over Cassandra to Earl. Earl, Alex, Rita, Yau-man, Dre, and Rocky got the close ups. Very, very interesting first shots of the show, I thought. Also wanted to add that the first scene shown as they came onto the island was Cassandra and Earl hugging...thought that was interesting. Here are some of my impressions regarding the survivors with some quotes: After the show Rocky does strike me more of a narrator character rather than an end game player, especially with the quote, "I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off..", is that foreshadowing in how Rocky will play this game. Then as the show continues we see that he is the chosen male for Jessica and Erica, the old addage, alliances revealed will not succeed really played through in this episode. Is this how Rocky's game will play out? He also had a confrontation with Dreamz, but I felt he was provoked, but I don't necessarily think he handled it well...his tolerance or lack thereof could do him in. Anthony will definately be a narrator, and an elloquent one at that. I really liked him. Very optimistic and well spoken. Seems as though he is safe in the majority on his tribe at this point. Dreamz: To me, he struck me as the "one" who has something to prove, the "one" who is on an adventure this season, which makes me think that he will not be a very end game player. His confessionals were all about him and his past, "As a child I was homelesss by age 7..." and "my real name is Andre, but here on the Island I'm Dreamz, as it means strive and..." Then with his confrontational state at bedtime??? He seems naiive and on a personal mission. Sylvia: Did become the leader, and I was quite impressed with how she divided the tribes. VERY evenly, in fact Ravu lost it in the puzzle portion. There were a few comments on her direction, however, she could be gone earlier rather than later, especially since she's on a tribe that seems to voting the weak links out. Erica: Definately struck me as an outcast, especially after everyone was optimistic with their new beach, while she was stewing. "We have to start all over, I'm pissed off and I can't believe no one else is." Then again, along with Rocky, she failed in her first attempt at an alliance.... Jessica: Her key quote: "This is my first Fiji vacation, right now!"....how true. Michelle: Seemed to step up in the challenge, took over for the bumbling Jessica with untying the knots. Optimistic, non-threatening, playing her cards right for the time being. Lisi: Invisible, one confessional, "we came back with a kick ##### tribe"...not an end game player. Alex: Quiet, smart confessionals, approaching the game soundly, imo. Athletic, definately won the puzzle portion for the Moto tribe...could go far. Gary: Not much from him at all. As an older character and a bit out of shape, I'd say he is not long for this Survivor. Seemed well liked with the nickname "Papa Smirf". Edgardo: Seemed to buddy up with Anthony at the start. Could play in to the game later. Seemed intelligent and athletic, not obnoxious...could go far Yao-Man: Definately came in with a plan and is using it, to help them adapt to an environment that he is familiar with, could save him. He really was not considered to be a boot candidate by the male leaders of Ravu...a good sign. In fact Earl said in confessional regarding Yao: "You are the Professor on our Gilligan's Island"! Rita: Not much of an impression on Rita, other than she got one of the closeups in the first 5 minutes. She had a voice in the boot, and seemed to be with the majority. Mookie: seems to be in the majority of his tribe, adapting well, athletic, could be a player. Boo: Thought he had more visuals than actual confessionals, in fact he was where the camera first started at the beginning. I liked his confessionals, seemed endearing, he's athletic, seems to be working, I like his prospects. Cassandra: Seemed to be bonding with Yao-man in the first days of the show, could come into play later. Very impressed with her approach to the game. On the winning tribe, looks to be in good standing. Thought there were more visuals of her than confessionals which could bode well for her longevity in the game. Stacy: Invisible, performed well in the challenge, on the winning tribe, in good shape. Would have liked to have heard more from her if she were to be an end player. Liliana: Did she say anything, and I never really saw her...not an end game player, but is on the winning tribe. Earl: As I stated above, I thought his quote in the first 5 minutes was the key quote of the show, "This is our house", seemed to be the unspoken leader of the Ravu tribe to me, reasonable, intelligent, strong, athletic, respectful of others. Interesting how the camera panned to his reaction of Dreamz when he was shouting and calling people out when the group was trying to sleep. Also the close-ups of him in the first 5 minutes were interesting. Based on the pre show interviews and the first show, if I had to pick "the" end game player, it would be him. Look forward to everyone else's insights and assessments! Bring it on! ETA: correct spelling...d'oh
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emydi 13669 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-09-07, 12:43 PM (EST)
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19. "HOLY CHARLOTTE'S WEB BATMAN!!" |
LAST EDITED ON 02-12-07 AT 11:33 AM (EST)OOOOOOOHHHHH I have some great animals...that huge spider after Rocky said "what a tangled web we weave...." I believe that was a female spider with that big Yellow end part  Also BATS!!! I love furry little bats! during one scene at TC 2 of them were playing exactly like my two new kittens Zeke and Otto!! SO from hereon, the bats names are Zeke and Otto!! The snakes and hermit crabs look to be constants.. I'll keep an eye out for more animals.
In response to you FP (nice work btw)
Did you hear Earl call Michelle "a monkey" She is a rock climber----could she be the Female Ozzy?? I think she will be good in challenges despite her small stature...look for her to stay a while along with her "compatriot and defender" Earl I love Yau Man!! His physics comment and opening the crate were great. He said he was worried and he had to do stuff to keep himself in the game and we saw that he delivered (coconuts, crate, tea/filter, and going along with dominant alliance to vote out "anyone but him") I def. see him as a long term player! 
I love tribey!
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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02-09-07, 11:04 PM (EST)
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20. "RE: Episode One Thoughts" |
Our first show with an arresting shot of an enormous skull; let the games begin! FP and emydi, I did read your great comments and as you know, my thoughts are usually all written down and may repeat what you may have said without my knowing at the time. FP, your character breakdown is similar to my thought process at this time although I usually reserve most of my judgment until each tribe has been to Tribal. emy, Yao Man is hard not to like and I think that is a major intention. It stands to reason that the usual “rationale” for first boot was utilized with the “lost the challenge for us” reason although I would love to see what was left on the cutting room floor as it seemed quite a bit was missing.
Jeff opens with the description of the Fiji Islands and then moves on to our contestants:
Jeff: Just below are 19 strangers (Michelle, Boo and Earl on camera) that represent an extreme cross section of American (the camera pans to various contestants) from a former homeless street performer (Dre shown) to a Harvard educated lawyer (Alex shown) They have been given absolutely no information (Yao Man panned in on) The fear of the unknown (Rita shown) is so strong (an enormous skull shown with fire through its eyes which explodes into flames) that one quit moments before they set adrift miles from shore. Exile Island is back with hundreds of deadly sea snakes and this time two hidden immunity idols will complicate (Yao Man featured with shot moving to Erica) the game like never before (Earl featured solo. Will the HII involve any of those three?) (Rocky then Rita end the shot.) 39 days, 19 people, 1 Survivor. The boat carrying the contestants approaches the shore with the normal excitement that ensues with their introductions to each other. Day One-The Journey Starts Cassandra and Earl "high five" each other
Edgardo and Anthony greet each other and hug with Edgardo then confessing that he thought Jeff would be there to split the tribes up. Of note, every one of Edgardo's confessionals appeared to be the same time frame as his clothes/setting were the same.
Earl and Gary greeting each other
Yau Man and Boo introducing themselves with a fun introduction of their names reminiscent of the scene of Cao Boi and Pavarti with Sylvia smiling on Focus on Rocky with a voice over that he resembles Rocky who then confesses to the nicknames he is called in relation to Sylvester Stallone. Rocky was quite visible with confessionals and quite a few were different time periods as his clothes and setting changed Boo (conf) "We were so excited just to get here, it didn't matter what we were doing, we were lost on a deserted island; what would anybody do? Go explore" Water is then found... Rocky (conf) "Tell you right now I lost my mind, I didn't know what to do, I didn't know what to say. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off" (I believe this statement did not have to do with their arrival but either when they find the lumbar or when he fought with Dre as all three of these confessionals were at this setting) Shelter is then found Anthony (conf) "We're looking at this big beautiful cave; it's a blessing; we're great" "We have banana trees over there, we have papaya over there, we were stoked!" Dre, Michelle, Anthony and Earl are gathered with Dre advising that he and Michelle want to see what is "up there" Dre (conf): "My real name is Andre but on this beach, I just go by Dreamz (shot cuts to his voice over that he is "a natural Fujian, Fijian" with the four of them walking upwards) "I came up with the name Dreamz a long time ago; it was more of a name of strive and achievement" (on tree log with tree behind him and tank top on) Earl expresses his pleasure of going up to the top overlooking the beautiful scenery. Earl (conf) "It's like buying a new house, you wanna see everything, the backyard, the front yard...and this is our house."
Earl "I'm the King of Fiji on an unnamed island"
Dre "I don't know, I'm standing the highest" (I am sure many of you took note of those two statements along with that slight crescendo in the music as I know many enjoy searching for that “million dollar quote) We see Cassandra and Yao Man bonding over coconuts. Cassandra (conf) "I don't know, my outdoor experience consisted maybe of being 20-40 feet off the road. This is totally new for me, sleeping outdoors
Yao Man "Eating coconut without any implement is a test of patience" This is followed by their conversation where Cassandra learns a bit more about Yao Man. Yao Man (conf) "I am definitely trying to prove myself. I can see all the other guys (a group of the younger men are shown) are quite young and half my age. Old people are normally the first ones booted off so I'm hoping that' the exception here because I know the surroundings....." This appeared to be a running theme for Yao Man so it would be interesting to note if, in hindsight, his stay on Fiji is about proving something and is successful. As I had indicated in the pre show information, Jeff spoke too highly of Yao Man along with his belief the audience would love him. This suggests that he is quite possibly a long term player and with this running “theme” surrounding him his quest of outlasting those younger than him (or some few young men) may come to fruition
Anthony asks Edgardo what he is thinking right then with Edgardo remarking there are too many people in one place and Anthony replying there are 19 so how does one split that up into two tribes. Anthony (conf) "We're looking around the islands for a machete, for flags for the tribe... we don't know anything. It's incredibly overwhelming because there's so many people and none of us have a clue (Edgardo shown) of what's going on. We're looking for Jeff Probst and we're like "Where's Jeff” The tribe then receives their package from the air Cassandra (conf) "Everyone was excited, maybe we can get a machete....everyone was anticipating what they wanted to be in that box” That known to us fun music begins as Rocky attempts to bang open the box among chants from his fellow members but to no avail. Boo assists and still they can't open the box. Edgardo (conf) "The strongest guys started to throw that thing down.... and here comes a little scrawny guy, Yao Man and he opens the whole thing in like 10 seconds" (Yao Man shown quite methodically tapping the box to open with pats on the back) Yao Man (conf) "Very simple physics... box opened up" The crowd is enthusiastic with Earl then calling attention to the matters at hand. Anthony (conf) "We get this map with instructions and directions; we have to build a shelter, kitchen...." Alex (conf) "Initially, naively I thought this is awesome then thought wait a minute, this is Survivor, this is going to mean something cruel is about to happen very soon." The trek for the lumbar began with Rocky confessing about this situation as well. Erica (conf) "I've never seen where people come on Survivor had this much so I'm a little nervous cause I think a curve ball is coming, it's too easy"
Sylvia (conf) "There was a site plan and being an architect of course was given all these maps.... pretty amazing set of drawings" Of note were the deliberate edited shots thrown in of Rita, Gary, Erica appearing to look at Sylvia while we hear her dictating instructions; this is clear manipulation as the sole intention is to show that Sylvia is somewhat bossy and it is not welcomed further emphasized by Gary's confessional Gary (conf) "I do get the sense that Sylvia's trying to dominate; we're all here to do this together…” Rocky and Sylvia have an exchange with Rocky advising of his ineptness with large words and Michelle, Lisi and Stacy are shown achieving fire. Edgardo (conf) "...as the workload started going on and the people started going out in couples (Rita/Mookie shown) you could see that some people were talking" Erica "We've got to talk you know, Jess; can you talk to me" (Erica's confessional now shown)
Jessica "Yea"
Erica "So right now, just me you.."
Jessica "We need a guy"
Erica "We do need a guy"
Jessica "Who?"
Erica "I don't' know" Erica (conf) "I'm trying to talk to people and see what's going on so I can get my place here" "Me and Jessica, you know, got to talking, getting some stuff together... I think I need to be talking to as many people as I can" Some younger men are drinking with Sylvia pushing for more work on the shelter. Sylvia (conf) "I feel like it's not moving nearly as fast as it should....." Sylvia then shown with Earl and Anthony and Earl supports Sylvia advising they need to get this done. Note though that we do not hear from anyone that Earl is being pushy or bossy nor are there any adverse reaction shots. Sylvia and Earl's words prove correct with the rainstorm that follows Day Two-Dynamics Commence Anthony (conf) "The night was rough, there we are with the shelter half done, no roof, half a floor, getting soaked; so today we need to finish our shelter" Yao Man asks Erica to gather a bunch of people to get all the material, Gary and Sylvia collaborate, Yao Man dispenses "coconut" cups with Earl replying: "You're the Professor on this Gilligan's Island!" Earl (conf) "Yao Man; he's a keeper. He thinks about every little thing that goes on..." Jessica (conf) "...all 19 of us; we are bonding. I don't know whether that is a good thing or a bad thing but it's bonding us" and "We're feeling pretty lucky right now; this is my Fiji vacation" (alas it was indeed only a vacation) "I'm scared about what's coming!" Rita (conf) "... I think we just keep getting to know each other until the point we get our next set of instructions" Michelle (conf) "We have a shelter, it has a floor and a roof.... it's really surprising to have so much by day 2" Dre asks "Lucy" if she has found mangos with Stacey correcting him on her name . Stacey later provides a sign for their "home"; I note that Lisi was sitting a bit off to herself with Dre and Alex sitting next to one another. Dre (conf) "Back as a child, I was pretty much homeless... it's kinda like what's going on right now so the only thing you have to worry about is when it rains or when you can't find no more food. I love it. I wish I could bring my family from home here" Perhaps some edited foreshadowing? Night Two Dre is shown being the life of the party however, a few deliberate shots reflect that it was time for him to put it to rest. Banter about names commences with Dre reflecting that "My thing is to be playful (note this is same confessional as his introduction of his name confessional) just to make sure that I am present..." (Dre's attitude and confessional reflect quite a bit of what type of person he is; it is not surprising that he is loud and attention grabbing to mask quite a bit of insecurity that no doubt developed part and parcel because of the life he had led. There is also no question that we are meant to know Dre's back story and what he had to deal with but at the same time we aren't necessarily meant to "like" him) Lilliana asks Dre to "simmer down a bit" with Dre coming back louder that requests such as that adds "fuel to his fire" Rocky (conf) "Dreamz kinda came out of nowhere while we're all trying to sleep, he was just going off on little rants every 15, 20 minutes" (more tent talk ensues) "...I'm exhausted. I don't know if it's the island getting to him but he's getting a little irritating" Dre is then heard asking for the white people to identify themselves with various reaction shots that others are indeed, getting tired of him and perhaps a bit taken aback by his remark. With Dre then asking Rocky what color he was/what his nationality was and then proceeding to imitate Rocky's voice Rocky and Dre have an argument (a crab is shown) Rocky "You get a little crazy sometimes... I don't care what you do with everybody else but you snap at me... I don't want to be treated like that; I've been trying to go to sleep, I've been running around all day" (Earl shown hand on his head)
Dre: "I don't yell at people, that's not me, I’m talking to you, I'm talking to you" (group shot shown showing all obviously awake now) Rocky ends the conversation by telling Dre: "Go back to bed and hang out with your friends" Rocky (conf) "I'm pretty hard on myself when it comes to like letting my emotions show; I hate to do it" (Rocky shown laying alone on the dock) "I used to do it when I was younger.... but it's really hard especially under the conditions we're under; what am I supposed to do?" Potential foreshadowing for more conflict from Dre and Rocky? If not, perhaps we are meant to get a glimpse of Rocky and Dre's "sides of themselves" as these sides prove noteworthy to their game later on. It seems that our speculation that these are “characters” has some merit and most times, “characters” are meant to distract us from the real outcome. Perhaps Rocky's "emotions" that he thought he had in check as he got older ultimately get the best of him. Perhaps Dre's insecurities and need for attention cause issues for him later down the road. This "scene" would not be ignored as it makes for good television so the scene being shown in it of itself means nothing in terms of editing. Of note though with editing is that we did not see Dre discuss the fight and his position and while we saw support for Rocky's position in the visuals we were provided by others, there was no reinforcement by verbal confessionals of the contestants. This may indicate while we are to note that Dre's antics were not well received, I don't know that this "issue" will go beyond Rocky and Dre' per se or either of them will come out on top as a result but rather this occurrence is more about their own personalities and perhaps their downfall Day Three-Let The Games Truly Begin Jessica is asked about the first few moments: "It was wild; it was like a big beach party" Yao Man is asked about the package: "....we saw the plans, it was not just any shelter but a fancy shelter" Alex is asked about any leaders emerging: "I think initially we were all pretty used but luckily we have an architect on board (Sylvia identified) so having an architect was extremely helpful" Sylvia is asked about her role: "I was so happy I couldn't believe it" (Dre honed in on then Jeff confirms with all that Sylvia stepped up as leader as he proceeds to have Sylvia divide the tribes There was no instruction by Jeff to divide them in a specific manner (other than to alternate by green/orange) but it appears that Sylvia divided the women first followed by the men; she also appears to have done a pretty thoughtful job in her division Cassandra
Michelle
Lilliana
Erica
Stacy
Rita
Lisi (Sylvia did not know her name)
Jessica
Dreamz
Boston (until clarified he will be named Rocky with Dre shown during this)
Boo
Earl
Big Gary (with happy tribemates and Papa Smurf is noted)
Yao Man (also applause)
Sexy guy in green tank top (Alex is chosen with cheers at Sylvia's description)
Anthony
Big Ed
Mookie
Moto Green and Ravu Orange are now formed with Jeff advising Sylvia that she will be exiled but also safe from Tribal Council and will join the tribe that loses a member. She will also receive a clue about the hidden idol. Affectionate goodbyes are done and Sylvia leaves for Exile Island. Description of challenge with the rewards and pitfalls; there did not appear to be any specific manipulations of visuals on any one contestant.
Michelle and Jessica and Lisi and Stacey are those on the chariots with Earl and Dre being the frontmen. Stacy whips through the knots while Jessica slowing down; Jessica still working on the pieces. Michelle then noted to work on them "trying to make up some time" with Jeff noting "they're still in it" Stacey has their third bag and "Michelle is trying to pick up some ground for Ravu; she's doing it; they're making up time" Moto stumbles allowing Ravu to take the lead with Erica stating: "Come on guys, we can't lose" and "Earl leading his tribe; Dreamz slowing down" (interesting commentary since ultimately Dre’s team wins; perhaps just for "full effect" but both statements were done in voice overs by Jeff) Michelle, Rita, Jessica and Mookie are puzzle solvers and Alex, Stacy, Lisi and Dre are puzzle solvers. Earl states "you guys are geniuses, come on" (Again, interestingly enough there was not quite a lot to show Jessica being the blatant failure to their loss; clearly the manipulated statements she made that we were meant to see and hear of "What are we doing?" and "Oh My God" with Jeff in voice over "Jessica struggling to figure it out" were the only indications. Mookie later states the third puzzle was Jessica’s but it appeared that all of them were working on all the puzzles) Ravu loses with Erica shown visibly upset and Jessica in a slow motion shot as they leave with Moto's victory shot. Alex (conf) "Having that first win is such a huge thing for moral. We come back to our shelter and we got this great couch, I almost shed a tear, I was so happy" Dre "That's how we're living now; real fancy... as ya'll can see" (Dre has been shown next to Alex on more than one occasion; they may be a pair to keep an eye on) Lisi (conf) "It feels so spectacular; not only did we get immunity, not only did we go back to the place we helped put together; we came back with a kick ##### tribe! Ironically enough, Sylvia, she helped built this place, now she's sleeping with the snakes" The Exiled One Sylvia being the first one exiled will obviously be highlighted a bit but I found her stay a bit sanitary for my liking; there was no pull, no extra manipulation involved that I highly doubt that she would have any involvement with the hidden idol and she may not have any real impact on the game itself. She was there, she mentioned the snakes, she mentioned she would be immune and she read the clue. I do like that there was a mention of the potential of trying to find the idol with others around as I felt that may be an issue later on in some aspect. Regardless, this was the first visit to Exile with the fear of many snakes and there may have been pondering as to which tribe would she end up being on yet it was very cut and dried. That, combined with the manipulation involved on her “bossy” side, I do not have very high hopes for Sylvia. Impending Tribal Council Earl (conf) “Losing the challenge today felt horrible; all the work we put into the shelter….. everything you get accustomed to, gone” Rocky attempts some humor by stating how awesome their camp is and glad they lost Erica (conf) “The hardest part for me was not being able to go back to that shelter we built but everybody else seems like they are okay!” “I mean their enjoying the blanket, pillows and the couch and we have to start all over. I’m pissed off and I can’t believe no one else is” (Her later confessionals appeared to be the same setting) Rita (conf) “Right now we’re back at square one because we have nothing and at the same time we have to figure out a team member to lose…” Rocky and Erica talk Rocky “We’ve got to figure out what we’re doing tonight. Smell me or what?”
Erica “Yeah”
Rocky “Me, you and Jess, we’ll figure it out yeah?” Erica (conf) “Me Jessica and Rocky are really tight; we can swing the whole thing” (this was an unusual statement she makes about “swinging” the whole thing as that is normally said when there is something to actually swing; I do think this was part of the same confessional when she discussed knowing about the impending Jessica vote so it may have had something to do with that) Earl, Rocky and Jessica talk or rather Rocky and Earl speak with Jessica mainly listening Rockyl “Obviously it has to be a girl; it’s not gonna be Erica or Jess and Michelle she’s a little midget, she hangs from things, she jumps around, she’s really physically fit and that’s what we need right now”
Earl “Yeah, I’m not getting rid of monkey; I call her monkey”
Rocky “I guess it’s Rita then right?”
Earl “Uh, yeah, we need strong people; Rita has to go cause Erica’s strong”
Rocky “She’s no joke”
Earl “Yeah, she’s like the real deal so….”
Rocky “Alright, and what a tangled web we weave” coincidentally a spider happens by This scene was interesting in that Earl was approached by Rocky and Jessica who we know are already grouped together; why Earl? Further, the later scene with the others deciding Jessica, while suggested by Mookie, focused on the finalization from Earl as well as it seemed that it was directed to him with him asking pertinent questions Rocky and Jessica together Rocky “It just sucks, Jess, cuz I don’t want to get rid of anybody”
Jessica “I know I feel bad too”
Rocky “But it’s the game right…. we just have to stick together”
Jessica “We will” Jessica’s confessional and the scene between Mookie, Earl, Michelle and Erica then shown Rocky “If you ever hear I’m on the chopping block, you’ve got to tell me; that way I’ll know”
Jessica “I will because you, me and Erica are going to stick together”
Rocky “You have to, cause I’ll tell you” Really this scene was unnecessary but it went to show how Rocky did not keep his word and tell Jessica what he found out which may be another early chink thrown onto his character and cause issue for him Jessica (conf) “I just feel so safe with Rocky, I feel good now that I know it’s not me cause I was working on that puzzle and we lost on the puzzle” Mookie, Michelle, Earl and Erica Mookie “We’re thinking Jessica”
Earl “Who?”
Mookie “Jessica, she’s responsible, the third puzzle was hers”
Earl “I hear you on that point but could the third one have been harder? Was it harder?”
Mookie “They’re all the same!”
Earl “It’s a valid point” At this point, Rita and Yao Man talk Mookie “I would say Rita is stronger than Jessica” Anthony is now seen in this portion
Earl “I guess I had a different experience with her”
Erica “I have to!”
Mookie “Don’t think on a personal level….” (Both Earl and Anthony mention this is business) Going back to when Edgardo noted pairs talking, Mookie and Rita were shown; it stands to reason that perhaps Mookie was deflecting votes off Rita if that “pairing” had any merit Rita and Yao Man talk Rita “WE’RE all kinda pointing at Jessica; we all adore her, it’s nothing personality wise but most people seem to think she’s flying under the radar. I get along super good with her so I’m kinda hurting to have to do that”
Yao Man “My concern too is really keeping all the strong guys” Erica (conf) “They just came to the conclusion that Jessica has to be voted out. I won’t write Jessica’s name down”
Erica and Rocky talk Erica “Jessica’s in trouble”
Rocky “No she’s not”
Erica “I don’t know how it came about, I just know it”
Rocky “Just tell me who you heard it from”
Erica “Everybody man”
Rocky “I’m not putting her name down”
Erica “Me neither” Rocky apparently was not privy to the happenings around camp; Erica’s communication may have come from Earl as later they are shown walking together. We saw no communications from the others to Rocky. Michelle and Mookie seemingly spoke and my suspicion that Mookie spoke with Rita who told Yao Man. Rocky and Yao Man seemed single and apart from the news about Jessica Earl (conf) “Tonight’s Tribal Council will be interesting. Everybody’s nervous (Rita then Mookie shown) and you still wonder in the back (Yao Man) of your mind, like it might be you. (Earl then shown). Always keep your guard up, never know when people are trying to trick you (Rocky shown throughout this sentence) There’s a lot of actors here, a lot of poker faces. This is my poker face” A good confessional from Earl who actually had quite a good episode. My pre-show thoughts were positive on Earl and it was solidified tonight. I would not be surprised in the slightest, simply based on this episode, if Earl was the winner this season Tribal Council The entrance music was quite distinctive and I enjoyed listening to it, very powerful as a few bats are shown. Michelle discusses frustration at first with other tribe in their shelter but it’s okay now as they like their island Erica shown with a sound effect that reflected Erica does not, in fact, feel this way Erica states they have an abundance of coconut (tongue in cheek of course) Earl states it’s not a fantasy land Rocky shown and the reality is they don’t have fire and without the fire they don’t have water Yao Man reaction shot shown I’m glad everyone has themselves together; we’re gonna make it work but it’s gonna take hard work” Rocky states that the other tribe has a huge advantage right now Earl/Anthony shown but I think this tribe has something special; we’re gonna rise above and hopefully knock them off their perch…” Erica replies that they will fall behind if they lose another challenge; they know everybody has something good to offer but somebody has to go. Yao Man concedes he seems vulnerable as he is not physically the strongest one
Michelle shown and in order to win the next challenge he wants to keep all the strong guys Mookie shown and if everyone thinks like that then he will be a target. Mookie states his vote is based upon whether the person he votes out can be replaced by Sylvia. Rocky shown with that crashing sound of music Rocky states that whoever is voted out will be surprised because if him, he will be surprised and that yes, a big surprise is coming up real soon Rita shown Rita indicates she would be surprised if her as she is contributing to help them get ahead Earl shown but would understand Mookie simply shakes his head and says he would not understand Jessica states she also would not understand. Rocky shown and that if she were laying on the beach getting sun Erica shown then maybe yes, but no. Jessica is shown voting Rita
Yao Man shown to vote for Jessica Jeff “Well nearly half the tribe got at least one vote; gotta be a lot of people wondering what they did to earn a vote and what they can do to make sure it doesn’t happen again” (Notably, Rita, Mookie, Yao Man) With only one tribe seeing Tribal Council, it is hard to discern longevity with the other tribe members since that dynamic is important in how the contestants are edited as well. At this juncture, the thoughts I had pre-show have not really changed. Earl received quite a lovely edit thus far and Anthony was a prominent narrator as well although it was more about the camp dynamics and he was ignored in thoughts about Tribal Council. Michelle was spoken about as was Yao Man in positive tones and Yao Man’s edit appears destined to have a story surrounding it; this usually strike a chord with me that he may be a long term player to round out his victory over those he feared would outlast him. Rocky is destined for “character” play and will be highlighted regardless but there seems to be some issues that may need to be fleshed out further with him. I was not impressed with Rita or Mookie’s showing at this time and Sylvia will be joining them but I do not think she will for long; the emphasis on her bossiness and lack of depth at Exile Island seem to dictate this. Erica appears to have a sullen quality to her that in it of itself may not go over too well but she is stronger than either Sylvia or Rita but I found nothing about her to indicate an end game. As for the other tribe, I still feel that Dre may be on a journey which usually indicates a lengthier stay but not a winning one. Alex appears to be someone we may see more of although I can’t put a finger on exactly why. Stacy did shine in her challenge performance and there was nothing for me to see that she would leave immediately. We did not see much of Lisi, Boo or Gary outside of their confessionals and Edgardo had many narration comments which is interesting considering his speaking voice is hard to follow. Cassandra came out appearing to be somewhat of a narrator and I am putting the high five she and Earl did on the backburner. Once they are honed in on as their own tribe a bit more, we will see how they may fare individually.
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Flowerpower 7262 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-10-07, 07:42 AM (EST)
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21. "RE: Episode One Thoughts" |
WOW, Veruca, you are sure up to your usual standard, that was an amazing first assessment of the series! Your knack for the editing is nothing short of miraculous! Thanks for the very thorough assessment! I thoroughly enjoyed it and the show, and I think this series is shaping up quite nicely!
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-10-07, 01:37 PM (EST)
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22. "RE: Episode One Thoughts" |
LAST EDITED ON 02-10-07 AT 02:00 PM (EST)FP, I liked your comments on the players. We see many of them similarly and it is nice to see some other views.
Emy, it is always nice and a little creepy (!) to read your animal imagery. The editors are going to have fun again this season, it seems.
Veruca, you always shine! I liked your comments and agree Earl has taken a step forward. I also liked this comment on Dre and Rocky: “characters are meant to distract us from the real outcome.” The theme of this episode could have been: Who said this game was fair? The Arrival The opening sequence has already been well described so I’ll go to the beach landing except to note that Jeff seemed to enjoy observing from above and then sending the crate by parachute as if it was a rescue mission. The introduction gave us a first glimpse of the players getting to know each other. Earl and Cassandra shared the first hug followed by Anthony and Edgardo. We saw Boo introducing himself to Yau-Man and Rita while everyone commented on Rocky’s ressemblance to Stallone. That sequence also gave us our first confessionals and the players featured here should be kept in mind. We had in succession Edgardo, Rocky, Boo, Anthony, Dreamz, Earl, Cassandra, Yau-Man and finally Alex. What they said wasn’t as important as last season since they didn’t know the theme of the season yet. They each commented on the unusual opening or simply presented themselves. There were some notable exceptions: Anthony, after asking Edgardo for his thoughts on the situation, told us he was already thinking of the game by looking for flags and Jeff. We also had Earl saying he was the “King of the Island” after his “house tour” had led a group consisting of Anthony, Stacy, Michelle and Dreamz to the top of the hill. Stacy was the one saying she was “Queen of Fiji.” In the end, after retrieving the box, Alex gave us the episode’s title: “This is Survivor…something cruel is about to happen.” Building a Shelter Sylvia was the star of this sequence. Being an architect, she had the opportunity to be appreciated for her work. Yau-Man also was quick to show his skills in the wild, Earl declaring him the “Professor of this Gilligan’s Island.” Rocky stole the scene, telling us about the supplies (including the “lamber”) they had, and then requesting to use smaller words than “Ascoot”(!) We didn’t see a lot of tension about work distribution which was surprising especially since the shelter was far from finished when the storm hit. I observed the following Survivors working together: Sylvia, Gary and Yau-Man worked on the design. Earl directed some of the assignments. Stacy got the first fire lit with the help of Michelle and Lisi. Rita and Mookie were often together carrying supplies. Alliance talks also got underway: Erica and Jessica talking about adding a man to their alliance. The second day had the tribe in good spirit despite having been soaked. The shelter was finished with survivors still wondering why the game appeared to be a vacation. An Interlude: Night time comes
During the second night, we had a chance to see some of the sleeping arrangments: Looking closely, these players were seen lying down next to each other: Rita and Anthony for the second night in a row, Earl was next to Erica, Alex had his arms wrapped around Stacy (?) and James was next to Jessica. Dreamz wanted to have his presence felt and it did when he started a rant that got on everyone’s nerves. We saw Rocky confront Dreamz after the question about the players’ origins. These two are now on separate tribes but we can expect that the confrontation will come into play later. As it was, I found it interesting that the camera focused mainly on Earl as the one observing the scene from the shelter. Cassandra also was shown pointing but, as everyone was being kept awake, it was Earl who was used to show us how the tribe was reacting to the argument. The Challenge Jeff used the challenge as an occasion to get caught up. Everyone was happy, Sylvia was the leader and then, of course…the game started. I noted that Sylvia knew the names of every contestant except Lisi and Alex. She named Rocky, “Boston” and immediately separated him from Dreamz. The two she couldn’t name, along with Gary who expressed reservations about her leadership, are now on the rival tribe. Sylvia probably finds herself in the tribe she wanted, but will that help? The challenge itself gave us the reason for the upcoming boot, Jeff twice noting that Jessica was having problems. The second time, during the puzzle, sounded as if Jeff’s words were added later on, the sound quality seeming different. What it showed is that Ravu has strong athletes because they won the race part of the challenge despite having problems with the knots. Jeff, with help of the cameramen, was sure to let us know Earl was leading his tribe. Dreamz was also often focused on during the race. What was harder to see was that Gary and Cassandra struggled in the final stretch. It should be kept in mind if Moto goes to TC with the idea of voting out their weak links. Puzzle solvers for Ravu were Michelle, Jessica, Rita and Mookie. For Moto: Stacy, Lisi, Alex and Dreamz. Stacy and Alex seemed to be the main puzzle solvers. The Aftermath
We first returned to Moto since their win also gave them a reward. Alex was first to express how the tribe felt with Lisi and Dreamz adding their opinions. Their shelter now rivals Koror’s as the best one ever.
We then went to Exile Island where Sylvia’s stay as the first one exiled didn’t have much to offer. The editors used the opportunity to give us a tour of the island instead of telling us more about Sylvia. All we’ve learned from Sylvia is that she will try to look for the idol without attracting attention. Back at Ravu, the mood wasn’t as dark as one would expect. Earl told us the tribe felt horrible but soon after, with Rocky’s positive attitude, most of them found a way to appreciate their new surroundings. Erica was the only one to tell us she was “pissed-off.” The early groupings now talked about boot choices. Erica, Rocky and Jessica first felt secure in their plans to target Rita and control the game. That move was countered by Mookie who made his first appearance to sway Earl and Michelle into voting Jessica because she had failed on the third puzzle. Mookie reiterated that Jessica was the weakest one when Anthony joined the talk. Erica was there with them all along but didn’t speak in her ally’s defense. She told Rocky “Jessica’s in trouble” but neither one was about to risk exposing themselves in Jessica’s defense. Earl had the last confessional before leaving for TC. He talked about keeping his guard up and showing us his “poker face.” Tribal Council
I also enjoyed the music as the player entered. Most of the players had a chance to address Jeff during their first council. Michelle told us that the original frustration had passed. Rita, Yau-Man and Jessica were heard defending their case. Earl emerged as the one to speak for what the tribe needs to do while Mookie expressed how they should go about it. Anthony was the only one left out of the discussion. The Players 1- The Landlords: Earl: Although he finds himself with only bare land on the beach, there is no question that Earl will have a big impact on this game. As noted, he had an important quote about being the “King of the Island.” He also led the tribe’s comeback during the challenge. If anyone had a reason to feel deflated after the loss it was him yet we weren’t shown real negativity. He was given a chance to tell us his views and he expressed himself calmly and eloquently. He didn’t plot against anyone, instead he listened to what others proposed and voted according to what the tribe needed. Unless we have a tribal switch, Earl will make the merge and should be a narrator throughout his stay. I wouldn’t be surprised either if Earl were to be the last one standing on that “unnamed Island.” Dreamz: This homeless kid reached the “Highest” point of the island and now he has the keys to some prized property. He will play a major role in this season as he seems to be someone with a story and a lot of determination. He has taken the spotlight in Moto but it is doubtful he will find the same loyalty that Earl will receive. He doesn’t have the same temperament and he has already caused turmoil. His strength will be needed until the merge but after that, it could be very difficult for someone who doesn’t have the social part of the game to rely on. After finishing the shelter, many noted this quote: “I was homeless…I wish I could bring my family from home, here.” It could be an indication of where his story goes: Once a family member joins him and sees his accomplishments, it could be the end of Dreamz. 2- The Members of the Households Yau-Man: He was often at Earl’s side. “Yao-Min, (sic) he’s a keeper. He figures out every little thing that goes on” even commented Earl. His skills can make him the leader’s aide-de-camp. He can profit by being on the “Have-Nots” where his knowledge of the land will be needed. It will be interesting to see if he becomes Ravu’s second narrator. Being at home in the jungle gave him a similar opportunity to shine in episode #1 as Margaret’s nursing skills gave her in Guatemala. Being a star in episode #1 isn’t always a guarantee but Yau-Man has better prospects: Jeff named him one of his all-time favorites and this friendly older gentleman should make the merge. Alex: He was given a few occasions to present himself. He wasn’t part of any conflict and as such, it appears that he would be part of the core of Moto’s alliance. We didn’t see him often building the shelter so it is difficult to determine who are his allies. Thank you VS for noting that he was seen often by Dre’s side. Something to keep in mind for sure. Will he let Dreamz take the lead of Moto or will he try and take it away from him? It appears he would be Moto’s second narrator. Sylvia: She could fit well with Earl and Yau-Man who worked with her on the shelter. She cannot continue in her role as leader but it could be difficult to get into the alliance now that she has missed a few days of bonding. It won’t help that she will be seen as weak. This secondary star of episode #1 will have a hard time reaching the merge. Her stay at Exile Island lacked insight of what she thought of the tribes. She had created them afterall and there had to be some players she preferred. What were her plans? We heard nothing of that. Boo: He started by telling us the first thing to do on a deserted island is to explore. His explorations proved successful, Boo was seen as the one finding the water-well and he was with Anthony and Rocky when they found the cave. He made some contacts with members that are now on the other tribe. It will be something to keep in mind. For the time being, Boo appears to be the helpful hard worker who can keep the winning streak going. We’ll need to see more of Boo but his original confessional could be an indication he stays a while. Edgardo: He had the first confessional, telling us about the strange way the game was set-up. He was walking hand in hand with Rita when they found the cave. He fit in well with the tribe. For now, he seems like he is in no danger of leaving soon but I can’t tell if he’ll have an impact on the tribe. I’d still be surprised if he follows quietly with the rest of the household. Michelle: She only had 1 confessional so her lack of presence should mean she hasn’t earned her a place in the household yet. However, we heard a key exchange between Rocky and Earl: “Michelle is fit. She hangs from things, she jumps around. She is really physically fit and that is what we need right now” said Rocky. Earl replied: “I’m not getting rid of the monkey. I call her the monkey.” Hearing other players talk positively about someone is key to judging longevity and I didn’t hear anything as positive said about a player that we didn’t get a chance to meet yet. We’ll have to see more of her to be sure but Michelle is the only woman I saw has having indications she could stay long. Cassandra: She gave us a brief introduction, telling us just how much she was out of place. She was involved in the work at camp, learning how to open coconuts with Yau-Man. She will play this game by trying to fit in an alliance and should have a room in the Moto House. I don’t see her has having much impact on the game. Anthony: Could we have another narrator in Ravu? Anthony had many confessionals about what was happening around him. He had talks about the game right at the start, he told us about the miserable first night they had. He probably has established an alliance with Earl even if we didn’t see them talking privately. They were together on the island exploration and later, looking for the supplies. He also spend the first two nights alongside Rita. Erica: She barely managed to stay in the loop. She was involved in the talks to get rid of Jessica but it doesn’t mean much in the long term. She could save herself by getting back into the fold but it can also cost her dearly if the others realize she went against the tribe’s wishes. The strong character Jeff alluded to and that we saw briefly could continue to prevent her from going with the household. It could very well cause her fall. Her strong showing in the challenge, where she continually encouraged the tribe, could save her.
In this little experiment in capitalism, where we will see the “Poor” struggle against the power of the “Rich”, do we have a Revolutionist? If so, then it would be: Rocky: He had a huge presence in this first episode but he finds himself on the outside of Ravu’s main alliance. Can he operate a strategic retreat into the fold for now or will his temper continue to get him in trouble? We can expect that he will continue to be a narrator, which could mean 4 narrators in Ravu. It seems we could be spending a lot of time with the underprivileged. What is Rocky’s game plan? It will be difficult for him to last the whole 15 rounds…I mean episodes. He looks like a typical merge boot. For now, it was interesting that when Earl talked about having to keep your guard up and there are many actors that could eliminate someone by surprise, Rocky was the one the camera followed. 3- The Visitors and The Vacationers
Mookie, Rita, Gary, Lisi, Stacy and Lilliana had very little impact on the story told in episode #1. Mookie was the driving force in saving Rita and putting the target on Jessica. Stacy declared herself “Queen of Fiji”, she built the first fire and she was seen as the puzzle solver for Moto but no comments were heard about it. We will need more from all these players before any can be tagged as long term players. For now, they all look like early boots. And Jessica declared herself on vacation. That proves it isn’t a good way to play the game! In conclusion: The story in episode #1 was certainly dominated by the men. The early indications seem to point to Earl, Yau-Man, Rocky, Michelle, Alex and Dreamz as the impact players. Most should make the merge and they will be joined by a couple of the other members of their households and maybe a visitor or two will settle in! Next episode should give us a clearer idea on the Survivors game plans.
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buckeyegirl 5449 desperate attention whore postings
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02-11-07, 02:11 PM (EST)
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24. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
Hi everyone I've lurked the last couple of seasons, but have astounded by everyone's great insight into the game. I just re-watched the premiere episode, and two things caught my eye about Michelle that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere. 1.)It seems like Michelle and Earl got along really good right from the start-when they mention going exploring up the hill Earl remarks "She wants to go see what's up there..let's go." The second that I missed the first time when I watched the show was after Earl says "I'm the King of Island" I could swear that it was Michelle (but it may have been Stacy) who said "You'll be the king, and I'll be the queen."--The quote from Earl was bugging me, and I finally realized why. It's because it reminded me of a quote from Titanic when Jack says at the very start of the movie: "I'm the King of the world..." and we all know how that story ended, so hopefully Earl will meet a better ending. I am probably way off base, but the comparisons just wouldn't go away... I won't comment on anyone else as everyone else has done such a wonderful job.  
If I'm off base on the comparisons, I'm blaming it on the cold meds.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
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02-12-07, 00:50 AM (EST)
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26. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
LAST EDITED ON 02-12-07 AT 00:54 AM (EST)After watching the episode a third time, looking at the CBS photo gallery and the Insider Videos, I'd like to add: -We’ll have to keep an eye on Mookie, he is a liar: 
1st puzzle had 10 pieces
2nd puzzle had 15 pieces
3rd puzzle had 20 pieces and was considerably harder. Jessica was Mookie’s target and he was ready to lie to save Rita. His alliance with Rita has to be considered stronger than we thought.
-Alex got protected by the editing: 
There are more than one bundle of cloth so Alex wasn’t that close to solving the combination. He had to try many times before getting it right. The editors may have wanted to use the challenge to explain Jessica’s boot but they also want us to see Alex has a smart player which is a good sign for his prospects. -The confrontation between Dreamz and Rocky made us see them as rivals but it could be already forgotten. Dreamz and Rocky were very friendly as seen in an insider clip. They were preparing to go fishing together and joking like old friends during day 2. The confrontation during the second night may have broken that friendship but they may have forgotten all about it the very next day. -It was Stacy that said she was “Queen of Fiji” because she is standing right behind Earl and in front of Dreamz at the time. You see Michelle in the background, already heading back down the hill.
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Flowerpower 7262 desperate attention whore postings
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02-12-07, 02:47 PM (EST)
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29. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
LAST EDITED ON 02-12-07 AT 02:48 PM (EST)Emy...do you have vidcap evidence of the Rocky/Boo flash?? What would 2-2 mean??? Just curious! Thanks, michel for the great vidcaps, clearly Alex had to open far more than one to win! PS...emy, LOVE the new siggie, but how do you like mine??? 
GO TEAM ROMBER!!!
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emydi 13669 desperate attention whore postings
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02-12-07, 03:33 PM (EST)
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30. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
Go to CBS website and view the episode it is toward the end of the IC--you can fast forward to the puzzle portion of the ICtwenty two was the no. of hte 3rd puzzle...when both teams were trying to solve 3rd puzzle--Rocky was jumping up and down really anxious...he flashed 2 with his fingers twice and they specifically showed Bo react...Actually Draco Malfoy posted it in the East Coast Update thread. I went back to watch it over the weekend and it was there! I couldn't believe it! 
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emydi 13669 desperate attention whore postings
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02-12-07, 03:56 PM (EST)
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33. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
LAST EDITED ON 02-12-07 AT 04:09 PM (EST)It's all in the editing, BR I think they actually did finish it....if you look at michel's posts and photo, this IC was heavily edited and Alex did not just get the knife on the first try... The third puzzle was in fact 22 and Rocky did flash that no. to Boo who noticably noticed it...check the tape...I think it was significant...VS did you see this? ETA: I just watched that part of the video again and it really is heavily edited...when Rocky is jumping up and down and makes the sign, all you see is him, Earl, et al from the view of the puzzle board...you don't see how far Ravu is in the puzzle...then you see Boo notice the sign with Moto still working on 3rd puzzle. Jiffy then says that Moto is close and you see Alex moving the wheel...after the first spin you see Alex with a bunch of green "napkins" on the puzzle board (see Michel's vidcap) but not the wheel...they had to open many more than just the one it appeared they opened on the show. It was shown for some reason..I think bc Boo and Rocky made an alliance...Rocky may not really care for his tribe and working more for later...no one on Ravu seemed to notice the sign and it appeared only Boo did...if nothing is brought up about it (as compared to Bubba's sign to Chris in Vanuatu that caused him to be voted out) it could be an alliance that is not really shown but may have some power if a swap occurs and if both Rocky and Boo make the merge.
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
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02-13-07, 12:59 PM (EST)
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34. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
Excellent sleuthing everyone and, as always, great insight on your views of this episode. The first episode is very important in some ways and I tend to go back and view it around mid season to see what was so important in a premiere to show ESPECIALLY when it wasn't necessary.emydi, I did indeed watch the scene that you (very astutely) talk about. While I did not see Rocky flash two "two" signs it certainly did show what you presented. I only saw him flash one "two" sign which then shifted to Boo appearing to look over. Since I only was able to see one "two" (I hope I am not confusing anyone lol) I *thought* he may be implying to Boo that they were on the second puzzle. Regardless, it should indeed be back burnered for future reference. With respect to michel's good eyes and ears pointing out that it Stacy replying to Earl as being the "Queen" I noted that and at that time rendered it not terribly important to the editing (which I may end up regretting ) My reason for this is that when Earl states his remark it is done in a voiceover as the camera pans on the beautiful scene. It was distinct with no "muddle" as the scene returns to the group you then see Earl continuing his statement with Stacy piping in and it was not very audible. The editors did not make any concerted effort to distinguish her words in any aspect and it almost got lost in the scene. Earl's, on the other hand, was extremely clear and it was done with only the scenery being shown, keeping it very "clean" so at this time, I feel Earl's statement was more important. There were many individuals there who had commentary that first episode that, while providing good commentary, were subject to narrow remarks while others who spoke(or were spoken about) or shown appeared to be contestants that the editors were attempting to potentially make us remember or take note. It is often not the quantity of time spent on camera but the quality. Was something said that you remember that really had no bearing on the episode? Was a course of action taken that we received no insight from the person doing it? Was someone unrealistically shown visually when they really had nothing to do with the events? With the number of people that are on this show (which has grown over the seasons) there really is a deliberate effort at times. This, while often exasperating, is also why I love this show as it is a constant exercise in manipulation. As michel indicated we had quite a few people who spoke to us early on and it is up to us to discern if their discussions were just good soundbites and/or have potentially more meaning. Some were given camera time for us to get to know them personally; others provided us with some perfunctory commentary about the events as they were occurring; others spoke about other contestants and so forth. Also, there are others who are shown to us because they had to be; their commentary or action had a direct impact on the end. I look forward to more of this wonderful insight from all of you and hope those who are not in here often but posted about the first episode will continue to do so. Those who regularly post, you never disappoint
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VolcanicGlass 428 desperate attention whore postings
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02-15-07, 08:59 AM (EST)
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35. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
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emydi 13669 desperate attention whore postings
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02-15-07, 09:29 AM (EST)
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36. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
thx VG you're a peach! I saw him flash it twice quickly VS
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
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02-15-07, 09:43 AM (EST)
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37. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
Great vidcap VGFrom what I've seen, I'm much more inclined to think Rocky is encouraging his team by saying: "We have 2 of them done, lets go!" Moto is ahead of Ravu so how can Rocky give the answer to Moto? Another possibility is that Rocky is looking at Ravu's puzzle and sees that the third puzzle is "22." Instead of getting information from Rocky, I think Boo could be angry at the cheater. Look at how Stacy is positioned on the puzzle, it is as if someone told her to shield the board with her body. The third possibility is that the editors are messing with us and, just like Courtney's wink, it never happened like that, Boo not looking at Ravu at the same time Rocky was flashing "2." The camera cut to Boo, it wasn't a continuous shot. Veruca, you are right with the importance of the first episode. Jeff has said they had so much action that they had trouble cutting it to fit 1 hour. What they left in could be doubly important. I don't think you risk too much by downplaying Stacy's remark of being Queen. I pointed it out in my second post only to clear up the confusion between her and Michelle as to who said it. I still see Stacy only as a visitor to Fiji right now although she could settle in, meaning she could grow as a character and have an impact on the game. Looking forward to tonight's episode!!
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emydi 13669 desperate attention whore postings
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02-16-07, 10:13 AM (EST)
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38. "Flying bats of Ep 2" |
This is my saved post for animal imagery but I wanted you all to see my inspiration this season!!Zeke is black with white and Otto his brother is white with blace in forefront 
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
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02-16-07, 07:11 PM (EST)
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39. "RE: Episode 2 Thoughts" |
emydi what absolutely beautiful cats you have and I love how one is featured white with black areas and the other is featured black with white areas. I have heard the term calico cats; would that be the case? In any event, they are darling and I assume much more pleasant to be around then some of the nasty creatures on the show Well a topsy turvy episode indeed with a lot of dialogue, drama, humor and mishaps. With the Ravu tribe in such dire straits and having to visit Tribal Council yet again, we only got glimpses of the Moto tribe. I normally reserve judgement on a tribe who has not yet been to Tribal Council since the show normally will focus on the tribe to lose a member. We did receive some segments on Moto and who seemed of some focus so we can potentially surmise they may be relevant later on. I would suggest that between last episode and this one, Edgardo, Boo, Cassandra and Dre with Alex just behind received the most air time which has me question the state of Gary, Lilliana, Lisi and Stacy. However, I never discount anything this early so this would only be a blueprint although it is clear that Dre is meant to be an integral part of this season. Opening credits were given to us and I know that ag does a very interesting analysis on that which many use as a tool in their deductions The Recap Anthony advises no one "has a clue of what's going"
Sylvia spearheaded the construction
Gary "do get the sense Sylvia's trying to dominate" More emphasis on Sylvia's leadership style which helped to set up the episode where this was, indeed, a bone of contention
Jeff explains Sylvia's selection of the tribes, her exile and the challenge Michelle, Alex, Edgardo, Rocky featured
Jessica slowed Ravu down and Moto came out ahead Whether meaningless or not, no one single Moto was singled out for their eventual win
Ravu loses with a close up of Erica "not much for you"
At Exile Island Sylvia "Now I have to figure out a time when I can search for it without prying eyes"
Ravu goes to a new beach Rita "We've got a double whammy"
At TC, the tribe singled out Jessica as the "weak link" "18 are left, who will be voted out Erica, YaoMan, Rita showntonight?" A Dreary Morning Shown depleted and desperate to the point of licking leaves, Michelle, Mookie and Erica shown in our opening Mookie (conf) "It's day four, we are dehydrated; we're so desperate for water... licking leaves and getting as much water as possible, we thought that would be a good idea" Anthony and Rocky exchange talk with Rocky asking if he ever licked a leave before. Earl (conf) "We need to survive; it's hard to even think when you're dying of starvation and thirst; thirst before anything" Anthony shown selecting a leave, albeit a dirty one, to lick) "We're all just dehydrated, it makes you delirious" The Fat Of The Land Moto, shown in direct contrast to Ravu, are enjoying the "have" life with morning fruit and drink Lisi (conf) "We're fortunate to be living the way we are living (Edgardo showering) ...we did win a hell of a reward. (Lisi then comically sings, Stacy, Gary and Cassandra shown laughing) We do have a really plush couch, beautiful pillows you can sleep on.... we're all more than happy, we're all sitting around thinking the same thing this game is so vicious, it's delicious" (Lisi shown laughing over killing an ant with a hammer) Boo is relaxing on the hammock with scenes of eating and an overall sense of well being: "....course we made it ourselves, fat of the land" (Thus, leading to Boo and his stomach disturbance with accompanying music of a situation comedy nature. He had various spliced confessionals. In fact, the one in the hammock was after he injured himself as you can see his hand is wrapped in a bandage) "We're already full; this is the first Survivor where you actually gain weight..." Those who wish to answer..... a similar situation engulfed Ulong vs. Koror with the direct contrast between how the tribes were faring. Upon viewing Moto, what was your feeling. Upon viewing Ravu, how did you feel about them? I will withhold my opinion until those of you kind enough to answer do so Fire Is Life Ravu shown, unsuccessfully attempting their fire with Earl, Erica and Anthony at the helm at his particular moment. Anthony (conf) "Right now Ravu is in pretty (Mookie) bad shape (Rocky) We got heart for days, the heart doesn't do any good when your as hungry and thirsty as we are. We rub sticks and we rub some more sticks. Rubbing sticks is great if you have thirty people all hydrated and have energy (more scenes shown of the group attempting fire) but when you have eight people who are tired as hell and who have no water in their system it wears you out pretty fast" (Rocky shown laying down extremely depleted moving on to other member also shown depleted) Yao Man together with Erica as Yao Man chops coconuts with a definitive sound made with each chop. Yao Man (conf) "Since we did not get any fire yet to boil water, the plan here is to fill as many canisters as we can with coconut water...." (Earl then featured in a slide show of chopping coconuts timing himself with a chorus of sounds by Anthony, Mookie and Rock and I believe Rocky saying "getting cocky huh" but all in good spirits. Earl then pours the coconut water into the waiting canteen held by Yao Man) Mookie then shown chopping quickly but only manages to obtain a small amount from the coconut with Michelle shown looking dejected. Rocky (conf) "Today what's going on is basically everyone's beat... ....chop like five coconuts (Rocky shown doing so) then nap for an hour. (Rocky shown laying down) I'm tell you, right now, nobody has a clue... (Earl, Anthony standing with YaoMan and I believe Rocky laying down the moves over to show the others laying down) ....half of us can't even stand up. (Michelle shown falling with Rita assisting her) I've never experienced dehydration like this" Earl, Rita and Rocky shown looking for clams with Rocky confessing about that experience "....crazy! We're starving here!" An Accident Waiting To Happen An arresting shot of a starfish crawling into the eye of a skull but loses it "balance" and drops over into the water which then immediately goes to Boo with a swollen eye and questions asked on how it happened. Alex (conf) ".....caught something in his eye, eye red, obvious indentation... (Boo and Alex then shown with Alex pouring water into his eye; Boo then shown chopping with an axe with Cassandra looking on with caution and Stacy telling him to be careful with Boo subsequently cutting himself) "I just barely finished helping him with the eye situation and the next thing you know he takes the axe and literally the axe went through the finger and right down to the knee" (Boo then assures them he will tell them if he needs help with his injuries) Dre (conf) "Boo is very stubborn; he's a real hazard to himself, I can see where it happens where we don't have to vote nobody out sooner or later" (Dre is then shown telling the group Boo has one hand, one leg and one eye with Alex and Edgardo laughing with Lisi also in the background with Dre stating to Boo: "You're really no good to us now; you gotta think about that stuff..." ) "Everybody knows it, everybody's predicting it, Boo will hurt himself out of the game" (Boo then shown falling in the hammock, Dre laughing with background laughter) The Exiled Returns On Day 5, Sylvia returns amidst a still tired and depleted Ravu. Essentially the main point of the sequence was to further what was introduced to us in the first episode of Sylvia and her overpowering nature (We will recall how unfortunately in this game, those women who appear to be assertive are shown and deemed to be annoying and overbearing) The other scene which was given attention was after the greetings ensued and Sylvia advises she was hoping to run into YaoMan Yao Man (conf) "Sylvia came back from Exile Island; everyone was excited but when I went up to greet her I only had one thing on my mind and that was to see if she found the immunity idol so when I was giving her a hug I looked over her shoulder and into her shoulder bag and did a little quick search and I didn't find anything" The tribe then proceeds to advise Sylvia (after she states she made fire at EI with her flint) they have no fire or water. Syliva (conf) "When I got here and they told me they had no fire and no water you are just kind of like ugggh, we're stuck in a really bad situation" (The segment continues with Sylvia jumping into the "process" i.e. attempting to cut the coconut with a machete (the wrong side I might add) "I feel like at this point I am a bit extraneous.... they got the whole rhythm going... (Erica reaction meant as a negative) but I'm not part of the core right now" The scene further continues as Sylvia watches Michelle, Rita, Anthony and Yao Man attempting to make fire adding her suggestions with Michelle needing to remind Sylvia of her name. Of note, Rocky was essentially missing from the entire portion commencing with Sylvia's arrival Michelle (conf) "I was not really excited for Sylvia to come back, I really didn't have great feelings about her personality; I personally think she's a little bossy..." The scene further continues with Sylvia making more suggestions with noncommital responses. Anthony (conf) "She kinda does rub people the wrong way. It's not so much she's a bad person; it's just, for lack of a better word, she's bossy" Rocky finally emerges with Mookie and Anthony..... Rocky "Here's the thing, say we had to vote one of them off like say, like tomorrow, it would obviously be Sylvia"
Anthony "You know, she came in and did exactly what we thought she was going to do man"
Mookie "What?"
Anthony "Okay so why don't we do this? And, bring me this here!"
Rocky "Sounds like a dictatorship to me. But whatever man"
Mookie "We just have to learn everything she knows and then see you later"
Rocky "Little cutthroat bastard, I hear ya."
Rocky "Someone's gotta do it. Am I wrong? Tell me I'm wrong." Potentially interesting to note of the "guy pow wow" that Earl and Yao Man were not present but Rocky has ingratiated himself after seeing what occurred last episode. Earl and Yao Man are seen quite often also with the women quite a lot that negates (to me) any real division of gender More History On Dre Gary and Dre shown with Dre in the trees collecting fruit. Interesting how the camp is stocked full of food with a slight air of that entitlement we discussed pre-season shown but we note that Gary (and specifically Dre) are still gathering food. Dre (conf) "Being on Survivor is pretty much easier than being homeless. When I was first homeless I was about seven years old because my mamma was doing drugs.... it's very similar having to go out and get food and when you find food you aren't just going to be greedy.. ...cause you know everyone else is hungry too" (tribe shown eating) "I know my tribemates don't know what it is like to suffer. When I first got here I was like what are these people doing here; I don't think these people know what it is like to struggle (Alex shown combing his hair) I think this is the most struggle these people had (a carefully placed shot of Edgardo which focused on his protruding stomach) which is not really a struggle to me (Stacy shown crafting a basket) this is easier than being on the street. I have a responsibility to last in this game because I do want to help my family. I'm in an amazing spot in my life right now. I'm gonna help my family when I get back" Extremely palpable music opens this sequence which was obviously entirely about Dre. It was soft and melancholy and clearly helped to elicit a sympathetic tone to what Dre was telling us. As I stated last week, I don't know that we are necessarily meant to like Dre en masse but we are meant to empathize with his struggles in life. This is a clear manipulation of a contestant. He is supposed to evoke more than one reaction from us and not handed to us in a one dimensional platter which is extremely positive for his longevity. The audience could be allowed to see a glossed over version of Dre's background (just for good "story) and be done with it and hammer home the more negative side of Dre which he can be capable (there was essentially nothing in night scene of the first episode that showed Dre to be "right") While at this time, I still think Dre is a "journey" character and thus not winning, he most certainly gives indication that he will be here for quite some time. I am suspicious of the onslaught of Dre and his back story which has occurred not only immediately but two episodes in a row. The first episode is not surprising as we are being introduced to important players and characters and Dre's background is obviously a foundation for great television and what I feel is the premise for his journey. However, it was NOT necessary to reintroduce Dre's background just one episode later AND in the circumstances surrounding Moto. Moto is living large, having fun and enjoying one another. They are not struggling for food or shelter. But it was deliberately shown Dre foraging (with Gary) for more food and discussing what hardship is truly like. For Dre to even have to be shown hunting down food did not entirely correlate with the state of his tribe. For a reason, which we will only know at the end of this season, the editors are making the audience terribly aware that Dre has had an extremely tough life and it is his "responsibility" to do well in this game for his family. It will be interesting to see how often Dre and the conditions he had to live will be told to us. Considering what has been shown in only two episodes in, I believe this will be cropping up quite often
The Continuing Plight of Ravu
Earl, Rocky and Erica shown hiking up to a high point on the island Earl (conf) "I am beyond starving. I'm looking for anything, any tree of life, anything" The scene reverts back to the three hiking with Earl discovering mango and although inedible, Earl states it is the beginning stages. He then advises Rocky and Erica he is going to go up a little more. An ariel view of the three climbing higher with a very strong background of music then reverts to Earl standing at the peak alone though we know that Erica and Rocky were following him. Regardless that Erica was booted this episode, there was absolutely no indication of this at that time. This obviously appeared more about Earl as we heard his confessional and the focus was on him. We hear nothing from Rocky nor Erica about their venture for food (except for a brief mention by Erica after the facet in relation to the pineapple) nor do we see them standing with Earl at the summit. It appears clear that Earl is striking strong chords of a long term player) Earl "....went all the way to the top, nothing" (shown stating to Yao Man. Yao Man and Earl seemed to have a relationship of some kind at this juncture as often they are shown talking together and working together) We then see Erica victoriously finding pineapple right in their own backyard with the other contestants euphoric. Rocky "We've been running around hungry and stupid the last couple of days" Erica (conf) "We've been trekking the whole island, climbing mountains and stuff, and right in front of us were hundreds of pineapple" Rocky "We've got pineapple power for the challenge tomorrow"
Earl "Now I'll be ready, I'll be ready" Earl (conf) "A miracle and she just stumbled onto it. Me and Erica? We're getting married now. She just saved my life and I appreciate it. She's a good woman" Erica pumps her arm in the air with victory As earlier referenced on Earl; this moment was Erica's moment yet she was simply relegated to noting that they trekked all over and right there were pineapples. There was no depth, no real feeling and she literally was their hero at that moment. Instead, Earl was yet again featured noting his life was saved and during the group conversation I'll be ready. We heard from no one else about the treasure found by Erica yet it was clear to see they were all depleted. This is not blatant manipulation of an edit however and why it is of interest; it is often the subtle smoke and mirrors that provide more fruition. I was extremely taken with Earl's edit in the first episode and this episode was just as palpable in his persona. There is a dimension to his words that not only encompass the events but also his thoughts as well as the game not to mention his visual presence in very deliberate scenes Momentum Building For those who enjoy the speculation of weekly boots, it would almost at this point seem fairly obvious that there was not any real time given to Moto to help establish some foresight on who may be having issues at their camp. Boo's destiny for injury had no real foreshadow of impending doom and Dre's fleshing out certainly did not indicate any potential consequences. Despite the dire straits of the Moto tribe, a tribe who is deemed to visit Tribal Council will show a glimpse of some issue that is plaguing the tribe and we saw none of this leading up to the challenge Earl and Rocky arrive with tree mail with all agreeing they have "the will to win" and Earl announcing the key word "flame". Erica is shown furiously chopping fruit. Erica (conf) "I am not going to have any problem kicking butt today; it's definitely all about payback today. I mean we helped build that shelter; we wasted all our energy on making that camp home so today is the day we can get back at them and make them suffer a little bit" Sylvia (conf) "I want to win for many reasons; I'm the most vulnerable member of the tribe right now (two shots of Sylvia shown comedically of her stumbling in the group and her stumbling doing yoga with Michelle) having been an outsider and I've realized (inserted shot of Anthony appearing to be watching the yoga) for a couple of days now the idol is at camp but I haven't had the strength, energy or opportunity to go look for it so there is no option for me to lose because I know the consequences" (Our set up is established.....) Over at Moto war paint for the ensuing "battle" with Dre's announcing "It's time, it's go home day and we want to stay on go home day" Boo (conf) "It's definitely game on and we're pumped in more ways than they can imagine. Our tribe has a distinct advantage.... we've been fed, we've been happy, we've been cracking up laughing (a nice shot of Cassandra shown doing just that), we're gonna be calm, we're gonna be steady, they're gonna be nervous (Lilliana applies war paint to Dre) We don't want to lose but we know, in our minds, we're not starting from the bottom anymore" As Boo's confessional was shown various shots of Boo were shown getting ready for this challenge; the bandage was not wrapped around his hand nor did his hand appear to be injured. I'll be curious to see if next week we see Boo's hand bandaged as it appears that the incident with his hand may have occurred after this immunity challenge, i.e. the next day or so and edited specifically out of sequence to perhaps throw some doubt as to whether he may have trouble at the challenge. This was a good confessional for Boo reflecting confidence but not condescending as many young male contestants are shown to do The Fight For Survival Jeff advises Moto that Jessica was voted out with Boo shown directly surprised at this announcement with the camera then moving onto Edgardo. Jeff explains the challenge noting someone will be going to Exile (with YaoMan, Earl and Mookie shown) Jeff "Ravu looking for some revenge and Moto looking to put them deeper in the hole" The challenge begins with both tribes fairly equal. Ravu is slightly ahead but as the puzzle portion begins, problems begin. Erica is heard loudly advising of how she thinks the puzzle is supposed to be assembled. Erica "I'm telling you all the one Earl has is it!"
Jeff "Erica is certain she's right, no one is listening"
Erica "That was it!"
A male member (possibly Anthony or Earl) states "Okay, listen to Erica guys, listen to Erica"
Sylvia "Everybody calm down" Moto wins with Anthony and Rocky expressing their rage with a dash of Sylvia's face. Jeff advises Moto is safe with emphasis on Rocky and the disappointing news that someone from Ravu will go to Exile Island with Erica visibly upset. Earl is selected by the voice of Lilliana and there did not appear to be any discussion between the members which was edited out of the sequence or Moto decided beforehand to send Earl. Jeff "Watch out for the sea snakes"
Earl "I'll eat them" Jeff gives a smile and closes the segment. Stacy shown briefly at the end with the last shot of Dre walking away with the idol. The Exiled One Earl receives his clues and is surprised that it will be back at the camp. Earl "To find out that the idol was back at camp was very shocking. It doesn't really matter that Sylvia has the first clue because as of tonight, she most likely will be gone. Exile is an upgrade from how we were living.... but at the same time I'm not involved on what's going on at camp. Earl then sees "a highly poisonous sea snake" attempts to knife it twice subsequently killing it. Earl "I can't take that chance; I can't take that chance, the same one. It's like saying to Private Ryan, you let that one go it'll come back and get you later. Sorry buddy. I really don't like killing animals. Snakes are misunderstood but we have an understanding now" Go back to Sylvia and her exiling and note the difference. Sylvia being the one first one and not knowing which tribe she would be with upon her return was not even discussed. Earl was given some time to speak of what may be happening at camp along with this nice little feature of his killing the snake. Good television? Perhaps so although Earl does get attention paid to him with very meaningful talk. We may go back at the end of the season and see if there was any symbolic meaning to Earl "not taking a chance with a snake" and effectively cutting it (he/she) down. On a show like this, it would not be altogether too surprising should this particular scene prove symbolic especially in light of how Earl's edit is faring thus far Back At Ravu Rocky attempts to make light of their losing and their issue with puzzles while we see someone using glasses to start a fire. Anthony tells us he is frustrated and mad at visiting Tribal Council again and it's only day 6 and it is clear he is angry and wants water. Mookie "Erica was just killing me today"
Rocky "Yea me too"
Mookie "She was freaking out" "So are we still on the same game plan of who we are getting rid of?"
Rocky "I think so"
Mookie "Sylvia?"
Rocky "Is that who you want?"
Mookie "I don't know anymore"
Rocky "Now you want Erica huh?"
Mookie "I'm just, sheesh, that just irritated me" (Rocky's confessional shown)
Rocky "I love her to death... ....what's our excuse? Just because of the challenge?"
Mookie "The challenge, she freaked out"
Rocky "Alright, alright"
Mookie "You saw her freaking out"
Rocky "Yeah" "We're such scum bags" Remainder of confessional shonw
Rocky (conf) "...she's just grumpy, screaming, a lot of us are but not at the challenges though...." and "Mookie, probably be my partner in crime. We pretty much made an alliance and (hard to decipher but the gist was to just then get rid of everyone) I know it sounds bad bro but what am I gonna do? What am I gonna do?
A big change from last week when Mookie was the driving force to Rocky's friend Jessica's elimination. Rocky must have had some awakening to change course. Also interesting is that again, Mookie is shown to be the de facto leader in both boots yet we hear nothing at all from him on his insight. He makes his case (and not exactly the most reasonable decisions either) and the chips fall that way. It would seem that he was protecting Rita at the first Tribal Council but it certainly does not appear that way for Sylvia; more likely Mookie may be the type of young man who doesn't like strong minded and/or threatening women but we can't know for sure as we are not being given any insight whatsoever into his reasoning but the tribe ends up capitulating to his suggestion. I can't say this does much for Mookie in terms of end game but there is an ingredient that we are missing at this time which makes me wonder if we need to find out more with Mookie Rocky proceeds to tell Anthony "we are switching up" Rocky "Erica's gonna go now and if and when the next time we lose, Sylvia goes next"
Anthony "Wouldn't you rather get rid of Sylvia now?
Rocky "No because Erica's a threat and Sylvia's not" (A reason that we did not see in the conversation held with Mookie but probably was mentioned)
Anthony "Yeah but we need the strength"
Rocky "To be honest with you, I love her to death but I can't always read her; I don't always know where she's coming from"
Anthony "So you'd rather have Sylvia?"
Rocky "No, Sylvia's next" Mookie then proceeds to tell Sylvia and Rita of this course of action. Mookie "We need to take out Erica" (Sylvia chimes in with "Oh no") "She broke down today..." (More "Oh no") - (Sylvia's confessional shown)
Mookie "Things change real quick"
Rita "Yeah they do"
Sylvia "I thought my days were numbered" (she then attempts to ingratiate herself by offering laundry service which was accompanied by what sounded like a tuba actually and then the remainder of her confessional shown) Sylvia (conf) "Mookie said we're going to vote Erica off and I was like whoa!" and "...if nothing else, when you are in a survival situation, rule number one you keep your head" Rita, Sylvia, Rocky and Anthony now shown with Sylvia attempting to advise how Erica was screaming Rocky "Explain to him because he's upset"
Sylvia "She was completely in a panic. You have to stay calm as a team. When one person is yelling and screaming, we're all distracted"
Rocky "It's nothing personal bro"
Anthony "I know it's not personal..."
Rocky "Do you want to keep losing? It's up to you..."
Anthony "Dude do I look like I want to lose?"
Rocky "I'm just asking"
Anthony "You wanna ask me that question again?" Anthony states he is upset over the situation to the three at that point. Anthony "Erica blew her top; completely blew her stack at the challenge today and because she panicked, everybody saw it. And those who didn't trust her a lot (Mookie and Rocky shown) just want her gone which I think is a mistake for the tribe" Anthony and Michelle now talk Anthony "I don't think it's right(?)"
Michelle "No I don't think so either"
Anthony "But apparently that's the unanimous thing right now"
Michelle "Right, majority" "Well if they have enough already I can still be like Sylvia I don't like you"
Anthony "Okay that's cool, then I'll vote for Sylvia too" Anthony(conf) "I'm playing the game; so is everyone else; you just have to play with what cards your dealt and right now I have a really funky hand. Getting rid of Sylvia in a lot of ways would be good... ....we were all fine before she showed up. We were all actually pretty tight before she showed up" Rita and Anthony now talk Rita "How did you feel before she got here and after she got here"
Anthony "It was just kinda weird when she got here... ....we were all good"
Rita "I mean I feel like we have the right combination between the girls and the guys that we have to make it through"
Anthony "Well if we keep together and if you and I keep together then we'll be good" "Cool. We'll do it" (gives her hand a kiss with Rita smiling in agreement) Anthony again provides great narration for his tribe and while I do not like to compare past seasons to each other because one really can't, Anthony is very remniscient of Austin's display. Good confessionals, tribe observations, event observations but very straightforward. Anthony is refreshing as Austin was. What you see is what you get which then begs the question is that someone who will be at end game? Is he being shown when he doesn't have to be. Are his personal observations relative to the events or do we have an insight into his character? If the answer is that he is relatively benign then his chances at the end are of a concern because he is also not being established as a "character" either. Tribal Council Awaits Ravu struggles with their boat and the choppy waves with Mookie stating more bad luck..... Anthony (conf) "If we landed in bizarro world and we end up with a split vote, four for Erica and four for Sylvia, I think a couple of people's heads will explode. There would be a whole lot of people lying to other people who are already lying to other people.... I'm just hoping that we are not in bizarro world and everybody keeps up with what they are planning to do cause in this game you can't take anything at face value." (One wonders if Earl had been there what the outcome would have necessarily been) Jeff asks Mookie about the back to back losses.
Mookie "We're in a deep hole, we still have no fire which means no water. We are running out of coconuts. We're tired.... we need to win" Jeff asks Anthony what went wrong today
Anthony "I think there was too many people were trying to help when they should have just backed off and let the original people who we thought were going to take care of it, take care of it" Jeff indicates he saw Erica screaming and asks her if this could be an interference.
Erica "A lot of people tried a lot of different pieces and I was really trying to help out... I'm passionate about winning... I feel like putting my input in wasn't such a bad thing and all I asked them to do was to go back and try it again" Jeff asks Sylvia if she felt welcomed back
Sylvia "Actually I felt like an outsider... ...by the time I showed up I felt like I was on the outside" Jeff asks Rocky his reaction on Sylvia's return Rocky "Sylvia is used to leading; she's used to dictating and telling people what to do... ... but in a positive way" (Erica's eyes roll) Anthony "Bless you Sylvia you have a habit of throwing out ideas and saying let's do it and not actually talking about it with anyone" (Sylvia's face disagrees) Sylvia "A little (surprising) I came in late so I could not be the leader just walking in off Exile Island and say okay everybody clear the way I'm the leader but I can offer ideas and an idea that has been gurgling in my head... tomorrow when we're fresh and wake up is to assign a leader" (A bit of change in music with Anthony shaking his head) Jeff asks Yao Man the criteria for this TC
Yao Man "...to have a more cohesive tribe... ...and get rid of someone who is too vocal or too stubborn or too arrogant about things" Jeff advises the HII is good through the final five this time and must be used after the votes but before the votes are read. Jeff asks about the idol with a shake from Sylvia and a glance from Michelle. Erica is then voted out. Jeff "Not much to say. This tribe has to find a way win" The women of Ravu were essentially secondary characters this episode showing more or less that they are supporting the actions of the men on their tribe. We know that women are portrayed differently so it would be irresponsible if those of us love editing assume the worst for the Ravu women this early on. Michelle and Rita appear to have some insulation with certain males but there is definitely a shadow over this tribe's dynamics that we are not meant to see yet. Rocky's admission of his and Mookie's alliance and their plans would raise an eyebrow as to the success. Yao Man was not seen or heard as much as the first episode but we know that is not a negative situation and a little twist on his persona showing that he is aware of this game can't be overlooked. Yao Man's story was clearly established in the first episode and I do see hints of Earl and Yao Man having a relationship of mutual respect for one another that may progress. He obviously is being made privy to the decisions and is valuable to his tribe as well. Anthony was the sole vote for Sylvia but Sylvia has been force fed down our throats for two episodes on her characterization and the vote was not about protection for Sylvia. Mookie has intrigued me with respect to his major role but with lack of development and I am curious about him. Rocky is "character" and will be highlighted as long as he is there but the audience has been shown quite clearly he is not trustworthy as shown in the events with Jessica and Erica. Earl has had a tremendous showing that ebbs and flows with just enough impact to be remembered but also subtle enough to avoid heading into an editing area that is too forced into our viewing. Over at Moto, we need to see them at Tribal Council but there is no question Dre is there for quite some time and I won't rehash my earlier statements. Boo has been seen and heard from enough that he may settle in for quite a bit. Edgardo was extremely visible in the first episode narrating but barely seen this episode so I reserve an opinion on him but his commentary was fairly generic that I don't know he makes an end game lasting impression. Gary was briefly seen and positively and well regarded by his tribe and the audience but I would have liked to have heard a confessional about him being the oldest guy on his tribe as we did with Yao Man. Alex has been shown just enough to not forget him and if a slow and steady increase occurs (especially on a tribe with Dre) Alex may be there for a bit. The women, much like those on Ravu, are not as prominent although it was nice to see more of Lisi as she appeared to be someone who should provide good television. Lilliana has been sorely neglected and Stacy's edit is only faring better through visuals. Cassandra had a nice showing in her first episode so dipping a bit low this one is not of any consequence as of now.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-16-07, 09:23 PM (EST)
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40. "RE: Episode 2 Thoughts" |
Great comments Veruca. I liked your take on Earl, Anthony and Dre particularly and we do see most of the players the same way.
Regarding the comparison with Palau, I would say that at this point most viewers felt Ulong deserved to be losing as they were disorganized and didn’t want to have a leader. Koror was working hard to achieve their success, taking a chance on the new beach, retrieving the crate they had lost, working together and really clobbering Ulong in challenges. Here, Ravu is coming close in challenges and have a very unfair disadvantage so we can see them as underdogs. Ulong were pathetic, Ravu can still be seen as sympathetic.This episode was A Study in Character: The episode centered on the characters of some of the survivors. With only 1 challenge, we got good insights into the personality of these players. There were many who didn’t have any contribution to this episode. Some of those had also been ignored in the first episode. It should guide us in determining the long term players. Contrary to last week, Mookie made an early entry in this episode. He was featured while Ravu was desperately looking for water to avoid dehydration. “We thought…to lick the little trickle of water on the leaves…we thought it’d be a good idea” he said. We later saw him in a familiar role, speaking with Anthony and Rocky about settling on a target. Early on, the guys were in agreement that Sylvia would be first to go. Later, when it came down to making that decision, he used an occasion to talk with Rocky to switch the target to Erica after her poor challenge performance. We saw him then let Rita and Sylvia know what was the decision. At TC, Jeff again looked at Mookie for information on the tribe’s situation. Mookie sees himself as the mastermind of the tribe. Does the tribe agree? Earl also got a confessional before the opening credits. He told us how poorly the tribe was doing: “We need to survive. It is hard to even think when you are dying of starvation and thirst…It makes you delirious.” He returned on our screen while leading a trio that included Erica and Rocky, the dissenters at the last TC, on a search for food. His choice of expedition companions and his next confessional about “marrying” Erica indicates that the last TC decision had to be difficult for him. His vote wasn’t an alliance vote but rather a vote for the good of the whole tribe. This seems to be Earl’s mind set: Ravu is a team and he cares for all of them. I must concur that Earl’s showing on exile Island had substance. On top of the usual reading of the clue and seeing how he fares, we heard him talk about how his tribe’s living conditions are worse than what he was experiencing in exile. It is interesting that the clue mentions that the idol is “At the highest point were you entered.” Earl has been shown climbing to that highest point in both camps and been given panoramic shots each time. I have a feeling we may see another strong player with an idol. Why did Moto send him? More importantly, we heard him speak of his views on the upcoming vote. From memory, none of the 4 other players who had gained immunity in exchange for exile, Bruce, Sally, Candice and Sylvia, had mentioned how they expected the votes to go. Earl said: “It doesn’t really matter that Sylvia has that first clue because, as of tonight, she most likely will be gone…” He also regretted that he wasn’t “involved with what is going on in camp.” Seeing his “fiancée” eliminated instead of Sylvia will be a shock to Earl but he should rebound quickly. It may actually be good for him, it could open his eyes to the cut-throat aspect of the game. Earl sees himself as the captain of the team but he may need to use more authority than a captain usually wields.
The second segment of the episode started in Moto where, instead of Cassandra, Lisi had a small narration role. We started by seeing her joking around with the tribe. Maybe Lisi has a role to play down the road. That role probably won’t be in the game’s strategy because her confessional once more was about the great living conditions of Moto, not about her game plan. Lisi seems to be the team’s cheerleader which could be good to last a while.
We then went to Ravu where the tribe was trying to get a fire going. Anthony continued to be another narrator when he told us of Ravu’s desperate situation. “Right now, Ravu is in pretty bad shape…Rubbing sticks is great if you have 30 people…but when you have 8 people who are tired as hell and have no water in their system, it burns you out pretty fast.” That confessional was followed by a shot of him and Rocky lying down half dead! These narrators are becoming well established and they should stay until the merge. Anthony knows the game and he was with the other 2 young guys planning the next boot. When the target was switched in a direction he didn’t approve, he consulted some team mates to see exactly where Erica stood. He wasn’t happy with the decision and was shown to be uncertain. His comments at tribal council and his vote aren’t very promising for his standing in the alliance. Anthony sees himself as a strategic player who analyzes the situation carefully but he could miscalculate at one point or be victim of a twist. Another player from Moto who had a marked presence in this episode was Boo! He was relaxing in the hammock telling us, in a very calm voice, how they are enjoying the situation and that it could be the first time Survivors gain weight. It is strange to see someone with such a calm demeanor be such a danger to himself! Boo had one more confessional about how his team is ready for the challenge but his presence seems more to be for comic relief. Dreamz’ confessional that Boo will hurt himself out of the game pointed to Boo’s lack of impact in the game. Stunt men are rarely the stars of the show. The second segment ended with Boo’s injuries which gave Alex his only role in this episode. He nursed Boo’s injuries and told us how they happened one right after the other. Alex may have had a very limited role but at least he was seen in a positive light, helping a careless team mate. Maybe that will be his role in the end: His help will get a team mate to the end but Alex himself would come short.
Dreamz was the main narrator again in Moto and if it was difficult to ascertain last week whether or not the editors wanted us to like him, this time his presence had some very positive aspects. Just as in episode #2 of the Cook Island, where we had a parallel between Yul and Ozzy providing for their tribes and taking leadership roles, a parallel was drawn between Dreamz and Earl: In successive sequences, we had Earl exploring for food and Dreamz going out with Gary in search of fruits. After Earl had commented on how poorly the tribe was doing, we had Dreamz telling us he feels this is too easy for Survivor and that his team mates don’t know how hard it could be. If last season, it was shown that Ozzy lacked Yul’s class, here both players were seen as good team players. However, Dreamz was successful while Earl was not!
In his most important presence, Dreamz told us he is commited to his team, which is important to know. He said: “When you find food, you ain’t going to be greedy and just eat the food yourself because you’re hungry. Everybody else is hungry too…I have a reponsibility to last in this game and that is to help my family…I will help my family when I get back.” This confessional should be kept in mind when Dreamz is faced with a boot choice. I doubt he will act like Mookie and target someone but rather, he’ll go with the group. Dreamz sees himself as the big brother to his tribe. It works for now since there is no need for an hierarchy but that time will end
The third segment started with Sylvia’s return from exile. As it was last week, the tale of her sojourn on the island was reduced to its simplest expression. She told us she was an outsider but that she didn’t have a chance to look for the idol so that winning the challenge is more important than staying in the camp with the idol. It didn’t sound as if it was foreshadowing about her finding it. Sylvia’s role with the idol could very well be finished.
Besides the idol, Sylvia did have a nice presence during this segment and the later one after the challenge loss but that was because she was a target. Her bossiness was stressed both in camp and at TC. The many images we had, players disapproving her words and her grimaces responding to the complaints, were clear indications that this issue will cause Sylvia’s demise. The audacity she displayed by saying Ravu needs to appoint a leader won’t be forgotten. Mookie and Anthony didn’t appreciate it and Earl may wonder why he was forgotten. Sylvia may see herself as the brains of the team but she is in trouble now that the young ones have learned her secrets! Speaking of secrets, Yau-Man had a brief but extremely well designed presence in the 3rd segment. Earlier, we had seen Yau-Man telling us about the tribe’s plan to fill canteens with coconut milk. In the 3rd segment, we saw him greeting Sylvia but few probably noticed what he did at first. He got to explain how he tried to find out if Sylvia had the HII. We then had a slow motion sequence of his actions to underline the “crime”. “Feeling her up” made it look like lèse majesté!! Yau-Man is a player, lest we forget. Surprisingly, once more this intelligent man didn’t use his skills to solve the puzzle but stayed back. At TC, he explained to Jeff that the tribe needs cohesion. He didn’t say it in the abrasive way Sylvia did so he will have a chance to participate in establishing that cohesion. Yau-Man acts like the helpful team mate that goes along with the majority but he is the real brains, the “Professor”, in this season!
Michelle had another episode where she was only peripherally involved yet almost everything about her presence was positive. Her facial expressions are often used to reflect the severity of the conditions which is good since that is the theme of the season. She was even the one shown falling down as Rocky commented on how dehydration makes it hard to stand up. More than anyone, we are supposed to feel sympathy for Michelle’s suffering. She did have a very negative confessional about Sylvia joining Ravu: “I was not really excited for Sylvia to come back. I already did not have great feelings about her personality. I personally think she is a little bossy and pushes people around.” The fact that almost everyone else made comments about Sylvia’s bossiness takes the negativity away from Michelle. We are meant to feel Sylvia’s bossiness and Michelle was chosen to express it first. Anthony had a confessional immediately afterwards to support that point of view.
During the challenges, Michelle received glowing comments from Jeff. She is the one her tribe trusts with important and specific tasks. After untying the knots and being part of the puzzle solving team last week, she was designated to gather the crates and take care of the ropes. Even if she wasn’t rowing, her actions gave her team a chance to take the lead. If Jeff’s comment are added during production to underline the action, then his comments have even more importance.Michelle is taking on the role of the friend you can talk to. We still haven’t heard what she plans to do with her favorable position. I’ll leave the opening credit dissection to more qualified analysts but I did notice that Michelle was shown in the middle, with images that almost isolated her from both groups. Rocky’s presence was still well defined on our screen. He wasn’t happy about licking leaves or eating clams off the ground. “It’s crazy, we’re starving here, Bro’!” He was scheming to get Sylvia out but then, he was quick to change his mind to Erica even if he “loves her to death.” He added that Erica was “losing it.” Rocky’s alliance of “scumbags with Mookie is strange since he had voted against Mookie last week! Rocky then talked to Anthony about the change of plan, putting him in a difficult situation. He told Anthony that Erica had to go. Later, seeing Anthony hesitate, he asked him “OK, who would you rather see?” Sylvia had joined the talk, cutting any discussion Anthony may have wanted. Even if they had voted separately at the last TC, Erica HAD to say something to Rocky before this vote. Rocky was determined to boot Erica so he had to either appease her or avoid her. Too bad we didn’t see any of it. Rocky sees himself as a scheming player who will do anything to get further in the game. It would be surprising if the other players don’t figure him out in time. Rita had another quiet episode. The last segment of the episode showed her as she talked with Mookie about the change in target. She then helped Rocky (who had targeted her last week!) convince Anthony. Something happened after the last TC to change the dynamics between Rita and Rocky. Finally, she solidified her alliance with Anthony: Those two had been sleeping next to each other during the first 2 nights and now Anthony told her they had to stay together. He sealed the deal by kissing her hand to which Rita responded with a wink. Rita sees herself as the girlfriend who can get the men to do what she wants. Since we don’t hear her talking about her plans, they must not have much impact on the end game. Back in Moto, Cassandra, Stacy, Lilliana, Edgardo and Gary had very limited roles. Cassandra commented on Boo’s actions. Lilliana reacted to his injuries and went to help. She also carried the immunity idol to the challenge and named Earl as the one to send on exile. Gary helped Dreamz in his explorations and commented on how well he did while Stacy was chosen to grab the crates during the challenge. I practically didn’t see Edgardo except when he walked across the TV screen. For Stacy and Lilliana, that makes it 2 weeks in a row that they are simply vacationing in the Fijis. It can’t be good.
Our booted player, Erica, appeared to be the “Hero” of this episode for a while. How quickly it changed shows how fragile Ravu’s team is. They aren’t following a plan but seem to be going along with Mookie and Rocky who are playing individual games. It will make it hard for someone to emerge from Ravu but since most of the characters are in this tribe, a winning streak, a change of camp or a switch must happen to change things. Earl, Yau-Man and Michelle appear like the ones that could emerge from this tribe while Rocky and Mookie are being set-up to take a fall. Anthony could be the helpless victim of a twist or somehow miscalculate the strength of his alliance.
The situation is murkier at Moto but Dreamz stands out very clearly. His story will be told and can carry him far. Alex can accompany him along the way but he appears to be there to assist, to be a supporting actor rather than the leading man in this story. Lisi and Cassandra are the only women that have been shown in Moto but their prospects aren’t too good right now. None of the other Motos appear like long term players. Earl, Michelle, Yau-Man and Dreamz as our final 4? It can’t be that simple, can it?!
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-23-07, 08:56 PM (EST)
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42. "Episode #3 Thoughts:" |
LAST EDITED ON 02-24-07 AT 03:40 PM (EST)I'll go first this week:
The Game is on
From the reactions at the reward challenge to the taunting at the immunity challenge, we saw that the tribes have started hating each other. Everyone had fraternized for the first 3 days so it took a while before the animosity between the tribes became apparent. Moto’s Resort Beach
As this tribe has gotten richer, we have seen that their priorities are on comfort rather than on the game. How much of their strategies have been hidden? There had to be some alliance talks that have been completetly ignored. After the opening credits, Stacy told us it was Lisi’s idea to paint the shelter. She is a good competitor and won her challenge rounds. There is no substance to Stacy’s story. She is there and participates in the tribe’s activity, reads tree mail, picks up the immunity idol but nothing as far as a story is concerned. She doesn’t seem to have a shot at being the “Queen of Fiji.” Right now she isn’t even in line for the throne! Lisi expressed Moto’s ambivalence at the situation when she talked about Ravu: “I wouldn’t be surprised if people on the other side start dropping like flies. They don’t seem to be catching a break.” She painted the shelter to keep the ants out and have better nights. Being a spectator at the RC gave her an occasion to laugh at the match-up of Dre and Yau-Man. She told us she was worried about the IC and her poor performance showed she had cause to worry. She wasn’t reprimanded by her team mates so it appears to be inconsequential. Lisi seems well integrated in the alliance and her role seems to be the team’s cheerleader. Unless she is the victim of a twist, that role should give Lisi the opportunity to make the merge. After that, we haven’t heard her talk about her views on the game so it is doubtful that she has an impact on the end game Boo started by telling us that: “We’re having a party over here, we’re telling jokes and lounging around on the hammock. We don’t have to win anything else…” He showed everyone his determination in both challenges: He almost flew over the slip n’ slide course, sank his basket in one try, got a ‘high five’ from Lisi and Jeff’s approval: “That’s the way to do it!” At the IC, he didn’t get a turn but he called out Mookie on his taunting tactics: “That may have stopped our goodwill towards them. Goodwill and sporstmanship is to be humble” he said. Boo is a quiet force that will be needed until the merge. His calm disposition should have already earned him a nice position in the main alliance at Moto. It will be interesting to see exactly where he fits once Moto has decisions to make. Gary had a difficult episode. He won both his challenge legs but may have played himself out of the game. His condition seems to worsen in the next episode so we can say that Gary will not be an end game player. Even if he recovers, he’d have to be Moto’s first boot. Being a fan of the show who tried his best, Gary should get a sympathetic exit. Alex, interestingly, was again chosen by the editors to tell us about one of his team mate’s injury. His confessionals were about Gary’s condition: “We were sitting around and we suddenly noticed Gary wasn’t doing too well. He took a hard fall in the challenge and we are all very concerned...If he can’t help us, he’ll have to go…We’ll keep an eye on Gary.” His words may have sounded like he had ulterior motives for thinking of Gary’s health but we weren’t shown any frowns or reactions to contradict his words. Alex will go far in the game but we’ve had another indication that his role could be limited to helping one of his team mates make it to the very end. Cassandra was shown comforting Gary. She told us how Gary’s injury affected her. She lost her round to Rita in the RC but nothing came of it. She isn’t counted on for what she can bring to the challenges but she seems to have found a nice niche inside the tribe. The bigger Moto’s lead is, the better are Cassandra’s chances of making the merge. Her lack of presence could also signal she is booted just before then as players start jostling for position. As with the other Motos, we have no idea on her gameplan but she doesn’t seem to be the type to make waves.
Dre had a very quiet episode which isn’t bad since he has made a big impression already. Now, we saw how he could dominate physically in many challenges even if he gets stronger competition than Yau-Man! Dre was rejoicing: “I loved that challenge…As long as we keep our lead, our moral goes up, their moral goes down!” Dre has already been established as a long term player and he seems to be well accepted by the rest of the Motos. What stance he takes when a decision is needed will be important to note.
Edgardo and Lilliana have almost disappeared from our screens. Lilliana hasn’t had a confessional yet and we almost never hear her talking during the camp scenes. She did say the blue shelter was pretty but her face wasn’t even centered on screen. It sounded like she served the meal to the tribe but we only saw her arms. She is a strong competitor and was happy to have won the reward but she could be an outsider in Moto. What did Lilliana do to the editors? Or did she get on Jeff’s bad side? She got very upset at losing her round to Rocky and Jeff had to explain his ruling. Did she say something out of line? Edgardo isn’t in danger from being voted out by Moto but he has the characteristics of someone who is victim of a twist or the merge. Moto is a tribe that's on a roll. We haven’t had enough talks about tribe dynamics to have a clear picture of who is going far but it seems that Lisi, Boo, Alex and especially Dre are the ones to go the furthest in this tribe. Stacy could join that group but we’d need to see more of her. Gary has reached the end of the road. Lilliana and Edgardo have no roles in this tribe. Cassandra’s role has been very limited ever since she had one of the opening confessionals. I see her making the jury if it is as large as in the Cooks but that is about it. Ravu’s Desolation Camp During the sequence after the opening credits, we first went to Moto who were actively working on their shelter and then went to Ravu who were still sleeping. How many casual viewers may have said: “This is why they lose; they are a lazy bunch.” We had no idea if the images were in the correct time sequence but impressions are easily manipulated. It made it almost obvious that Ravu wasn’t about to win anything soon! Yau-Man had the first occasion to talk about the aftermath of the last council. He has continued to be one of the narrators, talking about Ravu’s dire conditions: “We aren’t quite connected together yet as a tribe…We need good strategy. The more we lose, the more difficult it is to recover.” He did his best in the slip n’ slide but Lisi’s reaction showed he was slightly overpowered by Dre! Once more, Yau-Man didn’t play a big role in the boot decision but he is never mentioned and he always finds himself in the majority. That majority gives Yau-Man an excellent chance to make the merge. After that, his amicability and his frailty could enable him to slide a long way. The professor could figure out how to go from there. Rocky also continued his narration in Ravu. If Yau-Man tells us about the situation,. Rocky’s role seems to be to give us an idea of how it feels to be the victim of EPMB’s twist. Rocky is so unhappy at losing that everyone hears about it: “To be the biggest bunch of losers in Survivor history sucks” he confides about Ravu. Later, Rocky is so happy that Ravu has fire, that “I’d be scared to be the other team right now. We are so fired up, it’s ridiculous!” During the immunity challenge, he got into a verbal altercation with the mild mannered Boo, telling him to chill out. The confrontation in the first episode now appears to have been more about Rocky than Dre. Rocky is the one that doesn’t fit in, just as we saw that he had to go sleep on his own. Rocky got the ball rolling against Anthony by talking to Rita. Twice now Rocky has maneuvered his vote to put himself in a minority. Rocky will not go down quietly but his hot temper will prevent James from seeing the end game. Earl returned at the beginning of day 7 and got a nice greeting from his tribemates. Their enthusiasm died when they saw that he hadn’t brought back water from Exile Island. It was strange that the discussion after his return was only about the conditions at camp and the location of the idol. Not a word was heard about the vote. Erica left and Earl had to comment. The impression it left me is that Earl’s game in Ravu isn’t about the numbers, that his position could be secured no matter who leaves. If Yau-Man talks about the situation and Rocky tells us about the emotions, Earl is the one who speaks about the game. His performance in both challenges wasn’t good for someone who needs to establish his leadership. By the strange distribution of the votes, Earl does find himself leading a majority of 4. Will he be quiet about receiving a vote? Even if he isn’t, Earl seems destined for the end game but he may have to rely on bonds made in the first 3 days or the idol to have the votes once the numbers do matter. Right now, Earl is the only one to have read clues for the idol. Michelle woke up on day 7 determined to go out and try and make fire if the “Dear Sun” would only “participate in (her) game.” Even if her ‘letter’ made her look childish, the way we were shown the sun making its way through the clouds and getting brighter gave me the same impression as last season when Yul was looking for the idol: She had to be successful! We saw her reacting quickly to hand the embers to Anthony who finally got the flames going. Michelle was given the credit and we heard her comment that they won’t die in Fiji while everyone was congratulating her. It even impressed Jeff when Rocky told him that “my girl Michelle made fire and we boiled water.” She didn’t do as well in the challenges however, losing a close match to Stacy and then seeming to give only half an effort to eat the fish eyes. Nothing was said about it and she remains on the majority’s side of the vote. It’s surprising that she hasn’t once been the target of the votes. From being the tribe’s ninja, to the monkey and now the fire maker, Michelle’s position in the tribe seems secure. If Ravu’s alliance makes the merge, she should be safe for several episodes.
Anthony didn’t get any credit even if he was the one to get the first flames. He also had two poor performances in the challenges, losing twice to Poppa Smurf! He continues to be the one that discusses how the vote is shaping up. After getting Yau-Man’s opinion that Sylvia didn’t have the idol, he told us that the vote was going against Sylvia and that the idol could be the main complication. He wasn’t yet aware that a surprise was brewing! His lack of determination at the IC made him the secondary target, the one chosen to be the victim of the idol, should Sylvia produce it. From there, he became a real target with Mookie unleashing his anger at TC. Anthony’s edit has “victim” written all over it. This smart man doesn’t control the game as he probably hoped he could. What could be worse is that he may have trouble controlling his emotions and crumbling under the attacks of Mookie. Will he fall to the bully’s game or will a twist do him in. Either way, Anthony’s role in the game could end at about merge time.
Mookie took charge during the opening sequence and got Rita and Michelle to volunteer as firemakers while Rocky urged everyone to listen to one person during the next challenge. Mookie’s taunting of Lisi during the IC didn’t earn him any sympathy from the other tribe. Once more, he intervened in a major way during the voting discussions. He directed some votes at Anthony in case Sylvia had the idol, which was smart. He really only got Sylvia and Rocky to go along and told Earl he was against Anthony which wasn’t smart. His attack of Anthony during the TC also showed his plan. Mookie is playing the bully with the votes and that isn’t a way to keep the loyalty of others. What is worse is that he doesn’t even have the majority. Anthony had three people voting with him and we know that Rita had an alliance with Anthony. Mookie has 1 soldier in his army! His game cannot go very far. Rita told the tribe that she wanted to try and make fire to improve the tribe’s condition. She also told everyone to put egos aside and put tribe and winning first which didn’t prevent her from flaunting her win over Cassandra during the RC. Later, she completely forgot her words about putting the tribe first as she went on her own during the vote. She had been with Anthony since the beginning and joined Mookie in the first 2 votes but voted alone against Earl. She planned on “doing something that is not with the tribe.” Rita is shown as someone who doesn’t understand the game since we have no explanation for her actions. The edit makes her look like she has no plan. It will catch up to her before all her webs can be put in place. Ravu is a tribe in turmoil but it is doubtful they will suffer the same fate as Ulong. Anthony does have the victim edit that was shared by a few Ulongers. On the other hand, Earl, Yau-Man and Michelle don’t appear to be victims nor do they seem to have the “worked hard but always came short” story that BJ had. Rocky cannot go on switching alliances every week. Mookie is getting the bully edit and I wonder if his exit can be as colorful as Judd’s! Rita’s game is still hidden but she doesn’t seem to be making any headway.
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DRONES 615 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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02-25-07, 11:38 PM (EST)
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43. "RE: Episode #3 Thoughts:" |
Well VS, looks like we have another wink to drive us crazy this season. Ravu is team that is looking for something, anything, to give them hope that things will turn around for them. Through trials and tribulations come understanding and eventually great reward. Ravu Earl, continues with his clean edit. His poor performance in challenges went largely unnoticed by his tribe. Him standing alone on the mountain top, and the lingering shot of him, made me sit up and take notice. Michelle was shown this week with some significant face time. She made fire, and as we all know fire is life in this game. Like Earl, she did not fair well in the challenges but we were hardly suppose to notice. Still her edit has remained positive. Yau-Man is floating along in this game. He is very observant and has been shown to be actively playing this game, from searching in Sylvia's bag to his comments on the boot selection. His performance in the challenges did not have the negative conotation that would be expected despite going head-to-head with Dre. His significance of being Ravu's primary narrarator means that he will be in this game a while longer. Rocky, is a character. Enuff said. Mookie and Rita are in trouble. They are almost invisible on the editing front. Rita's vote of Earl did catch my attention. Anthony, had an interesting episode. He was largely blamed for his poor performance during the IC yet as we know he wasn't the only one who performed poorly. I found it interesting that he was the one who finished the job of getting fire that Michelle started. The edit seems to be showing him in over his head on the social aspects of playing this game. Moto
There are a lot of personalities on this tribe. They seem to be performing well together for now but that will change come their first IC loss.
Dre is a character who is on a journey in this game. Enuff said. Lisi, I just can't get a bead on her yet. She is shown directing her tribe with painting yet there aren't any negative comments from her tribe about being bossy. Boo's performance in the challenges showd that he is up to the task of playing the game. I filed his performace at the IC, his one shot basket, in the memory banks. If he makes the merge he would definately be a target as threat. Gary, the poor guy is hurting right now. He'll be the next to go should his tribe lose an IC. Alex has caught my attention as the narrarator of his tribe. He's had a decent edit as well and I see him going far in this game. Cassandra is the Moto mother figure and has been in the past this person does suprisingly well. I just don't have enough information about the rest to comment intelligently.
 DRONES
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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02-28-07, 12:59 PM (EST)
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44. "RE: Episode #3 Thoughts:" |
michel and DRONES thank you for your great insight. I dropped the proverbial ball this week but was very happy to be able to read what you both had to say and do not have much more to add. Our little thread has dwindled over the past seasons so it is nice to see that I can read great observations instead of having to read what I write Moto is a tribe that's on a roll. We haven’t had enough talks about tribe dynamics to have a clear picture of who is going far but it seems that Lisi, Boo, Alex and especially Dre are the ones to go the furthest in this tribe. Stacy could join that group but we’d need to see more of her. Gary has reached the end of the road. Lilliana and Edgardo have no roles in this tribe. Cassandra’s role has been very limited ever since she had one of the opening confessionals. I see her making the jury if it is as large as in the Cooks but that is about it. I tend to agree with this assessment michel. Gary, who had an entire sequence devoted to his ill health gave us no insight on his OWN thoughts and feelings. We heard more from Alex and Cassandra on his state rather than Gary. This does not bode well for Gary at all in terms of future. Where were his discussions with the audience of what happened and his fears? Cassandra was the one who had to tell us he was concerned with what could happen to him on Fiji. Cassandra, while getting definitive face time is not giving me the same sense of some past players who provided an emotional role for the tribe. Again, we have not been able to see Moto in their entirety as they have not visited Tribal Council but in seasons past, there has been more development in winning tribes then I feel from this tribe. This is not to say that some of these players won't be long term players but aside from Dre's manipulated edit, the character development is fairly benign. Cassandra, Alex and Boo tend to have the most frequency on our screen but those like Lilliana and Edgardo (and Gary particularly for an episode where he could have been much more heavily featured privately) have been sorely neglected. Lisi, while not "neglected" is not giving off any deep insight into the game itself or her persona. She has some good soundbites and appears to be a strong personality to help with air time but there is no depth in what she is saying to us. Stacey is a bit intriguing to me. Her presence is notable enough for me to get an understanding that she does rather well in the physical challenges and appears to be someone who has a positive attitude but we are not getting any real picture on her. I am reminded of players in the past who are shown just enough because they will be around for some time but not given any real meaning to their character because they are not at end game. Contrast her to Lilliana who is virtually ignored at every turn and we can see that Stacey has some legs but I can hardly see her as the potential victor. While Dre was quiet for his standards, I sense great effort in his editing. We see his making "fun" of Gary regarding the challenge which could have easily been manipulated as highly negative considering Gary's ill health. However, I sense the editing is more or less conveying Dre being socially inept as opposed to a mean spirit. His earlier episode night time chat was shown by players to be somewhat aghast at his remarks but there was no follow through on what he said. Dre may be shown quite often stumbling in terms of how he should behave but there does not appear to be any intent to make him a villain or simply being mean and with his back story Dre certainly appears to be here for quite some time but, to repeat myself as I often do, I get great sense that Dre will walk away being shown to learn a lot in this journey. Ravu is a tribe in turmoil but it is doubtful they will suffer the same fate as Ulong. Anthony does have the victim edit that was shared by a few Ulongers. On the other hand, Earl, Yau-Man and Michelle don’t appear to be victims nor do they seem to have the “worked hard but always came short” story that BJ had. Rocky cannot go on switching alliances every week. Mookie is getting the bully edit and I wonder if his exit can be as colorful as Judd’s! Rita’s game is still hidden but she doesn’t seem to be making any headway. michel, one can only hope NO tribe will ever suffer the same fate as Ulong . Ravu certainly is giving us quite a bit more to work with, understandably so and there is some clear manipulation of some of these contestants without question. I don't entirely know that Rita is being presented as someone who doesn't understand the game per se but the audience was not privvy to her reason/rationale for her rogue vote. This may simply mean that it has no consequence but needed to be shown for climatic purposes or that Rita is not being developed because she has no bearing in the game. It will be interesting to see if there is any aftermath in the next episode or glossed over much like Erica's vote out. I too noted that we heard nothing by Earl about the "woman he was going to marry" being voted out and I question whether the voting scenarios are simply not important; the state of this tribe is what is important. We still have some clear manipulation with Earl and Yao Man and despite both being relegated to the background this episode, the manipulation is still there. Yao Man gave us insight on the state of his tribe and we again saw him again with reference to the hidden idol. We know he was shown to look in Sylvia's bag and this week he and Anthony discussed her having/not having it. There was also those pivotal visuals of a few Ravu's noting Sylvia digging with Yao Man having a slightly broader shot. Whether Yao Man has future ties with the hidden idol remains to be seen but it would not surprise me should he have some relationship to it in some aspect. Yao Man was also nicely featured in the reward challenge with what appeared to be a clear intent to reflect that, while not successful, he works very hard and we are meant to cheer him on. We have discussed in the past that those who do poorly at a challenge and not suffer ramifications indicate they may fare well. I found it interesting that Earl suffered poorly at the immunity challenge and commented on the lack of water as the reason. Anthony (who interestingly was shown taking a sip from his canteen just prior to his going up against Gary) also suffered the same "fate" with the lack of water but he was cited for his poor performance. Michelle also fared poorly at the challenge (and, in fact, seemed entirely disinterested in eating her treat) and we heard nothing about this as well. This naturally would not bode well for Anthony and the rest of the episode certainly reflected poorly for Anthony as well. Earl advised us early on about the "actors" in his game and his "poker face". I will be interested in seeing if this is the role showcased to us as Earl has indeed shown his poker face thus far. Much like Brian relating the game to a business trip and playing accordingly, we may see this thematic approach with Earl. His commentary to Mookie that "you didn't like that huh!" (regarding Anthony's complaint of no water) was interesting considering he, himself had that issue but he with that comment alone he didn't agree or disagree with Mookie. There is no shading to the likes of Mookie and I am curious as to whether he was not well liked by the people involved with Survivor . Mookie's taunts at the challenge was only icing on the cake that has been presented thus far. He leads the charge for who is to go in a scathing manner with no private insight on his thoughts. He appears to simply being presented as not being a very nice individual. While he may have more time on the island it is improbable he would win this game. There are no other sides of him being presented to understand him or his motivations and his choices (as Rita indicated) are not helping the tribe. Rocky is an interesting character to watch but his edit appears to have been summed up by himself when he discussed how he handles his emotions and believing he had a check on them. Clearly he doesn't and that does indeed appear to be his downfall. Whether the brief exchange by Rocky and Boo at the challenge will amount to a "show down" of sorts remains to be seen but would not be surprising if Rocky meets up with those such as Dre and/or Boo considering he was shown having arguments with both of them. Michelle is bordering on a character that there is more than meets the eye but she is a hard one to put a finger on. The message to the sun heralds her as a plucky sweet player but there is a dash thrown in of underlying nastiness (I use this loosely, I can’t quite find the word for her) with some of her commentary in her voting or in confessionals. They are not one dimensionally going for that "sweetheart" persona and that is actually a good sign for her as she isn’t being pigeon holed. Jeff indicated in his pre season commentary there is a bit more to Michelle and I tend to agree with this assessment. DRONES, those winks get me in trouble! I am attempting to ignore them this season lol I agree with your points on the individuals; it seems as the three of us have a similar view. While we are still very early in the season, there is something about this season that seems a bit "off" and I can't quite put my finger on it. As the seasons have gone on we have had various twists and new "tweaks" to the game and I question if this is now the bigger situation over the players. Sometimes a simple race has more impact than a convulated tournament and I hope the players are not getting lost due to this. I do sense that the two tribes, once brought together may not feel as harmonious towards each other; we discussed how the tribe of "have nots" may become resentful of what they don't have where the "haves" may gain a sense of entitlement and it will be interesting to see if this carries over in future relationships. My apologies for again running on (and without summarizing the episode!) I think we can safely assume that Anthony will be rather emotional over what occurred at the Tribal Council and this may be the prevalent issue. Over the last two episodes Anthony has been a bit on the "outs" with the thinking of the tribe so this may be build up for his potential demise. Now that Ravu at least has water, we may not see such dramatic dire straits presented (all laying down practically unconscious) but Ravu's plight will no doubt still be a prevalent issue. Gary and Lilliana were shown for the preview for this week and I believe the week before only Gary of Moto was noted for the preview to be in trouble so we may actually see a bit more of Moto this time around since our previews showcased two potential stories on that tribe.
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mysticjay 28 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Beauty Pageant Celebrity Judge"
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03-01-07, 11:41 AM (EST)
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45. "RE: Episode #3 Thoughts:" |
... While
>we are still very early
>in the season, there is
>something about this season that
>seems a bit "off" and
>I can't quite put my
>finger on it. I find myself having the same reaction. I intended to write about the editing and how people are being portrayed and find myself uninspired to do so. The contrast between have and have-not tribe is SO HEAVY HANDED. From the music that sounds so melancholy for Ravu to the contrast of abundance at Moto, to constantly showing what one tribe has and the other lacks, it all feels like overkill. We've seen underdog tribes edited differently than the overall feeling around Ravu. Ravu are generally shown as contenders in challenges, and the only explanation is deprivation. We aren't seeing much talk of why they are losing. With Ulong we were shown their tribe of Lone Rangers. With Andrew Savage's tribe, we were shown that they were united, even in their deprived situation. Ravu doesn't have much team personalitiy. And Mookie is shown as a decision-maker but we've been shown nothing to illuminate as to why he has acquired that role. Filling a vaccum? And his decisions are bad, but everyone goes along with them. Is it simply bowing to him because of his physical attributes - needing strength in hopes they can win a challenge? You said: >As the seasons have gone on
>we have had various twists
>and new "tweaks" to the
>game and I question if
>this is now the bigger
>situation over the players. I keep waiting for the tribes to be shuffled, for the producers to have seen the road this season is going down, and have switched things up before the numbers make it too dificult for a Ravu to become a serious "player". I don't like how it *feels* to watch people starving and bickering. I don't like how it *feels* to watch people living a life of luxury on a show that isn't about luxury. It's like one tribe is on Survivor and the other is the show's challenge crew coming in to take them on... So if the editing intent is to create resentment against the Motos in viewers, it's working on me! Perhaps I've been spoiled by a few excellent seasons back-to-back, that if a clunker with players lacking charisma and a story line that is falling flat (reminiscent of Thailand) comes along, as it is bound to I suppose after all these seasons - the let down is much more obvious than if the bar wasn't set as high as it was after such a great season last time. Hope you don't mind a more feeling-oriented reflection on the editing thus far.
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emydi 13669 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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03-02-07, 03:19 PM (EST)
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47. "Ep 4 THE ANIMALS WOWZA!" |
LAST EDITED ON 03-02-07 AT 04:15 PM (EST)Sharks to start things off...with my cute little furry bats, a Spider crawling over a skull and the SNAKEs the SNAKES...esp. the one regurgitating another one ( I LOVED IT!!! sorry VS!)...after eating one of his own....definitely the snakes were representing MOTO in ep 4 (hear the SSSSSSS every lili vote?)and I think for the rest of Fiji. Who killed the snake a few eps ago....does anyone remember? Just saw the Innertube clip on TC voting and Dre says (while voting for Liliana):
"Sorry, Liliana, we're in a squad of snakes"
I did notice that right after Lili voted for Cassandra and was nice about it they showed a cute little furry bat and then Cassandra with a worried half-smiling face. I think the bats are the good guys....and Cassandra is def. a good guy here and to a lesser degree so was Lili...what little we saw of her.
It's finally getting good now that Moto is starting to self destruct... interesting after they won the RC and as they were coming back to MOTO with fish to bed, we see THOUSANDS of fish..showing the plenty of MOTO...with a happy little song...how different the show ended!! and Earl...I don't have to be VS to know that he's a looong term player. and Dre...def. the "journeyman" of Fiji... be back later with more!
MysticWolf, anything to add about the many animals?
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mysticwolf 10692 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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03-02-07, 11:31 PM (EST)
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48. "RE: Ep 4 THE ANIMALS WOWZA!" |
LAST EDITED ON 03-02-07 AT 11:34 PM (EST)Well, I'm kinda new to this and didn't look at the episode with this in mind, so my first effort probably won't be worth much, but I'll add a little bit now and can maybe come back in later with a few more thoughts. We keep seeing the fruit bats, also called flying foxes. I like these guys. We had a pair at the zoo that I used regularly for education and yes, they're that cute. They might be the good guys, but we may also want to pay attention to who we're looking at when they're shown. They, and another bat species, are the only mammals native to Fiji. And, they're klutzes. Fruit bats have great vision & sense of smell, but they can't land worth a darn. They basically have to crash into whatever bush they are aiming for. They roost outside, not in caves, and are very social and groom each other (Liliana?) And, those yawns we keep seeing are a sign of their going to bed, not waking up. I've noticed that the yawns seem to precede periods of "nothing happening here" in the camps. The Sea Kraits could be considered the bad guys, as they are highly venomous. And, I think you're absolutely right on when you say the krait vomiting the eel (or whatever) was a parallel to Dre's snakes comments and what happened to Lilliana. But, they could also be indicative of the misunderstood or ineffectual. Their mouths are so small that there is almost no way one of these idiots could get bitten. Not without forceably sticking a finger tip or skin tag into their mouths. And, they are extremely docile while on land. In the water they are far more agressive, although they'd never take on a human willingly. Could forecast that someone that *thinks* they are a really dangerous "snake" waiting to strike their opponents is going to find out eventually just how ineffectual they are. Could also presage the possibility that the really important challenges/moves are made in the water as opposed to within camp. On land, birds are the dominant species, so we should probably look more at which, and when, they are shown. In the water, Fiji is home to the Salt Water Crocodile. Arguably far more dangerous to anyone than the sharks in the water. (I missed seeing the shark in this last episode, so I can't comment on him.) If we ever see a salty we should be paying attention to the juxtaposition. As I said, I'm new at this, so right now this is pretty much blather. But, at least I hope it's interesting blather. I'll try to pay more attention in the future. You're probably right that the species shown, and the juxtaposition of shots, presages something. Mostly, I just like seeing them all.  
A Tribal Christmas blogging's scary
ETClarify krait's docility factor.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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03-03-07, 11:15 AM (EST)
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49. "Episode #4 Thoughts" |
Emy and Mysticwolf, It was nice to read the thoughts of 2 animal experts! Interesting stuff in an episode that was rich with animal imagery. I can only comment on the humans so here is what I saw: A revolution is brewing in Fiji. No, I’m not talking about the coup d’état that was about to hit the country. I’m talking about our tribes. Neither tribe can be said to be unified and both could face grave dangers. A Tribe in Discord Ravu hasn’t yet resolved its conflicts. The anger is reaching a very dangerous point. Earl doesn’t waste time returning from TC in the opening sequence: “We will talk about whatever needs to be talked about. We will get it all out, all the silly stuff has to go” he told the tribe, showing some leadership. “People have problems with certain people, personality problems and they don’t say anything so that other person doesn’t know…The pressure builds up and then people explode” he told us. The intent seemed to be to clear the air but it soon turned into Rocky bashing Anthony. Earl had a confessional about the game: “I don’t like Rocky’s spirit. It’s not just about talk…Do something about it.” It was accompanied by a talk with Anthony while they were collecting firewood: “I’m tired, I’m hungry and I’m thirsty but do I get my a$$ up and do something. Yeah!” He confides: “I trust Anthony, I think he’s a good guy, I think he is genuine. But it’s getting harder to look out for him. I haven’t made my move yet, I’m still devising the plan.” After those interventions, Earl had very little presence in the rest of the episode. The challenges didn’t go his way but his role in each was fairly limited. Earl said what he had to say in this episode and he was the only one to talk in Ravu that still has his head in the game. We have seen Earl as an end game player for a long time and this episode only confirmed our opinion. Rocky continues in his bellicose ways. At Earl’s suggestion, he lets everyone know that he doesn’t like Anthony because: “He bitches and moans…For some strange reason, he plays the sympathy card…he whines and gets sensitive…” He tells us that: "You have no idea how much I am holding back, especially with Anthony (sic). Sitting around, dealing with somebody and not telling him how you feel because you are afraid of his vote. Right now, I could care less about his vote.” Rocky concludes his tirade by telling Anthony that: “I got along with Jessie, I got along with Erica. Those two people are gone and you’re still here, driving me insane. Both of those girls were better players than you, no offense.” !! The reward loss wasn’t a pretty sight. He told Earl what happened: “We lost Bro’. That’s what happened!” The camera showed his frustration as he trashed in the water and threw rocks on the cave walls. Then we had a final explosion: “Why don’t we go to tribal council right now. That’s all we do, every day or so, we vote somebody out. Lets call Jeff on the Jeff phone and say: Jeff, we are ready to vote somebody out.” Maybe looking for inspiration from Richard Hatch, Rocky attends the reading of tree mail naked. He doesn’t impress anyone! More importantly, we were shown that he was attempting to lighten up the mood. Veruca nailed it when she said he can’t contain his emotions. Maybe his confessional in episode #1 about “running around like a chicken with my head cut off” is the most accurate way to describe Rocky. Rocky’s story isn’t one that will carry him very far. His antisocial attitude will catch up to him and cause his fall soon. Anthony is a victim and he continues to suffer the attacks of Rocky in silence. None of his team mates come to his defense but they don’t back Rocky either which was surprising in Mookie’s case. We had a rare personal confessional from Anthony, usually he talks about the votes. This time, he said: “I spent a lot of my life with very little self-esteem. I was picked on as a kid and I guess I’ve developed a whole lot of self-loathing. I may not be doing the best in challenges but if they want me off this island, if they want me out of the game, they’ll have to push me off because there’s no way in hell I’ll give it up.” After going to work with Earl while Rocky and Mookie were taking a nap, Anthony confided: "I know I have a target on my back but I have to be patient…I have a better grasp on who James is. I want him to keep talking because in the end, it makes him look like an a$$." His alliance with Earl is Anthony’s only hope. Anthony is again partly responsible for the reward loss as it was when Rita tried to go around him that Ravu stalled. It was after his fall in the water that the camera turned to show the frustration on Rocky ’s face. The tribe relegated Anthony to the last cage in the immunity challenge, in effect taking him out of the action. Some of Anthony's recollections reminded us of Rupert’s confessionals but we haven’t been made fans of Anthony. That leads me to believe that it was part of Anthony’s exit story. He will stay a while longer to show he has some toughness but he will be victimized sooner rather than later.
Yau-Man was chosen to go to exile. He said he didn’t resent Moto for chosing him since it gives him a chance to find the idol that he needs. We weren’t given a reason for that surprising choice. Was it to make it look as if Moto has no strategy? (On Survivor Live, Liliana recalled that YM was seen as a provider) His showing on exile island was simply practical, without any character development. I don’t expect it will meet with the “Veruca Standards of Extended Life” but he did tell us he knows where the idol is hidden. If he does find the idol, it probably won’t become the game changing event it has been in previous seasons. With the new idol rules, it wouldn’t be surprising that the first idol holder doesn’t go all the way.
Yau-Man has been shown as a player and he has a story as the wise “professor” of Fiji. He will make it far but it doesn’t have the feel of a victory. It will be something to be proud of for sure but it doesn’t seem that he will be collecting the laurels Michelle wasn’t given credit for making the fire by Jeff in the recap: “Ravu made fire” he simply said. She was shown keeping quiet during the opening sequence. The scene when she read tree mail was one of the rare occasion for Ravu to laugh when James came out naked. She was the first to cross the balance beam for Ravu, she was at the end of the relay, rowing all the way back to shore and she had to save Anthony. In challenges, Ravu counts on her and gives her important roles to play. I liked Veruca’s comment that her edit isn’t quite the “Sweetheart” edit because there has been some nastiness to her words. Despite that, she is the highest rated woman in the CBS polls, only trailing Yau-Man and Gary in popularity and more than doubled Cassandra’s total. Her edit reaches some viewers. I still think that the little ninja has a future. Rita wasn’t called out for her rogue vote but it doesn’t mean that she has re-ingratiated herself to the alliance. Her poor performances in the reward and the immunity challenges were pointed out by Jeff. It should be cause to worry in a tribe that has had no pecking order but rather had been reacting to the defeats. Mookie ordered everyone during the reward challenge to jump in the water so that they could rearrange the order of players. His stategy was followed but it didn’t pay of for Ravu. This episode showed that Mookie’s bully role has nothing to contribute when there isn’t a vote to decide. He has no future in this game. Ravu has suddenly tied the game without winning any challenges. In the tribe, Anthony may use Rocky’s outbursts or Rita’s failures to save himself but Earl, Yau-Man and Michelle are the long term players in this camp. The foreshadowing hasn’t revealed which one of Earl or Yau-Man will find the hidden idol but it seems one of them will come up with it soon. How about both finding one? Should Moto lose a reward to have a player go to Exile Island? I don’t think having both idols in the hands of two allies is the way they planned on the twist turning out.Of these three favored players, Earl’s story holds the most promise.
A Tribe in Dissension:
Moto has some snakes, including at least one that has bitten more than it can swallow! Emy, your snake imagery fits very well… Earl should be named Patrick
The Motos agreed on keeping their shelter rather than immunity. In Survivor world, many viewers will see that as a dumb move. More importantly, this decision and not telling us why Yau-Man was picked for exile, are indications that the editors want us to see Moto as a dumb tribe. To the point: The tribe’s votes were scattered between 3 players and we were clearly shown that there was dissension even inside the Moto5. The move, for now, was portrayed as being motivated only by greed since they didn’t have a “Billy” to boot. Time will tell whether the editors continue to show it as a dumb move or if comfort will be presented as an investment for future returns. Lisi is more than the cheerleader that I had seen up to now. She was edited as the leader of the Moto5 alliance: She started by telling us that: “From the beginning, there has been a bond between Boo, Alex, Edgard, myself and Stacy…It’s almost been unspoken. All we know is that we get along…We don’t step on anybody’s toes." She then told Stacy that it was “amazing how things have fallen into place.” We’ve learned that things change fast in Survivor, especially when someone thinks they have it made! We were about to be proven right again. Lisi later told us that she didn’t want to babby-sit Gary: “If he doesn’t get better, he will have to go.” For her, losing Poppa Smurf simply means that the odds are better for everyone else. During the night, Lisi watched Liliana giving massages to the guys: “Liliana knows what she’s doing. Sometimes, guys aren’t hip to the way that chicks maneuver. It’s funny because Liliana tries to be so sneeky but I’m latin and knowing my people the way that I do, I see what she’s doing. I know that in her diabolical Mexican mind, she’s trying to come up with something, you know...” It was interesting to hear Gary on Survivor Live say that Lisi was the first to give a massage to Alex and then the other players requested massages. We were not supposed to see that but rather that once more the flirting woman gets the boot. Burnett must be taking preventive measures so that another Jenna doesn’t win his game! But then, how will he get the romances he likes to sell?. After the decision to keep the shelter instead of immunity, Lisi’s shock was clearly shown when Dre named her as dispensable. She kept her head and said nothing when Boo said that Dre couldn’t be the target even if she probably wanted revenge. Instead, she quickly seconded Stacy’s vote of booting Liliana. Lisi has a pecking order and Liliana has no place in her alliance. She forced Alex to agree to vote against the strongest woman even if he thought it was absurd to vote out such a strong person who worked hard. With Stacy’s help, she won the three guys over to her way of thinking. Did anyone notice the smirk she had during Jeff’s final words. Dare I say it looked diabolical?!! Lisi is a player that needs the help of an alliance. Since the alliance of 5 has been revealed, it is easy by now to know that the 5 won’t make it to the end. Since she revealed it and she has been given a touch of evil in her way of playing the game, it suggests that she is very unlikely to make it on her own either. Alex is seeing his role as narrator increasing. He is becoming the voice of reason in Moto. He told us about how good it was to win reward: “I feel sorry for the individual members of the other tribe but I don’t want to let up. I want to continue winning.” He did show compassion for Gary’s condition. He also realized that all of Moto’s work could be for naught; if Ravu wins the next challenge the game is tied “and then we’re screwed.” Looking at the action frame by frame, Alex and Edgardo are the only ones that we don’t see with raised hands when Moto voted to keep their confort. Alex’ frustrated look was the one featured as they left the challenge beach. Did he want to keep immunity? Alex reasoned with the impetuous Dre, telling him that it is more important to think of interpersonal bonds and to keep players that can help you down the road rather than in the next challenge. Lisi was one of Dre’s initial targets but Alex has an alliance with Lisi and we saw it at work. Alex may be the brains of the outfit but Lisi overruled him. At TC, he took on the role of telling Jeff what the tribe needs to do to move on. Alex is constantly shown helping his tribemates. We rarely hear him talk about his own game. That pattern suggests that he won’t make it to the very end but someone may feel lucky to have been with him. Cassandra continued in her role as caregiver. She tried to help Gary as much as she could, probably sensing that she may need his vote later. She was an outsider to the Moto5 but it was Dre that put the target directly on her as one of the two players Moto could afford to lose. The same Dre that revealed at TC that he gets along with her! Cassandra can’t even count on her friends. She had a confessional to tell us that she didn’t want to go, that she will be hanging on. Later however, in an exchange with Liliana, she encouraged the ex-marine who the Moto5 had made her rival. After Liliana told Jeff that she’d be surprised to leave because she can do whatever the guys do, Cassandra raised her hand to speak. She told Jeff that Liliana was truly exemplary of female strength. That late support, in combination with her vote against Lisi, can put Cassandra in an terrible position. It does prove however that Cassandra will always follow her heart and she would be a loyal partner. Moto losing their lead is very bad for the weak Cassandra. She needs a switch and fast! The only other way that Cassandra can make it past the next vote is if Alex gets tired of Lisi’s orders. Dre found the winning strategy for the reward challenge by telling Stacy to squat. Everyone followed suit. He was very happy to win another reward. We saw his pirouette off the podium and then he told us: “Our moral is up now more than ever.” His words could indicate a turning point in the game because soon after that high note was Gary’s medical evacuation scene. Dre showed he had respect and affection for Gary: “I can see Poppa Smurf was really hurt. Poppa Smurf was one of the only people I talked to, so that worries me.” Returning from what became only a second reward challenge for Moto, Dre showed how good Veruca’s call was when she said that Dre was socially inept: “Lets be honest…lets not turn into snakes. There are two people we can afford to lose. I don’t want to point fingers but there’s Cassandra (which he points to!) and Lisi (who also gets pointed out!)” Calling out Lisi and Cassandra reminded us of Aras’ bold comment in episode 2 of Exile Island. The difference was that Aras was the leader of the main alliance. Dre thinks his athletic skills make him indispensable. The game doesn’t work that way. How will he fare now that the snakes have entered the camp? He still appears as an investment in the future of the season but he doesn’t have many allies. At TC, he tried to explain his action and he didn’t want Jeff to make him seem like a monster! His vote showed that he had to retreat from his position. Boo and Edgardo played well in each challenge but simply went with the flow of their alliance. There is no development in Edgardo’s story, his contribution to the episode was limited to piling up on Dre’s boot comments by saying he is friends with Lisi so his vote has to go against Cassandra. Edgardo cannot be there for very long. Boo has been more of a presence but it isn’t very positive. After telling off Ravu for not being humble, Boo’s little celebration at the end of the reward challenge was pointed out by Jeff: “Boo gives a wave to the crowd!” It underlined that he wasn’t always being humble himself. Boo would say it wasn’t done in Ravu’s face as Mookie’s taunts were but that isn’t how it was shown. Stacy had a good time relaxing in the ocean with Lisi: “This water’s awesome!” she said. “I just want this cloud to go away.” How many of us had the feeling that the clouds were just starting to gather? Stacy didn’t like that Dre was shooting from the hip: “He is a bit naïve because he has no clue of what is going on.” and she told us that the Moto5 were the ones deciding. She was very quick to raise her hand to vote Liliana when the guys said it was between Liliana and Cassandra. In his voting confessional, Alex said they were acting democratically but Stacy’s vote appeared to carry more weight than any of the guys! Stacy hasn’t been a target yet and she seems well liked but she may have used up some favors. If the elimination of Liliana doesn’t work out and Moto goes to TC again, maybe her show of hand will come back to haunt her. We got a much clearer picture of Moto but it wasn’t necessarily pretty. Dre was right to worry about snakes because there are many lurking around. The only players with positive stories that could be built onto are Dre, Cassandra and Alex. Lisi has a future as a villain but not as a winner since she has no individual game. We saw how she got her team to outwit her target but we haven’t heard how she will outwit her team. Dre seems to continue on his learning journey. Cassandra will console the weak players and Alex will help a friend get further into the game. These stories wouldn’t carry a player to victory unless we see important developments soon.
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emydi 13669 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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03-04-07, 05:35 PM (EST)
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50. "RE: Ep 4 THE ANIMALS WOWZA!" |
thanks Mystic!!! I guess the fruit bats are Boo then if they are clumsy and cute!!
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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03-05-07, 01:45 PM (EST)
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51. "RE: Ep 4 Editing Thoughts" |
Emydi and mystic - I love reading in depth animal symbolism and your take on same. Bats and snakes seem to run rampant this season. This episode we also got to see a very nice shark as well. I would love for you two to see if there is any pattern to the bats as they come on our screen quite often but I never get a sense of a negative aspect to them; rather they seem to be observers of some kind michel, quite a bit that you discuss I have touched upon as well so please feel free to skim over that. The editing has quite a few of us (literally a few as our editing den seems to be somewhat sparse this season) have all been in agreement with how the players are being shown to us. Some items you mention I edited into my post since I read everyone’s after mine.
It certainly was nice to see more dynamic of Moto shown and for obvious reasons. Gary’s exit and their foray to Tribal Council made it necessary to show this. What I found interesting is that while we are now informed of a definite “pecking” order of sorts on Moto; it was barely ever addressed until they HAD to go to Tribal Council. We learned that five of them are very close and others were essentially on their own. While there are a couple Moto players that bear watching for end game; there is obviously quite a lot of dynamic on that tribe that it was not until episode four the editors decided to inform us about. I question then how important most of these players of Moto are at the end of the game then. Of those players, Dre has and had the most immediate focus with future connotations and this week we were again reminded how socially inept Dre is which has already been touched upon. This is integral in Survivor and I do question if that is ultimately his downfall. Regardless, Dre is the biggest editing investment made on Moto and no doubt he is a long term player and may, in fact, be Moto’s longest term player since the majority of Moto is glossed over (Boo and Alex have given us some more sides with introspection and game strategy, Cassandra is being shown more than she really necessitates. The others are either pigeon holed or neglected)
Needless to say that I tend to stick with the fairly consistent way alliances are handled on this shown and thus, the alliance of this five on Moto will NOT succeed. The mere fact also that these five were never shown to us in the development of their relationships bothers me as to how they end up faring long term. Casaya was shown immediately in terms of the relationships established for their alliance (despite that the alliance as a whole were not successful) because that alliance was integral for end game. The Koror relationships were given camera time prior to their first visit to Tribal Council so we could see how Tom and Ian were bonded; Caryn was shown early on having issues about Katie as well as Katie’s bond with Ian, Tom’s leadership, etc. It should not take four episodes to know the dynamics of a tribe.
The Recap: Of note: Edgardo: “Too good to be true man” as Moto becomes stronger (Foreshadowing of kind?) Ravu becomes weaker, until the sun cam. Ravu transformed its rays into fire (Note that Michelle did not receive individual praise in that sequence; I would suspect if end game player, more would have been made of her individual accomplishment. Michel, I see you noted that as well and as you can see, I completely agree.) Gary took a hard fall but Moto still came out ahead (Dre was shown during this portion "still came out ahead") and Dre scores for Moto Cassandra shown comforting Gary Alex: (conf) “His health is more important than the game to us” (not quite what he gave off the week before; this was softened a bit for Alex) Anthony singled out for not being able to perform at IC
Anthony and Mookie's issue at TC also shown Post TC It seems about time that we finally see some aftermath post TC. Earl was not shown discussing the rogue vote he received from Rita except for what may potentially be part of his plan stated later. The main issue is still about Anthony and of course, Rocky’s consistent emotional behavior which he thought he had a handle on. Earl advises the tribe to have a discussion and tells us that the pressure builds up and people will explode (nice visual of Rocky, the most explosive, blowing on the fire sending it higher in flames) Rocky gets tense and tells us he could care less about Anthony's vote at this point. "You have no idea how much I am holding back....” “ Sitting around, dealing with somebody and not telling him how you feel because you are afraid of his vote. Right now, I could care less about his vote” (This confessional spot was shown quite a few times this episode. This was the same confessional when he spoke later after losing the RC and that he is skinnier than most homeless people as well as the spot where he said he was trying to loosen people up. I get the sense this was placed here solely because of the TC situation. My speculation is that his confessional about not caring about Anthony’s vote etc. may have started after the RC when Anthony appeared to do poorly and Rocky wanted an immediate Tribal Council) Rocky then rants on Anthony about what it is like to be a man. Ironically it was quite apparent how Mookie seems to do all the instigating on the votes but Rocky is the mouthpiece. Mookie is really not heard from whatsoever during this "pow wow" which is a bit confusing considering his previous tirades Anthony confesses to us how he was picked on as a child
Anthony: ”They are going to have to push me off” (will not go without a fight?) More Of Moto Lisi and Stacey together in the water.
Scene essentially is only there to now establish the relationships we need to start seeing and how well they seem to be faring. We know that entitlement issues would be a big part of this season and the editors are making it very clear. It is suggestive with the heavy handed way it is being done with stark contrast to blatant misery and resentment Ravu feels that this can’t continue. It just wouldn’t make a good story. Moto NEEDS to be taken down a notch or two for the story to flow better. Lisi: “We really have a good thing going; we're smart kids; we know how to keep our mouths shut” (An ironic statement) Lis (conf): “From the beginning there has been a bond between Boo, Alex, Edgardo, myself and Stacey; it's almost been unspoken.” (Apparently it has been very unspoken since the editors have not even seen fit to let us know about it until this episode Stacey: “Water is awesome; just wish this cloud would go away” (That certainly could provide a multitude of symbolism especially since the scene goes straight to Gary; of course irony always plays a part with statements such as this) Cassandra (conf) “Everyone loves Gary... want him to keep competing if he feels good enough... I want him to feel better first of all” (I think this may be the same confessional as last week just carried over for this episode or utilized for last week to set up the beginning and end of Gary’s story which is why I feel that Cassandra is shown unnecessarily. Why do we need to see her making another comment about Gary. It bears no fruit with respect to her feeling vulnerable or thinking strategically and we already know from last week she is concerned. These are types of scenes that one questions why it was put in. Even Dre noted his concern but also noted that it is a concern for him as well. Cassandra being thrown in every so often appears a bit manipulated) Lisi (conf): “Gary does not look good at all; eventually it is going to turn into a babysitting situation like did I just have a baby and not realize it? I really don't want to take care of him... so let's just hope he gets better that's all I have to say if he doesn't get better he is going to have to go” What a huge editing difference between the statements of Lisi and Cassandra. Lisi is by no means being illogical; in fact what she says makes the utmost of sense. However, the intent of this confessional first and foremost is to show a lack of sensitivity on her part especially coming after Cassandra’s statements. This also is coming from someone who is living in the lap of luxury Survivor style so it appears even more insensitive since they have been winning, they are not depleted and they are very happy. Despite the logic behind Lisi and that she is strategically sound, the intent was for the audience to not think Lisi is the nicest person which would not bode well for Lisi as the potential winner. Dependent upon how the story of the season evolves, Lisi could, in fact, be a person who could have final two foil possibilities; the problem with this, however, is that the edit surrounding Lisi with her Moto five seems to want to show how they FAIL, not succeed The Reward Challenge Lilianna reacts to Sylvia leaving: "Whoa" What a shame that Lilliana bore the cross of many past contestants who, by virtue of when they left, were neglected so badly. Her talents were obviously valuable to her tribe but all she received essentially was the obligatory “flirtatious” strategy which is usually one of failure Lisi struggles at the RC
Michelle and Yao Man do well
More focus on Anthony as Rocky tells him to stand straight and Rocky and Anthony fall in with Jeff noting a lot of progress lost (they are still winning at this point, however)
More focus on Anthony with shout outs to do things differently and Mookie telling him “You are killing me!” Strategy changes and Jeff makes sure to note that Anthony can't even stay up on the beam with Rocky visibly angry and Boo waves to the crowd in a subtle, but nonetheless a bit off putting gesture. Earl: “What happened?”
Rocky: “We lost bro. What do you means what happened?” Rocky slams the water
Dre flips over in celebration michel indicated in his post that Anthony is partly responsible for the challenge loss as we can see visuals honed in on to reinforce that. The beauty of editing. This was all about clearly establishing the set up for Anthony however they were never going to Tribal Council that night but there was quite a bit of overkill on showcasing Anthony as being in complete danger. Too much was made of this THIS particular episode. It does suggest Ravu sees Tribal Council yet again BUT we were also shown some intrigue brewing due to Earl’s discussing the plan he is pursuing Post RC Alex (conf) “Today we once again kicked the crap out of Ravu” (that sense of a tribe full of their own sense of power is being continued) Dre (conf) “We’re just living lovely right now; our moral is more up than ever” Alex (conf) “I feel sorry for the individual members of the other tribe but I want us to continue winning; I don’t want to let up for a second” Alex is rather interesting; quite often he typifies an arrogance but the editors balance him out with other statements that take the edge off; while I don’t sense a great effort made to manipulate his character his words are important. We get the events from Alex as well as his take on it. I don’t sense any real impending story about him as an individual but there is definitely a future story emerging with him with his alliance of five and his own issues with them. While this may not mean end game for Alex as I don’t sense a tweaking of his character to build upon an individual story, the editors give enough to make us remember him (like Boo) and give us an idea of who he is and how he is playing the game. Contrast that with Lisi’s commentary or Stacey’and Edgardo’s lack of presence and Alex is somewhat more well rounded Rocky goes off on his emotional tangent which again contradicts his first episode statements which seem to be shown time and time again to reflect what his ultimate downfall may be and Rita attempts to assuage the situation by suggesting they talk about it. Rita just falls short of someone who is being manipulated by the editing. Her commentary is pretty straightforward and everything presented about her is straightforward. There is no air of mystery nor are we getting any insight in what her strategy may be although she is not being hidden either. I don’t know if we are even meant to really care if she is just a nice person or has some devious game playing methodology
Rocky (conf) “I am skinnier than 40 homeless people right now…” Again, this is part and parcel to his confessional showing his wrath over Anthony and my notion is that he may have been rather frustrated with Anthony at the challenge and his rants over Anthony began again. Note that he mentioned about just voting off someone right then and there and his earlier confessional involved Anthony and knowing he should try to secure himself but he didn’t even care about getting votes or not. That confessional seems to work better on this time line. Earl says simply “We just lost” Rocky: “What’s the sense…” Mookie: We lost, it sucks, let’s move on” (This was somewhat different than the Mookie we have normally seen; that in itself made me a bit curious since I would imagine Mookie would have been very irate over Anthony, again, messing up a challenge. The bane of Mookie’s edit thus far is whoever he feels is to blame at a challenge must leave) During this scene, close-ups on Anthony less we forget his position on the tribe… while Michelle tries to change the subject. Earl (conf) “I like Rocky’s spirit but… do something not just in challenges but here on this island” Earl and Anthony go off together giving us first indication of who Earl feels closer with… Earl: “We have an interesting tribe , I’m hungry… but do I still get my a.s.s up and do something, yup. I’m telling you now I can already feel this one” Anthony “…if we lose tomorrow, you wanna know whose name is going down, it’s gonna be me” (Anthony’s confessional now shown) Earl: “You don’t like your bed, fix it…” (Earl’s confessional now shown) Anthony (conf) “I know I have a big target on me… getting a better grasp on who James is I want him to keep talking because in the end it makes him look like an a.s.s” Earl (conf) “I trust Anthony… it’s getting harder to look out for him but I haven’t made my exact move yet of what I’m gonna do I’m still devising the plan” All of mayhem at Ravu seems entirely unnecessary to show this episode because Ravu never went to Tribal Council. Normally dynamics such as this are shown because we have to see the turmoil to understand what happens at Tribal Council. Note that we only saw ONE person vulnerable and that would be Anthony. In a Tribal Council episode, we almost always see one person vulnerable but at least another candidate to potentially leave to cast some doubt. This “building” set up usually tells us that something will occur shortly. I would not be surprised if Earl’s confessional is either from last week or the next Tribal Council they attend as normally his type of confessional occurs when a tribe is going to Tribal Council. Earl speaking about a plan to protect Anthony after a reward challenge and prior to an immunity challenge that hasn’t been lost yet is a bit out of place. The Exiled One michel, your comment was funny as I definitely noted Yao Man on Exile Island and it was a bit matter of fact in comparison to others that I have seen. Whether or not Yao Man’s prior relationship to the idol was shown solely because he was now sent to Exile Island OR because he has a definite link to the idol in some capacity remains to be seen. While Yao Man has clearly been established as a long term player with an individual story, his “stay” at Exile Island did not have as much manipulation as Earl’s did. We really did not need to see the snake being cut down by Earl and this was a scene that was to make an indelible imprint to the viewer. Considering what occurred this episode with Dre’s discussion about “snakes” and the extremely symbolic visual of the one snake regurgitating the other (what appeared to be anyway) snake it is suggestive that there is some future story involving all that symbolism Yao Man: “I’m not resentful at all … in a way I’m glad I get a chance to look for the immunity idol. I’m quite sure I know where the idol is; the problem of course is when do I get a chance to dig alone (again the big question we discussed prior to the show starting. How does one find the idol without others knowing or do we see a Guatemala situation where people enlist help in finding it and what are the ramifications or benefits to this) I need the immunity idol very badly” The Impending Tribal Council Editing Begins The Moto sequence with Lilliana and the massaging is unfortunately all Lilliana was allowed to have prior to her being booted off and it suggests this episode really had nothing to do with Lilliana but rather the future story involving this Moto Five and those on outside, i.e. Dre and Cassandra. We are also given quite a bit of insight in the thought process of some of these individuals. It seemed very obvious that Lisi and Stacey did feel quite threatened by Lilliana as the argument for her elimination did not seem sensible as Alex even shares with us later. One bad decision may be all that it takes and we know that “decisions” are something that has always carried a thematic approach to this show. Lisi (conf) “Lilliana knows what she is doing and sometimes guys aren’t hip to the way chicks maneuver … tries to be so sneaky but I’m Latin , knowing my people the way that I do, I know what she is thinking; I know her little diabolical Mexican mind, she’s trying to come up with something” (I imagine this confessional was really, in fact, after the IC as it seems a bit misplaced at this time) Gary receives his due with the scene of his leaving with Cassandra again noted for her looks of concern. What is more important from this scene is what we are seeing develop in terms of who is with who and who is concerned and/or showing they are concerned and why only particular people are shown in a certain regard. Dre (conf) “I’m very worried about Papa Smurf, I can see that he is real hurt, Papa Smurf is really one of the only people I talk to so its kinda worrying me” A pretty balanced confessional; Dre shows his concern and also notes his concern over how Gary leaving may affect him in the game. Compare that with Cassandra’s empathy where all she discussed was Gary’s state of health. While Cassandra is being presented more than she really should, there is absolutely no strategic develop to her persona where Dre is considering that Gary leaving is a worry for his state in the game also. Considering also that Dre could easily be made to look like a rather unpleasant individual but there is just enough to “forgive” him of sorts mostly based on a lack of social grace (for lack of a better term) Lisi (conf) “I’m not so concerned about whether Gary stays in the game or not; quite frankly one less person means greater odds for all of us” (Ouch! While Lisi’s confessional again is very logical; there is no element of empathy whatsoever. For all intents and purposes, Lisi is supposed to be viewed negatively by the audience; couple this with a lack of any fleshing out of her as a person does not bode well for her long term. Many “characters” with negative aspects to their persona last well into the game but there is still a sense of knowing them somewhat, I have not felt any sense of familiarity with Lisi) Alex (conf) “Today was very frustrating to be honest with you - we lost Gary and I don’t know. I don’t feel good about it; I don’t feel good about today at all I hope to God we don’t lose the next immunity challenge tomorrow but if we lose that immunity challenge we are 7-7 and in the eyes of the game we are tied and then we are screwed” (While not having the same tone as Dre or Cassandra earlier, Alex’s tone is definitely softer than Lisi’s would be which bodes a bit better for him on top of the confessionals we have had from him before, Alex is getting a more rounded characterization than Lisi.) Back at Ravu Rocky (conf) “Been going crazy; I wanna start winning but all I can do is the best that I can and trying to get people fired up; I can lead by example” (Again this is the same confessional spot as his earlier tirade against Anthony and losing the RC) Rocky then proceeds to loosen up his tribe by dropping trousers with Rita advising it was not “a pretty sight” Rocky (conf) “Anything to get the focus off losing; hopefully just let it loose, go out there and win a game” Immunity Challenge? Jeff greets Ravu and advises upon Rocky’s entrance “Ravu has a great attitude for not having won anything” “That was a compliment” (From what I can recall, I do not remember Jeff ever really giving kudos to a team that has lost as dreadfully which does say more about Ravu’s potential success in this game and/or some of their members) Yao Man returns from EI amidst cheers and hugs Yao Man: “I survived” (Indeed I believe you will Yao Man) Reaction with reference to Gary’s evacuation by Ravu shown with obvious caring and concern. Contrast that to quite a few unsympathetic statements made by some of Moto who actually lived with Gary seems to almost have a subliminal message to the audience. Ravu collectively are rather decent people despite their plight while some of Moto (noted exceptions Cassandra and Dre with Boo later at Tribal Council and Alex to a degree) are quite off putting about their own tribe mate while they are practically living in the lap of luxury. Gary’s leaving was a perfect scenario to give depth to those on Moto who needed it and those such as Lisi were given an extremely negative slant, Stacey was left neglected in that area as was Edgardo. Yao Man shown causing Ravu to fall well behind Rita working on the lily pads and she is barely hanging on causing Ravu to fall even further behind. As michel notes, Rita’s challenge prowess leaves something to be desired as well. Mookie shown to gain a lot of time for Ravu Ravu loses yet again but in a twist Moto opts for comfort and to lose a member. The question remains was THIS the million dollar decision? Pre Tribal Dynamics Dre :We still undefeated!” (Dre is an editor’s dream. He is socially out of his element but beams with team pride. He has no sense in playing the game but has an awareness that should not be ignored. He is hungry but willing to share. I’ve said this from episode one and will probably repeat it often. Dre is not necessarily someone we are meant to like but there is a side being showcased that helps the audience avoid a complete dislike. I think this adventure for Dre will have a profound effect on him and we are meant to see it happen) Lilliana (conf) “We won the challenge, had option…. Unfortunately we are going to vote somebody off and it’s even uglier cause Gary left yesterday,….” Dre then holds his own “pow wow” “This is what I feel is very important to me… I think we are a tribe right? Are we snakes? Is anybody here a snake? Not yet. We ain’t snakes yet. Let’s not turn into snakes yet. There’s two people we can afford to lose; I ain’t pointing no fingers; it’s Cassandra and Lisi right (Lisi has the comic music with accompanying reaction shot where Cassandra is just smiling uncomfortably) Am I right? If I’m not right, if anyone objects…” Edgardo “That’s not how you look at it though” Dre “Those are the only two people we can afford to lose”
Edgardo “I’ll be sincere, I like Lisi, I’m not going to vote for Lisa. Cassandra I’m going to vote for you” Alex: “I don’t think you can ignore the interpersonal relationships that have been built; not because it is a friendship, it’s also in thinking long term, that bond may help you in the future” Dre “We’re not individuals yet we’re still a group” Stacey (conf) “Dreamz started freaking out, I think he shoots from the hip a lot and he’s a bit naïve because he has no clue of what’s going on; he thinks we’re all part of this solid team… and it’s not entirely untrue, it’s that the team consists of five people, myself Alex, Ed, Lisi and Boo” Again, this is a matter of fact statement, not necessarily negative but it does shed a certain aura surrounding those who are discussing this five as almost indestructible. Both Stacey and Lisi were given the camera time to discuss it and there was a tone involved that did not make one want to “root” for these five. Interestingly enough Boo was completely left out of all the muck involved despite being one of the few Moto’s shown quite consistently which tends to bode rather well for him. Alex was somewhat more balanced which tends to bode better for him over Lisi and Stacey. Edgardo, after a pretty large first episode showing, has been neglected quite a bit but he also was left out of any complete negative fray in this matter and although he came out and noted Cassandra as who he would vote for, it did not come off as arrogant Dre “If anyone’s got something to say, please (awkward silence) so is that what we’re gonna do” Boo “It’s too early for me to decide” Dre: “Well we gotta decide something now before we start come with me to the water fountain real quick, come with me to, you know what I’m saying? That’s when we turn to snakes and start biting each other; we don’t have to eat each other YET, we don’t’ have to do that YET, let’s not do that YET” Alex “I don’t know, I don’t know” Dre “I just want things to go down fair so we don’t have to see the snakes early” Cassandra “Uh huh” (We will recall another past Survivor who made statements on who to vote for in front of others, namely Aras which I see has been brought up already! There is a difference between how these two were edited however (which by seeing Michel’s post, he has already addressed this) The audience knew Aras was making these statements solidly aligned and in control. Dre, on the other hand, is making these statements practically in danger himself. Aras’ statement can be construed rather negatively being in a position of power whereas Dre’s statements are coming from someone who is not secure with anyone. While his speech may have been regarded as somewhat strategically “dumb”; there was no arrogance to back it up since he is vulnerable as well.) A snake then shown slithering away Lilliana and Cassandra then meet alone Lilliana “How you feeling?” Cassandra “Fine. It’s a decision we all have to make” Cassandra “How do you feel?” Lilliana “Like, it’s not like we don’t like you… I think you rock but the thing is it would be a backwards step for me to go against what they are doing, I’m going to try and stay in this game longer“ (Lilliana seems aware that even she may be in a precarious situation which seems to make sense with Lisi’s out of place confessional that Lilliana will try to “do something”) Cassandra (conf) “It could be me going home this evening but I don’t want to be the first one voted off my tribe. …so I’m holding on…” The visual that sent a reaction I’m sure to many… (I knew you would love it emydi lol) I am not a snake expert but it did appear that the snake regurgitated another snake which has blatant symbolic qualities. Whether it was relative to this particular sequence of events or a broader meaning encompassing Dre’s words which then had me recall Earl’s killing of the snake stating they have an understanding, will become more apparent but it did precede the group meeting and perhaps it was only relative to this particular drama unfolding this episode although my personal opinion right now is that it has future meaning Boo “We need to put in our votes and make a decision, I think Dreamz is better for us so…” Alex “We need to keep Dreamz. It’s either Lilliana or Cassandra” Stacey “I vote Lilliana” Lisi “I vote Lilliana too” Alex “You guys think Lilliana instead of Cassandra?” Lisi “Let’s do it, let’s do it, she’s gonna be like rrrreerrr” Alex “Oh dude she’s not going to get to us” Lisi (conf) “As far as I am concerned, Lilliana is the weakest link because our biggest concern is to get to the top five; she’s the one person who can threaten it , she could try to manipulate things, she could start saying things that could tear all of us apart” (A rather nonsensical statement at this point in time. Ironically, Dre’s statements of them not being individuals yet but rather a team in direct contrast to Lisi’s statement makes one question if those like Stacey should really be underestimating him.) Alex “If we take out Lilliana, Cassandra is bad at everything, she sucks at everything” (Not exactly the nicest statement but one can’t deny the logic behind it) Stacey “We’re not going to be hurting I swear to you” (These types of statements almost NEVER bode well for those who utter them) Alex (conf) “The most logical thing is to keep Lilliana and vote out Cassandra until we have a numbers advantage again, right now we are seven-seven, why on God’s green earth would you vote out a woman who is as strong as any of the men that to me seems absurd” Boo “One of them’s got to go" Stacey “I’m voting Lilliana” Lisi “Me too” Alex (conf) “I’m very frustrated; I feel like this isn’t very logical I wanna do what’s best for our five person alliance and for the team in general Lilliana is a good person she’s worked hard at these challenges she DESERVES to stay Cassandra should go" Tribal Council Jeff asks Boo about reaction to Gary leaving
Boo “Everyone, even the other tribe, loved Gary. H was sick for three days (Cassandra) and he stayed tough (Dre) for the tribe. We miss him and we can’t wait to see him again” (Boo’s words, in a sense, helps separate him from some of the more insensitive although logical statements we heard from some others. Boo was rather quiet this episode despite being in the thick of the five person alliance, etc. It may be the editors do want to separate him just a bit from any overt negativity that this Moto Five may have displayed this episode) Jeff asks Dre about bonds/friendships
Dre “Pretty much Papa Smurf and Cassandra (Cassandra) but I’m not gonna lie to you the rest of them, if I talk they just get silent (Edgardo) or they don’t talk back" (Dre reinforcing his minority status on this tribe; this helps to build on the story. With the five in control how do those like Dre and Cassandra survive this?) Jeff asks Edgardo if he understands Dre’s position
Edgardo “I don’t really know where he’s coming from. I think we all treat each other the same way… but if he feels that way I’m gonna make sure he doesn’t feel that way anymore” (Nice sentiment by Edgardo although not entirely believable. There was enough reinforcement this entire episode to show that everyone is completely aware of who is with who) Jeff asks Lisi about the challenge
Lisi “As a matter of fact, Dreamz goes on a soliloquy about how some people should be voted off (Dre a dash uncomfortable) like Cassandra or Lisi....”
Dre “No Jeff”
Lisi “So he talks about being invisible but he’s pointing fingers, hello!” (One can’t discount the accuracy of this statement but Lisi has not been posed as any type of sympathetic figure and when a person in power discusses a situation where they are put in a position of vulnerability it doesn’t quite carry the same effect. Consider Anthony and his words at the Tribal Council; his words held more weight because the audience knew it to be true; Lisi discussing the meeting where her name was mentioned does not have the same effect as she is holding the power) Jeff asks Dre about his “pow wow”
Dre “Well, not like that Jeff; don’t make me sound like a monster! I was just saying stop me if I’m wrong; nobody stopped me Jeff; they let me go on a shaquilo or whatever she called it” (laughs from all) “I didn’t want to eat each other yet you know I didn’t want people to go off in little groups and start talking about people” (A bit naive on his part but one can’t deny the sincerity. Nothing he stated in Tribal Council was anything other than what we were shown.) Jeff asks Alex about what the vote will be based on
Alex “I think you base it on what’s gonna be best for the tribe moving forward and make sure Ravu doesn’t get another opportunity to vote one of our members out.” Jeff asks Lilliana her contributions
Lilliana “I bring strength and try to get with the guys and say let’s go fishing…. Helping the guys out is not a problem for me...” Cassandra (voluntarily speaks) “I definitely want to compliment Lilliana; she’s exemplary for the female strength, she’s just amazing, I just for her to go very far in the game"
(It is a bit unclear at this time whether that was just a savvy move on Cassandra’s part to reinforce the worry that Lisi expressed in her confessional or if Cassandra is simply just a nice individual. Time can only tell on that front) During the voting we made sure to see
Lisi stating the alliance is five not six
Cassandra shown voting out Lisi
Lilliana shown voting out Cassandra with kind words Of note, there was a big “to do” with Dre and “snake talking” done prior to TC yet he had NO impact on the outcome and, in fact, he voted for someone who was not even up for discussion by himself to vote out. The conversation naturally made for good television but there was too much emphasis placed on Dre’s words before Tribal Council and during Tribal Council that the vote for Lilliana he made was questionable. Why did he not vote for Lisi or Cassandra as he discussed? Perhaps Dre is more aware than those such as Stacey think? Interesting also that the Moto Five already show a bit of dissension shown by Alex’s logical thinking and the future with Alex discussing the “stupid” girls with Boo. Both Dre and Cassandra the “outsiders” on this tribe were also shown in a more sympathetic light then these five collectively (regarding Gary and regarding their position) We know Dre has already been clearly established to be here for the duration. Cassandra has had just enough presence considering she is essentially a non entity on her tribe that makes me question where she belongs in all this. She is not quite meant to be forgotten though it appears that she is not the direct force in any longevity she has (think Jan as opposed to Cerie) With some “stories” potentially in the making or scenes shown that really didn’t have to, there are some people that I expect to at least meet up again in some fashion for continuity purposes such as: Cassandra and YM’s budding relationship which was completely unnecessary to show but it may bear future fruit Rocky vs. Dre (which may, in fact, occur for next week during their words shown in the preview) Dre and his back story Yao Man and his back story and a potential tie to the idol. When the season started as Jeff introduced the new season he referenced the idol and how it will impact the game like never before. Yao Man was shown then the camera moved to Erica with Earl then being featured solo. I did question if the HII would involve any of those three; Erica has since left us. Yao Man seems a bit more invested in about the idol so it will be interesting to see whether or not he has a direct tie to it. The greeting with Yao Man and Boo - perhaps nothing but at the very least, perhaps they will see each other again. Rocky and his emotional outbursts and his awareness of same and how the audience is seeing him failing at this time and time again. Earl and his “understanding” with the snake as well as his methodology of playing Dre’s “snake” soliloquy which would could hand and hand with his back story. These two items or these two may have a parallel as it did not go unnoted during the first team challenge that Earl was “leading his tribe” and Dre was “slowing down” (this statement was really not necessary; Dre’s tribe won this challenge. It was done in voice over and I question that potential foreshadowing) along with the trek to the top of the island with Earl reflecting his was the King of Fiji with Dre exclaiming that he was standing the highest however. There may be some type of “face off” with these two as some of their moments struck a chord of a ying/yang type situation. Both their personas have been set up nicely. Earl is playing poker and Dre is showing his hand.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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03-05-07, 03:27 PM (EST)
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52. "RE: Ep 4 Editing Thoughts" |
LAST EDITED ON 03-05-07 AT 03:29 PM (EST)Skim over your post, Veruca? You do such a marvelous job that it is the post I wait for the most each week! I actually read most passages twice! I thought I had a fairly complete post but you still see so many things or make links that no one else does. I saw Cassandra as a caregiver but the way you show that her scenes aren't all neccessary adds to the way she is positively edited. I had neglected Boo and how he was separated editorially from the negativity in Moto. I saw Lisi as a leader who should fail but I had trouble putting the reason into words. You state it clearly: She hasn't been fleshed out, we have no sense of familiarity! Mainly, I enjoyed your recall of Jeff's description of the first challenge. Will Earl still have a tribe to lead come merge time? When will Dre slow down? A final showdown between the two could very well be what this season's story is leading to. If so, you have given us the result in one simple statement: "Earl is playing poker and Dre is showing his hand." Indeed!!
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CTgirl 8013 desperate attention whore postings
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03-06-07, 01:39 PM (EST)
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53. "RE: Ep 4 Editing Thoughts" |
Emydi, I enjoyed when you started doing the animal imagery last year. Later, after the season was over, we realized how important it can be (Ozzy representing the white bird, and then Yul killing the white bird Ozzy caught). I’ve been thinking about the snake regurgitating segment for a few days. It stands out in my mind for its “ew” reaction which it’s probably supposed to. VS you said you felt the snake has blatant symbolic qualities and I agree. We can see it on a few levels. The obvious one occurred right after we saw the snake. We see the Moto alliance deciding to vote out (regurgitate) their 6th member (Lili). But it was too gross (powerful) not to mean more and hold some future meaning! Earl had his moments with a snake and now Dre has had a snake speech. I think there will be one more person involved with the “snakes” - Cassandra. Both times I watched the episode I felt like the snake was connected with her during that segment. Starting with Dre’s speech “That’s when we turn to snakes and start biting each other" (Cassandra is shown when he says this)… “I just want things to go down fair so we don’t have to see the snakes early” (Cut to Cassandra again). She then walks away and we see a snake. She talks to Liliana and then has a confessional, “…I don’t want to be the first one voted off my tribe. …so I’m holding on.” And then the snake does his thing. As VS has pointed out, Cassandra has had just enough presence considering she is essentially a non entity on her tribe that makes me question where she belongs in all this. She is not quite meant to be forgotten though it appears that she is not the direct force in any longevity she has (think Jan as opposed to Cerie). I keep remembering that she was given two confessionals in the midst of all those men in the first episode. Neither confessional contributed much, but she was highlighted for a reason. She either learns to play the social game very quickly or she is in the right place at the right time. So putting on my English lit major hat (if great literary minds can use symbolic license so can video editors! ), I think the snake or snakes are also giving Cassandra a second chance. (At first I thought a rebirth, but when VS compared her to batty Jan, I “downgraded” it to a second chance or a new life!) Cassandra was clueless this episode to the dynamics that were going on around her. She was friends with Gary and Dre, but Dre didn’t even bother to tell her who to vote for. Her character has been developed too much for her to be the next Moto booted, but she is clearly next on the chopping block and her only supposed friend is Dre. Time will show us if she is connected with the snakes by choice or by circumstance, but she is definitely entangled with them.
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Outfrontgirl 6830 desperate attention whore postings
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03-09-07, 09:13 PM (EST)
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54. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
hi guys,
this is my first visit here for S14 and what a wealth of insights I find!The reason I stayed away at the beginning was I had the job of doing the Ep 1 Blows summary, which I've never done before, and I wanted to do it without reading any other comments so I could be clear on my own perceptions of the intros. Then I didn't get it done for a week, and by then this thread was long and I was too busy ... Today I was interested to see what observations of yours and mine matched up ... a lot. So here's my belated take on Ep One. I know it's old news but Ep One is key, isn't it? ACT I: CHAOS & CHAOS MANAGEMENT: INTRO the FEATURED NINE In my observation, the crucial part of Ep 1 was up to the point that they started in on the shelter task. When Alex uttered the title quote, the first act of Ep 1 closed, and nine players had been introduced. Once they had an assignment, Act II development became plot-driven and the focus turned to the typical Survivor focus on resentment over leadership and cooperation. 6 more players introduced by confessional. ACT III, for purposes of introducing the last four characters, began with the pickem and challenge, followed with classic Survivor scheming and strategizing. Due to the initial lack of plot structure in Ep 1 -- the deliberately inflicted chaos-- they could have chosen to open with anyone, yet they chose these 8 men and 1 woman -- Edgardo, Yau Man, B-o-o, Rocky, Anthony, Dre(amz), Earl, Cassandra, and Alex. I was struck by who they showed introducing themselves by name (Boo, Rocky, Yau Man) or discussing their name (Dreamz and Rocky) so that we would be noticing them all the more. I felt a sort of Levi-Strauss High-Low structural symbolism was present. As I noted in my summary and you have noted, Earl and Dreamz were shown at the top, with Anthony and the girl positioned at the inferior lower level. (I went back and forth umpteen times and thought it was Michelle, but Michel says Stacey, but whichever, her name or their names were not given.)The "and queen" comment was so muffled and shown as beneath notice by the men that I felt a solid pointer that women are not coming out on top this season. Then, as another angle to the High-Low, this was followed by Yau-Man and Cassandra at the camp. This scene did not NEED to be shown and was one of the only "extended bonding" scenes prior to the true plot beginning. These two, while not up on top of the hill, were shown at the cave, or the home base, which I read as a sort of "core" position while everyone was wandering around aimlessly, a very grounded position. Of the 9, Dreamz, Earl, Yau-Man and Cassandra were highlighted in a symbolic way that no one else got. Even though we heard a lot from Rocky, he didn't have the symbolism; even though Anthony became an immediate narrator (my summary pegged him as pre-merge narrator), he was not shown at the summit aspiring to be the king of the land. As Cassandra completely disappeared after ACT I, her intro had nothing to do with the actual plot of Ep 1. I felt they chose to feature her in the intro section because she must ultimately matter to the season. The similarity to Cirie's intro struck me as well, the confessional on not being an outdoors type Boo, Edgardo, and Alex were introduced by confessional, but not featured in any "story" scenes such as the exploration of the mountain or the bonding moment between Yau Man and Cassandra. Boo was mentioned by name but as part of Yau Man's intro, so hard to say how much of that was about Boo. ACT II: Project Shelter Here we got introduced to all the early casualties (except Liliana). While Sylvia and Gary were important to the building project, the intro of Erica and Jessica functioned to show a premature alliance (build boot story). The confessionals given to intro Rita and Michelle could as easily have gone to Liliana, Mookie, Stacey, or Lisi,so why were these two given names at the end of the shelter project? FOCUS on DREAMZ
Dreamz was shown as ultra-annoying and clueless but was then "redeemed" by his confessional; also, no one was shown complaining about him the next morning -- reminds me of how VS says watch those who mess up but no fuss is made about it. I thought the line about how his family ought to see this was direct foreshadowing that Dreamz would see his family during the Visit reward. Similar to Shane musing on his son early in S12, and then of course he was chosen by Terry to get a visit. I have no idea whether Dreamz will be a winner in that episode, but in any case his family has to see Fiji, the editing makes that clear, and preferably Dreamz will get to show it to them. After last season where three of the F4 were chosen for first confessional from their tribe, and the other first confessional was second to last in longevity of her group and F6, it seems that recently editors are not trying to hide who are the end game players but are highlighting them in Ep 1 in ways that even the average viewer might notice. Perhaps because they're casting too many bodies ... 20 is 25% more waste of space than original format! ACT III: PLAY THE GAME
Note that the pickem served as a transparent device to name characters that had not yet been intro'd. Four players did not get a confessional by the time of the challenge: Lisi, Mookie, Stacey, and Liliana. I surmised they were not necessary to intro in Ep 1 because neither super early boots or end game players. Of the TEN people who did not get confessionals prior to beginning the shelter task -- Jessica, Erica, Sylvia, Gary, Liliana, Rita, Michelle, Lisi, Stacey, Mookie -- six are already gone. Of this group of early boots, Jessica, Erica, Sylvia, Gary and Rita got first confessionals during the shelter task segment. Michelle is the only remaining member of the BYPASSED TEN who was intro'd in this segment. Not a terrific group to be in. Of the first six boots, only Liliana was completely shut out of Ep One. (She really had an odd fate in the game too; her boot was so casual and even unnecessary.) Of the remaining THREE of the Bypassed Ten, Stacey's name was first heard when Dreams called her Lucy and she had to correct him. No confessional. Lisi got a post-challenge confessional gloating over the new camp, and Mookie got nothing. He and Michelle had a role in the pre-TC scheming but we did not get to see into their thought processes via confessional. POST EP 5 THOUGHTS on the Ep 1 story arcs
All of the NINE are still in the game; ACT II (building shelter) intro'd 5 of the first 6 boots plus Michelle; ACT III (pickem to TC) very minimally put names to Lisi, Mookie, and Stacey, only Lisi got a confessional. This makes me wonder if Michelle, Mookie, Stacey, and Lisi are in more trouble than they would appear to be given they haven't been on the boot radar yet. Mookie and Michelle seem to be in safer positions than Rocky or Anthony. Boo, Alex, and Edgardo would normally be in far more danger than Lisi or Stacey if the current Ravu align at merge with Dreamz and Cassandra as was strongly foreshadowed in Ep 5. So we'll see, maybe the three girls outlast the guys and the editors were just more interested in setting up the strong alpha males (yet ignored Mookie!). However, I note these four (Michelle, Mookie, Lisi, Stacey) seemed VERY safe in Ep 4 and in fact they were shown as controlling all the boots to date. But both pairs looked behind the eightball in Ep 5. Lisi and Stacey were shown as rude; Michelle was left out of the voting loop; Mookie was surprised to learn he wasn't boss of the vote. I suppose the upcoming switch will have a big impact on the various fates. (I haven't really looked at the swap spoilers, that's just an assumption.) As per usual, I expect someone who was safe will get cut off from allies. I think it's interesting that Michelle is portrayed as so well-liked and respected as to not even ping the boot radar, as if she could be the Parvati of S14 (only not a skank) -- but if the intro emphasis means anything she was deliberately excluded from the group of featured players. Odd too because she went up the mountain and they could easily have given her a confessional instead of only letting the men speak. EDITING of the NINE who were not the top FOUR:
ROCKY
As my summary "toastometer" indicated, Jessica, Erica, and Rocky were marked for elimination by their supreme overconfidence in deciding that a 3 person alliance could rule the game on a tribe of 8 people. Rocky was saved because he is relatively fit, but because he was involved in that early debacle, he seems destined to be played up as a character (like Robfaddah 1) but not to play the game all that well. Already is seen to cause drama. ANTHONY
Anthony's appearance as pre-merge narrator doesn't bode too well because we all know that they tend to pick someone who is articulate and stays around for a fair amount of the first half of the season but doesn't last. (Jonathan would be an exception.) Already shown to need more protection than Earl may be able to offer and twice a target at TC. BOO, ALEX, and EDGARDO
Right now these three seem to be destined for post-merge mayhem of the strong males. Last episode we saw heavy foreshadowing with the focus on Alex's perception of how their alliance is doomed because of their pre-merge arrogance towards Dreamz and Cassandra. DREAMZ, CASSANDRA, YAU MAN, EARL
How interesting the focus on these four in Ep 5 as two pairs. Not the original pairings (E & D on the mountain, YM & C at the cave) but a shuffle caused by the pickem, the exclusion going on at Moto, and the mechanics of the exile choices. In ACT II of Ep 1 we saw the beginnings of the Yau Man/Earl pairing when Earl drank from the coconut and said Yau Man is a keeper. Now we see that Dreamz and Cassandra want to join up with Ravu and are faking their loyalty to the undeserving Moto. Meanwhile, Yau Man and Earl are also deceiving their tribesmates as they work to uncover the idol. And BOTH of these parallel deceptions are edited so that we root for the deceivers. I think Ep 5 points us towards understanding how these 4 could team up. They are the underdogs of their tribes, even though Dreamz and Earl are strong in challenges. D & C were clearly painted so, Earl and Yau Man more by inference. Neither are on the Ravu boot radar yet, but neither at the center of directing the boot either. Earl looks like a potential winner in a strong benign leadership position, but like Terry and Yul, Earl could definitely be in need of an immunity idol come merge. F4 and WINNER SYMBOLISM
Ep 1 set the same 4 up as the most featured players with the most symbolic scenes and linked them by connecting Dreamz to Earl (mountain), Earl to Yau Man (coconut drink), Yau Man to Cassandra (coconut husking and drink). If you play "Six Degrees" they were all tied together by these linkages. The climb was pure symbolism, and the coconut bonding was very ritualistic. Most everything else in Ep 1 was either chaotic or driven by the "rules" of the game. Collect building materials; build shelter; compete in challenge; scheme, backstab, and boot. But in all this crowded material, the editors gave Cassandra, Dreamz, and Yau Man backstory. Her lack of outdoors experience, his homeless background, Yau Man's Borneo roots. Their vulnerabilities were shown too, how the odds were against them. Earl, however, didn't get backstory that I recall. He got symbolism that worked perfectly with the opening theme of the season -- lack of structure. The beginning showed everyone overwhelmed by this lack of structure and direction: no tribes, no camps, no Jeff, etc.. While Earl was only one of the group of explorers who went to the top, his confessional was special because it "organized" their new world. Getting "the lay of the land" was a literal and symbolic means of getting an "overview" of their new situation. Earl imposed a metaphor of "house" on the island. A house is a structure, so through metaphorical thinking he created structure out of chaos. I think that has to be significant and very positive for Earl's fate in the game. for reference, my summary I alluded to is at:
http://community.realitytvworld.com/boards/DCForumID1/3592.shtml
my editing observations are mixed with a lot of snark, and I don't expect you non-Bashers to go read it; it's more a marker of what my thoughts were without reading this thread, after watching Ep 1 multiple times and trying to make sense of it as a story for the summary. 
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mimo 563 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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03-10-07, 10:17 AM (EST)
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55. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
Loved your insight OFG. Of course our editing stars (VS, Michel, Emy etc.) have done a great job of breaking down the season, but this thread seems quieter than other seasons. So I guess I'll have to take the plunge now and contribute something!! Obviously the main theme of the season so far has been the "Haves" vs. the "Have-nots". The choice that Moto was given in Episode 4, in which they chose to vote someone out and keep their luxury felt like a turning point in the story arc. One of the cardinal rules seems to be to never throw a challenge to vote someone out, and so to be given a similar choice (even though the challenge had already been won) and choose tribal council over hardship does not bode well. (How secure must people have been in their alliances to choose luxury over tribal council?) Then in Episode 5, we see a further splintering in the "Haves", as the Stacy & Lisi refuse to interact with Cassandra & Dre (are these guys the Have-nots of the Haves?) The scene of Cassandra and Dre drinking coffe full of grinds in a plain coffee cup was in marked contrast to the scene of Lisi and Stacy swinging and sipping grindless coffee out of the more ornate cup. Alex was worried that this treatment would cause Dre & Cassandra to flip (which Dre agreed would happen in a confessional) and then the final scene in which the entire tribe came back together in obviously false harmony was funny. Lisi & Stacy are now our villians, and we will root for them to be voted out. Ravu seems to be in pure survival mode. It has only been 14 days, but these guys look like they've gone through all their fat reserves and are barely hanging on. Even so, the scene of Earl and Anthony going up to the top of the mountain and surveying the islands was absolutely stunning. It was reminiscent of the scene in the first episode that established Earl as "the king of the island." Previews for next week show a switch-up, which would make it seem like Act I is over and we are now moving to Act II, and it seems interesting that Act I seemed to start and end with the shot of Earl surveying the islands.
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Outfrontgirl 6830 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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03-10-07, 02:14 PM (EST)
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56. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
>>>it seems interesting that Act I seemed to start and end with the shot of Earl surveying the islands.good one, Mimo! Yes, Stacey sure got a bump -- straight from enigma to total beeyatch. The condescending explanation of how to work a French Press ... as you say, everyone is rooting for Moto 5 to go bye-bye now, and hoping that some or all of the complacent ones have to go experience Ravu camp. The Moto remind me of the Casaya 5, another tribe that barely had to go to TC and treated two of its members as expendable.
The Underdogs theme is alive and well this season.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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03-10-07, 04:14 PM (EST)
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57. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
OFG: your look back was very enjoyable to read. I was amused that you touched on pairings as you will see why in my post. Since I enjoyed the Casaya alliance, I hope you forgive me if I compare the Moto5 to Guatemala's "Axis of Evil" instead! Mimo, interesting observation about Earl's portrayal in Act I. Here is what I saw:Finding a theme for each episode has been difficult this season since the same story is told each week: The rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer. This week, we saw players Pairing Up which clarified their roles. The episode opened in a new pattern: Moto had gone to tribal council but during the initial sequence, we were with Ravu. It revealed the first pair of the episode: Earl and Yau-Man: After Yau-Man finished cooking the evening meal, he had a confessional to tell us: “I sort of know where (the idol) is, but I don’t know how to get to it.” That dilemma was the basis of a tactical alliance: ”Earl is the only other person who has been to the exile island” said Yau-Man. He went on: “Maybe at some point we can join forces in finding this idol.”. Earl agreed: “If you need my help, let me know. Maybe I can pull some people away…I’ll do something.” Earl told us: “I like Yau. I just want to build that trust with him, telling him ‘Yau, you can trust me, I have your back’…Me helping him out finding the idol is a good move.” These two players have shown an affinity for each other since episode 1 when Earl, a strong man, realized that the weaker, older Yau-Man could be invaluable for survival. The relationship hadn’t been featured since, even though we knew they were on the same wavelength, voting together. After the commercial break we were still forgetting all about Moto, Michelle was given a confessional at sunrise of day 12. Now that Yau-Man was discussing the game, Michelle encroached on his role, narrating how the conditions were affecting the tribe: “We’re struggling right now…We’re still sleeping on palm fronds. We at least, have a good water system going but that’s about it.” We did see they had gutters in place to collect rain water, probably Yau-Man's idea. Why weren’t we told who had the idea? Ravu awoke and Earl had no trouble gathering everyone on a hunt for food. Yau-Man was excited to tell us he had a chance to look for the idol. With only a machete, he couldn’t find it this time but he’ll try again. From what we saw of Yau-Man’s efforts, maybe Earl should dig next time! During that sequence, Earl was also paired with Anthony during the quest for food. They both climbed to the summit where Earl said: “Look at that, that’s what I’m talking about.” The scenery was beautiful and they sat to admire the view. Anthony told us that: “We so rarely get a chance to just take it in and let ourselves be astounded and awed by what’s around us. It gives you new drive to keep going. In a battle of will which this game is, you need every ounce of energy.” The scene had little game implications except for showing Earl standing on top of the island again. Will it be the energy he needs to win the game? We finally joined Moto to the sounds of caribbean music, a very Club Med-like atmosphere. It was time to read tree mail which according to Boo was “Time to go get OUR reward. Establish OUR new victory streak.”He told us: “ We have the luxury of them being down and malnourished and us being fat and happy. We have so much luxury that it doesn’t matter.” The choices for reward showed Moto as kids in a candy store. We went right back to Ravu to show that their choices were much more difficult to make. Rocky and Michelle proposed to get “One thing that we need and one thing that we want.” Earl laconically said “Two things we need.” “Moto are like ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ and we’re like ‘Good Times’. We have to be pratical” Earl told us. That meant no chocolate cake for Ravu but either way, the reward didn’t give them a chance to get what they needed. The next pair we saw was Lisi and Stacy and it wasn’t a nice portrayal. Lisi had an early duel against Michelle and we saw her overpowering the smaller opponent. Moto’s victories were often underlined by images of Stacy shouting her approval. The way she was shown, it seemed the intent wasn’t to give her the good role of a cheerleader, but rather the slightly sadistic look of a hockey fan during a brawl. Stacy could have received some sympathy for having to go up against a man but instead, the scene appeared designed to excuse Yau-Man for wrestling a girl. We heard him say: “Pick on a little girl. An Ugly win, but a win is a win.” Nothing was heard to console Stacy, we didn’t even get a shot of the Moto bench when she walked over to it. The reward celebration was a very telling scene. Stacy told us: “Dre and Cassandra have no allies on his team. It’s 5-2, they’re going to get picked off…It’s not my problem…This is Survivor.” Lisi and Stacy refusing to help Dre and Cassandra with the coffee was shown to illustrate their meanness: “I’m not gonna tell him anything” said Stacy. Added to that, the girls were seen savoring their own cup which was like “a little piece of heaven. This is the best day so far” said Stacy. These two players have been presented as stupid players with a sense of entitlement over their fellow survivors. The clouds that Stacy feared are gathering over her even more ominously. Even if Lisi was right there next to her, Stacy was the one that voiced their opinion. Stacy’s fall could come soon and from inside her own alliance. Even if Lisi stays a little longer, this axis of evil isn’t as powerful as the original one! It shouldn’t last as long. The negative images of these two have appeared so suddenly and so strongly that I doubt that either could last long enough to be our final 2 foil. Interspersed through Stacy and Lisi’s demonstration, we had comments from Alex and Edgardo. Alex started by telling us that: “ Stacy and Lisi in particular, are just downright rude. It nauseates me to see people being treated that way… This game to me is about almost immediate karma…In the course of the game, why they wouldn’t see that it could screw them?” Edgardo added: “I’m really upset at Stacy and Lisi because they are on a power trip. Even if they are in my alliance, if they keep going that way, I’m gonna make sure that they’re out.” We went next to Exile Island and Ravu but the situation at Moto wasn’t over. We were soon back to their beach and Alex told one after the other that they needed Dre and Cassandra. That scene portrayed Lisi as being ignorant of the game: “Cool, whatever” she said at being tied 5-5 at merge. Stacy was shown being very complacent: “I don’t think that we have to include Dreamz and Cassandra in anything.” Still the voice of reason, Alex confided: "If we don’t keep Dreamz and Cassandra happy, they are going to flip-flop and then we’re all screwed.” After being left out of any negative roles last week, even Boo was made to look as dumb as the girls. When Alex proposed to keep the outsiders happy, all Boo said was: “But we want them all gone.” “Kill me right now!!” was Alex’ request to the audience. Boo was the only player not paired up this week. His limited role will not carry him to the end game.
We were shown the efforts Alex made to reason with his allies. Only Edgardo realized the danger of having two unhappy members in camp and how irrational the other members of the alliance were. “They think that they control the game, they don’t see further down the line. We have to be peacekeepers in the tribe right now. We are trying to put our chess pieces in their place so that when we start really playing the game, we have them in the right place at the right time” said Edgard in a flash of wisdom. Alex knows the game and we saw it when he tried to mend fences with the two outsiders by saying to everyone: “We are going to have our internal whatevers but at the end of the day, we are a team. The goal is to take Ravu out and make it as far as we can because we deserve every victory we earn.”
Edgardo’s role is too limited in this tribe to have a role down the line. Last week, he had been associated with the negativity of the Moto5 when he said that Lisi was his friend and that his vote would be for Cassandra. This week, he was left out of that negativity. Inconsistency is never a good sign. Alex still shows more promise but again, he talked about what the tribe needed, not what he needs. He defended Dre and Cassandra this week. One of these two could be the one that benefits from Alex’ game savvy down the road.
Dre and Cassandra formed a pair by circumstances. Both had strong performances in the reward challenge. Cassandra’s demolition of Rita didn’t get any negative turn, she simply did her job. Dre was shown confidently accepting Rocky’s challenge and, after a good battle, he was seen showboating quite a lot.
Dre’s problems making coffee received a cold shoulder from the girls. He heard them snicker and told them: “You can tell me to my face.” Cassandra, who helped her team win the reward and showed she cared for her teammates, was twice shown unhappily stirring her cup full of grinds in silence. Dre told us: “I came back to the shelter and it was like they embraced me again…but it didn’t change my strategy of what to do come the merge. We get into the merge, me and Cassandra are going to leave and go to the other tribe…Genocide, wiping out Ravu, it’s all part of the game right now. It’s like poker and bluffing… I can’t wait to the day when I put on my snakeskin boot and show them strategy!” It is always a good sign for players when we hear them revealing that they have a game plan without giving us too many details. Showing how this pair received an unsavory treatment seems very important to the story. It was as if the ruling class selfishly felt the “nouveaux riches” were intruding but we actually were made to like those outsiders. We had worried about Dre’s social abilities and his knowledge of the game. If the first is still in doubt, the second was put to rest in this episode. Cassandra didn’t deserve to be disrespected and we can expect that she will be rewarded for her stoicism. Both seem destined to outlast their tormentors and Dre is looking better than ever for the final 2 foil since his qualities are counterbalanced with his arrogance. It wasn’t accidental that his victory celebration after beating Rocky was replayed as the team left the challenge area. While this had been going on, Earl was given an occasion to talk about the game from exile island. Needlessly, he told us that Yau-Man hadn’t found the idol due to the lack of proper tools. With nothing new to learn from the island, Earl was still given a confessional which is something to note. We had also taken the time to meet another pair, Michelle and Rita who teamed up because they were bored. These two girls had been roughly treated during the reward challenge, losing to two stronger, heavier women. During the “beauty salon” scene that followed, Rita (her lips actually) was the one used to focus our attention on their incessant discussion. They nearly drove the guys crazy; Rocky told us how their meaningless chatter was getting on his nerves: “I want to take my T-shirt and hang myself from a palm tree.” Interestingly, now that Rocky felt victimized by the girls, it was to Anthony that he turned to explain that he’d get out of the room if he had something to discuss while others wanted to sleep. The scene was used only to set up the upcoming boot. Michelle quickly lost her partner. The immunity challenge showed how the conditions are making it hard for Ravu to simply concentrate and it showed Lisi fall flat on her face. Would we have seen any other player falling face first if it hadn’t been Lisi? Maybe, but it wouldn’t have been so much fun! We didn’t hear any words of comfort or concern. Were they silenced? Voting decision and Tribal council Returning from the IC, Rocky was the first to speak, apologizing for losing the challenge. He also explained that everyone talking confused him and that being that close to victory was the best he has felt since being on the island. His first move was to tell Anthony that Rita should leave since she is only distracting the team. The last pair shown during the episode was Mookie and Rocky and their roles were reversed. Mookie had agreed at Michelle’s suggestion of booting Anthony but this time it was Rocky that convinced him to change the target. Rocky had to reassure his ally that Anthony was the next to go. Mookie had the last confessional “I usually am the person who brings up strategy…Now you have to watch your back.” Mookie defended Rocky at TC while Rocky told us that the whole island would have exploded if he had given victory to his team. If Mookie is tired of his bully role, what is left for him? His small role is almost over, it would seem. Rocky is still acting like a chicken with its head cut off. He continued to antagonize players, voting out someone who had been his ally. The number of players he can count on will run out soon. Anthony returned to his role of narrating how the vote could go. He first told us that: “Getting rid of Rocky would get rid a lot of friction in the tribe. If he lays his cards on the table like that when people are looking for any excuse to get rid of somebody, don’t be surprised if people follow up on it.” Then, he added: “Alot of us have been looking at Rita. A lot of folks are getting sick of hearing from Rita. But I was on the chopping block and right now it could be anybody’s vote.” Anthony has escaped a dangerous situations and his alliance with Earl had to help. He still looks as a victim because voting Rita off didn’t appear like a reversal of the game, just a small detour. Anthony is still on the chopping block. Yau-Man was asked by Mookie who he wanted gone: “The two I want to vote off is Anthony and Rita. Neither will make a great impact on the way this tribe operates.” Yau agreed with the proposed vote for Anthony at this point. Yau-Man had two important contributions during the TC, first telling Jeff that his brain went in neutral during the challenge so that he couldn’t remember what he had seen 30 seconds before. He then gave us his credo in life which was the title of the episode: “Love many, trust few and do wrong to none.” He went on to explain that the question is what is few. It had tied in with Earl’s prior answer that the voting decision had changed by knowing the players better and that now it was a matter of chemistry. Confronted with a voting decision, Michelle infringed on Mookie’s role, telling 3 members of the tribe that Anthony should be the target. Rita eventually got the boot without much fanfare while Michelle was left out of the loop. It could be important that the last we saw of Michelle was Rocky reassuring her by patting her shoulder. It gave the impression that the alliance simply didn’t have a chance to tell her the plan rather than isolating her. Michelle’s role has increased recently. She isn’t seen only as the team’s sweetheart, she narrated the situation in camp and tried to arrange the votes. Clearly showing Rocky’s gesture could be a very important indication about Michelle’s future in the game. Being outside the loop didn’t seem like a fatal mistake on this occasion. The fact that she lost her pair could indicate she could be more a swing vote at one point. It fits much more with her story than being the victor. Survivor is never won by playing alone. Every "Sole Survivor" has profited from the help of an ally. This is why these pairs appeared so important. The pairs that are functioning in game mode are Earl/Yau-Man and Dre/Cassandra. The role of the Alex/Edgardo pair seems limited to reasoning with the rest of their allies. It appears to be a hopeless task. The Earl/Anthony pair has helped Anthony but as Earl said, he may not be able to help him much more. The Lisi/Stacy pair are tormentors not Survivors. The Rocky/Mookie pair appears to be fighting windmills and not making progress. With all the pairings that were shown this week, it is strange that we haven’t yet heard any mentions of final 2 promises. Could it be that the final 2 players haven’t paired up yet? While the Earl/Yau-Man pair seems to be the most important for the game, their agreement as only been heard concerning the hidden idol. Do we see one of them saving the other by passing the idol at Tribal council? Dre’s promise to flip after the merge could form a formidable alliance with this duo.
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Outfrontgirl 6830 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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03-10-07, 10:00 PM (EST)
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58. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
michel,
wonderful read!
OK, they can be the Axix of Evil; we can think of Lisi as the new Judd and Stacey as the new Steph. Alex can be a hetero chauvinist Rafe.Loved the way you laid out all the dyads shown in Ep 5.
I don't know about F2 arrangements ... we saw one F3 which immediately went down the tubes. Ravu is so desperate to win; they have to think like a team and no one can openly protect someone who is deemed weak. Earl likes Anthony and Yau Man, but both are potential casualties if they keep losing. He was shown as wanting to be trusted. Maybe he's waiting for the merge to commit to more than that -- see who is left by then. There is one more bit to the Haves and Have-nots story, I think.
Have-nots are forced to focus on survival elements and to value a member like Yau Man. They are listening to Earl even though grumbling. The Haves are degenerating into Big Brother houseguest behavior, sitting around and backbiting, acting petty and cliquish. Their victories are due to having brains and muscles that are fed and weakened opponents, not due to digging deep. I think EPM's "message" is that deprivation is tough but it builds character; living in "decadence" brings out the worst in people.
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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03-12-07, 10:44 AM (EST)
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59. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
I will be posting my long drawn out thoughts shortly but wanted to respond to the excellent observations that I had the pleasure of reading and am glad to see some more people posting this season as this thread has dwindled unfortunately. CT - I would dearly love if Cassandra is part and parcel to the snake imagery since her element of game play seems to be more on the benevolent side but at this point I still equate her to someone who will see success largely in part of others. The manipulation is there (I won’t go into last episode in this post) that I think she most definitely a long term player and integral to a future story line but it appears more to be because of Dre as opposed to anything Cassandra may do. However, it will be fun and interesting to see and maybe Cassandra has more “snake” in her then I give her credit but we both agree she is certainly entangled in this storyline. OFG - so nice to see you in here! I had thought we lost your observations this season. As some may know, I love re–visiting the first episode which I normally do around the merger as I have always felt (which many of you do also) so much of the outcome is tied to the premise set forth in the premiere. It is wonderful reading your analysis of it now and clear that you also have felt impact in the areas that we have discussed which just helps to reinforce to me that the editing is being very definitive with certain characters and events. Most definitely scenes you mention (Cassandra/Yao Man, Earl/Dre) were added to the mix when not necessary to do so and I agree with you that Dre’s commentary on his family has significance in seeing his family during his stay here. This comment by you was amusing in light of what I noticed last episode Of the first six boots, only Liliana was completely shut out of Ep One. (She really had an odd fate in the game too; her boot was so casual and even unnecessary While I do not want to delve into the prior episode in this post, I immediately noticed that poor Liliana was so unimportant that Jeff did not even acknowledge she was the person booted which is normally done when both tribes convene for the reward challenge! I do not know the dynamics of the upcoming swap either and apparently there is information floating around regarding this but based on the episodes thus far it seems that Dre and Rocky would meet up again (although this could be at merger) Cassandra and Yao Man should forge ahead with the briefly touched upon relationship we saw in the first episode, I suspect Anthony may not see the end of Rocky or Mookie as that issue seemed to take up quite a bit of time at Ravu that it seems hard to believe it won’t continue. I am sure you received much applause for your summary; unfortunately I will have to wait until the end of the season to read your complete summary as I don’t really want to venture out of this thread! mimo, thank you for your contributions especially because we have lost many other posters but even if the thread was filled with them, that should not dissuade you from posting! Again, I won’t delve into this episode since I will be posting about it but you noticed the scene with Earl as I did on the mountain top. A completely irrelevant scene considering we knew he was taking them out to allow Yao Man to go hunting for the idol but again that beautiful scenery shown with Anthony and Earl. Could it be about Anthony in that particular scene, of course. He was shown talking and so forth but other elements dictate otherwise which I’ll note in my analysis. The overall themes definitely include the “Haves and Have Nots” which I take literally and figuratively in its meaning along with how that maneuvers the players. michel I always enjoy how you discuss weekly storylines and your “pairings” commentary was very astute! Moto had gone to tribal council but during the initial sequence, we were with Ravu Again, I don’t want to bore people twice but this I noted immediately as well which only goes to show me (at least) that with the exception of the Moto’s we have all discussed, this tribe seems to not host the end game players. This was a defining moment for Moto thus far; their first TC and there is not even any scene continuing from the episode prior to that? Instead, we get Ravu and for all intents and purposes it was not very necessary; the idol was not found this episode (if I don’t stop now, my entire post will be divulged in this one) Interesting to note also with the pairing of Lisi and Stacey is how they have been interchangeable in both episodes. You note accurately that Stacey was the prime evil twin in this episode. The episode prior Lisi was the prime evil twin. At this juncture, both have been completely thrown to the editing wolves and the audience has been subject to an equal dose of their nasty behavior. As it stands, it does not even matter that Lisi was not shown as horrific last episode, we were made quite aware of it before! I was extremely curious with respect to the pre TC situation which I won’t get into just now but needless to say something appeared off kilter to me. Pairings are often essential in this game and I like your assessment on them. As of now the Moto group has been “outed” with respect to an alliance and Rocky was shown stating that he and Mookie have one. Despite some tweaking that has often occurred with respect to the success or failure of them, most often those clearly spoken about will not succeed. Some of the pairings you discuss thus far have never been clearly outspoken so that may provide some optimism for some of them.
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Outfrontgirl 6830 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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03-23-07, 05:07 PM (EST)
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64. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
VS -- thanks for your response!I do not know the dynamics of the upcoming swap either and apparently there is information floating around regarding this but based on the episodes thus far it seems that Dre and Rocky would meet up again (although this could be at merger) Cassandra and Yao Man should forge ahead with the briefly touched upon relationship we saw in the first episode, I suspect Anthony may not see the end of Rocky or Mookie as that issue seemed to take up quite a bit of time at Ravu that it seems hard to believe it won’t continue. And see! Already this has come about. Alas for Anthony. >>I am sure you received much applause for your summary; unfortunately I will have to wait until the end of the season to read your complete summary as I don’t really want to venture out of this thread! I understand -- although rest assured there were no spoilers in it or the responses. Just wanted you to know that I was writing from a perspective that I learned in this thread. In other words, I "saw" the episode differently thanks to the editing thread gurus. I'm still enamored of the idea that no one introduced after they began the shelter task will make it to the endgame. And that the four who were paired in the mountain top vs. cave stories will. Anthony was an important presence in Ep 1 and so far the only one of the 9 who got "first segment" focus to be booted. As the first man voted out and quite a dramatic scene around his boot (and the whole Rocky picking on him saga), it makes sense that he was featured. That leaves the paired 4 (Earl, Dre, Yau Man Cassandra) plus Alex, Edgardo, Boo, and Rocky as characters the editors chose to highlight. Of these, Rocky seems atypical because he's the kind of character the editors love to feature simply because he's a drama queen. The early boot group is still almost entirely the players introduced and given confessionals during the shelter building segment:
Jessica, Erica, Sylvia, Gary, Rita, Michelle.
Michelle is the only one left. Stacy, Lisi, Mookie, and Liliana were the last introduced. As I said, I saw these as "deferred" intros, not early boots and not major players either. Lisi alone got a confessional in this group, and although it was post-challenge, it was prior to the "TC scheming segment" -- so one could almost bump her into the early boot group. From a game perspective, Rocky, Mookie, Alex, Edgardo, Boo are all in more danger come merge than Lisi, Stacy or Michelle, so we'll just have to see whether the season favors male characters that much or whether these women somehow predecease them.
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architecturegirl 227 desperate attention whore postings
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03-12-07, 10:07 PM (EST)
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60. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
Well hello everyone! Whew! I just read the entire thread over the course of two days! After that I'm not sure my brain is prepared to actually say much of anything intelligent, but I wanted to say hi and just say a few quick things...GREAT insights guys! This season I've been so busy that until yesterday I was actually 100% an average viewer with no editing or spoiler insights - and well, I hated it - was close to a loathing of this season similar to Thailand (oy!). But, you've all inspired me and I think perhaps I just need to delve into the editing web again to enjoy the show fully. Some of my pre-thread reading observations (uninformed can be helpful) -
Even prior to the first episode Earl was my hands down favorite. I am slightly wary that perhaps the top of the world and king symbolism might be WAY to obvious? But then we all thought that about Tom and we were proven wrong. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Chris from Vanuatu was the only favorite I've had actually win. To me Earl seems like the calm in the storm - a much needed element in their current situation.
Rocky is annoying to the point that Shane was, but I think he'll leave far earlier because he doesn't have the security of the group that Shane had. I LOVE Yau Man, and I honestly didn't expect to. BUT, as much as people discount the F4 stereotype player - this is exactly where he fits for me (With the possibility of losing that spot to Cassandra). I also really, really like Alex (again, based on the pre-show interview, I really didn't expect to). To me he's the only one of the new axis of evil that doesn't have blinders on - unfortunately he's being shown as powerless to change the situation - which as we all know, is rarely the case in Survivor - Rob Cesternino, Twila and Chris, anyone? He is at least maintaining a decent repoire with the "underdogs" that ironically are likely to outlast them come this rearranging of tribes. I think he'll last longer than the rest of those five, but he wont be end game. We'll feel bad for him when he does go as opposed to any of the others though. I have a feeling that the Cassandra/Dre relationship is more substantial than we're being shown - he specifically mentioned a while ago that she and Papa Smurf were the only two he talked to. He seems like he desperately needs a good mother figure. The fact that we're not really being shown them aligned other than as mutual underdogs is interesting to me. I'm keeping an eye on this one. Cassandra is doing just what I think she needs to do at this point - shut up and make no waves - don't ##### off those girls. Occasionally in Survivor its best to just sit back and let things play themselves out. For now, I think thats working for her. Stacey and Lisi - well, aren't we all glad to be invited back to high school? Its like an excerpt from the movie Mean Girls was inserted into Survivor Fiji. The viewers desperately want some revenge exacted on the "Have's" and those two have been singled out as the evil ones of the group - so likely we're going to be appeased by having them "fall on their faces". They've committed one of the cardinal errors of survivor - they're cocky and ridiculously over-confident (to the point of not being able to see the possibility of vulnerability when its being spelled out as an obvious conclusion). My impression of Michelle is that she cant be counted out, but I don't see her making any real strong ties of any value. Her value is in her challenge abilities and her lack of irritation factor. Once the "need to go" boots have been exhausted come the merge, I don't really see any evidence of her having the legs to make it into the final four. I see her lasting to around F7-F5. One last note - I usually do the Opening Credits analysis (since I JUST got here, I obviously haven't done an in-depth one yet). The one thing about the credits that has (literally) jumped out at me is the "strong male" dominance in the credits (to be literal - the strong black male). The warrior. I will do a more in-depth analysis sometime soon, although I feel it'll be a bit biased starting this far into the season, its still worth the analysis. But I wanted to note that because the feeling of male dominance that we've had is supported by the credits. Also of note - Anthony has been shown as a weak male. This alone means he wont win to me - and likely will result in him being the first male to actually be voted off. Well, I'm beat and brain-dead. But I look forward to rejoining the community for the next episode! Excellent insights so far everyone!
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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03-14-07, 10:43 AM (EST)
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61. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
ag you may be "beat" but certainly not "brain dead" and I'm glad you arrived "better late than never" I certainly agree with your statement that "uninformed can be helpful" and I do see your point with respect to Earl. We do know though that for every season and every premise the winner will be edited which best represents how “they” want their season to reflect the story and that winner. Frankly, I have found Earl to be rather unobtrusive of sorts but there is no question that WHEN he is manipulated, he is manipulated nicely I would suggest (and please this is a matter of fact statement based on society as we know it) we are only in the second season where there was a premeditated effort to expand the ethnic and racial backgrounds of contestants. We know there was quite a bit of “to do” last season about this premise and while this season was not introduced as an “experiment” so to speak, I am of the mindset that great care will still be taken in how the winner is portrayed. Things are starting to pick up steam as we see certain storylines building. I try to remind myself to discern between distraction and what the episode is really trying to tell us. The Recap Rocky blowing up at Anthony (This was interesting to note in the recap since Anthony did not leave and there was only a hint of his vulnerability this episode which we know is strictly for the element of surprise. This may indicate the friction between Anthony and Rocky has not ended. The preview for the next episode indicates some tribal shuffle so it would not be unlikely (should these two stay on the same tribe with each other) that this may have been shown to reinforce that they still have issues An unspoken alliance of five emerged Moto continues to perform well furthering the “gap between wealthy and destitute” Clearly the premise we discussed that the “withouts” will feel resentment while the “haves” would feel entitlement is being showcased Yau Man is sent to EI, where he learns the idol is back at camp Helping to set the pace for this episode Gary forced to leave game Moto had to choose immunity or camp At Tribal Council, Lilliana was blindsided Of note, the episode prior to this one was a big episode for Moto; we finally got to see their dynamics due to having to go to TC yet we never received a post TC scene from them in this episode. That does not bode well for Moto as a whole despite their success thus far. The audience had to wait until Episode Four to see them at Tribal Council and we were not even merited a conversation afterwards? Instead, we go right back to Ravu who did not have an exciteable night and all we were shown in this post Tribal Council scene was a buildup for the search for the idol which again, was not very necessary; there were plenty of scenes thereafter which may only cement that Moto en masse is not very important but it appears the idol may, in fact, be and/or the relationship with Yao Man and the idol and/or Earl/Yao Man and the idol. Yao Man “I sorta know where it is but don’t know how to get to it” Earl: “We don’t have anything to dig” Yao Man: “And with the machete, forget it” Earl: “If you need my help, just let me know and maybe I’ll pull some people away…” Yao Man: “Yeah I need to get the idol” Emphasis again on Yao Man and his vulnerability which was established in the first episode. Yao Man’s story of the older little guy trying to survive continues Earl: “I will try to help you as much as I can to get the idol” Yao Man (conf “He knows that I know where it is sorta and I know that he knows sorta where it is so maybe at some point we can join forces ...” Earl (conf): “He has all the clues and I only have a couple but he’s gonna need my help…” “I like Yao , I Just want to build that trust with him; Yao, okay you can trust me I have your back, me just helping him get the idol is just a good move” Longer term story is being established here which bodes well for both of them; they both had solid indications for longevity regardless but this only helps the situation. This relationship, the idol and Earl’s suggestion that this is beneficial for him as well has the proverbial legs we discuss often. This situation is not resolved, we are getting hints of this indicating a story in the making More From Ravu Ravu seems integral to this season as there is just too much focus on them when not necessary. At this juncture, it may be more about the “symbolism” of Ravu than the actual tribe. With the premise of those stripped to the bare minimum and those living a life of luxury, the focus is on Ravu. Overall, thematically, we may be seeing this as a precursor to the final story. Moto was at Tribal Council last episode, they lost TWO members, Dre and Cassandra are on the “outs” and the alliance of five started to be shown yet the beginning of this episode was devoted to Ravu. Yes, Ravu went to Tribal Council again but it seemed overkill. The scene with Yao Man and Earl seems almost proof enough the idol plays a role this season as emphasis was placed on finding it and the two helping each other but there was no resolution; the idol was not found this episode so the emphasis was clearly manipulated to build upon. This appears to be the bane of this season; entitlement is very negative and despite some less than stellar personalities on those doing without, we want them to take those posturing down a notch Michelle tells us they are still struggling. Again, somewhat unnecessary to show this; we KNOW they are struggling but it needs to be continuously reinforced. The audience is meant to see time and time again they are suffering and perhaps some of their issues are explained easily by their situation. The difference that the editing may be trying to get across is that they are not failing because of them per se but rather because they have absolutely nothing and Moto has everything. Imagine if Moto was in the same situation (in other words, like we generally see in Survivor lol) we wouldn’t be as invested in hoping Ravu finally wins. Ravu is certainly not trying to try, they are just failing miserably and what is being reinforced is that Moto is eating and sleeping well so how on earthy can Ravu win with Moto being nourished and having a good night’s rest Earl (conf): “Yao Man and I had a little chat about the idol. He has an idea of where it might be but there is no way for him to look for it when people are there… so we gotta get people out of there.” Earl advises the group to go hunting. Yao Man tells us he is very excited by having a chance to dig but doesn’t know for how long, A nice portion was devoted to his failing at digging with the machete. We then see a rather unnecessary scene of Earl and his group going out to look for food. At this point we could have been shown Moto but we stay with Ravu. This scene did not need to be shown; we know Earl took the group out and we know Yao Man was left alone to dig. Yes, it presented for a lovely visual, i.e. hiking up to the summit again but with all the footage that the editors have, the scene felt manipulated. Earl (conf) “I took the whole camp out to give Yao a chance to dig for the idol; hopefully he goes with what I am trying to do.” (This confessional appeared to be the same as Earl’s first confessional) We are then given another shot of Earl with Anthony high up on the island. Earl: “Now look at that! That is what I am talking about” Anthony (conf): “Earl and I decided we were going to hike up and see if we could find more fruit.… and I tell you we got up to the hill where you could see 360 degrees around the island; we so rarely get a chance to take it in… gives you new drive to keep going. In a battle of wills you need every ounce of energy you can get..” (Anthony has provided good narration thus far however notice the generalization of the comment. We did not get inside Anthony’s head, commentary was not “I” and “me”; there was no personal pull to what he is saying, it was just a nice commentary surrounding a beautiful visual that sums up that Earl, coincidentally, had the pleasure of being shown twice in that scenery) Yao Man still digging and tells us it is not going well because of the machete (there is no doubt in my mind, that another tool will be happened upon in order for that idol to be dug out; there was too much emphasis shown and discussed about the machete being useless) Finally at Moto Boo (conf): “We keep getting more food, more nourishment, Ravu less, they are wasting away but we have the luxury of them being down and us being fat and happy” Boo has gotten a few confessionals that show a bit of an “entitlement” side. He falls somewhere in the middles of the extreme Lisi/Stacey and the more aware Alex/Edgardo. Therefore, Boo is a bit displaced from the heavy negativity that we have seen thus far. I've caught a whif (if you will) that Boo is more or less being edited as “simple” i.e. no sneaky or crafty edge to him nor any real maliciousness. His commentary is still negative but like Dre in his first episode comments, it is softened a bit to display more of ignorance than meaness. This, of course, ultimately does not bode well for him at end game though since I would suspect that if the winner was coming from the tribe of “haves” there would be an element of empathy emoted towards Ravu OR an element of vulnerability if on Moto Boo to group: “We have so much luxury what does it matter?” Back At Ravu Earl tells the group the best thing is “two things we need” (Again, more emphasis on despite their “wants” as noted by Rocky, this tribe is without and necessity is crucial) Earl (conf): “Moto is living in Fresh Prince of Bel Air we are living Good Times, we got to be practical....” (No argument there. Again, Moto while continuing their downward spiral is not being shown as completely foolish in their decision making nor in their attempts to try to win. Obviously the issue of “everyone” talking at challenges and causing confusion is something to be considered as part of their failure but we hardly see this tribe edited in the manner that Ulong was showcased. I do not believe the editing intent for Moto is that they are the primary cause of their undoing. The bigger cloud surrounding them is the circumstances) The Reward Challenge Poor Lilliana apparently did not even merit an acknowledgment from Jeff that she was eliminated in the prior Tribal Council. The scene goes straight to Boo sucking on a mango Rocky states that fire is coming out of his eyes with some laughter from some of Moto shown Can we blame Rocky? The emphasis again shown to elicit a measure of sympathy for Ravu as there was no reason for Boo to be shown sucking on a mango and Jeff calling attention to it. This is reinforcing a looming story Ravu chooses “absolute essentials” while at Moto “life is so good” they choose coffee and toiletries. Dre: “Yeah fishing gear”
Rocky: “Keep it up guy, seriously.” Should anyone like to indulge me, I am curious how this small scene came off to you as a viewer. How did you view Dre? How did you view Rocky? The battle we then see of Rocky and Dre should not be surprising since we saw shades of this from the beginning episode. While this may have been the culmination resulting from their earlier conflict, this may also be another sub story building with these two, i.e. an eventual “face off” if you will where one may result in leaving at the hands of the other and/or friction that will continue upon the two of them eventually being together (tribe swap or merger Dre with a bit of posing at the end Dre again is very interesting with his edit; in one episode we see this “posturing” which is deliberately shown to be a negative but it is countered with an empathy later stuck with some people who appear to look down on him Cassandra has a quick win over Rita with a notable focus on Earl and his “poker face” (A small carryover from Rita’s vote against Earl? Earl’s face was shown at Rita’s losing and Earl’s face was not honed in on anyone else losing) Anthony while having a little bit of “fire in his belly” did not fare well against Edgardo Lisi makes quick work of Michelle who loses as quickly as Rita but no glance from Earl this time. Earl and Boo take on each other with Boo ultimately claiming victory Alex and Mookie go up and Ravu loses again Yao Man and Stacy compete with Yao Man winning: “pick on a little girl” “ugly win but a win is a win” Probably only Yao Man would get away with winning over a female Cassandra seals Ravu’s fate with Earl being sent to EI with what appeared to be little to no discussion and we again see Dre “posing” in his victory. I found it interesting that Cassandra and Rita had to compete again. The order of the original competition would suggest that Rocky and Dre should compete again. I question if this was some manipulation for Cassandra. Certainly the woman “who sucks at everything” was shown to be very successful for Moto this episode Post Challenge Alex: “(the win)…it was a big deal” (This confessional was continuing throughout the scenes as the setting and clothing was the same) Dre shown to be ignored Again, any downside shown to Dre appears to then be negated by people edited to be much worse than him The scene following in Moto is in development; while it featured one dimensional “nastiness” and “vulnerability” there is a bigger picture here; the story in progress is how this tribe breaks down; by Dre and Cassandra washing their hands of these self important people (by going over to the tribe that is helplessly floundering) and also the alliance of five ultimately breaking down. We are to be glad that Dre wants to defect, we hope he does defect. We want these people with that air of entitlement to get knocked down a few pegs. It just so happens in THIS particular episode, Stacey’s actions appeared to be more prevalent but that doesn’t discount the other five. Lisi has been negative, Boo has been negative and even Alex (who has been softened as the direct narrator of his disgust with the girls) has been shown as self important and negative ("She sucks at everything" which by the way was completely negated in this episode). Edgardo has been back burnered in this regard which essentially tells me that he may fare better than the likes of some of them but falls short in his own personal development edit. Regardless, this is first and foremost a social game “adapting” has always been a key word. The Moto 5 may be successful in winning challenges but they are their own undoing in the most important element of the game For purposes of flow, I have put the entire Moto situation as one. During this, Earl was shown at Exile Island and we revisited Ravu where the seeds of Rita’s demise were being planted. Also, Alex’s confessionals were all in the same area so they have been combined as to see how his thought process was highlighted. Stacey (conf): “Dreamz and Cassandra have no allies… it’s 5-2, they’re gonna get picked off, they know it, they’re getting paranoid, not my problem, we’re all adults here.. I mean come on, it’s Survivor” Clearly a negative, Stacey is just simply the vessel this week to reflect the negativity of the Moto 5. As Lisi was last week, this is not an illogical statement but the editing is not meant for the audience to nod our heads and agree with her, we are meant to be put off by her air of arrogance. The problem with Stacey (like Lisi) is we are not getting any insight on Stacey. There is no background on her, no personal development, she is a “cookie cutter” character More uncomfortable situation is shown with Dre not knowing how to make the coffee and Stacy being this week’s mouthpiece of rude behavior although Lisi is never quite far behind. Lisi and Stacey (as michel noted) are being paired. One hears Stacey but Lisi is visually right there and visa versa. Alex and Edgardo speak about both girls. It just so happens that this week gave Stacey more camera time and last week Lisi received it. Visuals of Alex thrown in for good measure and Alex shown to be heard telling the girls to show Dre how to make it. Alex (conf): “Stacey and Lisi in particular are just downright rude; it kinda nauseates me to see people treated that way.” Alex then states he doesn’t know how to do it either with Stacey instructing him albeit somewhat rudely as well “This game to me is about almost immediate karma and why they would treat other human beings that way and in the course of the game why they wouldn’t see how it might screw them in the future……” (Ah, some nice foreshadowing I would gather! During most of the scene Dre was the focus as the brunt of the rudeness until the very end. We then see Cassandra looking in her cup, Edgardo with his confessional and Stacey and Lisi enjoying the day. Lisi and Alex’s conversation is now shown) “For some reason, the whole situation with Dreamz and Cassandra has really been eating away at me and I started to do a little bit of math” (Stacey and Alex now shown with Stacey telling Alex she doesn’t want Dre and Cassandra included in anything they do)) “Excluding Cassandra and Dreamz is the dumbest thing we could do; if we don’t keep them happy they’re going to flip flop then we’re all screwed” (Now Alex and Boo shown) “Oh God kill me, kill me, kill me right now, how do you not understand what I am trying to say here!” (Alex and Edgardo now shown with Alex/Edgardo/Boo talking followed by the group meeting of solidarity shown) Cassandra shown looking into her mug and having issue with the grinds as well just to make sure we didn’t forget she bears the brunt of the Moto 5 as well. Boo suddenly sitting on the couch when prior he appeared to not be there. Again it seems as if Boo, while given some ignorant commentary, gets taken out of the heavy negativity when we know by Alex that Boo is following the ladies lead. All the confessionals by Alex and Edgardo focus on the women on the power trip whereas Boo is “following along” Edgardo (conf) “I’m really upset at Stacey and Lisi because they’re on a power trip and they’re in my alliance and if they keep going that way I’m gonna make sure they’re out “ More story buildup Stacey exclaims it is like the best day so far with Lisi agreeing and Cassandra eyeing her cup once more.
At this time, Earl is now shown at Exile Island and Ravu shown planting the seeds for Rita Alex “I’ve done the math on this and let’s just say we merge at 10 people, if we win every single immunity we end up with us seven, Ravu has three, Cassandra and Dreamz switch over, now it’s five and five voting wise. Lisi: “Cool, whatever” Alex: “No it’s not cool whatever, we don’t have the majority anymore” Lisi’s words reinforce that she feels so confident in her standings that the “math” doesn’t matter Alex “Those two Cassandra and Dreamz are gonna deflect (defect) and we’re not gonna have the majority” Boo: “So what are you suggesting?” Alex: “Making them feel more and more included and developing more of a bond and relationship with them” Boo: “Yeah but we want them all gone” Alex: “Yah but see” (he gets frustrated) Boo, at least, shown asking what Alex has in mind although coming off a bit “dumb” If one goes back to Boo and his accident prone nature; Boo appears to be edited as somewhat of a clumsy oaf with not the biggest brain Alex: “It’s in our best interest to stay together; we gotta make sure those stupid girls don’t get in the way (voice over done for emphasis about the women) cause they’re so irrational dude” Edgardo: “They’re dumb dude…” Edgardo (conf): “I had a little talk with Alex and we’re like Stacey and Lisi are gonna be like this; let’s keep Cassandra and Dreamz close...” (More of Alex and Edgardo shown) “So we’re like the peacekeepers, we are trying to put our chess pieces in places so when we start really playing the game we have them in the right place at the right time” (Again, more story building; this is something that is building, i.e. Dre/Cassandra potential defection; Moto 5 breaking down, etc. The group conversation of “solid solidarity” now shown) Alex: “Boo is so dumb too, he does whatever they say” (Interesting this opinion of Boo was not done in voiceover as was the opinion about the women) Edgardo: “They think with us five, they’re in control, they’re not thinking further ahead” Alex to group: “At the end of the day we’re a team and the goal is take Ravu out.. ....we deserve every victory that we’ve earned.” (At this point, the first part of Dre’s confessional is shown) “Let’s just continue to battle; remember we are a team and just bang it out!” Stacey: “Solid solidarity guys!” As noted to me by several people, her commentary came off as very phony Dre: “Genocide!” (Second part of Dre’s confessional now shown) Stacey “So as long as we are seven tight we are cool (done in voiceover as we see Dre watching her while she says with a smile on his face) Dre (conf): “I came back to the shelter and it was like big embracement again… it didn’t change my strategy of what to do come the merge; when we get into the merge, me and Cassandra are gonna leave and go with the other tribe.” and”Saying Genocide and wiping out Ravu is just part of the game, just like poker, you bluffing like you got something when you don’t. They always talking like it’s a game, it’s just strategy so I’m going to show them, I can’t wait for the day to put on my snakeskin boots to show them strategy” (A bit of Earl speak I see; more parallels tying him and Earl potentially in the future. Yes, it is part of a confessional that has major foreshadowing properties but he covered that in the first part of his confessional. Conversely, Earl’s prior confessional about his “poker face” was not necessary to show either; if Earl’s strategy thought process has no bearing on the game, it need not be shown. It is just a coup that both had discussion involving playing poker and snake symbolism but using BOTH confessionals (and Earl’s meeting of the mind with the snake) can create those ties) Two important observations from these Moto scenes. Notice that all this is from Dre’s perspective despite that he and Cassandra are both in danger. Cassandra was not really visible during the group speak, we only see a solo shot of her hanging something up, I’m not even sure she was there at the time and if so, she was off screen. Although this involves both Cassandra and Dre, Dre is the one this is circling around with Cassandra often just thrown to us visually now and again or manipulated a bit so that we can remember her. We can’t forget that Cassandra and Yao Man were provided a seemingly inconsequential scene in the first episode. Clearly we are not to forget Cassandra but this building conflict and defection is seen through Dre’s eyes which should tell us he is more integral to the plot. In addition, it goes without saying that this is a huge story being developed. There really was no reason to showcase this of Moto; they were not going to Tribal Council so as to create suspense on whether Dre or Cassandra will be voted out and most of the discussion involved impending merger. At this time, none of this matters; they are not merged, they are still Moto but we need to see this as something will happen when the opportunity presents itself. If nothing is to happen then it would never be necessary to showcase this. The Moto 5 and Moto as a whole will be compromised (Lisi and Stacey appear to at least be the ones most should be happy to see fail) and Dre and Cassandra will (Dre probably being the driving force) will cause this situation to happen The Exiled One Earl makes his way back to EI once again. This was a more matter of fact visit but again we receive reinforcement on this impending story line of Earl, Yao Man and the idol. Earl: “...he and I have an understanding. I gave him the opportunity to actually look for the idol… he says he couldn’t find it. I trust Yao. It pretty much came down to not having the right tools, I don’t think he’ll find it before I get back but you never know” The Tribal Council Build Up Begins The scene involving Rita, Michelle and the men obviously was shown to set up the boot of Rita. Rocky again shown to narrate the situation and Anthony luckily capitalizing on the opportunity. Not much needs to be discussed on this and not much needed to be shown; it simply planted the seeds. The Immunity Challenge Earl arrives amidst the usual greetings. One item that I did notice is that Earl and Rocky seem to have a fairly good relationship which I noticed during this challenge. This may have assisted in what culminated the Rita vote. I do consider that Earl’s confessional from the episode prior to this was actually in conjunction with this episode where he spoke about a possible plan. Even going back to the first episode, Rocky went to Earl and while Rocky has gotten emotional at Earl, we never hear him sniping about Earl in his confessionals. During this IC, Rocky had his arm resting on Earl’s shoulder and when the group had their arms around each other during that crucial moment with Michelle, Earl’s arm was over Yao Man’s head so his hand could rest on Rocky’s head. Also after Michelle misses her match, you see Earl immediately talking to Rocky about it even though Yao Man is situated between them Jeff: “Cassandra hoping to get lucky” Jeff: “Yao Man surveying the course, hasn’t eaten anything in a long time” (may be subtle manipulation to “forgive” Yao Man for messing up; much different than someone “falling behind” or “losing ground” etc.) Lisi shown taking a header (one cannot help to think that could be lovely symbolism) but loses a turn when her tribe gasped at her approaching the wrong board (Edgardo shown looking bothered by this and during the gasping he was the only one not gasping he just bent over to hide his face) Jeff: “Earl, very confident, flips the second priest” (and very confidently he did) Anthony successful after getting direction from what appeared to be mostly Earl and they are now tied. A fast forward to Rocky’s failure and Cassandra’s success with reaction from Earl and Rocky as the sequence ends Post Tribal Council Dynamics Rocky: “I’m gonna take the majority of the blame… at the same time this mass confusion thing, everyone talking at the same time (Rita conveniently interrupts) in our dire straits how can anyone (Rita pipes in concentrates with a reaction shot from Anthony) concentrate or comprehend...” Rita: “Everyone has to put the brakes on (Yao Man reaction shot) and know when to step back and be quiet”
(Earl reaction shot then appears to look at Yao Man) Anthony (conf) “Getting rid of Rocky would probably get rid of a lot of the friction in the tribe; if you lay your cards on the table like that when people are looking for anything to get rid of somebody don’t be surprised if people follow up on it.” (This seems a bit misplaced, Rocky was not even in contention to be booted so I’m not sure why this was put here; a remark about Rita would have made more sense as would remarks about Anthony but why this confessional was put here seemed a bit unwarranted especially since we see Rocky speaking to Anthony about Rita. I do question when this confessional was actually done) Rocky: “All she does is run her mouth” (to Anthony) Anthony (conf): “A lot of us are looking at Rita, a lot of folks are sick of hearing from Rita (note this is a completely different confessional spot) At the last vote my head was on the chopping block but I’m gonna keep my ears open and hope nobody tries to flip the script on me, because right now this is still anybody’s vote” (While this confessional is appropriate for this episode since Anthony was in dire straits the last vote, I’m still of the mindset that his confessional about Rocky may not have happened yet but thrown into this episode to just place a reminder of the friction between Anthony and Rocky and Rocky’s emotional springboard could be his undoing) Mookie: “Who are we voting off?” Yao Man: “The two I want to vote off are Anthony and Rita” Mookie: “So which one would you want to vote off first?” Yao Man: “Doesn’t matter which one…” Rita and Michelle approach Michelle: “Mookie what do you want to do tonight?” Mookie: “Someone for once tell me what they want to do and I’ll agree” Michelle “Anthony. Okay with you then?” All the rest agree with Michelle stating just let ”Rocky know, okay?” (Not Earl eh?) Rocky calls to Mookie to take a walk with him Rocky: “That mouth of hers…” Mookie: “What’s funny is that Anthony...” Rocky: “He’s shady bro...” Mookie: “....he is starting to gain a little confidence… personally I’d like to take him out “ Rocky: “I gotta get rid of Rita first…. I don’t know what’s up with your boy Anthony, you would know better than me I don’t whether he’s being shady or whatever so I need you on my side (this was a very strange sequence and I wonder if heavily “chopped” Since when is Anthony “Mookie boy” and since when would Mookie know how Anthony operates? The portion where Rocky says “I don’t know what’s up.....”, we ONLY see Rocky and the part where he says “I need you on my side” while they do show Mookie, you cannot see Rocky actually uttering those words, only the back of his head is shown. It is entirely possible that part of this conversation may have been with Earl. The sequence just seemed extremely suspicious and I have a hard time believing that Earl was not part of any discussion with anyone about the upcoming vote. If Earl’s edit is truly one of “playing poker” we may very well be given only smoke and mirrors from Earl to tease us but never quite see his maneuvers out in the open. Combine this with Earl’s prior episode of some “plan” the rogue vote that Rita cast for him, Earl also discussing he doesn’t know how long he can protect Anthony in the prior episode, my eyebrow was raised quite often!) Mookie (conf): “Usually I’m the person who brings up strategy… ...people are starting to devise their own plans. I think before they were just going with the majority but it seems like everyone is doing their own thing and play their own game now; you have to watch your back” The problem with this confessional is we have never seen what Mookie is talking about. We all discussed that Mookie seemingly blurts out someone who messes up and suddenly that person is gone; we have no insight from him, no real reasoning from him. This is a situational comment but like some others this season, there is no sense of familiarity with him. Whatever strategy he has come up with obviously has been successful but we wouldn’t know because the editors are not allowing us to get in his head which doesn’t say much for Mookie at end game. He is not being hidden, he just isn’t being humanized Tribal Council Yao Man spoke of his frustration and embarrassment Yao Man is meant to be so endearing; one can’t help “root” for him. Mookie explains how everyone talks during the challenge and the loss was not all Rocky’s fault Helps to mitigate Rocky being the one to cause the loss Rocky says if they would have won they were so close ...
One many get tired of Rocky’s antics and emotional outbursts but one can’t deny his passion for wanting Ravu to pull out a win Rita talks of her telling stories (Anthony with notable reaction) Earl thinks the reasons for voting have changed; the decisions before were quick and now they are about the chemistry Yao Man gives us a great saying of “Love many, trust few, do wrong to none” noting that his trust depends on whether his strategy matches another’s strategy. Anthony reminds us that he feels uncomfortable as his personality does clash with some others Rita is then voted out with Rocky comforting Michelle who appears to be the only one not voting for Rita. Obviously Earl was shown trying to protect Anthony so his vote for Rita does not necessarily mean he was consulted but I highly doubt Anthony did not speak with him and I highly doubt Anthony was the only one who spoke to him. As already stated, this was a great episode in showcasing future storylines. Yao Man and Earl and the idol, the destruction of the Moto 5 by Dre’s hand (with Cassandra along for the ride) are two big building blocks which then would bode well for them. I am not ready to label Dre’s upcoming strategy as reflecting great game savvy however. Dre being vulnerable knows he is low man on that totem pole but he also has had problems with at least one member of Ravu (Rocky) Dre can’t possibly know that he will fare any better over there as well as he and Cassandra may be on the bottom of that totem pole as well. This strategy by Dre may again reflect more about Dre and his personality and impulsive thinking. While there is no question he is being invested by the editors to a great degree, there is still that question of “playing his hand” too openly and ultimately paying a price (though I would be surprised if we do not get swelling music and a big climax if he would not win) Both Cassandra and Dre have a parallel with Ravu as a whole; we want to see them jump over and show those self important Moto’s how it feels like to get knocked out. Yao Man has his own underdog story line in the making as we are reminded that he “needs” that idol. We want to see him do better than he should. Earl and his poker game has been relatively low key but is that not what a poker player is all about? Rocky and Dre seem to still have some tie left to them as does Rocky and Anthony’s problems. The Moto 5 seems destined to destruct as the story is telling us that it must be so; the order of their destruction has no bearing on how I watch the show but I can’t conceive any other ending for them and thus, I can’t fathom any of them claiming victory. Mookie has been given no broadening and while he essentially appears to be relatively safe, I am concerned that with as much strategy as he has brought forth, we are not given any insight to him whatsoever. Michelle seems essentially safeguarded at this time. Although Rita and Michelle were both talking about nonsensical things, we never heard once from any of the men that Michelle needs to watch herself. However, ultimately, I think more dimension would be added to Michelle should she be sitting at end game. There has not been much manipulation to her nor have I seen her included in any far reaching story.
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redbeard103152 466 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Daytime Soap Guest Star"
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03-15-07, 05:56 AM (EST)
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63. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
Excellent insights again VS. This last episode was the most important one of the season so far. The seeds have been planted for future episodes and we will begin to watch them grow as the season proceeds.I think you have nailed the major players on both tribes and provided us an outline to what will happen as the season progresses.All that is left is for us to sitback, relax, and enjoy the ride. Thanks again for making this the must read thread for every season.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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03-23-07, 09:07 PM (EST)
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65. "Episode #6 Thoughts" |
LAST EDITED ON 03-24-07 AT 04:37 PM (EST)We first saw that the Ravu players were almost dead. Michelle and Anthony got enough strength to go get tree mail. The tribes reconvened during the opening sequence, earlier than ever before. Alex had a displeased look when he saw that Rita had left. Then Jeff announced that finally something was about to happen: “Everybody, drop your buffs” he said. So, Let’s do the Twist! Some players are twisting the game to their advantage, some were twisted by the game while others are simply twisted! The Players Twisting the Game: Earl has finished devising his plan. His choice from Moto was Boo, one of his shelter building buddies. Jeff's words confirmed that there is an idol at both camps: “Those of you who went to exile island, those clues are still in play as they always were.” Earl was the first to rush to the Moto shelter, taking possession of his new domain: “Life at team Moto is better than ridiculous…Nothing…Everything…I think I’ll go with everything” “Garçon, my breakfast” he joked while lying in bed. He got quickly back into game mode: During the feast, we heard him in voiceover: “After I survey the land and look at the situation a little more, I’ll be looking for the immunity idol. Yau and I have an upper hand because we’re the only ones that know about exile island and the clues…I’m not worried, not at all about someone else trying to find the idol because they have no idea it’s even on this island.” He told us exactly how he saw the situation: “ There is 3 oldMotos and 3 OldRavus on the new team Moto that I started. And I know that makes Boo a little nervous. I know the game is really beginning. They’re going to try to get a swing vote from somebody (Michelle was shown walking in camp) but everything will have to go through ME. Everything. My plan was always: Keep your friends close but your ennemies closer.” Earl needed only one person to flip and he wisely set his sights on Cassandra when she brought them coffee. Seizing Yau-Man’s opening question about Boo’s nervouness, Earl told her she could be the swing vote and that Boo could be going home just like that. That got a big smile from Cassandra. Earl confided: ”A word or two here and there, in the right situation, if we paint the picture the right way, she could be right on my side. I have Yau-Man, I have Michelle. They are all about the team. All you need is that one vote and who has the power then? That would be ME”! The smile showed through his poker face! Strangely, Earl’s speech reminded me of both Brian and Bruce, two polar opposites if there ever was!! He has been presented as having a plan like Brian but it is hard to imagine similar ruthless, cold-hearted decisions from this friendly man. At the same time, it showed a similar hubris to what Bruce displayed when he told us he was in the best, most powerful position of anyone. It would be even more surprising that Earl leaves as early as Bruce since Earl has been presented as a player (and he hasn’t lost touch with reality!). Hearing statements of self-proclamation is usually a bad sign on Survivor but in the case of the leader of the Have-Nots rising to the top, it would certainly prove the experiment worked well again. More than ever, he appeared as the King of Fiji! Yau-Man started by telling us before the twist: “Today is day fifteen and I’m very surprised that I’m still in the tribe, I dodged a big bullet this last round when I screwed up in the immunity challenge. I’m glad my head wasn’t on the chopping block. People like me don’t have that much to offer in terms of strength…If it ever comes down to who is the most dispensable, I am definitely one of the candidates.” Granted, Yau-Man can never feel confident but since, as he said, he wasn’t on the chopping block, the confessional was shown to make the viewers root for this underdog. The twist put him in a good position. He was out fishing with Earl when Cassandra came to serve them coffee. He has now established a position of second in command and is an important cog in Earl’s plan. After the challenge, the celebration music stopped so we could hear him give us the episode’s title quote: “I got strength now to carry the flag!” It served to reassure us after he had expressed worries about having permanent mental damage. Staying out of the cross-fire, Yau-Man was presented as a player to contend with. The opening sequence made sure we hadn’t forgotten about him. After we were told that the only reason the HII hadn’t been found at Ravu was the lack of tools, he now has all that he needs. We should soon see what the idol looks like. Alex continued to narrate the situation in his tribe. Despite the set-back, he wasn’t too unhappy: “Showing up here, you know, it’s really not that bad. I had a strong alliance, it was Boo, Stacy, Lisi and myself” (no mention of Edgardo?) “but I felt there was kind of a power struggle. The girls were difficult to predict, I wasn’t sure where Boo stood half the time. So being in a tribe where I feel we’re all gung-ho, we’re all warriors, ready to take these guys on…I’m very happy with it.” To get through rough times Alex told his tribe he remembers a scene from the movie ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’. He recited a passage from Alexandre Dumas’ story to spur the tribe: “It’s what you do when that storm comes that makes you a man.” Even Rocky said he liked that scene. (Were you surprised that Rocky knew more than words from Red Sox managers?!) We can say that Alex has more receptive tribesmate than before. They agreed to say that line before every challenge even if it meant that they “won’t get laid for a freakin’ year!” The mood at Ravu had never been this good.
Alex and Rocky organized the chores together, leaving Anthony to tend the fire in camp. The scene was cut to show ants devouring a yellow-bodied spider, the color of Anthony’s shirt. That imagery was clear! On Day 16, Alex was with Edgardo and Rocky when they went looking for crabs. The hunt was successful and Alex told us that: “All that these guys needed…was a kick-start… These men, I think, are true competitors and if I was losing every single time it would do something to my psyche.” Alex used the occasion to test the waters about Anthony with the hot-tempered Bostonian. Rocky told him that Anthony was “a little effeminate…Sometimes it’s hard for him to carry his own weight.” Alex had his opening! The next step was accomplished by joining Mookie and Dre who were fishing. The 2 guys had noted that the new situation was crazy. Alex brought them crabs to use as bait while he confided that in a 3-3 situation he was worried: “I don’t know Rocky very well but I know he doesn’t get along with Dreamz and I know he has a volatile personality… Anthony does not strike me as a particularly strong player in this game…Mookie and I clicked before and I knew it would be in Mookie’s best interest to join up with us.” Alex asked Mookie “what do you think about me, you, Ed and Dreamz? You’re good?” “Yeah… Originally I was with Rocky because I had no one else…things shifted… Anthony was supposed to be next because he is so weak, he has no backbone” said Mookie. It was all that Alex needed to know. Despite his leadership during a fun but very hard challenge, Ravu still loss. It led to many discussions and an explosive tribal council. Alex listened to Anthony’s plea but he told him: “I’m not going to look you in the face and tell you I’m not voting for you.” He never told Anthony he was voting for him either. Alex came out of this twist as a real player. Is it a coincidence that suddenly Ravu beach isn’t a deserted, bare land anymore? They had crabs and caught fish, something we hadn’t seen the old Ravu do. Each time Alex was on the scene. Ravu was given fishing gear with their feast but maybe the casual viewers didn’t notice the gift. It wasn’t mentioned so maybe some will see the displaced players being better at survival than the original Ravus. Even if we aren’t fooled, Alex is still shown as a man with a plan. He may have finally found allies that can understand him. If there is a surprise coup d’état in Survivor as there was one in real life Fiji, his stock rose with this episode. The Players that were Twisted by the Game Michelle once again was shown picking up tree mail. Her choice of Cassandra, when Dre was available, showed she didn’t want to be the only woman in camp. It could have been due to a prior alliance or for simple protection. It probably wasn’t a good move for the tribe but it was a good move for her. Survivor isn’t a team sport! The cameras focused on her just before the camp selection was revealed. Even if Boo, Earl and Cassandra had told Jeff they’d like to take Moto and Rocky was seen praying for it, no one needed to be in Moto more than her! We saw her happy reaction in slow motion as the first segment ended. Michelle wasn’t heard during the episode but she was often shown, especially as Earl’s plan was being told in a voice over. As Earl mentioned he needed one player to switch over while Yau-Man and Michelle stayed loyal, she was seen in camp. Since we never saw Earl and Yau-Man confer with her, it sets up a question regarding her loyalty. Not hearing her own thoughts only enhanced the intrigue. In the challenge, she often got entangled and twisted into Ravu’s hub. Jeff pointed it out each time. On the first occasion, we saw her winking back at her tribe, as if saying ‘I’ve gotten them blocked’. At the third gate, she even climbed over Ravu’s poles to block their path. Jeff commented that Ravu was completely tied up in the spinning hub of Moto, which should be remembered since it could be direct foreshadowing for later. Despite her small size, she blocked Dre again at the entrance of the 5th gate. What was seen of the challenge gave her a big role in Moto’s win. Michelle continues to have many visuals that aren’t always necessary while not giving the confessionals that could settle the intrigue. That creates some suspense around her: She’s in the middle of all the drama but she hasn’t really been caught in it. This time she even pulled it off rather nicely. The foreshadowing of Michelle’s story seems to point to her being another swing vote at one point. She could pave the path for the victor. Cassandra saw her position in the game twisted back into a better position. She was part of the 9 person alliance that included Earl and Yau-Man as shelter builders in the first few days. She didn’t waste time making it back as their potential swing vote. She recognized her favorable position in a confessional after bringing Yau-Man and Earl coffee: “The switch was definitely positive for me. In the last camp, I felt, as far as alliances, I was on the outs. I like Earl a lot, I like Yau-Man a lot. I’m a free agent right now. I’m really gonna see how the cards fold over the next couple of days” (another poker reference) . She smiled at the fishermen’s voting suggestion. As symbolism, the twister challenge showed that the other tribe’s hub was dangerous for Cassandra. We heard her screams of pain when she was caught inside the hub that Alex was guiding. Cassandra is almost safe until the merge and probably even final 6 since the big boys usually leave right after the merge. She has time to show how valuable a friendly, loyal person could be. Her problem will return once players want to eliminate the jury threats.
Dre was ready to make friends with Rocky and shared the warm hug that greeted him on the new team. He agreed to the plan Alex exposed to Mookie and he bonded with the Asian man while catching fish. Their miraculous catch created another celebration back at camp. All the men rejoiced in a huddle, Anthony practically hidden from our screen as if to show he wasn’t part of it. Dre had a conversation with Anthony and it would have been to his advantage to keep the quieter player. Rocky could push his buttons again and put a target on Dre’s back. Dre told us that Rocky was too emotional and lazy but that Anthony’s poor challenge play could make the team decide to boot him. Dre’s main concern with the vote was to find some safety in numbers. Dre has no real allies in the new tribe but until Lisi returns, Edgardo and Alex can’t be sure how she will react. Dre is needed for now to prevent the game from turning around. So, he is still biding his time before putting on snakeskin boots. It is still on his mind but his real targets weren’t available yet. His vengeance should be taken out soon on Lisi. He still appears as a player that will make his way to the end.
Edgardo was a player who was taken out of his comfort zone. He will now have to play Survivor for real but under better conditions than the OldRavu faced. He started the picking by selecting Mookie, the strongest of the OldRavus. Arriving back at camp, he was the one to tell the tribe: “We’ll be much stronger in challenges. If tomorrow, we have a challenge, we’re going to kick @ss” Those words were accompanied by the joining of hands in a show of unity and screams of “Ravu Men!” Later Ed listened to Rocky’s rant against Anthony while bathing in the ocean. Before TC, Edgardo told us that: “Rocky has a few screws loose…I see myself really far from being friends or liking Rocky a lot. I wouldn’t want him to make the merger because he would cause a lot of turmoil, a lot of mess.” He deflected the conversation with Anthony telling him he was 50-50 between him and Rocky. Edgardo didn’t express any worries at seeing the number of people in his alliance reduced. He let Alex do most of the scheming while maintaining a good position in the alliance. After showing his acumen last week, he didn’t show much concern at the situation this week. He doesn’t seem to be a player that will have an impact down the road. Boo was unhappy at the twist. His choice of Michelle was surprising since he had 3 guys to choose from on Ravu. After that, Ravu was destined to have the muscles. “Wow! They're looking strong” said the New-Orleans man after Alex picked Rocky, a player Boo had passed over. He observed Earl and Yau-Man preparing to go fishing. He seemed surprised that anyone would want to use the fishing gear. He confided that: “This switch threw a couple of roadblocks into my million but this game is full of roadblocks. I was counting my million. I had it tight, my plan was tight but it can change and come full circle if things work out like I want, we’ll see.” He was the first target that Earl mentioned so it was a good sign for later on that he appeared to be the designated guide for Moto during the immunity challenge. We also often saw him using his strength to hold off Ravu and push his teammates through the gates. Moto needs his muscle to compete against the powerhouse of Ravu. We heard his words after the challenge: “That’s the way to hold it together, team. That’s the way to be strong.” Challenge wins create bonds and Boo will need them. Boo still doesn’t have much of a story and we didn’t see him involved in any alliance talks or concerned discussions with Stacy. We rather saw him sitting alone in camp. He has seen his chance slip from his hands and if he hopes to make it come full circle, he better start planning soon. What was that tight plan? Oh yes, it relied on Lisi! Better luck next time!
Anthony was always seen as a victim. Last night he was certainly twisted by the game. He had no one to trust and he couldn’t make new friends. It was painful to watch at times.
The Twisted Players Rocky started by choosing Dre which made his team the powerhouse he later described. He had a friendly greeting for his old nemesis: “Let’s see if we can work this out” he said. I’m just excited to be eating and hanging out with some of the boys. No offense, I love women…But in this type of environment, in this type of game, you don’t need stupid girl stories or distraction.” We saw him hunting for crabs with Alex and Edgardo. He used the time to explain how Anthony had contributed to Ravu’s challenge losses. Right before the immunity challenge, James told us that: “The bad times are over. Right now, on paper, we are a powerhouse… We look good!” There was another James, in Palau, who was famous for always being wrong with his predictions! Rocky’s twisted social skills were displayed during the booting discussion at camp after the challenge loss. He was in the water with Edgardo, openly bashing Anthony. The camera showed that Anthony was apparently within ear-shot. The camp is sufficiently far off shore that Anthony was probably nowhere near the conspirators. The impression was still strong enough to make many viewers want to smack the Bostonian. He couldn’t even have nice final words in his last confessional: “Will I be sad when Anthony goes? We had a couple of good times when we started when, no…no, not really!” Tribal council showed even more how twisted his definition of social skills is. He attacked Anthony mercilessly, questioning his manhood and his desire to stay in the game. According to Rocky, it was Anthony’s fault that he gave Rocky a chance to scream at him. That ploy could’ve turned against Rocky right there and then but only Alex showed empathy for Anthony. The vote had been decided. What will NuRavu do with Rocky? Alex had bonded with him first but he wasn't happy during Rocky's tirade at the end of the TC. Unless Ravu starts a winning streak, Rocky will not make the merge. It would be fitting if he would fall at the hands of a woman. Lisi after not being picked, was disappointed to be still in the game: “I thought this would be; I’m out. Now would be a good time to exit.” She was not happy to learn that she was sent to exile island even if it meant safety from the vote. She didn’t care for the prospect of finding the immunity idol. Jeff got upset and told her that she should use her time on the island to straighten out her head and return wanting to play or that maybe she could give the HII to someone who wants to play. Even if Stacy, Alex and Boo were shown worried by her attitude, she had everyone laughing at her which is never good. Boo was the one shown laughing at the mention of giving the idol away. The clue to the location of the HII got only a bored “Yeah, whatever.” Her confessional on exile island gave us a chance to see that her rant was more a defense mechanism. She said: “I had a fit. I had a cushy alliance. I felt like my comfort zone was yanked. I thought I was going home, I’m like Woohoo! All of a sudden Jeff said: ‘You’re going to exile Island’, I got pissed. I wish I had stopped for a minute and let things soak in. I’m more of an abrasive character. You either take me …or you put me on exile Island.” How many still hoped she had been sent to loser lodge instead? Never a fan favorite, Lisi was set up for the expected fall in that horrid display. She will have a lot of explanations to give to her allies who have to worry about her attitude down the line. Can she be trusted to hold her own later on? The players that haven’t realized what happened yet Mookie is still in the Have-Not camp. The players have changed but he is still only concerned with who should be voted out. “All the players voted out have been women” he said during the male bonding of NuRavu. After catching fish he told us: “I’ll be honest, I was pretty upset that we were going back here again to nothing…But to get fish, to get food, that does so much for you psychologically and mentally…These guys that came from Moto are really positive and they brought new life to Ravu.” After saying he would vote to protect his back last week, he didn’t seem to care that this vote meant OldRavu would be outnumbered 4-2 when Lisi returns. He won’t be able to save himself from those numbers. Stacy told Earl not to go on the bed with his dirty clothes and she played the point during the challenge. Besides that, Stacy didn’t do much during the episode. At least she was the first one shown celebrating the challenge win and Earl went to give her a hug. Even if Boo was mentioned by Earl as a target, Stacy has to be the first one voted out if it comes to it. NuMoto is so much weaker that they can’t do without Boo yet.
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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03-26-07, 01:29 PM (EST)
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66. "RE: Episode 6 Editing" |
redbeard and flystorms, thank you for the lovely comments and would love your participation so please do not hesitate to do so.Michel, thank you for a wonderful analysis as again I seem to be falling behind in schedule and we seem to be on the page regarding quite a bit (per the norm )and I can always count on you to give us great insight. You will forgive me (per the norm again ) if I posted anything you have already addressed especially since we have seem to have lost quite a number of participants this season. The Recap Edgardo: “It’s like too good to be true man” (such irony) Dre and Rocky’s “animosity” highlighted (Not very necessary for this episode but enough emphasis thus far that I sense it is not over) Dre’s advising that he and Cassandra will leave his tribe at merger (Again, not very necessary for this episode, as previously discussed a story in development) Rocky and Anthony’s issues are highlighted as well (Obviously necessary for this episode) YaoMan is highlighted in the wrong selection at the IC along with Rocky sealing their fate (Ironically, his gaff was forgiven by Jeff in the commentary during the challenge; more emphasis on YaoMan’s vulnerability which has also been a story in progression) Anthony and Rita discussed as the target with Anthony “escaping the vote” Dreary at Ravu As Michel stated, Ravu was almost dead which could not have been more visually verified with the flies now swarming over them. We are then quickly reminded of YaoMan and the odds he faces this season. Yao Man (conf “Today is day 15 and I am very surprised I am still in the tribe; I guess I dodge a big bullet when I screwed up in the immunity challenge and I’m glad my head was not on the chopping block. People like me do not have that much to offer in terms of strength” Although this has been a story in progression from the beginning, there has really not been any concrete confirmation this is so, at least not presently. Yao Man’s name has not been brought up, he has not been shown to appear more vulnerable than quite a few others on Ravu; the vulnerability has all been shown to us with no other evidence to support this. Editing is doing a very thorough job of hitting us in the head with Yao Man is in danger and always for the same reason because people “like him” (not strong) are vulnerable Anthony tells us about the tree mail (with Anthony gone, he is a good example of someone who is utilized a lot visibly and in voice but his confessionals were mainly situational or collective. Any “personal” confessionals were about his situation at the moment and the immediate conflict he was in) The Switch Alex’s reaction shown to Rita being booted with a slight nodding of head. Edgardo walks up as the volunteer without any discussion; interestingly enough Alex and Boo turn toward each other as if to discuss it but Edgardo just walks right up. Earl, prior to walking up, appears to be looking at his tribe to confirm he should go with most nodding at him. Rocky, Alex, Cassandra, Mookie, Anthony (with head down) and Dre shown in reaction to Jeff’s announcement to drop buffs Edgardo chooses Mookie (which is not very surprising as a first pick) Earl chooses Boo (which is not entirely surprising also; Boo is very strong; Alex would have been the other person Earl may have selected but perhaps Earl and Boo worked more closely together the first few days on the island) Mookie chooses Alex (with only Dre left as the only male, it stands to reason Mookie would not choose Dre due to exchanges made at challenges with Dre and Rocky and Mookie has never shown to think very highly of women in competition) Boo chooses Michelle (this “potentially” was an interesting pick although Rocky and Yao Man could understandably not be selected; Anthony possibly as well. At first it appeared to me that Boo seemed to look at the selections after what appeared to be him looking at Earl first and I questioned whether Earl gave him a selection however, I am not sure this is the case as the new Ravu tribe was also in that direction and Boo may simply have been glancing over at their makeup prior to making his selection) Alex selects Rocky (at this juncture, Alex is probably thinking strength since Yao Man and Anthony were the other options) Boo “Wow they’re looking strong” (which we all know, means nothing) Michelle selects Cassandra (another possibly interesting choice although not choosing Lisi or Dre is understandable and perhaps Stacey’s persona that we have been shown was also shown to Michelle during challenges. We also were not privy to many of the encounters when they first got to the island and Michelle and Cassandra may have had a pleasant conversation or so) Rocky selects Dre: “Come on Dreamz, let’s see if we can work this out…” Jeff reminds us of the rivalry they have had (again more emphasis placed less we forget it?) Cassandra selects Yao Man (no surprise considering the first episode took the time to show an inconsequential scene with Cassandra and Yao Man which we have discussed as a dangling situation that may need closure at some time. That scene was not necessary unless perhaps there was some pay off to it; these two are now together and may have more ties as evidenced by the rest of the episode) Dre with no choice takes Anthony and the tribe of “men” and Anthony begins (I state it this way as it was hit over heads the entire episode that the “men” were a separate unit from Anthony and the bane of his entire edit this episode) Yao Man selects Stacey over Lisi and with that Lisi’s edit took even more of a nosedive. Jeff and Lisi’s conversation was enough to establish that Lisi’s days are numbered if we didn’t already realize that with her prior showing. For as much as an end game player is shown to have “warts” this show frowns upon those who want to leave and probably would never blatantly spell this out as done this sequence if the person was near the end. Edgardo, unfortunately, chooses the “have not” beach. Jeff tells Yao Man, Michelle and Earl that “life is going to change” (foreshadowing?) (A nice visual of Jeff throwing the buff to Earl with Earl keeping it raised upon his head) We see Earl put his arm around Cassandra and the new tribes leave. The Exiled One Lisi’s stay at Exile Island reflected that she had been in a cushy alliance and her comfort zone was gone. Her drumming on the skulls while narrating reflect an air of attitude that confirmed her blase manner.. Her admittance that she is an abrasive character and to either take her or put her on Exile Island is the bane of her existence. We heard nothing about moving forward, finding the HII, what tribe she may end up with. It was solely about the events that occurred and how her comfort level was gone. As we have noted in the past with various exiled players, I would suggest that if Lisi was to move further in this game or, at the very least, have an impact on the end of the game, some of these items would have been touched upon. The New And Improved? Moto’s To preface this sequence, it was fairly obvious that most of it centered around Earl. Earl’s thoughts and feelings about being on a tribe of “haves” now was featured. We heard nothing from Michelle or Yao Man despite that both of them suffered the same as Earl. We also heard from Earl about the hidden idol and his relationship with Yao Man in that respect. The idol was not found this episode and like last episode had not needed to be discussed (they didn’t even go to Tribal Council this episode) so, much like other stories that are still “on deck” we are hearing again of this so the viewer will not forget about it Earl makes a leap for his new luxurious surroundings and does not even pay attention to Boo and Stacey calling to him to not get in the bed dirty (A slight but notable activity that signaled a turn in Earl’s edit) Earl’s confessionals this episode were “chopped and diced” as he was shown in different settings for some. In addition, a majority of his confessionals were, in fact, taken from the same time period but utilized during different parts of the episode on different subjects. For purposes of seeing how his one confessional progressed, I am putting the entire confessional from the one setting. The mere fact that his confessionals were chopped in an out reflects a concerted effort to manipulate him and his statements which I have found over time to reflect that they are very important. However, I am still noting each confessional separately as well for progression Below are the pieces of conversation from the one confessional setting. The entire sequence, however, is comprised of first arriving to Moto, Yao Man and Earl discussing the fishing gear and during the fishing sequence involving Earl, Yao Man and Cassandra which encompassed the entire episode. It would certainly not surprise me should a portion of this confessional or even a portion of any Moto scenes were taken out of order and did not even happen just yet. There was quite a lot of talk about “swing votes” and the like and Moto did not even go to Tribal Council. They barely made a dent in their new surroundings! Obviously it is possible that Earl is thinking ahead in the “poker game” but there was an inordinate amount of emphasis placed on Moto’s dynamics and the strategy of alliances and deals on a tribe that won their immunity. Like stated, this appears to be very important to the progression of the game and the story that it needed to be placed now for the audience to recall when the situation should arise. Earl is in the thick of this and with quite an embellished tone as well. While the blatancy of the comments should not go unnoticed there had been smoke and mirrors around Earl with some of his prior commentary that he was playing this game. Only now, the audience is being doused with it. “Life at Team Moto is better than ridiculous; it’s ridonkulous! After I survey the land (Beginning with “After” was done in voice over with Boo shown then Stacey) I will be looking for the immunity idol. Yao and I have an upper hand (Yao Man shown) because we’re the only ones who know about Exile Island and the clues… so (this part seemed to have been dubbed in, the tone of his voice sounded off) I am not worried, not at all of someone else (now Earl is shown in the confessional spot) finding the idol cause they have no idea it is even on this island. There’s three old Moto and three old Ravu on the new team Moto that I started and I know that makes Boo a little nervous (Boo shown) so I know the game is really beginning; they are gonna try to get a swing vote (Michelle shown) from somebody but everything’s gonna have to go through me, everything. (Earl and Yao Man shown walking to fish) My plan was always to have your friends close and your enemies closer (Boo shown) I have Yao Man (voiceover with Yao Man shown) I have Michelle (Michelle shown) they are all about the team (still Michelle shown) and all you need is that one vote (Cassandra shown walking from fishing) and then who has all the power then... (Earl is now shown in the first confessional setting that would be me.”
Earl (conf) “Life at Team Moto is better than ridiculous; it’s ridonkulous.” (Shown calling “Garcon, my breakfast”. Tongue in cheek of course but again, a subtle turn in his edit)
Earl conf “Nothing, everything, nothing, everything I like, I think I’ll go with everything!” (Note this was a different confessional setting and this confessional was very appropriate to the time period since they arrived at their new luxury surroundings) Boo: “Everyone eat real slow so ya’ll don’t get sick” Earl “This is real food… I’m trying to keep myself contained” Earl (conf) “After I survey the land (done in voice over with Boo shown then Stacey) I will be looking for the immunity idol. Yao and I have an upper hand (Yao shown) because we’re the only ones who know about EI and the clues… so (this part seemed to have been dubbed in, the tone of his voice sounded off) I am not worried, not at all of someone else (now shown in different setting) finding the idol cause they have no idea it is even on this island” Cassandra then shown popping the champagne with Boo advising “don’t you dare have a hangover” and Stacey toasting to the new Moto. Earl repeats this and Boo states “Motolicious” with a lovely visual of Michelle shown closing her eyes and the shot switches to the bright sun. Again, I am a bit disappointed that Yao Man and Michelle were not shown discussing their new surroundings especially Yao Man. Interesting to note that all the “vulnerability” expressed by Yao Man’s edit could have been addressed here; he is in a position now with 3 vs. 3, his vulnerability has been questioned all this time, there is a situation now where he is with new people where anything could happen but we do not hear anything. This is a bit disconcerting for him as the ultimate victor however we know there was no question that Yao Man is a long term player. Michelle, on the other hand, is faring worse with no commentary at all which has been the case for quite some time now. What WAS interesting was the visuals of Michelle and the commentary that was said with them. Michelle appears to be the person who may be involved in being broached about swing vote and even further in the episode, she was shown quite a bit as “being in the middle” of both tribes fray. It will be interesting to see if Michelle is somehow stuck in the “middle” of something Burly Ravu Edgardo tells the group they will kick ##### in challenges thus establishing the aura of this new tribe with the collective “Ravu Men” cheer. Alex (conf) “Showing up here, it’s really not that bad, I had a strong alliance… .but I always felt there was a power struggle, the girls were difficult to predict, I wasn’t sure where Boo stood half the time (and this is what he considered a strong alliance?) so being in a tribe where we are all gung ho…. I’m very happy with it.” (Adding in that I see Michel noted that Edgardo was not mentioned in his listing of his alliances members as well) Alex: “I’m glad there are no women here…” (From the editing thus far this season, it appears that Mark Burnett and company feel this way also ) Mookie: “That’s why every person who has been voted off has been a woman” Edgardo only wants to know how Sylvia was in camp and laughs Rocky (conf) “Just excited to be eating and hanging out with some of the boys... ...In this type of environment/game you don’t need any stupid girls stories” Alex then shown with the group quoting from Count of Monte Cristo “...but it’s what you do when that storm comes that makes you a man” (Dre shown this entire sentence-foreshadowing? More “journey” significance?) so shout, do your worst for (Rocky shown - not surprising) I shall (Alex now shown - foreshadowing?) do mine” Rocky states to say that every time they go to a challenge Mookie (I believe this was Mookie) says in voice over “Yeah and then we won’t get laid for a freakin year” with Anthony shown. Alex: “We have different strategies my friend but the result is the same” (Anthony shown) Rocky then puts out Anthony’s name to get the fire while the others go fishing with Alex making sure to ask if Anthony minded as a ton of busy ants crawl over a rather large and rather large and dead insect (a spider perhaps) Anthony (conf) “...I’m a nerd… this is the burly man team. I’m obviously the weakest person on the tribe and I got my work cut out for me and “I’m so screwed right now (The last sentence was a different setting) A rather tepid sequence for the introduction of this new tribe. It stands to reason that this was not an extremely positive sequence for this tribe. Slanted remarks about women with an air of bravado does not bode well for those who participated in the commentary. Alex was again shown prominently this episode as been his past edit. Rocky and his emotional characterization was typical and as we have stated should be his downfall. Anthony established as the “odd man out” Mookie and Edgardo not surprisingly playing as secondary characters and Dre, interestingly enough, very low key this episode. The visual shown of him during the portion of Alex’s remarks from the movie seemed possibly notable in light of the past editing of Dre. We also know that Dre and Rocky’s relationship has not left the television. Considering what we heard from Dre in the past episode reflecting his eventual plan at merger Dre’s presence until merger may only be bumped up if Ravu loses and his and Rocky’s relationship may be called into question since it has been reminded to us. Dre’s future storyline may not hit full force until both tribes merge though Revisiting Moto Again, quite a bit shown of this tribe who never went to Tribal Council. A lot is brewing here and with other stories or possible relationships involving Yao Man individually, Yao Man and Earl, Earl’s poker game, Cassandra and Yao Man, Cassandra and a potential defection from Boo and Stacey, we have quite a lot to look forward to with some of these players. Stacey appears to have no impact or eventful story line to merit any attention and although Boo was shown discussing his thoughts on the situation at hand, the prior Moto Five en masse was foreshadowed to fail not to mention his prior showing of a not exactly the brightest bulb. “Counting your millions” as he later says seems an ironic statement at best. Michelle has had no back story that leads me to believe she lasts far into the game, however the visuals and the words over them reflect some intrigue although there is no sense that is nothing more than a potential situation that will arise as opposed to real investment in her for long term purposes Earl and Yao Man are shown to discuss fishing with Boo watching on Boo (conf) “This switch threw a couple of road blocks into my million but this game is full of roadblocks. I was counting my millions. I had it tight… ....it’s changed, it might come full circle if things work out like I want, we’ll see” Earl (conf - same setting as very first setting) “There’s three old Moto and three old Ravu on the new team Moto that I started and I know that makes Boo a little nervous (Boo shown) so I know the game is really beginning; they are gonna try to get a swing vote (Michelle shown) from somebody but everything’s gonna have to go through me, everything .(Earl and Yao Man now shown walking to fish) My plan was always to have your friends close and your enemies closer” (Boo shown as Earl, yet again, gives us another intriguing phrase) Cassandra shown walking over to Earl and Yao Man and handing them coffee Good game play or just good manners? Cassandra has shown us thus far to be a kind and polite lady who is well aware of her position. Through Dre, we knew Cassandra would possibly defect from her old Moto’s so the seeds are being planted here as well. Again, however, it appears that any “game” being presented with Cassandra is more a result of another’s planning as opposed to directly her own. While Cassandra has been manipulated and reflected as one of really the one women to be manipulated, I still question that her longevity is a result of others doing and we have seen this quite a few times in seasons past but there is investment being made with Cassandra that has been formulated which bodes quite well for her Cassandra (conf) “This was definitely positive for me; I felt in the last camp as far as alliances I was on the outs. I like Earl a lot, I like Yao Man a lot, I’m a free agent right now. I’m really gonna see how the cards fold over the next couple of days” Michel duly noted the “card game” reference as well which now brings us to three members so far of Fiji to make statements like this. As noted with Dre’s “card game” reference, this confessional from Cassandra was not very necessary to show. Nothing happened as a result of it and Earl himself discussed utilizing Cassandra. Obviously hearing from Cassandra about her awareness of her situation and the possibilities helps to flesh her out to us better which is good for status of longevity but I never find that items shown on Survivor are a coincidence. In addition, all three references were of potential situations as opposed to events occuring then and there Yao Man: “Cassandra do you think Boo feels nervous?” (Nice to see Yao Man playing the game as well although again, I find this entire sequence a tad strange for this particular episode and I do question when this conversation actually happened) Cassandra: “Oh very, he had a lot of allies” (Earl shown thru her talking) on the other team” Earl: “There’s a different chemistry and dynamic right now” Cassandra: “Mmm hmmm” Yao Man shown as Earl says: “You could be a swing vote” Cassandra “I know” Cassandra shown while Earl says: “You could change everything.” Cassandra: “I know” Cassandra shown while Earl says: “And Boo could be gone” Cassandra: “I know” Cassandra shown while Earl says: “Just like that…” Cassandra: “I know” Cassandra shown while Earl says “Just like that” Cassandra: “Mmm hmmm” Earl (conf-this first statement was done in voice over by Earl while Earl is shown at the fishing site) “A word or two here and there in the right situation, you paint the picture the right way” and “She could be right on my side (this was an entirely different setting altogether) Yao Man shown while Earl says: “Appreciate you bringing us coffee” Cassandra “Sure you guys, sweet fishing” Earl: “Yeah I’m gonna try and do something” Earl (conf) “I have Yao Man (voice over with Yao Man shown) I have Michelle (Michelle shown) they are all about the team (Michelle still shown) all you need is that one vote (Cassandra shown walking from fishing) and then who has all the power then…(Earl now shown in the very first confessional setting) that would be me.” A very eyebrow raising scene in terms of who spoke and who was shown and the majority of commentary by Earl in confessional. Nothing is uttered by Yao Man to us and he has been set forth to us as someone who has potentially the most to lose in light of his “liabilities” It was a very “puppet” like scene with Yao Man and Cassandra shown while Earl is doing the speaking. There was an “aura” surrounding this scene that made it very palpable and slightly ominous and I’m still mulling what to make of it. It had a big impact and again seemed somewhat out of place considering how the episode ended. This scene was very heavy handed and it most certainly created an impression that was meant to stay with us Revisiting Ravu Anthony reminds us of his situation where he is “all alone” while the big men have gone off; meanwhile the “big men” do not look so manly with their trying to catch some little crabs Alex (conf) “What I felt these guys needed, they just needed a kick start; food notwithstanding, these guys are true competitors and if I was losing every single time that would definitely do something to my psyche” We then see Rocky inform Alex and Edgardo about Anthony and how he should now carry his own weight. Mookie and Dre are then shown fishing together with Dre feeling out Mookie about who he would have with him to go the merge Mookie does not give any direct answer but both agree the game is crazy Alex (conf) “Majority rules always in Survivor so I knew I needed to bring in one other person from the other tribe. Rocky, I don’t know that well but I know he doesn’t get along with Dreamz, Anthony does not particularly strike me as a strong player and Mookie and I clicked before and I knew it would be in Mookie’s best interest to join up with us” Alex asks Mookie and Dre what they think about “via me, you, Ed and Dreamz” Mookie and Dreamz are fine with this with Alex indicating the four “of us are strong" Mookie: “Originally I was with Rocky cause I had no one else and I knew he would be loyal” Alex: “….things got shifted up…” Mookie: “Yeah” Alex: “I don’t know who you guys think should go first…” Mookie: “It was supposed to be Anthony gone next…..” Alex: “Yeah I agree” Mookie: “Rocky called him out and he almost cried” Alex: “Alright so we are in then?” (They touch fists) Dre: “You know man.” Alex: “Ed is in, he told me to talk to you guys” Mookie and Dre fish on and catch some nice sized fish well received by the others. Mookie (conf) “I’ll be honest I was pretty upset to come back to here to nothing but to get fish… now you know you can get fish… these guys are really positive, they brought new life to Ravu” Rocky (conf) “They caught five fish in less than two hours…. it’s over, it is over, the bad times are about to go, right now on paper we’re a super power… we look good” (Most times, this is an ironic statement) The above sequence really does not bode too well for this tribe as a whole. It was a very perfunctory scene, almost scripted to just showcase who is with who so the vote will be established. It was very basic with no real depth or glimmer of anything other than this episodes events. Alex of course gives us the most to work with but it was all very one dimensional as a whole The Immunity Challenge Of note again the hint of Yao Man’s “vulnerability” that does not appear concrete; when Jeff advises someone will be voted out the camera panned right to Yao Man Michelle getting stuck in the middle of Ravu’s hub (symbolism?) Michelle once again wedged inside the spinning hub of Ravu (furthering this?) Ravu completely tied up in the spinning hub of Moto (more symbolism?) Michelle blocking Ravu (again.....) Dreamz now the one stuck in the middle (Is Dre part of being “in the middle” at some point as well?) And with Moto winning the wonderful statement: Yao Man “I’ve got the strength now to carry the flag” with just a hint of Earl’s arm with a pumped up fist in response. (Who else other than Yao Man A wonderful comment and hardly necessary to show. Most times the winning tribe is shown in slow motion cheering or someone is shown walking with the idol and so forth with no commentary at all. Deliberately shown and more confirmation of the “little man that could” How far this little man gets I do not know but suffice it to say, Yao Man will certainly out last do well and certainly much better than he ever dreamed imaginable) Pre TC Dynamic Anthony (conf) “I’m in a little bit panic mode right now” Anthony sees Rocky speaking to Edgardo with Rocky even stating that WOMEN were better players than Anthony. Anthony: “I can see now if they bring up a name it’s gonna be me” Dre: “They won’t do that but if they do, I’ll try to keep it Rock… it’s pretty much Rock” Dre(conf)“Anthony talked to me today; he pretty much wanted me to tell him if it’s him or not which I don’t know if I’m gonna do that either cuz I know it’s pretty much gonna be him or Rocky so I think Rocky should go cause he’s so emotionally driven and he’s lazy…where Anthony he keeps the water…. ....but Anthony being weaker than Rocky in the challenges, it’s probably gonna have a lot of affect on the rest of the team.” (As later we find out, the vote didn’t go the way Dre wished it to go which has been the case with Dre but as before Dre does end up voting with the majority)
Anthony “Well are you voting for me?” Alex “I don’t know man, I’m not gonna look you in the face and say I’m not voting for you.” Anthony “Look at my face and tell me you are if you are” Anthony “Rocky’s got a lot of emotion, a lot of heart, sometimes he blows up… that cause a whole lot of headache” Alex “I see” As proof Mookie and Rocky have a spat Edgardo “Do they fight a lot Anthony?” Anthony “As long as James is fed and watered (Dre shown during this) you’re all good” Alex “Does he get cranky?” Anthony “Yeah” Edgardo (conf) “Rocky has a few screws loose; he yells at people and tells them what to do; I mean Anthony’s his little #####. I see myself very far from being friends or liking Rocky a lot and we don’t want him making the merger he would cause us a lot of turmoil” (foreshadowing?) Edgardo tells Anthony that he talked to Alex and Alex doesn’t know who he’ll vote for. Edgardo “My vote right now would be 50/50… it’s not gonna change until we get there” Rocky then shown stating how Anthony is now whining to ge this way and it won’t happen. “Been here 17 days, how about thank you and see you later” (shots of Mookie, Alex and Ed thrown in for effect) Rocky (conf) “Am I gonna miss Anthony when he’s gone, we had a couple of good times when we, not really, no... ...when he has to go around and finagle things, he goes around, no offense, like a girl.” Above scenes obviously to throw in that sense of “surprise” as we normally are shown someone else to be a potential target. Obviously Rocky is not on sure footing with this tribe anyway as Mookie has even decided to join up with the men from the old Moto tribe so Rocky’s status in this game is already shaky at best. It stands to reason that Dre’s and Rocky’s relationship will be the cornerstone of any future Tribal Council Ravu sees Tribal Council Of note, Dre was not asked one question and for as big of a “character” this season that was a bit unusual which again may be more confirmation that Dre will be a big story development when both tribes merged as indicated by his own words although I have no doubt we will see quite a bit of him should Ravu see Tribal Council again barring any merger Edgardo asked about first impressions Edgardo “.... in my mind I thought now I’m actually gonna play Survivor” (A bit too late my friend) Mookie asked about after challenge Mookie “After the challenge, me Dreamz, Rocky, Alex and Edgardo go out fishing, Anthony’s working the fire, everyone’s doing everything” Anthony asked if he is concerned that the entire tribe is somewhere else Anthony “I was concerned but you do what you get assigned to do” Rocky “Best advise I could give you, put your cards on the table (another card game reference although not quite as "open ended" as the others) if you are upset you gotta put your foot down, let people know, no one is a mind reader at least I’m not… ....so if you take some of those words and use them later in your life or like tomorrow or the next day, 10 minutes from now or whenever you want to.... (Mookie, Edgardo laughing) Anthony asked why is so hard for him to speak up and more bickering continues
Rocky “You can't even sit up here and tell these people how you feel (all shown all now uncomfortable) you have poor social skills” Anthony “Oh I have poor social skills?” More bickering with Rocky telling Anthony to not raise his voice in his ear with Rocky stating how he sits down with people and talks to them “like a man” Anthony “Are you saying I'm not a man?” Rocky “Grow a spine man, like seriously” Alex's hand over his eyes and all very uncomfortable
Rocky “You act like a little girl sometimes....” Alex shakes his head and is asked why is his hands buried in his head Alex: “I was thinking to myself wow that is some tough love, I feel bad because I think what he said may have hurt Anthony's feelings to be honest that would hurt my feelings (Ed nodding) I just feel bad for the guy and that's all I felt was empathy, that's it” Anthony is then questioned whether he wants to be in the game and he attempts to be very emphatic that he does as it is clear he has reached his limit. Anthony is voted and Jeff advises Ravu “Tomorrow Lisi joins, the job you do in welcoming her will certainly have a big impact on how well this tribe does”
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Whole Lotta Rosie 104 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Blistex Spokesperson"
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03-27-07, 12:08 PM (EST)
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68. "RE: Episode 6 Editing" |
VS, Michel, and others great job once again. I also enjoy reading everyone’s astute comments.Earl has had quite the interesting edit over the last two episodes. Heavily manipulated edits with ties to leadership positions always perk my Nash Equilibrium ears. Especially when a player goes from being edited as a follower to a leader or vice versa. VS astutely noted the odd post IC treatment of Earl in Episode 5 It is entirely possible that part of this conversation may have been with Earl. The sequence just seemed extremely suspicious and I have a hard time believing that Earl was not part of any discussion with anyone about the upcoming vote. What I found interesting was that Earl was not only possibly edited out of this scene; he was almost completely edited out of the entire act of the episode. If I recall correctly the only time he was shown was when Rita mentioned something to the effect about being silent was an appropriate strategy (I wish I had the appropriate line and time, if I am mistaken please forgive me) and the camera panned to Earl and Yao Man. I agree with others that Earl had more of a leadership role on Old Ravu. Several have mentioned Rita’s wayward vote in Episode 4, which makes little sense in context of the editing, but would make sense if Earl were the leader. Earl being selected (confirmed) to represent the tribe in Episode 6 perhaps seals the deal. But instead, combined with Rocky and Mookie’s manipulated edits as decision makers, places Earl edit as a follower in a dual leader tribe. This is the appropriate strategy and that it is a manipulated strategy makes it all the more significant. This completely changed in Episode 6 with the switch. It is interesting that most of the players portrayed as leaders thus far all ended up on New Ravu (Alex, Mookie, Rocky, Lisi?), and the followers, (Earl, Yao Man, Cassandra, Michelle) all ended up on New Moto. With all of the leader types now on the other tribe Earl stepped up into the leadership role (or at least was finally given that edit). MB has always liked to show that it is important to play the appropriate strategy before and after a switch and after the merge. Earl emerging as a leader on a tribe of followers is the appropriate strategy and shows Earl as an adaptive player fitting to the game in the context of NE. It will be interesting to see if Earl’s edit once again changes when we reach the merge. Cassandra and Yao Man both received appropriate edits as followers, while it allows the tribe to be at equilibrium, the equilibrium is to Earl’s advantage. Unless we see another leader step up against Earl their strategy, while possibly taking them to the end game, is not a winning strategy. Likely of less importance is the role of NE on New Ravu. On old Moto Alex and Lisi were giving the leadership edits, but Edgardo was the one who represented the tribe. I am not as quite convinced his role as a leader is manipulated, but it would not surprise me if he outlasted Rocky, Lisi, and Alex. Mookie’s relinquishing of his leadership role in Episode 5 may also give him an edge up on those three as well. Dre is obviously in the best position as a follower on a multi-leader tribe and combined with his edit appears to be a long-term player. Nash rant over. I don’t have too much to add to the general editing thread but one of the themes I find interesting this season is Yao Man’s vulnerability. I find it odd that I cannot recall a situation in where someone other than Yao Man himself expresses his obvious physical weaknesses. Of course I have no idea what this means Once again great job everyone.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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03-27-07, 07:52 PM (EST)
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69. "RE: Episode 6 Editing" |
Veruca, it is always a joy to read your analysis. These two observations were very interesting:
For NuMoto, you wrote:
"It was a very “puppet” like scene with Yao Man and Cassandra shown while Earl is doing the speaking."For NuRavu, your comments started with:
"It was a very perfunctory scene, almost scripted to just showcase who is with who" Putting them together and considering that Earl spoke in the first person singular while Alex was looking for consensus; could this season serve to answer the question: "Pre-merge, is Survivor a team game or an individual one?" With Earl's showing and the reference to the game of poker, this season would tend to show Survivor is, from the start, a game for the individual...at least the individual who knows how to manipulate his puppets! Rosie, Nash game theory as applied to Survivor is always very interesting. What you write here is brilliant: "I agree with others that Earl had more of a leadership role on Old Ravu...But instead, combined with Rocky and Mookie’s manipulated edits as decision makers, places Earl edit as a follower in a dual leader tribe. This is the appropriate strategy and that it is a manipulated strategy makes it all the more significant." I had seen Earl as a leader from the beginning when he directed the shelter building project. I had neglected to see that, on the surface, he wasn't shown making the decisions. You are right; Earl as a follower on OldRavu, whether a fact or an editing fiction, is what a smart player should have done. The editors are really building him up. Tidefan, to answer your question from my perspective, I don't consider whether it will be a F3 or a F2. If we have the final players figured out, we'll have time to argue who wins later! This time, we'll know that both of the top 2 finishers can have winning edits. The F2 foil made our job easier! Right now, both Earl and Yau-Man have very positive stories so they fit a F3 scenario.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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04-02-07, 00:30 AM (EST)
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70. "Episode #7: Thoughts" |
Finally, a memorable episode!Ravu spent time eating, playing and arguing. Most of Moto took a hike and slept all day. One player was busy looking for the idol and another was busy making plans. In Survivor as in the fable, the ant has a good chance to outlast the grasshopper!
Ravu is still reacting to events and booting players that irritate them at the moment. Like the grasshopper, they seem to lack long term plans. Lisi didn’t hear what the guys said about her before she got off the boat. It was a good thing: Dre was sure she would quit, Alex felt she was intimidated by the girls on the other tribe. Edgardo saw her has being influenced by Stacy. Rocky said she’d love having the attention of 5 guys. Dre coldly asked: “What attention?” “The attention of 5 guys with ears” was the response. When someone added laughingly “not that we’re listening” it showed that she had her work cut out for her. At least, she came in running and hugging the guys: “I’m with the boys...Exile Island…it’s not as bad as people say.”
”When I first got to Exile island…I broke down’ she confided. She went on: “That’s a great thing because when you break down, you put your pieces back together again. It makes you stronger. The dynamics within the tribe are going to get a little sticky because Edgardo, Alex and I are really tight and I know Mookie, Rocky and even Dreamz might want to get me out of the way.”
To her tribe, she ackowledged the breakdown but said she had a spiritual enlightenment and “was tripping.” Alex said “I told you she would fit right in.” They all laughed but Dre wasn’t in a forgiving mood. The reward challenge may have revealed the dynamics of NuRavu: After her miss, short Lisi was left to stand behind the guys at first before moving off to the left. When Dre hit the last target, the 4 other guys all hugged and rushed the platform to congratulate the winning launcher. Lisi wasn’t in that picture. We did see her give a hug to Dre afterwards but the final image was of the 4 guys jumping for joy and leaving Lisi alone, outside of their huddle. At least, she used the reward celebration to show that she can fit in with the guys and can contribut to the tribe’s good spirits. She confided: “As soon as we saw the food, it was a feeding frenzy…It’s my favorite kind of scenario, I love being surrounded by guys. To me, to be around a bunch of boys is the place to be.” Rocky was impressed with her bowling skills and wanted her on his team. Mookie agreed, telling us in a confessional that Lisi is the kind of girl you bring to football games. Lisi had another confessional: “When I first got here, obviously I’m a chick so I would be the weakest link, right there. But after the win, all the guys are feeling good, so they’re more accepting, they’ve gotten to know me better, they can see how I can really fit in with the guys.” That camaraderie wouldn’t last and she realized: “The whole dynamics of the game is just beginning to shift daily. We’ll see what happens.” The immunity challenge showed that she really can be the weak link. She had been too slow and vague with her commands so Ravu immediately fell behind. Alex replaced her on the platform. “Lisi’s done” yelled Jeff when she stepped off the platform. That cannot be a good sign! It symbolized the fact that Alex has also replaced her in leading the alliance. Back in camp, her next move was to let Alex in on the idol clues, showing she wasn’t greedy. How could she think the clues were vague? We saw her walking around camp with Alex. At least she remembered that: “It might be right underneath this big cave where people sleep.” After using a machete to dig for the idol, she confided: “Going into tribal is going to be a cliffhanger situation…You never know what happens at the last minute.” The TC did give her a chance to put to rest any thoughts of quitting the others may think she still harbored. “I knew I was gonna go back to a tribe that contained people from my old tribe...I knew I was gonna find a friend wherever I went.” When Jeff asked about what needs to be the first thing to do the next day, she answered very smartly: “Ha! Ha! Look around and OH God! I’m still here! We need to win.” We saw how nervous she really was, twiddling her fingers and reacting to the second vote she received. Lisi got a chance to redeem herself after her sorry episode of last week. It was quite an uneven demonstration. It felt more like the beginning of a swan song rather than a true rehabilitation. Alex is still a narrator for his tribe even if Edgardo is taking more importance. He told us what the tribe thought of Lisi in the opening sequence: Lisi will be joining our tribe today. The episode she had during the last challenge, when she was like: ‘I’m out of here’, does concern me a little bit…I’m hoping a couple of days on exile Island will help her recant a little bit.” During the reward, Alex was mainly an observer. He resumed his role as leader at the immunity challenge and in the following discussions. After confering with Edgardo about the upcoming vote, Alex went to Lisi. He told her that if Ravu gets whittled down, it didn’t matter since the two of them and Ed were tight: “So Rocky goes next” he assured her. That was when he mentioned they had to figure who had the immunity idol. Lisi told him that the idol was on this island, not on Exile and that all three have to start prowling the island. Strangely, we didn’t get to see Alex talk at tribal council. As we are getting to the important portion of the season, his reduced airtime is of concern regarding his future outlook. He seems to forget to include everyone in his plans. Wasn’t that what worried him about Stacy and Lisi’s attitude before? Alex should be pulling Dre and Mookie in tighter, not limiting himself to Edgardo and Lisi. Edgardo didn’t do much in the first half of the show. We saw that he has a nice golf swing and learned that he prefers feeling sick because he is full than “the feeling of starving.”
It was Rocky’s words that signaled it was time for Edgardo to get involved. He told us about how the tribe felt after Rocky talked about the brownies and being ready for the next challenge: “Rocky, he doesn’t fit in with us. We’re pretty laid back guys. We make fun of each other but only to a certain extent. Rocky takes it to another level. He criticizes everybody and he’s too harsh on people and people don’t respect that. People don’t want someone to criticize them all the time.” Returning from the immunity loss, a shark was seen and the music was tense. Edgardo confided that: “We lost today and we’re going to have to vote somebody out. Alex and I have figured out that we don’t need really strong players. Once we get closer to the merger, if there is a merger, what we need is people that are loyal and Lisi is one of those people. I know Rocky is counting on getting Lisi out…Rocky has this bad vibe about him and I think that one of the reasons that Ravu didn’t win was his attitude about stuff…Lisi knows she has to be loyal to us because she doesn’t have anybody else to tag along with.” He then told Alex that he didn’t trust Rocky and they wondered if they should let Mookie know their decision since Mookie was tight with Rocky. In the end, Edgardo let Rocky think he was still pulling all the strings by lying to him about the vote. Edgardo is narrating about the tribal dynamics more than before. His role seems to support Alex in the decisions. He hasn’t shared any long temr plans and we haven’t learned much about Edgardo on a personal level. He has no real story
Dre reminded us that he isn’t part of Lisi’s alliance and he wasn’t about to let things slide: ”Back in the old Moto, I didn’t really have a relationship with Lisi. I didn’t like her, she didn’t like me. So, she should be worried out of her mind.” He was the star of the reward challenge. “Dreamz is not messing around” said Jeff after the first hit. The “I don’t drink” comment he made to Jeff could only serve to make us see more of his character. He really overindulged at the Kava Bowl, downing one Hot-Dog after the other. After the alliance had decided to target Rocky, a snake crawled through the camp and, following its path, the camera found Dre as he told Mookie: “They want to vote Rock out before homegirl.” The editors wanted us to think that Dreamz was undecided as the tribe left for TC: “I would really like to get to know Rocky…I’d rather Lisi leave if somebody was to leave so we’d still be strong.” If that confessional was right before TC why would Dre say IF someone was to leave. That confessional was probably taped before the Immunity loss.
At TC, he explained his position to Jeff. He wanted to win the immunity challenge in the previous episode so that: “We didn’t have to get Lisi because I didn’t want her on my team if she wanted to go home. When she came back and she wasn’t the same way as she was when I saw she had the breakdown, I was happy about that and I knew we were ready for business.” That got a smile from Lisi. Dre is still presented in such a way that we can sympathize with him even if we aren’t pulling for him. He hasn’t made a move yet even if he considers it. It seems he will wait for the merge and that would be a very key move. For now, his journey goes on. Mookie was shown laughing at Yau-Man at the reward challenge. That scene didn’t help Mookie’s case with the fans especially since Yau-Man hit his target despite the poor form. Mookie’s joke fell flat. It was Mookie’s confessional that was shown to reflect the mood of the tribe before entering the Kava Bowl: “Getting over that hump, getting a W under our belt, now we know we got this…We are going to replenish ourselves.The whole of Moto is going down. We’re back in this.” How ironic! The immunity challenge was tough for Mookie. Twice we were shown him crashing in the rails before finally returning to his tribe. After his joke and his prediction, his plan didn’t do any better: After being told that Edgardo and Alex were voting Rocky, all he could tell Dre was: “I told Rocky I wouldn’t vote him out. Would you guys care if you all voted for him and I voted for someone else.” Dre said it would be fine and that he might do the same. He then confided that: “Sending out Rocky before Lisi; that leaves only 1 of previous Ravu and they could wipe us out. As if on cue, Alex was seen chopping a coconut with a mighty machette chop. Mookie continued: “I have to figure a way to turn this thing around…Right now my man Dreamz, I trust him and I think he was a little left out in the other tribe. The opportunity to align myself with himself is the best thing I could do”
At TC, he was much less assertive than before in his response to Jeff. Where he used to offer solutions to move on from there, now he simply didn’t know what to do. “It’s hard choosing what person has to go because we are all so strong. Lisi brings another aspect and maybe we need a girl…The whole physical thing hasn’t been working in our favor so far. I don’t know.” Mookie could be the loneliest man in Fiji. He has seen that he could be in the #5 position on NuRavu. Even worse, he knows that there are some more allies on the other tribe. He really didn’t have a strong alliance with anyone left except maybe Michelle. He needs a plan. Moto is a tribe that works well together. They had better communications in both challenges where the players had to work together. In this tribe, we have ant-like players who are planning ahead for the merge and the end game. Cassandra remained in the background in this episode. She did her part of the work around camp and went out looking for food. We saw again her caring nature when she told Yau it was OK not to have come out to retrieve the boat. She was the first to put her hands on each end of the club to locate the skull which was Moto’s winning edge in the immunity challenge. However, she made a mistake that could have been critical. It wasn’t even mentioned. When she broke the skull and went “Hands on the floor” to retrieve the tiles, she didn’t hold on to the fijian club. We saw her running to the table with her tiles but no club. We didn’t hear Jeff comment on it and we didn’t hear Michelle having to guide her back to the club. It looked as if Moto didn’t lose any of their lead. It’s always a good sign when a mistake in a challenge isn’t talked about but this time, since Moto won, maybe it wasn’t that costly. Cassandra had played her role in the twist episode by setting up the vote flip so she probably won’t have much of a contribution until a vote is needed. The impact of her vote seems to be the extent of her story. Stacy had no story this week. It seems we will hear from her when it is time to vote her out. Boo sleeping was the first image we had of Moto. Was there a message there? At the reward challenge, Boo reacted to Jeff’s announcement that Lisi had joined Ravu: “She made it…Wow!” If she heard him, that couldn’t have been well received by his former ally. After the first challenge, Boo gave a confessional: “We lost the reward challenge and it proved to us that we need to step up our game if we want to keep this immunity idol. It’s very important to each and everyone of us here, some of us more important than they really understand…It’s more important to Yau than he knows because, if we lose, he’s gone tonight. He’s got to be the weakest physically out of all of us.” Moto wasn’t going to TC in this episode. That confessional served to further Yau-Man’s story of vulnerability, not to show Boo had a new “tight plan.” Targeting Yau-Man who now has the idol isn’t a very good plan anyway. Who did he think would follow that plan? He was sitting alone with Stacy at the time. Too bad his ally was going to take a nap rather than watch what was going around camp! The immunity challenge showed the Boo that makes us laugh: “Left, Boo” yelled Michelle while he moved right. “The other left” she urged. “That way?” asked Boo. “Yes, that is your left!” His wild swings at the skull and his run backwards to return to his tribe were also quite funny. To top it off, after offering to replace Michelle since he had a louder voice to guide Yau at the furthest skull, he suddenly realized he couldn’t see: “I’m blind right now.” Luckily, he knew where Yau’s left was and Moto kept its lead. Something bad will happen to Boo and he won’t see it coming. Since he is a likeable person, we need to see a reason to boot him. Showing him plan Yau-Man’s demise is an acceptable reason. Michelle was lured along with everyone else as Earl led the tribe away from camp. Later, she was fast asleep while Yau-Man executed his evil plan. She is still on a need to know basis it seems in this OldRavu alliance. Despite missing her throw during the reward challenge, we heard the tribe, Earl in particular, telling her that it was a good try: No one else that missed received consolation. She did come to life during the immunity challenge. It has been the norm from the start so, once more, she was given a key role in the blindfold challenge, guiding her team. Her commands were clear and she had a lot of enthusiasm. Her encouragements and her dance on the platform made her fall right off. She got back on and continued guiding her team to a nice lead. The puzzle seemed to be a problem for the tribe: “Castaway” urged Yau-Man but it didn’t fit. We heard Stacy calling Michelle in to help. She jumped in and came up with the “Cannibal” right away and “Isles” soon after. After the win, she was given a big hug by Earl and the last scene showed him carrying her away in victory, Michelle’s role in this tribe has always been shown: Earl calling her his monkey and making the first fire are nice examples of that. Never has that role been so much in evidence as in that IC. We saw her acting as the caller, the cheerleader and the puzzle solver. Add the funny image of her fall and she should trail only Yau-Man in the popularity poll. She hasn’t been given any confessionals but her presence is very much felt. She’ll have a role to play down the line. Yau-Man, this time, didn’t stop digging to tell us how difficult the task was. He had the tools he needed. The image on our screen kept switching from Yau’s efforts to the tribe walking on the beach. Despite the suspenseful music, we had to figure he’d find it! He looked like a little kid at Christmas when his shovel hit something. He couldn’t contain his joy when he kissed the turtle that symbolizes the idol. “This is it…This is my million dollars right here! I’m glad I’m not in a knot untying contest right now because I would lose. The one and only immunity idol! I know there is another one somewhere on the other island but right now this is the only one that exists. This is mine and it looks good on me…It really does!” He took precautions to hide his work and told us about his next move: “My plan now is to let Earl know. I owe him that much, he engineered this whole boat saving party for me. I agree to share the use of this idol, when the time comes, with him.” After greeting the girls back, he told Earl with a wink that he needed help with the nets. His confessional continued as they walked away from camp: When I first came in this game, I did not have any expectation of finding a new friend in such a short time that I could trust so much. But Earl is different; his word is good. I would have never thought that a big strong black man would become one of my best ally in this game.” “Earl, WE got it” he simply told him. “I was digging furiously. We should make it to the Final 2 if all things align, you know.” Everything was fine until we heard the numbers! Yau-Man was the subject of derision during the reward challenge, as Mookie mocked his throwing motion. It was another example showing that Yau is usually underestimated. He proved he could contribute by hitting the first target for Moto. Yau-Man had a little dance as he walked back to his tribe while Jeff gave the score. “Old guy’s good for some good” he told his cheering tribemates. With Earl in exile, Yau-Man showed us he understood more than Boo thought: “Things are definitely looking up. I’m in an alliance with Earl, a very strong and very honorable man. I have the immunity idol and if I can make it through the merge, I could go quite far. My first priority is not let anybody know I’ve got the immunity idol. Then I had a really evil thought: What if there is another immunity idol for them to find? So I start out making my own immunity idol out of a half coconut shell… There are so many immunity idols running around here! When I see that Michelle and Stacy were falling asleep in the bed, I went quickly and buried it back in that hole. I didn’t bury it very deep so it is easy to find…If someone decides to hunt for the idol, we will have one too many idol running around except that I have the official one. This upcoming immunity challenge is very important to me. I’m always a target but I do have the immunity idol. If we lose this challenge, I will have to keep my ears to the ground and listen to see if I am up. If I am, I will be forced to use it. I really hope that I don’t have to use it.” Yau’s childish expressions were fun to watch. The music accompanying his actions made it feel even more cartoonish. It’s probable nothing will come of it but we can at least laugh at the possibility. Yau-Man is easily the fan favorite for this season. He combines the intelligence, the vivacity, the quotes, the determination, and the resistance that endears players to a large segment of the audience. His story however, seems exclusively geared towards the idol. How he needed it, how he worried that Sylvia had found it, how he worked to get it, how he can use it and how he can fool others with a replica. What happens to Yau-Man after the idol gets used? There seems to be very little else and hearing him revealing the Final 2 deal with Earl is not a good sign. Earl repeated his assessment of the game’s situation as it stood in Moto. The 3 Ravus vs the 3Moto speech was covered last week so it only served to reinforce how Earl’s plan can overcome that deadlock. ”We’re even. We need to change the power here” he confided before getting everyone out of camp: “I just want the boat back” he told everyone. They followed while Yau stayed behind on the excuse of tending the fire. I’m setting something up with Yau…There’s definitely an idol at Ravu’s camp and at Moto’s camp. We have a pretty good idea of exactly where the immunity idol is here but we haven’t had a chance to go get it…We’ll have it, that will be our ace in the pocket” It was indeed, a nice ploy! Yau looked at the tribe leave with a smile on his face! After Yau-Man told him the good news and showed him the idol, Earl didn’t react much, just like a poker player. “It worked out just fine” was his only comment. He then confided: “What I initially told Yau was ‘I will help you with the idol.’ I knew the value of Yau” (indeed from the start, he saw him as the professor) “I knew that if I helped this guy, I could feel it that he would actually remember that and trust me a lot. Yau having the idol helps; hopefully there is a power change. We’ll share it: If they try to vote me out, he’ll let me know and he’ll give it to me and if they try to vote him out, he’ll just use it. That is the way how two people can share the idol.” Entering the challenge area for the reward, we saw no reaction from Earl as Jeff said Anthony had been voted out. As with Erica’s boot, his “fiancée”, or the vote Rita gave him, Earl seems impervious to what happens to others around him. It gives an impression that he is immune to whoever leaves, that the numbers don’t matter to his game. The reward challenge itself didn’t bring any joy to Earl, it sent him back to exile. He had nothing to gain there but we had a marvelous scene of him approaching it from the sea while a snake crawled away. He once more claimed his stake to a new domain; he gave his name to the island. It had a great view, it would be great for tourists and he carved his name on the sand. THAT was how a winner was meant to be shown on Exile Island. We heard everyone applauding his return from exile and he was seen celebrating with Michelle but his role in the challenge, as in most, wasn’t underlined. Challenges seem meaningless to Earl’s game. Will it always be the same? It could be his only weakness and cause his downfall but there are no danger signs yet. Earl got the game confessionals that related to the play of the idol. Those plans could have been detailed by Yau-Man since they probably have discussed it already. Earl will profit from the play of the idol but his story doesn’t stop there. As with Cassandra’s vote and Michelle’s challenge skills, the idol is a tool on the way to reaching the end for Earl..
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emydi 13669 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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04-06-07, 10:16 AM (EST)
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71. "Ep 8 Animals!" |
Ok Fishercat and Estee in the Update thread stole my answers!Dreamz is dominating this TC. Here's his coming out party. Dreamz is here. Okay I guess EPMB was catering to the "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader"/Lisi fan base when he Pick Axed us to death with thousands of hermit crabs coming out their shells .... Also the big slow moving worm thingie with lots of legs...slow but steady...Dre slithering into the skull eye to bring death to NuRavu! In other moments of EPMB nuanced subtlety... Cassandra holds onto the Immunity Idol just a bit longer than usual Jiffy telling Earl does not have to go over and over again in IC
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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04-07-07, 09:15 AM (EST)
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72. "RE: Ep 8 Editing" |
Normally at this time, a new thread would be started since it seems merger is upon us. Alas, it appears it won’t be necessary this season so we will continue regardless of the upcoming merger.The Recap Lisi returned from EI - all new male Ravu Dre: “I didn’t like her, she didn’t like me so she should be worried” (the beauty of editing, Dre’s confessional from last week was the same used for this week, again, misplaced confessionals are planting the seeds) She didn’t realize that Edgardo/Alex/Dreamz/Mookie had already formed a tight alliance of four Yao Man Yao Man discovered the idol “This is my million dollars” and realized another one existed on Ravu’s beach (My lack of posting last week would have included that inevitable pessimism I feel when someone makes statements such as this) At RC, Dre secured a victory for Ravu and whisked away to a remote arcade Lisi “Feeding frenzy” and they paid a price Rocky showed no sympathy At an injury laden IC (YM bumping, Michelle falling, Mookie bumping and Michelle shown working the puzzle) Moto claimed immunity (Earl picking up Michelle - forecasting what we see in this episode) Rocky’s attitude had him on the bubble Edgardo “I think one of the reasons Ravu didn’t win was because of Rocky’s attitude...” In order to save herself, Lisi revealed clues to the whereabouts of the HII “You, me and Edgardo should start prowling around the island” Edgardo “Alex and I figured out we don’t need strong players, we need people that are loyal” Foreshadowing? Rocky becomes the first member of our jury A New Day With A New Treasure Alex (conf) “Edgardo and I are sort of in between a couple of alliances. He and I are aligned with Mookie and Dreamz and we are aligned with Lisi on the other hand. We had a previous alliance with her when we were Moto so right now I feel like I am in a pretty good place” (Thus, beware of feeling in a “pretty good place) Edgardo shown sharing idol information with Mookie and subsequent digging while Lisi and Dre sleep. Mookie’s confessional takes place in the same setting; his confessional is therefore condensed here Mookie (conf) “So myself, Alex and Edgardo are digging for the idol while Lisi and Dreamz are sleeping. I know that myself, Dreamz, Edgardo and Alex made a pact together but I need to figure out how I am going to secure my space within this trust” (the idol is shown found with the three silencing each other) “I was in the right place at the right time... got the immunity idol... hope it is smooth sailing from here” (The three then go off together with Alex’s confessional) “Words can’t describe how much this means to me in this game... it holds my position for sure” (Mookie’s “use” of the idol to Alex/Edgardo now shown, Edgardo’s confessional about Lisi shown, conversation with the three about not telling Dre is shown and Alex’s confessional about Dre possibly telling Cassandra shown) “You can say that myself, Alex and Edgardo have the idol but in my mind, it’s in one pocket, that’s my pocket” (At this time the scene where Lisi awakens commences and Mookie “helps” her dig for the idol) “I have the idol and Lisi’s still digging for it; she has no idea and I’m gonna help her dig; that’s the funny part” Alex (said on screen) “This just changed the game for us” (Alex then shown discussing how the clues allowed them to find the idol) Mookie “This is what we are going to do, we’re gonna use it together right? Any time any of us know we are going to go, we need to use this. If there’s any chance we’re ever split up, I don’t know how we’re gonna pass this on to each other....” Edgardo “But we don’t want people to know we have it...” Alex (said on screen) “We’re not telling Lisi for sure” (Edgardo’s confessional now shown about Lisi) Mookie “Don’t tell either of them” Edgardo (said on screen) “Don’t tell him until necessary because he’ll probably tell Cassandra” (Alex confessional now shown) Edgardo (conf) “Even though Lisi is loyal, she is unstable person. We are afraid if we told her she would want to use it the wrong way; just because I don’t think Lisi is a smart person playing the game” Alex (conf) “We’re not telling Dreamz about the idol because he’s very close with Cassandra and if there is a merge he may just have a flare up of like complete honesty and tell Cassandra who knows what about the idol and once they know we have it, its effect is gone” Lisi then wakes up and asks Mookie if he was “idol digging” Lisi (conf) “I suspect Alex told Mookie that the idol was right where we sleep because this morning he was trying to be discreet, playing with the leaves.... dude you are going to have to wake up really early to fool an old cat like me” (the irony is not lost here. We then see Mookie telling her he already dug in the spot where she dug and he’ll help her) Naturally this scene has amazing editing foreshadowing possibilities with the discussion of how they may use it and the thought of what to do if they are separated (with the tribes merging together this conversation seems even more fraught with impending play out) Interesting also there was emphasis made on the “tight bond” of Dre, Alex, Edgardo and Mookie, both in the recap and in confessionals yet Dre was not made privy to this information which was explained by Alex. Couple that with Dre’s pre-switch “snake skin boots” talk and this episode talk of Cassandra, the time for Dre and his snake skin boots is commencing. It was already discussed that Dre’s pre-twist discussion would not come to fruition until the tribes merge (Dre has discussed merge as his time to play the game and this was one of the stories we have been waiting upon) and now that time is approaching The Reward Challenge In All Of It’s Glory Boo and Michelle take the dancers back to camp for instructions on their challenge. Stacey gives us a confessional regarding the “dance off” and Yao Man advises in a confessional that he has no rhythm hence he sits out. The practice ensues and Earl does demonstrate his agility. Earl (conf) “I got the moves... I applied some of my Michael Jackson moves, you know they put me in front and I’m ready to take the lead (more dancing shown with Boo being not quite as graceful) “It’s funny seeing Boo.. ...the white guy thing but he hung in there and he’s making a great effort...” Over at the Ravu camp, dancing practice is shown as well Alex (conf) “Size, strength and agility is not necessarily gonna be an advantage on this one; it’s kinda frustrating because we’ve lost twice to a bunch of girls and an old guy. If we don’t all work in unison....” (Coincidentally, Lisi shown not in unison) Lisi (conf) “Challenges... I don’t take seriously. I don’t think we should be out here brooding we got to win...” The war paint is now applied with Dre stating (on screen) “We are mighty Fijian warriors” as Lisi makes light of it Dre (conf) “I really don’t like Lisi. Lisi was one of the reasons why I was so miserable at Moto. Every challenge she’s done horrible so Lisi should be worried because she’s the weakest and we’re trying to get to the merge with numbers up. If we lose a challenge she will be the next person voted off” As seen quite often this season, confessionals have been out of place and this confessional was the exact spot that Dre was in during the episode Rocky was booted The contestants arrive for their dancing as Earl and Michelle are honed in on as Rocky is announced as the boot and Yao Man shown as Jeff continues that Rocky is on the jury Jeff introduces the judges and explains the criteria. Slight visual emphasis noted on Earl as Jeff states part of the criteria of “did you embrace the dance” Lisi honed in on Jeff’s reminder of someone to go to Exile Island. Moto begins their dance and despite the seemingly frivolity of this challenge, I rather enjoyed it. As it did with Jeff, Earl’s “Meke” call brought a smile to my face and it goes without saying that Earl’s confessional that he has “the moves” was solidified by his dancing. Should he had bragged about his prowess and shown failing is to tell us something entirely different about his character (as we see with Edgardo later on) and would not bode well for Earl but his edit has been extremely steady with his pronouncements that this is his island and he brought his poker face even to the dance. Jeff announces with a bit of surprise to his voice that this was “nicely done!” Ravu unfortunately seemed to do better at their practice with essentially all of the tribe out of sync. Although Dre attempts to snazz up their dance with his back flip, it appears too little and too late. Jeff was heard to announce “nicely done” but I am suspicious that this was actually towards Ravu, it sounded misplaced but perhaps Ravu is not meant to be vilified entirely by the editing The judges do make note that “the leader was really good” from Moto with Michelle giving Earl a pat of approval after that statement. Lisi is designated by Earl as the victim to Exile Island explaining “so no one else will get any clues” Ravu is then sent back to camp with a small wave from Boo and Moto then celebrates in style
Earl (conf) “One thing about being part of this game is that we haven’t had a chance to experience what’s here; the beauty of Fiji... that was the first time we got to absorb the culture and that’s fascinating to me” Stacey (conf) “This feast was one of the most incredible things I ever got to experience... the food, the people... I don’t think any one of us will ever forget this for the rest of our lives” Night time dancing ensues.... Earl (conf) “A night like this brings us closer together cause we were still kind of separated.... we still were not connected all the way; a celebration like this feels good... we can push forward and keep going as a solid group now... it’s our turn in the sun and I’m happy” The Exiled One Lisi “Ravu can’t even seem to win the simplest challenge. It sucks that I’m here, look at me I’m a moment away from crying. I really don’t want to be here but what am I supposed to do? I don’t want to let down Alex and Edgardo but I feel like quitting” For as much as Lisi was an unlikeable woman, some measure of edited sympathy was meant to be elicited and more importantly it was established she wanted to quit Moto Dynamic I hope to see emydi with more of her wonderful take on the animal imagery and the opening of that long insect crawling through the eye of the skull was quite arresting. The eerie music surrounding it (which applejack was so talented in discussing) usually signifies secrecy and plotting which, as a matter of fact, was happening Earl (conf) “Michelle and I have our usual morning meeting, everyone else is laying there (Yao Man noted to be up as well) so we always get up and she briefs me on what’s happening because she’s my little spy” (Again, Earl introduces us to yet another plot line being established. Their usual morning meeting has only now been told to us and that makes me question how relevant their partnership is long term. This thought process of mine is expanded on later) Earl “I think Boo, if you put Boo in the right situation, he’ll be with us” Michelle “Mhh hmmm, yeah” Earl “But I’m still not sure cause Cassandra said Boo is dangerous, Boo makes the merger, he’ll be the most dangerous and I was like I don’t know. Stacey automatically is going to hook up with Alex and Edgardo (said with camera on Michelle who is nodding) she wants to do that, that’s what makes her a little more dangerous because her votes are going to switch” Michelle “That’s why I’m like Stacey first because that will scare Boo on our side”
(Earl agreeing and Michelle’s confessional shown up till “dangerous”) Earl “One of those two has got to go....” Michelle “I feel like it’s gonna have to be Stacey” (Earl nods)
Michelle (conf) “Earl and I are targeting Stacey; she still has ties on the other side particularly with Alex (this may have been cut off a bit from mentioning other people) Ideally, we want to get rid of Stacey before the merge cause that is when we feel she’ll be the most dangerous” “I am afraid that the longer Stacey sticks around the more in danger in puts me because me and Stacey are kinda like carbon copies of each other when it comes down to function (for emphasis, a shot of both ladies lounging around in their bathing suits. It probably would have been a more flattering descriptive if both were shown working hard in visualizing their “function” ) and I don’t think there is enough room for the both of us”
Two nice confessionals at the RC from Earl and Stacey but it goes without saying that Earl received a higher profile than Stacey. Much like in past confessionals, some are generic and some have more “meat” to them. While Stacey generally spoke for the group about this reward, Earl spoke of seeing Fiji outside the game and also how it encompasses them and himself. The fact that we did not hear from the others may have significance at their end game chances. This is not to say Stacey is in a better position since her edit en masse has not given us anything to feel she plays a big role for the outcome of this game. Stacey has though received a bit of a bump in her appearance time with a more positive spin to her persona and we could also surmise that there is foreshadowing to what Stacey may do come merger based upon Michelle and Earl’s talk about Stacey. Therefore, Stacey may start to become significant shortly. Boo and Cassandra were extremely low key this episode but discussion has already taken place that Cassandra’s role will broaden after the merger (it may have broadened prior to that as a “swing vote” on Moto but that will not occur now.) However, her role in Dre’s plan along with Earl’s thought process involve Cassandra still have me maintaining that her place in this game is by the design of others but a useful tool can go quite far. We have seen this in the past with the likes of Jan or Lydia. Yao Man naturally has a huge role in this season with three storylines and a characterization where he is meant to be loved by the viewers. Being loved often does not bode well for a win though and his story line of his triumph over the “big guys”, the hidden idol and his partnership with Earl will come into play so while Yao Man is not going anywhere anytime soon with all the pomp and circumstance surrounding him, many characters edited in this regard are “fan favorites” but not winners. Michelle’s edit is now expanding to include her strategy but I am suspicious of this being shown now. The episode prior to last had an abundance of “Michelle in the middle” references and I had questioned if this was not foreshadowing of Michelle being “caught in the middle” between both tribes (or the two former tribes of one) While her and Earl’s conversation was sensible to show in light of what we know is to happen next episode, we have been told that Earl and Michelle meet all the time so their relationship has been developed for quite some time yet it has never been developed for the audience. It then begs the question how important is this relationship to the outcome of the show that it is only NOW being shown. We have heard more references that Dre and Cassandra are close yet Dre even was considering voting Cassandra out! Therefore, this conversation we were privy to with Earl and Michelle may only be important for the short term and what will be developing. It is being shown to us to simmer on the stove so we don’t forget it but since there has been no development or even any indications of it until now, I don’t sense any real success or long term relevance. For the audience to be invested, items must be developed and Survivor is fairly consistent in development. I would suggest that if this relationship was not revealed at this time, there may have been some promise but for a close relationship as this to be suddenly sprung on the audience with no progression seems to indicate it does not have any long term relevance. Brewings At Ravu Dre wants his team to claim back their spirit with Mookie stating he is still having fun. Dre (on screen) “We made it this far, jury at least. I’m feeling confident still, I’m pretty sure tomorrow we’ll merge (Dre has been for some time been extremely focused on merge and again forgive my redundancy Dre appears to be a big presence for the merge) it’s cool with me” “As long as Cassandra’s in the game she’s on my side” all stated on screen Edgardo “Okay” Dre “I got Cassandra; you get what I’m saying” Of note again is my attempt to be clever (which often I fail ) when I had mentioned that Earl was playing poker and Dre was showing his cards. Dre again has shown us qualities that confirm how innocent he really is. He is brash, he is honest but there is an innocence to his comments that prevent the audience from disliking him entirely. Dre has yet to show any real thought process behind what he says and does; there is no contemplating with Dre, he works on his feelings and the chips fall where they may as he seems to truly believe that what he wants will truly work out the way it is supposed to. He is a very fascinating character Edgardo (conf) “I’m really worried about Dreamz... he might flip over so I think I am gonna keep my eye on him cause I know he’s gonna be a threat” Story progression continues as a nice visual of two skulls on a pole is shown which is to be their treemail with Edgardo and Alex then seen approaching. Dre is the “death” of these two? Alex (conf) “We need the next immunity bad. Going into a merge 4-6, much harder than 5-5" Edgardo advises the group that he is talented in archery with Alex telling him to go for the harder shots Edgardo (conf) “I’m feeling good about the challenge cause I have a lot of confidence in my archery ability. I’ve been kind of low key in all the challenges, doing my role, listening to people and I feel like it’s my time to shine” The distinct ominous music then plays The Immunity Challenge Lisi returns in her usual nonchalant manner with Dre looking none too pleased while Cassandra shows us her lovely smile as she fights with Jeff over giving back the immunity idol Jeff “Once again immunity is back up for grabs (Yao Man) ....” “The tribe with most points (Michelle/Earl shown) wins immunity (Lisi/Edgardo/Dre) Losers (the three still shown) will go to Tribal Council. For somebody the dream of (Alex/Mookie) winning this game will come to an end.” Jeff asks who is sitting out for Moto and one can see Cassandra and Earl look at each other with Earl nodding Of note is Yao Man’s obvious success and the confirmation of the “little engine that could” (with Ravu looking noticeably humbled) Edgardo’s failure despite his confidence and Earl not having to even participate in this challenge. Quite a few visuals of Alex especially in response to Lisi’s well placed reactions Ravu To Tribal Mookie tells Dre it is number 8 tribal council for him Dre “How’d we do so horrible? We did bad!” Dre literally sounds incredulous Mookie “I completely sucked, I have no excuses” Lisi (conf) “I’m done with the losers; these guys can’t pull it together…I’m surrounded by losers. You know what’s going on? When you know you suck you suck. This whole tribe is a sinking ship” Lisi “There was no reason for you guys to lose today. Frankly I don’t see you guys winning the next reward challenge and I get to go to Exile Island again; I’m not trying to buy real estate dude” Alex “I understand” Lisi “I really feel like my time is up” Lisi (said on screen) “I’m done man” Alex (conf) “Lisi decided today she wants to be the next one to go; she’s grateful Ed and I kept her safe for as long as we did... she told us she wants to go next” Lisi “I’ve been rich, I’ve been poor, I’ve bee to Exile, what more do I have to do. I’m gonna cry” Alex (conf) “The fact that Lisi wants to quit pissed me off because I could probably use her in the future, it’s a solid vote but hey I try not to judge people in life, I’m not gonna judge Lisi now” Lisi (conf) “Sometimes you have to know when it’s time to go and I just kinda feel it’s the end of the game for me” Alex (to the boys) “Said she wants to go...” Mookie “Did she? That’s sounds good” Dre “I don’t really care, really. That’s cool...” Dre (conf) “We have Tribal Council and pretty much Lisi’s going. She’s just laying there like a sad puppy dog. It’s time for her to go. Getting rid of her is a dream come true for me. I don’t know how the rest of the boys feel about it but I’m so happy. At Tribal Council .... I might even get up and start taking votes myself” Edgardo “Suffering makes you... it makes you stronger” Alex “It makes you stronger” (Lisi shown laying down) Edgardo “Thirty nine days is not that much really” Dre “Now that we’re at day like twenty, what one?” (Lisi shown again) “It doesn’t seem that bad at all” Dre (conf) “Going to Tribal Council, I’m not gonna take my bags; I’m just going to Tribal Council cause I plan on coming back” (Said purely for the set up of the element of potential surprise) Lisi “What would happen if we kept on going” Edgardo “I don’t know, what do you want to say” Lisi “I’m just thinking a little bit more” “I’m looking at all options, hell me out guys, hello” Alex (conf) “Lisi changed her mind again. I mean she’s like back and forth like three times. I throw my hands up in despair” Lisi (conf) “Alex and Edgardo, they know me. The three of us are probably the tightest people in this game” Lisi “I think that Dreamz will hop over to where Cassandra’s at, not bring her over here” (said on screen) Edgardo “Thing is that it’s not...” Lisi “Dude, I can hang in here; let’s get rid of Dreamz. Cassandra on one side, where do you think Dreamz is going to go” (all said on screen) Alex “It’s 10 minutes before Tribal” Edgardo (conf) “Tonight we have to go to Tribal Council and vote somebody out; it’s either Lisi or Dreamz....” Edgardo “The game is about to get a lot nastier” (foreshadowing?) Lisi (conf) “In my eyes Dreamz should be the next one to go; I would vote for him, Alex would vote for him, Edgardo would vote for him.......” Tribal Council Rocky enters with a small wave from Mookie Jeff asks Lisi what is missing in this tribe
Lisi “There seems to be a lot of individualism happening here, the group can’t come together and that is how you see the other tribe winning” Jeff notes she has had an emotional ride
Lisi “I’ve run the gamut in this game....” Jeff asks Dre what he is basing his vote on
Dre “You want me to be honest? I think Lisi wants to go home cause she’s not winning like she was at the old Moto, she gives up easily, it’s not hard to see that” Lisi “I’ve seen you give up in a middle of a challenge” (Editing has not reinforced that and, in fact, he has been one of the stronger competitors.) Dre “You’ve never seen me give up, I can’t give up it’s not in me..” Lisi “I saw you... I can’t even do this man” Dre “Like I said Jeff I think she wants to go home and they call me a genie in a bottle because I grant wishes” Jeff asks Lisi the status of her will
Lisi “Quite frankly, wavering. Sometimes I feel like there’s hope and sometimes I feel like we’re doomed” (shot to Dre with a cymbal crash) Jeff asks Edgardo how does one trust someone who has been so uncertain
Edgardo “Lisi and I don’t have anything to hide from each other, winning a lot then losing a lot has affected the way she’s viewing the game” Jeff asks Dre about his will
Dre “I’m so glad you asked that... if I die resuscitate at the finish line. The warriors that I fight with, we don’t think we lose because we suck so our spirit don’t go down, her spirit goes down” Jeff asks Lisi if she wants to be here
Lisi “Can’t I catch a break? There are times when you’re just not up to it...”
Dre “Well I’m sorry Jeff, I didn’t get to ask that question do she want to be here, she kinda moved around it and I didn’t understand it at all, please ask her again” (Jeff replies Dre just did with Dre looking at Lisi and Lisi asking what?)
Dre “Do you want to be here?”
Lisi “Okay...”
Dre “It’s a yes or no question” Dre then proceeds to ask everyone else who answers immediately with Dre using his infamous “soliloquy”
Dre “Jeff I am ready to vote” Jeff asks Lisi what she would advise her tribe to do
Lisi “Give me a chance, Edgardo and Alex know me......” Lisi leaves with Jeff advising the depleted Ravu tribe “Well if there is one truth in this game it is you have to want to win in order to make it to the end (Dre shown) ... good news is four of you remaining all say that you do”
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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04-07-07, 06:21 PM (EST)
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73. "RE: Ep 8 Editing" |
LAST EDITED ON 04-07-07 AT 06:32 PM (EST)Hello Emydi and Veruca. I was feeling lonely for a while there, it’s nice to have company. Emydi, that episode did have nice animal imagery. Veruca, you find the meaning of the different scenes like no one else can. I enjoyed your analysis of
-Dre, the merge and how Cassandra is part of many plans.
-Michelle and Earl’s strategy discussion and its ramifications.
-Earl’s poker face and Dre revealing his cards.
And of course, this had me laughing: “a shot of both ladies lounging around in their bathing suits. It probably would have been a more flattering descriptive if both were shown working hard in visualizing their function.” I had missed the implication…I guess it’s because I’m a guy!) This is what I saw: Change of Rhythm This episode showed a new wrinkle on many Survivors. Either their story got into a new rhythm or they came out of their shell. Some Players found a New Beat Mookie dug for the idol with Alex and Edgardo. His confessional started while he was guiding the search: “I need to figure out a way to secure my space within this trust.” He finally came up with a package. He told us “I got the immunity idol. I hope it is all clear sailing from here.” The whole opening scene didn’t have the same build-up that the find on Moto had. We next saw the three guys running out of camp to unwrap the idol and they jumped for joy. Mookie told them: “What we are gonna do is use it together, right? Any time we know any of us are going to go, we need to use it.” Despite the nice intentions, Mookie ended his confessional with this remark: “You can say that myself, Edgardo and Alex have the idol but in my mind, it is in one pocket and that is my pocket.” The scene had a very funny ending when Lisi caught Mookie covering his tracks and asking him if he was digging for the idol. We had a good laugh when she said he had to wake up early to fool an old cat like her! The laugh continued when he helped her dig for it! It was funny seeing Mookie demonstrating how to hold an arrow and how to let it go: The result of the demonstration without the bow when the arrow just fell, was practically identical to his challenge performance. And he laughs at Yau-Man! For the first of his 8 tribal councils, he had nothing to say about the vote. Mookie seemed to be completely done with nothing more to say. Having the idol gives him new life but the find wasn’t played up as much as Yau-Man’s. It seems Mookie’s idol will not have the same impact down the road. It felt as if it could be wasted, Mookie pulling it out when it isn’t needed. At most, it will only take a secondary player out of the game, not launch him to the finals. Stacy applauded the news of the Meke. It was her confessional that was chosen to explain what the prize was, upstaging Michelle who had read tree mail. More surprisingly, Stacy got a confessional to tell us about the celebration, the kind of confessional Sundra had last season. I was expecting Cassandra to tell us how wonderful the Fijian ceremony was, not Stacy. “The feast was one of the most incredible things that I’ve ever experienced... These people have such huge hearts. I don’t think anyone of us is going to forget this for the rest of our lives.” Is Stacy starting to lay claim to the Fijian culture? She was the Fiji Queen in episode #1 but that scene didn’t seem to have much significance. It was also surprising that we heard her being discussed as a target by Earl and Michelle. The editors had set up Boo as the expected target so Stacy could be the surprise boot. Why bring up her vulnerability, in an episode where Moto wasn’t even going to vote and ruin the surprise? Could there be more to Stacy than we have thought so far? I’ll have to say there is a little more to her story and it will get her to stay a bit longer. Her game could change when she sees her friend Lisi was booted. It could make her lose any trust in Alex and Edgardo and bring her and Boo to Moto’s side. Or, she will have another confrontation with Dre before leaving. There can’t be much more than that but then, that still means there has to be room for two young Asian girls. Unless… Some Players Came out of their Shell Michelle read tree mail with Boo, danced the Meke in rhythm with Stacy and sat next to her during the feast. As usual, she had a secondary role in all those scenes. Day 21 on Moto beach showed a change in her story. As Earl’s spy, she shared his views on getting rid of Stacy: “I feel Stacy first because that’ll scare Boo over to our side.” Michelle confided: “Earl and I are targeting Stacy. She still does have ties on the other side, particularly with Alex. Ideally, we would want to get rid of Stacy before the merge because that is when we feel she’ll be more dangerous. I am afraid that the longer Stacy sticks around, the more in danger it puts me. Stacy and I are carbon copies of each other when it comes down to function. I don’t think there’s enough room for the both of us.” If one of her function is to be the team’s secret weapon at challenges, this week’s immunity was a poor showing. Her spear throw especially was greeted by laughs, far different from last week when Earl had said “Nice Try” after a miss. Michelle finally got some recognition after being so often left out. From the beginning, her importance to Earl and his plan had been shown but not talked about. In this episode, we even had a replay of him holding her in his arms during the recap. After being the team’s monkey, their sweetheart and one of their secret weapons in challenges, now we are told Michelle is Earl’s spy! That is a very nice story arc for Michelle. We could very well see her role come to the forefront as a pivotal vote, at the Final 5 for example. One thing bugs me however: She has had very few confessionals and her two most memorable ones were comments against the other Asian women. She did outlast Sylvia and now she has her sights on Stacy. Can she be as successful now that Stacy has been shown to embrace the local culture? While Michelle was discussing that there wasn’t enough room for both of them, they were both seen sunbathing but Stacy was in the forefront, taking most of the space on camera. Stacy outlasting Michelle would surprise me a great deal but foundations have been laid. Michelle’s coming out could be the start of her exit. It has happened before. The merge should save her, shouldn’t it? Unless “Oh! My god! We’re gonna die” comes true for her. Note that she had a purple buff on at the time so it was refering to the surprise twist on EI. Dreamz started oblivious to the dangers around him. We have gotten used to that from him. The idol was found as he slept. After the dancing lessons, he told us they were Fijian warriors. In reponse, we heard Lisi laughing. That was time for Dre to confess his wish to see Lisi go. We had heard that song before but he had never acted on it. This time, he was about to come out of his shell. It started on Day 21 when he told the guys: “We gotta get out of this losing spirit. We made it this far, jury at least. I’m feeling confident still. I’m pretty sure tomorrow, we’re gonna merge. That’s cool. As long as Cassandra is in the game, she’s on my side.” Edgardo looked worried but Dre went on: “I got Cassandra, you get what I’m saying.” After the immunity loss, Dre was glad to hear Lisi’s decision: “We have tribal council tonight and pretty much Lisi’s gone…She’s just laying there like she’s a sad puppy…Getting rid of her is a dream come true for me. At tribal council, I might not even be paying attention. Jeff will be talking and I might just start taking votes myself! At tribal council, I’m not taking my bag…cause I got plans on coming back.” Lisi warned the guys that Dre was more likely to go over to Cassandra’s side rather than bring her to their side. In response, as promised, Dre took control of the TC to make sure that Lisi wasn’t going to save herself. He was a genie in a bottle ready to grant her wish. He was adamant in refuting her allegation that he quit in a challenge. His best moment was when he told Jeff that Lisi had danced around the question about wanting to be there: “It’s not a hard question. It’s a yes or no question.” That had Rocky smiling! He then asked all the guys if they wanted to be there. Getting a yes from each one, he solidified the votes by showing how Lisi’s “shalingwa, shaquarry” (sic), (“soliloquy” Jeff offered) proved her hesitations. “Jeff, I’m ready to vote” he told the host. Dreamz was the hermit crab who got out of his shell. From not knowing that there was a game being played while he slept, he got his game face on very quickly. He was also the worm that made sure the OldMoto5 alliance was going to be broken up. This outspoken, direct approach has never carried a player to the end. Some cringe at his abrasive character but it is fun to watch him learn the ropes of the game. Some Players added New Weapons to their Arsenal Yau-Man wisely sat out the Meke, telling us he had no rhythm. At the immunity challenge however he showed that he is becoming the challenge powerhouse! For the spear challenge Yau had Jeff saying he was pulling an “Evil Kneivel” (?) and he received encouragements of “Come on, Yau-Man.” His success was greeted by the girls (Yau’s groupies?!) cheering, Earl commenting “From the free throw line” and Boo adding: “Michael Jooooordan!” Yau displayed his powerful biceps!! Before the archery contest, he explained he wanted the straightest arrow to hit the target and Jeff pointed out again his unique style. He single-handedly beat Ravu and we were shown Mookie’s frustration. Jeff went directly to Yau-Man to hand him the idol, where it belonged. Yau has a great story of persevering despite being underestimated. Maybe Ravu’s idol will be wasted, but there is no doubt that Moto’s idol will be played wisely. It will bring this alliance to the end game. Earl, not surprisingly was centerstage when the Fijians showed Moto the dance: “I’ve got the moves…They put me in front and I’m ready to take the lead” he assured us. “It was funny seeing Boo. Boo was doing the whole white guy thing but he hung in there and gave a great effort. I think we’ll be OK.” Such words rarely mean for the upcoming challenge only. Moto is indeed doing OK in the whole game. Arriving at the reward challenge, Jeff told us “Moto is looking good.” When Rocky was mentioned as the eliminated player, we saw Earl on screen but he had his poker face on. During the Meke, he wasn’t quite Micheal Jackson but the judges and Jeff were smiling. The Fijian head-judge told us: “For Moto, the leader was good.” (That judge must be a spoiler at heart! ) As leader, Earl decided to send Lisi to Exile Island. It broke what was left of her spirit. He also had a confessional about enjoying the beauty of the Fijian culture. “That is fascinating to me…A celebration like this feels good as a group. Now, we can finally push forward and keep going as a solid group.It’s our turn in the sun and I’m happy.” (Yul v2.0) Back in camp, Earl discussed strategy with Michelle. The way he introduced his exchange with Michelle reminded me of Tom asking Ian about the state of the union. “Michelle and I have our usual morning meetings…We always get up and she briefs me on what is happening.” Even if he did most of the talking, the impression remained; Earl, with Michelle as his spy, now has ways to find out what is going on around him. His sight is on Stacy, recognizing Boo’s value: “I think Boo, if you put Boo in the right situation, he’ll be with us…Cassandra said Boo is dangerous if he makes the merger. Stacy is automatically going to hook up with Alex and Edgardo. That is what makes her more dangerous because her vote is going to switch.” There was something odd about the editors choosing that moment to present the scene, right after Earl spoke of having a unified group.
At the immunity challenge, Earl wasn’t even needed in the individual contest. Last week, I had written "Challenge appear to be meaningless to Earl." Hearing Jeff saying that Earl didn’t even need to participate to win made me very happy. It feels as if that could last until the final vote. Earl’s presentation as THE leader of Fiji hasn’t changed. His alliance is solid and if Boo is contributing to Moto’s effort, then indeed Earl will be OK. The merge could bring a change in portrayal but for now, Earl has his seat reserved to face the jury. Of course: Some stayed the same: Even if the recap had showed that Ravu was a solid alliance of 4 guys, Alex started by telling us: “Edgardo and I are sort of in between a couple of alliances…He and I are aligned with Mookie and Dreamz and we’re aligned with Lisi on the other hand…Right now I feel like I’m in a pretty good place.” About the hidden immunity idol, Alex told us: “We’re not telling Dreamz about the immunity idol because he is very close to Cassandra. If there is a merge, he may have a flare-up of complete honesty and tell Cassandra…Once they know we have it, it’s effect is gone.” The Meke lessons were an occasion for Alex to join the players who have shown no respect for Yau-Man’s abilities. He told his tribe: “There is no way Yau-man is going to beat us at this.” He confided: “It’s kinda frustrating because we’ve lost twice to a bunch of girls and an old guy. If we don’t work in unisson, we don’t eat.” Seeing the Fijians scowling and yelling during the lessons wasn’t a good sign. Moto had the camera shots from above to show that they were working together. Ravu had Lisi who said she didn’t care if they won or not. Alex should’ve seen it coming! After reading tree mail with Edgardo, Alex confided: .We need the next immunity bad. Going into a merge 4-6…Much harder than 5-5.” He asked the guys if they had shot an arrow before and felt relieved to hear his allies’ responses. The aftermath of an another defeat had Alex explaining Lisi’s decision to us and his tribesmates. They were fine with letting her go, Dreamz in particular. The next sequence when Lisi tried to get back in the game and vote out Dreamz didn’t change Alex’s opinion: “I throw my hands up in despair, as if to say; what the hell?”
Alex’s story hasn’t changed; his alliance still exasperates him. He doesn’t know what to do and now there are only 4 members left. He can’t even hope for a 5-5 split at merge with his original alliance and he has neglected his other options. Can he really count on Mookie? He will be a victim of the numbers game. Edgardo woke up and told Mookie that Lisi had revealed the idol was on their island: “There’s a clue that says ‘where you sleep’…so I’m thinking we should tear this place all apart” he said. They were shown digging while Dreamz and Lisi slept a few feet away. He was heard saying that Lisi is an unstable player and not a very smart person playing the game, so they weren’t telling her of their find. He also agreed not to tell Dreamz. Edgardo knows what the connection between Dre and Cassandra means. He told us: “Dreamz, he may flip over. I think I’m gonna keep an eye on him because I think he’s going to be a threat.” The immunity challenge had Edgardo feeling confident: “I never say that I’m pretty good at stuff but I’m pretty good at archery”! I’ve been pretty low key in challenges, this is my time to shine.” He should’ve been worried about his performance instead of Dre! Edgardo sees the dangers surrounding him but, as soon as he wards one off, another appears. He let Mookie have the HII. Can he contain that danger? He’ll need to step up in individual challenges. If archery was his best shot, Edgardo is dead. Boo started off Moto’s day 20 by going with Michelle to meet a Fijian quartet who had tree mail. Boo informed the tribe about the Meke. He got into the dancing lessons to Earl’s amusement. Boo got Moto’s first point on the blow dart. Boo didn’t have much presence in this episode. He has remained the same nice guy who can contribute in challenges. He was close to Lisi in OldMoto. Seeing her booted before Dreamz and Mookie may get him solidly in Earl’s alliance.
Cassandra didn’t want to give the immunity spear back to Jeff. It was a fun scene but it lets us imagine that she could let immunity slip out of her grasp when she really needs it. She listened to Earl when he signaled she should sit out. Cassandra remained the loyal player who’s importance will mainly be in the votes she brings. Despite having little to do in the episode, everyone except Stacy, Boo and Yau mentioned her name and how she will influence the game. The woman has power and she could be the kingmaker. If so, will she be listening to Earl or on Dreamz's side?
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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04-15-07, 03:43 PM (EST)
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74. "Episode #9: Thoughts" |
LAST EDITED ON 04-15-07 AT 04:17 PM (EST)This episode, if it wasn't on network TV, could've been titled: BASTARDS! The game kept the players unbalanced throughout the episode. How did it affect the players and how did our long term players stand out? Edgardo was worried when the episode started. Worried about Mookie playing the idol against him and worried that he didn’t know where Dreamz was. When Dreamz mentioned it was great to be on the jury, Edgardo said he wanted to make final 9. That wouldn’t be an indication of where he finishes, now would it?! At least, right in the opening sequence, he told us this game had many surprises and that anything could happen. It turned out to be the theme of this episode. He told his tribe that he was ready: “Right now, we have to get nasty. We have to use everything that we have.” During the episode, Edgardo was never at the forefront, only seen reacting to events that happened around him. Those interactions were more about the stories of the other players than his own. His story really began when they reached the challenge beach: Looking at the make-up of the tribes, Edgardo worried again since he was the lone NuRavu on the orange team. Winning that challenge and escaping TC gave him a great reason to enjoy the reward, especially the wine. Still, he worried about what was happening at TC: “I’m a little bit worried about Alex right now. I hope he doesn’t get voted out because if he gets voted out, all my plans, all the strategies I’ve worked on for the last 24 days, they will be gone. Mookie has the idol right now and maybe he can use the idol smartly.” Edgardo wasn’t shown as the one making the plans but one that depended on Alex. Since those plans didn’t go too well then we can’t expect Edgardo making it far. Add the fact that we heard him say that his “plan” was to make Final 9 and the editors may have revealed the next boot. He should worry! Alex had a rude awakening on day 22 when he realized he had put all his faith in Mookie. Thinking a merge was imminent, he gathered the other three guys and advised them: “We need to be clear on who we are targeting.(To Dreamz) You’re targeting Cassandra. (To Mookie) You’re…Michelle… and me, Stacy.” He then explained the tribe’s plan: “So the master plan is basically, if we merge: Dreamz tries to pull Cassandra over, giving us 5-5. Mookie tries to pull Michelle or Yau-Man.” He concluded by telling the tribe: “I think I can pull Stacy…Each of us has proven our loyalty to the others by essentially giving up someone we were aligned with for the sake of the four, the 4 Horsemen. You gave up Rock, we gave up Lisi.” After the excursion to exile island where Alex feared the cannibalism would start (!) and as the boat reached Moto beach, a confessional from Alex was inserted. It was just before the tribe realized that Moto had been stripped: “Thank God, after 7 days of hell at Ravu, I get to eat rice, potatos…toothbrush, toothpaste, a shower, I smell like crap, I know. Finally…Finally, things are looking up.” I don’t think a sole survivor would be heard saying that things are looking up because he gets to have a shower. Entering the new camp, the ones heard complaining or seen with a disgusted look on their face were all the original Moto and Mookie. Can we eliminate them now? Looking at the barren land where once stood a nice shelter, Alex exclaimed: “What the hell? This is so messed up! Bastards!” He confided: “We got Nothing…Nothing” While Edgardo read the new instructions, we had a shot of Alex looking at his new surroundings with a worried look on his face. After that momentary loss of focus, Alex did get back into game mode. He distributed tasks for his fellow castaways and told us: “ The first couple of hours are really crucial. They are going to decide who is the final 5.” His initial contact with Stacy reassured him: “I can use the relationships I’ve had to create smoke and mirrors and keep them sort of guessing so that the 4 horsemen can take it all the way. Unless I’m mistaken, the 4 of us are controlling this game right now. I could be wrong and I could be getting set up, but this is my best bet. What can I do?” From there, Alex agreed with Dreamz and Mookie that Boo was their first target and Stacy the next. When Mookie revealed to Dreamz that they had the idol, Alex had to scramble to make sure Dreamz’s “honesty” wouldn’t hurt them. He told Edgardo that the secret hadn’t been kept and then he decided that Stacy was their #5. Alex also had to scramble during the challenge after Stacy and Dreamz couldn’t figure out Jeff’s “learning curve” as quickly as Yau-Man. He retrieved the puzzle pieces and tried to put them together with Michelle but they couldn’t catch up. Alex only found his balance during TC when he used Jeff’s line of questioning to salvage the OldMoto alliance. He used Michelle’s honesty against her: She had given a rationale why Dreamz and Alex should be voted out. That only increased the general paranoïa. He calmed the situation by telling everyone that Michelle was the only person he had a reason to vote out, that he had “no good reason to vote Stacy out…to vote Mookie out…to vote Dreamz out.” That condemned Earl’s spy and saved Stacy. It seems however that he lost one of his horseman; Mookie still voting against Stacy. In an episode where each player’s balance was tested, Alex was portrayed as someone who wasn’t ready to play in a real “Survivor” environment. His answer to Jeff about the “crappy” camp was the one chosen to make the TC discussion. He was also seen having to scramble left and right to put out fires. His plan was too complicated and soon ran into trouble when they had to decide which ally to keep. The plan had worked too well! He did get the final word when he got rid of an important member of the opposing alliance. If the episode was about keeping your cool despite all the twists, then he didn’t deliver a very consistent performance. Boo interrupted the nice Hawaiian music that had gently awaken Michelle and Stacy from their deep sleep. His scream of “Tree mail” was a signal that there wouldn’t be anymore Hawaiian music for a while. “Are we gonna live on Exile Island for the rest of the time?” He wasn’t happy when he confided: “We got tree mail and, OH! Man! We are leaving our camp. This sucks.” He asked the others: “Can’t we bring any reward?” Boo told us that he was taken off guard once more: “I had my niche in the first Moto tribe, I had my niche in the second Moto tribe and I was pretty comfortable. At this point, I don’t feel comfortable at all so I’m gonna take a back seat and that’s all I can do is be a good little helper. Then, when it’s time, I’ll assume a leadership role again.” Boo was not seen in any discussion regarding the new alliances. He had no idea what was happening when they picked rocks at the challenge. “I think we twist again” was his answer when Jeff asked what he thought. Despite that, we saw that he is working on a bond with Earl. The two knocked fists as Jeff told them they were on the same team: Two team mates were encouraging each other. As always, victories and the celebrations that follow, create bonds. Boo is not clueless and he told us: “That challenge saved my butt.” Even cooking nice steaks helps and that meal looked good. Boo said it brought his spirits back up. Balance isn’t one of Boo’s main attributes so we couldn’t expect a great showing from him! It was surprising how members from both sides, including Stacy, targeted him but he is a strong man and a natural merge boot. He will need an alliance to save him so his future may depend on how strong that bond with Earl is. Even so, he can only be at the bottom of the pecking order. He better be really strong in all challenges. Stacy, after hearing the tree mail, had a quick reaction that showed that she thinks of her comforts first. “Lets boil all the remaining rice” she suggested before leaving everything else behind. Hearing that the game was starting anew, Stacy voted for “Bula Bula” as the new tribe name. Painting the flag with Michelle she told her: “I think we are safe now…I don’t think we’re a threat because we’re girls and those guys are going to be super competitive.” She told us: “Boys will go after boys and leave us alone…We’re going to be the last to go. At least, that’s how it’s lined up now. We’re in a good spot.” Stacy talked with Alex about booting Boo and he agreed that they had to do what was most convenient right now. Stacy told us that she trusted Alex: “We’re both original Moto and that’s just a chance that I’m taking. He’s the most trustworthy person that I can think of right now.” She was happy to hear Alex tell her that, with Ed, they were the most solid group in the game. Stacy was shown as not knowing what was really happening around her when, as soon as she told us she trusted Alex, he told us the 4 horesemen were controlling the game. She was saved partly by Alex’s answers at TC but mainly by Dreamz’s “strategy”. She can’t rely on Dreamz’s strategy for too long since Dreamz may not know what is own strategy is! Mookie, during the recap, was said to share the idol with Edgardo and Alex and that they all had agreed to keep the secret from Dre “for his own protection” according to Alex. We didn’t hear Mookie saying it was in his pocket during the recap. Day 22 started with Edgardo asking Mookie to put the idol in a bag for safekeeping. We immediately were reminded of Mookie’s potential for betrayal with his answer: “It’s all good. I’ve been holding it the whole time.” The music set the stage for his confessional: “The idol I have in my pocket is actually for…I’m selfish. I’ll admit it in this game. It’s for myself, to get myself further along in this game. Now, if that plays in my alliance with these guys, to use these guys to get further, then I’m all for it.” The scene ended with Mookie promising Alex and Edgardo not to double-cross them: “Just to know, my word; I would never do that. Ever.” Hearing the tree mail that Alex read, Mookie figured they would all meet and merge at Exile island. In the Island’s tree house it was his reaction that the camera focused on when Michelle told everyone that the merged tribe was going to live at the Moto camp. With both arms raised to the sky, he yelled: “I finally get to see Motoooo!” He then confided: “For once, I get to see Moto and experience the island because I’m the only person who hasn’t been there yet.” He seemed so happy…The game can be so cruel sometimes! Mookie was with Dreamz when he told Cassandra and Yau that the two guys had hooked up while on Ravu. Cassandra was hoping to hear that so that they could all work together. Mookie had ulterior motives: “First thing we did when we got on this island, the 4 horsemen, as we discussed, we were going to split up and figure what was happening at Moto. We went straight to work and infiltrated their group and kinda gained their trust.” The group quickly set their sights on Boo who they felt stirs up trouble. Mookie was happy: “The plan is working out fine, we just have to execute it right.” A Plan gets Executed!
Mookie was walking in the jungle with Alex and Dreamz when the three agreed that Boo was next. Mookie told Alex that Stacy should go right after and Alex didn’t object. Mookie chose that occasion to tell Dreamz they had found the Ravu idol. Alex was caught off guard and advised Dreamz not to tell anyone. Later, while fishing with Edgardo and Mookie, Alex told the 4th horseman that Dreamz was aware of the idol. Edgardo told Mookie that he didn’t like that plan because Cassandra and Earl would soon know about the idol. “If Dreamz tells somebody” Edgardo threatened, “I’m gonna have to kill you, Mookie.” Alex chose that moment to tell Mookie that Stacy would be loyal and would be a good 5th. Mookie kept his head down and the image suggested he didn’t like that change of plan. He would soon tell us: “The original plan was to actually take out Boo and then Stacy. Things change…Alex and Edgardo want to bring in Stacy. Now bringing in Stacy is only in their best interest. When we get down to five like we planned, Stacy is on their side and me and Dreamz are left out of the loop.” Mookie felt paranoid at TC: “You don’t know where you stand anymore.” He heard Alex target Michelle during the TC but he couldn’t bring himself to let Stacy survive the vote. His vote, although he had told Alex that Stacy was someone to target, should signal the end of the 4 horsemen. Following Mookie during this episode, it felt as if the horsemen hadn’t counted on bringing in so many allies. The execution of the plan was seriously faulty. If the 4 horsemen were in control of the game, anybody else find it a strange that they didn’t even control their own actions? We see a preview of a confrontation between Mookie and Dreamz but there has to be one brewing between Mookie and Alex. Dre’s line: “Jeff, I’m ready to vote” was replayed in the recap before Lisi was voted out. Day 22 started with Dreamz bringing a large supply of pineapples. Making top 10 was not bad at all but he wasn’t content with the 9th position proposed by Edgardo. “Gotta make it to the top 4” he said with determination. That number should also be kept in mind. Even if he was shown in the scene when the tribe realized the new, harsh conditions of Moto, Dreamz at least agreed with Earl that “a cave and a machete is all we need.” If one of the players that was shown to be unhappy with their new living conditions is salvageable, it could be our homeless guy. Things started out well for Dreamz has he had managed to get Cassandra and Yau to agree on booting Boo. Suddenly, it changed when Mookie told him they had found the idol a few days ago. Dreamz didn’t react as his allies expected: “When Alex and Mookie told me they had the immunity idol, I got kinda mad because they didn’t tell me when they first found it. We had a pact and it made me not trust them a little bit.” He assured Alex he wouldn’t tell anyone, even Cassandra, about the idol. Dreamz got worse news when Mookie told him that Stacy was now in Alex’s plan. “No” he says “point blank; no because that’s you and me out. I don’t trust nobody with Stacy around.” His confessional left no doubt that he wanted Stacy gone because she treated Cassandra and him so poorly at old Moto. At TC, he told Jeff he was happy with the merge. “It was like day 1…except I had friends on the OldMoto and the NuRavu.” He did a “Sandra” impersonation when he told Jeff “a good reason to vote out Stacy is because it ain’t me!” He heard Michelle say she didn’t know him and that she feared the unknown. He understood what Alex was so blatantly telling everyone to do. His vote for Michelle preserved his place in the horsemen alliance and could even push him ahead of Mookie. Dreamz is hard to follow. He was shown to be disappointed with the new camp but he quickly recovered. He wants Stacy out yet he saves her. His vote against Michelle is hard to understand but does he even know why he did it? One thing it did was make him more valuable to both alliances. Playing the middle is dangerous. Very few have been able to keep their balance while walking that fine line between alliances.
Cassandra knew something bad was about to happen as soon as she saw the tree mail. Still hoping to find steaks in the Island’s tree house, Cassandra told us she thought they would be living on Exile Island for a while. Hearing the news of a return to Moto, she was all smiles when she told us: “I was so elated to be going back to Moto Island. Thinking: How am I gonna make it on Exile Island? There was going to be the snakes, no bed, no couch. Lord! Please! What are we going to do? Play Survivor, maybe? After talking with Earl on the beach, Cassandra told us where she stood: “My alliance is with people from the Ravu side…Earl,Yau-Man. And then, Earl has Michelle on his side and then, definitely Dreamz. I was really hoping that he would make it through to the merge.” “We have the numbers on our side” she told Earl. Cassandra isn’t shown as someone who is playing Survivor. Her vote will help her alliance but she will not profit from it in the long run. She cannot use her power, she can only give power. A kingmaker not a Queen. Yau-Man was featured in the recap as we were reminded that he found the idol, that he has a strong alliance with Earl and that he dominated the previous challenge. Seeing Ravu finally arriving at Exile Island, Yau-Man faked surprise and said: “They Survived! They Survived!”For how long? Yau-Man was in a good mood on Exile: “Some thought that there was a big party waiting somewhere! We have no idea what is going on.” Profiting from the division of tasks, Yau-Man had a first conference with Mookie, Dreamz and Cassandra as they took care of the chores in camp. Tending the fire, Yau reacted when Mookie asked him if he could still trust him: “I’m glad you didn’t go to the dark side. I was afraid you went over to the dark side.” He told Mookie that Boo and Stacy were the next to go. He explained his plan “Potentially, there should be two immunity idols in play right now in the game. The question is: Who’s got the other one…We would like to vote out Boo and we have pretty much secured Mookie’s and Dreamz’s vote but we don’t trust nobody here.” Yau-Man won another challenge for his team with his ability to grab the bags with the pole and with the last minute changes he made on the position of the symbols as Jeff noted. Yau-Man kept his balance in this episode. He should stay on his feet until the end. Still, his plan is all wrapped up in the idol so what happens after he plays it? His story of vulnerability is a very nice one but it isn’t necessarily a winning story. It gets him far but his plan doesn’t cover the last step. He is holding the idol, Earl is holding the cards. Earl had his spy telling us how they felt about the early tree mail: “Me and Earl actually exchanged glances and we were like: This is Great! We can totally do this” said Michelle. She went on: “Cassandra, Stacy and Boo have been living the whole time on honeymoon Fiji here. They are like: Oh! My God! We’re going to die.” Arriving on Exile Island, Earl told us how everyone felt: “People rack their brains trying to figure out what is going to happen next…Everyone is depending on this merge because they’re nervous... You get dependant on something where, I know I’m going to be safe once I get my boys back. But there might not be a merge…Instead of thinking so far ahead about this merge…you better think of right now, who is watching you and might want to vote you out tomorrow.” Interesting that Earl thinks about getting “His Boys” back. Are Dreamz and Mookie really his boys?! In contrast to all the players that were disappointed at seeing the stripped down accomodations, Earl appeared right after the commercial break saying: “This is real Survivor. We have a cave…We already have been trained for this.” He explained his reaction: “We had…Nothing. I felt OK with that. I kinda laughed, I had a smirk on my face. I’ve already been trained. Being at the old Ravu for 13 days. Hey! I’m just back home again.” Later he added: “There’s a core group. There’s a tribe within a tribe and the tribe within the tribe is myself, Michelle, Cassandra and Yau. Now, it’s just divide and conquer. We gotta divide the old Moto. We gotta get them one by one, we gotta knock’em out.” Interestingly, the editors showed Alex, the opposing leader, dividing the players himself by assigning different tasks: “Two can go fishing, two can go crabbing.” How easy will Earl’s job be if Alex does it for him?!! Compared to the chaotic discussions of the 4 horsemen, Earl had a calm discussion with Cassandra while relaxing on the beach. “No one knows who has who. That’s great…You and Michelle are the most popular girls right now…As long as they don’t pay any attention to Dreamz…. I still don’t trust Mookie…Keep them thinking they have you. Keep them thinking that I’m not thinking.” I would have to agree with Cassandra that it’s an easier plan to execute. Earl was ready: “I was happy with the merge because now the game is really on. It’s time to take it to the advanced level.” During the late feast after winning the challenge, Earl said the boot could be a complete surprise but that it will most likely be Michelle or Stacy. To us, he revealed, for the first time, concern about a boot: “If Michelle is gone, I’m definitely concerned about the future because she’s a key component in my strategy. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that she’s still alive.” He was expecting a lot of truth to come out of the vote. Indeed, the vote was quite revealing. Can Earl use that truth? I suppose he can. The game is in the advanced stage and no one has shown better control than Earl. He has never been affected by boots before so Michelle being booted shouldn’t be any different than Erica or Anthony. The last confessional did put Earl in a potential underdog position but he is the only one to have devised a workable plan. And hearing him say that he was “back home again” reminded us that in episode one, he had taken possession of that home when, after visiting the different “rooms”, he had proclaimed to be the “King of Fiji”.
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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04-16-07, 10:23 AM (EST)
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75. "RE: Episode 9 Editing" |
Michel, thank you for your exhaustive analysis. I like your breakdown on each contestant for the last episode especially Alex. My take on Earl’s confessional was a bit different than yours in that I had felt when Earl spoke about “getting his boys back” it referred to the general thought process of others, not Earl specifically but that is the beauty of this show and how things are interpreted. Ironically, what you indicate about Earl and his having complete control and never having to worry about prior boots so Michelle leaving shouldn’t be any different is exactly what has me more optimistic about his end game. There needs to be some doubt to someone’s game and chances so this “chink” in Earl’s game actually bodes well for him. I was hoping for a bad hand (if we are to continue with the poker analogy) to be at least shown to create some doubt in his carefully laid plans.Recap Yao Man discovers the idol hidden on Moto and immediately informs Earl (Yao Man then tells us how he didn't believe a big strong black male would become an ally) Mookie, Alex and Edgardo found the idol at Ravu and made a pact not to tell Lisi or Dre Alex (conf) "Dreamz is not good at keeping his trap shut so we are doing it for his protection and our own" (obvious set up for last night's episode) At the RC, Earl led Moto to victory Lisi was banished to Exile Island where she broke down At the IC, Yao Man dominated for Moto Decision clear when Lisi threw in towel Alex (conf) "I could have potentially used her in the future" Lisi had second thoughts which threw Edgardo and Alex for a loop Edgardo: (on screen) "The game is about to get a lot nastier" At TC, Dre called Lisi out Lisi is voted out (with a small satisfied smile from Dre) More “Idol” Talk Alex, Edgardo and Mookie are together when the hidden idol is brought up. We also saw the idol brought up in the recap to outline who has it and who knows along with some commentary in this episode about it. We saw the outcome of this episode had nothing to do with the idol thus not necessary to discuss. It stands to reason then that the story is progressing in its usual manner and keeping the audience reminded of certain items because they may be an issue. Edgardo "So do you got the idol with you?" Mookie (on screen) "It's all good, I've been holding it the whole time" Edgardo "If you use it against me, I'm gonna (could not hear this)" Mookie (conf) "The idol in my pocket is actually for.... I'm selfish.... it's for myself.. now if that plays into my alliance to use these guys to get further, then I'm all for it" Alex "We're placing our faith in you" Mookie (on screen) "Just know my word I would never do that to you guys...." Alex "Okay, fair enough" Edgardo "Where's Dreamz?" (Alex’s confessional now shown) Dreamz joins the others. Alex "Top ten, that's not bad, not bad at all" Edgardo "Let's make it top nine" Dre "Gotta make it to the top four" Edgardo "One at a time you know" Alex (conf) "We didn't tell Dreamz about the idol, not because we didn't want to keep it from him to use it against him but really because we don't think Dreamz is good about keeping information to himself" Suffice it to say, number talk always bothers me and it would appear then, this group en masse will not see the fruits of their labor as a foursome. Yet again, more idol discussion is shown when not necessary and again it is noted about Dre and his problem with keeping information to himself. Obviously we are shown this because of what we learn is going to happen in the upcoming episode. A big story is commencing with all the discussion of the idols, Dreamz being loose with information (and less we forget Dreamz original plan of taking down his prior tribe with the exception of Cassandra.) It was alluded that Dre's involvement in this game would "take off" at merger (recall his "merger" talk and how he would put on his “snakeskin boots") Dre should be a huge focus now that the merger is here. Michelle and Stacey were shown again as Michelle described, in the "same function" laying down and resting with some nice visuals of Moto's creature comforts. Cassandra advises the troops that it isn't a good tree mail as we find out both groups are to go to Exile Island. Boo "....we're like oh man, we're leaving our camp, that sucks" Michelle (conf) "...with the old Ravu situation, I know I could sleep in the dirt and not eat a lot of food for awhile. Me and Earl actually exchanged glances like this is great, we can totally do this. Cassandra, Stacy and Boo have been living the whole time on Honeymoon Fiji here and they're like oh my God, we're gonna die" Alex tells his "horsemen" to gather around for the same news and a consensus that they will be merging at Exile Island is stated. Edgardo (conf) "I don't know what to expect right now; the game takes so many twists. I'm hoping for a merge but if it's not it's part of the game" Mookie "We need to be clear on who we're targeting" Alex "We're targeting Cassandra" Dre "I'm getting Cassandra" Alex "You're (to Mookie) Michelle" Dre "And you Stacy" (Alex's confessional shown) Alex "I think I can pull Stacy" Dre "Remember this time here, remember how we feel and nobody will turn back, know what I'm saying" Alex "And the bottom line is, each of us has proven (Edgardo shown) our loyalty to the other by essentially giving up somebody we were aligned with for the sake of the four; the four horsemen. You gave up Rock (to Mookie) we gave up Lisi" Edgardo "Right now we have to get nasty and we have to use everything we have" Dre "Let's play it" Alex (conf) "So the master plan is if we merge, Dreamz tries to pull Cassandra over, giving us 5, 5, Mookie tries to pull Michelle or Yao Man.... (this is the same confessional spot as when he talks about not telling Dre about the idol) The Return Of Exile Island Earl (conf) "Everyone was nervous, we don't know if a merge is coming up or how it's going to work, people were pretty much wracking their brains trying to figure out how it was going to work" and I think everyone is depending on this merge just because their nervous so you get dependent on something like I know I'm gonna be safe once I get my boys back but there might not be a merge, you just never know. Instead of thinking so far ahead with this merge and being dependent on that (Earl/Mookie greet) you gotta be thinking about right now who's watching you might wanna vote you off tomorrow" (Mookie/Yao Man greet) Yao Man (conf) "When we got to Exile Island and we met up with each other and we greeted each other and some of us thought a merge was happening, others thought there was a big party... we still have our old colors and old flags; we have no idea of what's going on" Alex (conf) "When we got to Exile Island, there was no instruction, Jeff wasn't around, I kinda thought we were going to just live on Exile Island but hey at least we came from Ravu...." Notable differences in the Exile Island confessionals. Earl is talking strategy, Yao Man the thought process of the contestants and Alex thinking of his own feelings of what is happening right then and there to himself Cassandra (conf) "We decided to go to the top of the tower, the entire tribe, our own little tree house expecting that is where we were gonna be for awhile" The group finds their new buffs with news they are to go to Moto Mookie (conf) "For once, I get to see Moto and experience that island because I am the only person who has not been there yet" Mookie/Cassandra hug with Earl advising "You guys got lucky, you never got to experience any of the hardships" (with Earl then hugging Cassandra) Cassandra (conf) "I'm so elated to go back to Moto, I was thinking Oh Lord, how am I gonna make it on Exile Island...." Alex "Thank God after seven days of hell at Ravu, I get to eat rice, potatoes.... I'll probably get a turn at the bed tonight. Finally, finally, things are looking up" (Irony at its best!) The tribe reacts to seeing Moto stripped down. Mookie "I can't even get a bed! I didn't get anything" Alex "This is like a bad dream" Earl "This is real Survivor, we have a cave" Dre "We have a pot and machete" Earl "We have a pot, a machete and a cave" Dre "So that's it, that's all we need" Earl "That's all we need, we've already been trained for this" Alex "When we got onto the Moto beach and lo and behold, nothing (green tank, purple buff on head sitting down with knees up) Mookie "I've never seen Moto" Alex "You never did get to see Moto" Mookie "...never got anything" Dre (on screen) "Start from scratch baby.... day one, square one" (Edgardo shown) Earl "This is like when we first got here" (said on screen with Edgardo shown) "There was nothing here" Earl (conf) "Everything was gone...I feel okay with that, I kinda laughed. I had a little smirk on my face because I've already been trained.... hey I'm just back home again" Edgardo reads the mail with Stacy asking what the name should be. Edgardo suggest something to do with the island and Bula Bula is agreed upon. Michelle tells us in a confessional they decided on Bula (as an aside, Michelle was in the exact same spot with the exact same dress (right down to the tan lines) as when she was in her confessional with respect to finding out they were going to Exile Island and how she and Earl glanced at each other. The only difference was that her buff, which she wore as a shirt was first green then purple. I am not an expert on the fine points of digital work but it appears that they used the same confessional but the editors may have changed the color of her buff) and Michelle and Stacy begin work on the flag Michelle "You can never be too sure in this game. You want to be in a safe spot" Stacy "I think we are, don't you?" Michelle "Yeah, yeah. I'm a little worried because you guys are still super close" Stacy "Yeah but the thing is I don't think we're a threat because we're girls and those guys are going to get super competitive" Stacy (conf) "It's interesting, I think boys are going to start attacking boys and getting them off the game before they're gonna touch the girls because they look at us as non threats so we'll be like the last to go, I mean that's how it's lined up for now, we're in a pretty good spot" (It will be interesting to see if what she states comes to fruition especially since her name was thrown around quite a bit as an impending boot.) Edgardo "Now I'm thinking the other island's better" Earl "As far as fishing yeah" (Some of the "boys" are conversing) Earl (conf) "We're in a new tribe now but there's a core group there's a tribe within a tribe (this is the same confessional as when he discussed having a smirk about the tribe conditions as he was already trained) and the tribe within the tribe is myself, Michelle, Cassandra and Yao. Now it's just divide and conquer, have to divide that old Moto and get them one by one, knock em out" (More likely than not, Earl’s job will not be that simple. Statements such as this are not usually met with complete success and we already saw this occur with Michelle’s leaving.) Alex (conf) "So the moment has finally arrived (Earl), these first couple of hours are really crucial (Dre) they're gonna determine who's the final five; I'm ready to fight" (same confessional as when he described the arrival) Alex calls out the order of business with visuals of Boo looking on. Boo (conf) "I had my niche in the first Moto tribe, I have my niche in the second Moto tribe and I was very comfortable and at this point I'm not comfortable at all so I'm gonna take a backseat and that's all I can do is be a good little helper" (At this point, Boo’s confessional changed a bit, he is seated slightly different and his buff changed location) and when it's time I'll assume the leadership role again" I’m not entirely sure when Boo was EXACTLY the leader but doubt shed on someone is not necessarily a bad thing. Boo had been relatively low key for a bit but it appears that his story in this game may be expanding. His name was tossed around by all members that he is the planned boot that it is hard for me to believe we will see this happening Mookie asks Cassandra how camp was here and she advises it was good and had a nice thing going (Dre and YaoMan also present) Mookie "Me and Dreamz hooked up at Ravu so we got good" Cassandra "I was hoping that" Mookie "And me and Yao, I trust Yao at Ravu" Cassandra "And Earl and Michelle" Mookie "Was I someone you could trust Yao?" Yao Man "Yeah, I'm glad you didn't go to the dark side" (said on screen) "I was afraid you went over to the dark side" Cassandra "We were all afraid" First portion of Mookie’s confessional shown Mookie "What's going on with Boo (voiceover with Dre shown) are you guys good with Boo, do you guys like him..." Cassandra "Oh no..." Dre "Who goes first" (said to Cassandra) Yao Man "It's a tie between Boo and Stacy, Stacey because we don't want that Alex connection..." Dre "Alright let's take out Boo then Stacey" (said on screen and we all know boot orders do not work out how they are supposed to) Mookie "Thing is Boo stirs too much, you gotta get him out before he starts like..." (Second part of Mookie’s confessional now shown) Dre "So Boo first" Mookie "And then Stacy or Alex" (Yao Man shown) "Thank God I still have Ravu people left here" Mookie (conf) "First second we got onto this island the four horseman as we discussed split up and figured out what was happening at Moto so we went straight to work and infiltrated that group and kinda gained their trust" and "Right away, we found they want Boo out and then we take out Stacy. (voiceover) Right now our plan is working out perfectly as far as we know, we just have to execute it right" (the last portion was in same confessional spot when discussing the four horseman) Discussion of “plans” and the like and how they are working out “perfectly” are normally set up for ironic purposes. The four horseman’s “plan” like Earl’s “plan” are probably being set up for a fall. In terms of Survivor, Mookie, Edgardo, Alex and Dre will not be successful as a foursome and Earl, Michelle, Cassandra and Yao Man would not either (with obviously Earl’s already) Yao Man (conf) "Currently I am the only one with the idol (voice over with Earl Shown) and Earl's the only one who knows I have the idol. Potentially there should (Dre then Mookie) be two idols in play right now; the question is who's got the other one. Next opportunity we would like to vote out Boo and I think we pretty much have secure Mookie and Dreamz both but "we" don't trust nobody here" (Again, Yao Man’s story is somewhat confined to the idol in terms of game play. His already wonderful story of his success amongst the “big strong guys” is an editor’s dream but I would feel more confident of Yao Man’s success if we heard more about the game that isn’t tied directly to the idol as it seems to reinforce that his success is solely dependent on the idol. Once it is played (if that should occur) then what becomes of Yau Man?) The flag is hung and a lovely image of a very big and colorful bug shell is being led away by an army of ants Stacy "We need to get Boo out of here" Alex "Yea, he's first for sure" Stacy (conf) "I really have a lot of trust in Alex because we're both original Moto's and that's just a chance that I am taking but he's the most trustworthy person I can think of right now" (This is the same spot as Stacy’s earlier confessional where she discussed the boys going after each other. Beware of placing too much trust in someone and being shown to say it as well!) Alex "I think we should do what is the most convenient for us; you know me, you and Ed are tighter then whoever it is that is around" Stacy "We're also more solid too on a vote" Alex (conf) "I can use the relationship I've had to create smoke and mirrors to keep them sorta guessing so that the four horseman can take it all the way. Unless I'm mistaken the four of us are controlling this game right now. I could be wrong and I could be getting set up but this is my best bet what can I do?" (As this is the same spot as the "final five” confessional with his notion of being ready to fight which is also the same spot of his arrival confessional, he appears to be speaking much earlier in their arrival even though this particular portion of the confessional was situated later in the episode.) Alex "I know you are smart I just wanted you to have all the information I have" Stacy "I appreciate it" Alex "Everybody wants Boo off" (said on screen) Mookie "So Boo is going to go off first, thing is..." Dre "Then we are going to get Stacy out" Mookie "Then, we're, we're gonna get Stacy off" (Alex shown during this) Mookie "I didn't tell you (to Dre) but we found the immunity idol on Ravu" (a close up of Alex shown) Alex (conf) "All of a sudden Mookie let Dreamz know (In grass, knees up, sitting towards our left, green tank with buff on head) that we had the idol and as soon as that happened I was like that was not so smart" Alex "But you can't say a word..." Dre "Do I look like... shut up!" Alex "You get really honest; you can't even tell Cassandra!" (on screen) Dre "No, no...." (First part of Dre’s confessional shown) Dre "When did ya'll find it" (on screen) Alex "Just a few days ago" Dre "Why didn't y'all tell me?" Mookie "Only because of Cassandra; just to make sure. But we were going to tell you" (Second portion of Dre’s confessional shown) Alex "You get very honest" (on screen) Dre "No, I wouldn't have said anything, glad you told me now cuz I was getting kinda scared...." Mookie "Now it's perfect" Dre "Everything's perfect, let's do it ya'll. Don't screw up, no more talking" Dre (conf) "When Alex and Mookie told me they had the immunity idol I was kinda mad because they didn't tell me when they first found it" and "We had a pact (same confessional spot) and it kinda made me not trust them a little bit and made me feel on the outskirts so I’m gonna trust them until I can't trust them no more" More focus on Dre and the question of whether he can keep his impulsive nature on track. Considering the preview, Alex had a right to be worried. Dre has been shown from day one that he speaks his mind and his game play is based upon more about his personal feelings then any in depth strategic play. Ironically, for all of Dre’s passion of what should happen, he always appears to “fold” to a higher power. Dre is a great “character” but has no sense of the finer points of playing this game. This is no slithering sneaky snake but a full blown rattler baring his teeth A shark then appears in the very waters that Alex, Edgardo and Mookie are paddling their boat (very symbolic perhaps?) Alex "Dreamz knows about the immunity idol by the way" Edgardo "Who told him?" Alex "Mookie wanted to tell him" Mookie "Had to" Edgardo "Why? I"m gonna tell you right now I don't like that plan; not that I don't trust you but we are trusting all these people and ...." Mookie "We're taking out Boo first, that's everyone's consensus." (Edgardo’s confessional now shown) Edgardo "Now I feel really uncomfortable, Dreamz knows about the idol, Cassandra knows about the idol, Earl knows about the idol, get what I'm saying?" (Interesting that Edgardo made the immediate connection from Cass to Earl) Alex "Maybe we should just take Boo out first and then at that point Stacy has nowhere to go, I trust Stacy, she's not gonna. She's not gonna do anything (said onscreen) so we can pull her in that's a five - four majority (camera on Mookie the entire time) that's the simplest way, Stacy will be loyal and we don't really have to worry about her winning the final immunity I don't think and we could put whatever order you want I don't care. So what do you guys think?" (Interesting the investment that Alex has made into Stacy. I frankly would not be surprised if Stacy shows herself to be untrustworthy) Mookie "That's fine, we could just pull Stacy, vote off Boo and then, that's fine" (on screen) (Mookie’s confessional now shown) Edgardo "If Dreamz tells somebody I am going to seriously kill you man" (camera on Mookie) Edgardo (conf) "I'm pissed about the whole situation, we found the immunity idol, it's something you need to keep between two or three people to make it work, that's all the people that needed to be told and Mookie told Dreamz out of nowhere" Mookie (conf) "The original plan was to actually kick out Boo then Stacy. Things change. Alex and Edgardo want to bring Stacey. Now bringing on Stacy is only in their best interest because they still have the relationship from old Moto so when it gets down to five as planned, Stacy is on their side and me and Dreamz, we are left out of the loop" (More seeds planted that not all is well with the four horseman. Tension is already shown to be occurring next week between these four) Earl "No one knows who has who, that's great. You're still the most popular girl here right now, you and Michelle too actually." Cassandra "Uh huh" Earl "Michelle is pretty popular" Earl "As long as they don't pay any attention to Dreamz still. I still don't trust Mookie" (Cassandra’s confessional now shown) Cassandra "We pretty much have the numbers on our side " Earl "Hey just keep them thinking that they have you; keep them thinking that I'm not thinking and… Cassandra "Definitely do that, that is easy" Earl "We'll just sail on" Cassandra (conf) "My alliance is with some of the people from Ravu side, Earl, Yao Man and then Earl has Michelle on his side and then Dreamz I was definitely hoping that he would make it through to the merge" (I’m still inclined to believe as I stated earlier that Cassandra’s stay in the game appears dependent on others unlike herself. She is insulated quite nicely but she is portrayed as someone for OTHERS to utilize. We never get a sense from Cassandra what she is actively doing. We hear Earl touch upon Cassandra, we hear Dre touch upon her but we only hear generic words from Cassandra about what something “is” She is not essentially showing us she is playing the game and there really is no true story surrounding her either) Earl (conf) "I was actually happy about the merge cause now the game is really on, it's time to take it to the advanced level" (This is the same confessional as when Earl told us he would “knock them out” At this time, Cassandra walks away with Earl still sitting there - it did give off the sense that she held court with the King ) Alex calls people away for a swim..... Mookie "Still Boo?" Dre"Boo, Stacy, cuz that's two out of the way" Mookie "They're saying they want to keep Stacy on board and use her the whole time to have the majority" Dre "That's me and you out" Mookie "That's why I don't want to take Stacy with us" Dre "No way, no way" Mookie "They want Stacy on their side to take one of us out …. ….putting too much into Alex’s hands” Dre “I ain’t trusting nobody with Stacy around… …that’s why I said Stacy second. Do you understand that, I was planning that a long time ago” Dre (conf) “I’m really looking forward to voting off Stacy cuz she treated me real bad…now she’s all happy and glad to see me all of a sudden cause I got friends and ain’t got no power no more. She’s got to go!” (This is the same spot as his earlier confessionals as well. Again, Dre is emphatic in what he wants yet he contradicts himself by not following through. He appears to be someone who is determined but then capitulates. I’ve no doubt there are big things coming with Dre’s character but most of his “strategy” is shooting from the cuff despite his indication that he planned things a long time ago. That was not a plan he devised, it was an emotional response and Dre has been shown to be an emotional player which could be costly. I’m also not entirely comfortable with his final standing as I go back to the first episode where he was shown arguing and loud and making inappropriate remarks although his back story is quite compelling and ties in nicely with the “warrior” type persona attached to him.) Immunity and a Twist The twist is revealed and the Survivors take their place hesitantly. Jeff noticed Edgardo shrugged his shoulders with which Edgardo replies: “I don’t know what to expect anymore, I’m just like bring it on” and Boo states “I think, twist again” Jeff advises about teams and Boo taps Earl and touches fists with him Jeff “....and a guaranteed one in nine (Boo) shot (Yao Man) at a million bucks (Earl who nods) There have been some seasons where these visuals can matter. As it appears that Earl is a popular notion of potential victor make of that voice over as you will Yao Man once again proves that size doesn’t matter and the challenge is won by Yao, Cassandra, Boo, Edgardo and Earl and a tense other tribe shown learning they would go straight to Tribal Council. The Winners Boo (conf) “That challenge saved my butt. If we hadn’t been divided into teams, I would have been gone. I dodged a bullet…” “Besides that we got steaks…. It brought my spirits back up” Boo was never in danger this episode as his “team” never went to Tribal Council yet there was a lot of focus on Boo being in danger. I can only surmise this is leading somewhere as it was not necessary at all to show the amount of vulnerability that involved Boo unless it is building upon something. Stacy’s vulnerability made sense; she went to Tribal Council but Boo’s name was all over the place and easily could have been edited down. Edgardo “I didn’t want to go to Tribal Council man” Cassandra “I know” Earl “Can’t strategize, can’t conspire… …it might be something crazy that happens, someone we didn’t think…” Edgardo’s confessional now shown Edgardo “You know what pisses me off, that we didn’t get a chance to say good bye to the person who’s gone” “Who do you think they are gonna vote out?” Earl “I think it’s a toss up between Stacy and Michelle” Yao Man “I think it’s gonna be Stacy” Earl “It could be a surprise though” Earl’s confessional now shown Earl “It’s gonna be an interesting vote cause you’re gonna get a lot of truth from people” Edgardo (conf) “I’m a little worried about Alex right now… …if he gets voted out all of our plans… will be gone but Mookie has the idol right now and maybe he can use the idol smartly” Earl (conf) “If Michelle is gone, I’m definitely concerned about the future; she’s a key component in my strategy. I’m gonna key my fingers crossed she’s still alive” Tribal Council A smile from Stacy upon the jury entering and then reaction shot from Dre after they are seated Jeff asks Dre his reaction of the merge Dre “I thought it was like day one all over again except this time people already know people so it was all the same to me cause I had friends from the old Moto (Alex) and friends from the new Ravu’s (Mookie) so I was pretty happy with that” Jeff asks Alex his reaction that they were going back to original Moto beach Alex “Kind of a holy crap (Mookie laughs) when I got there I was like (Michelle) this is not good” Jeff asks Mookie if he could feel paranoia setting in Mookie “Definitely feel the paranoia; people are developing different relationships and you kinda lose yourself and you don’t know where you stand anymore (Michelle) and you definitely feel the paranoia especially on the hot seat again” Jeff asks Mookie why is he on hot seat Mookie: “I think everybody’s on the hot seat (Stacy nods) We couldn’t talk (Dre) to each other so now we’re here not being able to devise a plan, not being able to talk to each other (Alex) to see where our stances our (Michelle) on who we think should go and that makes me paranoid” Jeff asks Stacy how uncomfortable she is Stacy: “It’s pretty uncomfortable, I think it’s a toss up (Michelle) right now, my head is spinning a little (Alex) because there’s a group here and a group there and a group to the right…and everybody’s thinking about different scenarios (Mookie) and different alliances” (Dre) Jeff asks why Dre should get rid of Stacy Dre: “One good reason is because it ain’t me” (Mookie laughs, Alex appears concerned then shot moves to Stacy) Michelle asked why get rid of Dre Michelle: “Me and Dreamz really haven’t talked much about strategy so I can’t really say who he’s in an alliance with” (Mookie) It’s the fear of the unknown” Mookie asked why get rid of Michelle Mookie: “I guess one thing about Michelle is we had a relationship at Ravu and we were good then but she could have switched to a different side (Alex) that’s something (Dre) I have to think about in the next minutes and determine who could be the biggest threat and who can help strengthen my alliance” Michelle is asked why get rid of Alex Michelle “He’s a threat in challenges (jury) he performs very well every time (Mookie) when it comes down to immunity being so important now it’s definitely a threat” Alex asked why get rid of Stacy Alex “I don’t really have a good reason” (music change and shot to Dre) Alex asked why get rid of Michelle Alex “I really don’t know Michelle as well as everyone else on this tribe..” Alex asked why get rid of Mookie Alex “I don’t have a reason to get rid of Mookie Alex asked why get rid of Dre Alex “I don’t have a reason to get rid of Dreamz” Dre asked if this discussion is a way for people to tell others what they are thinking Dre “He just let you know who’s name he’s putting on the paper (Michelle) you don’t have to talk to me, he’s one of the people I trust in the game so I understand where he’s coming from” Mookie asked how tonight will change the game Mookie “I think it’s gonna reveal some things to the other guys who are eating steak right now and they’re gonna see who’s been telling the truth and who’s been lying” Michelle leaves with the aura focused on Dre as the overall nail in her coffin. Mookie is distressed and Alex and Dre appear to glance at each other. This may be a bone of contention with Mookie and Dre considering their earlier conversation and from the look of the preview, it appears it will have ramifications. Jeff: “It’s clear tonight’s vote will have a major impact on this game. There are five people waiting back at camp eager to know what that impact will be” (focus on Dre) I did also find it interesting that Michelle is shown to mention in her closing that her alliance is now weaker and Earl has to find a new spy. Subtle reinforcement to the earlier confessional from Earl how Michelle was his spy. That may have been a throwaway comment by Earl that would hardly be remembered especially since Michelle is now gone. I question if that was deliberately left in for story progression.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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04-16-07, 01:59 PM (EST)
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76. "RE: Episode 9 Editing" |
LAST EDITED ON 04-16-07 AT 02:06 PM (EST)Hello Veruca. I really enjoyed your post. Regarding the digital work on Michelle's buff, you are right: We had heard her "Going to die" confessional in the previews for episode #9 and she had the purple buff already: 
In the episode, it was green. The show editors and the preview editors aren't talking to each other! Regarding Earl's "My Boys" comment, he did speak in general terms but he had a smile that I interpreted as if he knew he had a couple of aces up his sleeve. That could change a bad hand into a good one! This caught my eye: "Notable differences in the Exile Island confessionals. Earl is talking strategy, Yao Man the thought process of the contestants and Alex thinking of his own feelings of what is happening right then and there to himself." I hadn't made the connection but you make a great point. Winners more often talk about their strategy or the situation than their own feelings, don't they? Boo's leadership role also had me questioning his awareness but I agree that doubt is good for him. As in the challenge, Boo and Earl will need each other. We also agree that Yau-Man is too involved with the story of the idol, Cassandra is a useful tool and Dre reveals his card too much. This surprised me: "Interesting the investment that Alex has made into Stacy. I frankly would not be surprised if Stacy shows herself to be untrustworthy." I saw Stacy as unaware of what was happening around her. If she does go behind Alex's back, that'll be something! I hope you are right because I'd like to see that. Since the court seems mainly open, maybe I can lob a few questions over the net if you have time to play: How would you classify Earl's game? Is he a head of household, a clinical player or flying under the radar? Being King of Fiji and shown as leader since the twist would suggests he plays as Head of Household. As Rosie astutely pointed out however, he wasn't edited as the real leader in Ravu. Playing with a poker face suggests a clinical player and he hasn't shown any emotions, not even when his "fiancée" was booted. Letting them think that he isn't thinking and hearing the 4 horsemen targeting Boo suggests he can be partly UTR. At the same time it would explain Boo's comment: If Earl's game was so hidden, maybe Boo felt he was their leader!
Which aspect do you see as his dominating feature? Which other players have an established gameplan?
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forestfriend 18 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Got Milk? Spokesperson"
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04-17-07, 06:02 AM (EST)
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77. "RE: Episode 9 Editing" |
Thanks to all of you for the best, most helpful, and certainly most literate analysis of SURVIVOR I've ever come across.The couple of points I want to make -- let me apologize in advance if they've already been made: I'm only just now getting accustomed to your format. First, the names: In a show that has so much emphasis placed on names and nicknames and aliases, I think a few things bear noting. Earl, the "king" of the islands, is the only player who actually bears a noble title: EARL.
We speak of Cassandra as having little impact, or of being a quiet kingmaker, or of flying UTR. As a classical allusion, Cassandra, of course, has the gift of prophecy but has been cursed so that no one believes her. In modern usage, Cassandra is one whose words we do not understand at the time but which later turn out to have been accurate, meaningful, portentous.
Dreamz, the self-named, is, according to much commentary here, hard to read, as are many of our dreams.
I find the weight of meaning in the names just fascinating. "Rocky," for example, is, indeed, rocky: he's up and down, difficult terrain, perhaps a little mad? "Lisi" is so close to "lazy" that the comparison has perhaps forced itself on me (but consider also "least, sleazy, lease as opposed to "own," and so on. It's almost endless, the plays on her name. Then there is "Boo." That is what we say when we foolishly seek to scare or intimidate someone, and implies that Boo is NOT the leader he thinks he is and does not strike fear into the heart of any alliance. I don't want to touch the name "Mookie" with a barge pole, for fear of being accused of stereotyping, but those of us who have watched gangster movies recognize the nickname. And "Mookie" has many meanings. I also found it so interesting that the editors made certain that we all caught Dreamz's MISSpelling of Michelle's name: MECHELLE. And, in fact, we are still having a terrible time trying to figure out what Dreamz was up to with that vote. Yau-man is almost too easy: the MAN, so far the hero of the challenges. "Papa Smurf" is so named almost out of nowhere (like the fire ants) by Boo. And, like a cartoon character, he has no real importance in the phenomenal world. If this argument strikes you as silly, I hope you've at least had a good laugh, but I do feel on very safe ground with the editors associating "captain" and "king" and "leader" with EARL. On a different note, Michel wondered at Earl's reference to "my boys." I think when Earl used that expression, the context indicates he is putting those words into the mouths of the non-realists of the game, those who fail to consider the needs of TODAY; I don't think those are words that Earl uses to describe his own perceptions. It's Mookie and Alex who are waiting for "my boys" in order to succeed instead of acting now. This is such a lovely site. Thanks for letting me play. I have learned so much here, and I have found profound intelligence here, and civilized behavior here. You are all to be congratulated on your insights and on your charismatic writing and on your manners. I could almost weep with the relief of having found such a haven after seeing so many trolls and nasty folks and flaming and snobbery and -- you know. Thanks again. I'll go lurk now and keep reading your work.
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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04-17-07, 02:16 PM (EST)
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78. "RE: Episode 9 Editing" |
forestfriend - By all means, please post again and "delurk." It is always a pleasure to read different opinions and insights and considering also that our thread has dwindled in contributors, the more the merrier I applaud your imagination and creativity in your parallels between the names of contestants and their potential double meanings. If I laughed, it was certainly out of enjoyment but very impressed as well! Thank you also for such nice things to say as well and I do hope we see more of you Michel you always help me Far be it from me to notice details with colorization but that seemed so obvious that I am glad that you were able to confirm. Ahh, I understand what you are indicating with reference to Earl's commentary and yes, that certainly may be so. Earl most definitely has his "finger on the pulse" and there is no doubt in my mind that he is very astute in observation skills. I have found when watching him in group settings that his commentary or questions have a definite motive behind them and while he seems to be in the midst of a lot of goings on, he does not make himself "too" visible. In answer to your statement/question regarding winners more often talk about their strategy/situation than their own feelings.... I have found quite often those who are at the end game are shown to us with an idea of what they are doing in this game. It may not be a step by step process (and, in fact, quite often those who are specific in what they will do are shown in how they fail ) but we, as the audience, have an awareness of their strategy. However, they also do give us and indication of who they are and how they feel about things that may not be game related (perfect situation for this are rewards and so forth) I find those who are "boxed" in, i.e. the backstory is so much greater than anything else or the "character" is greater than the game play are not usually a good recipe for a winner. Regarding Stacy, you may be right on the mark as to her being unaware of what is going around her and I certainly believe this may be the case as there were indicators of her false sense of security potentially be forecast. I questioned whether there may be an upcoming issue of her being untrustworthy solely on the level of investment that Alex puts on Stacy and how, many times, this assumption by many contestants comes back to haunt them. Consequently, Stacey ALSO noted that Alex is someone she thought she could trust so it could quite be the reverse! However, there seems to be an angle pushed about these individuals (and that may also include Mookie, Dre and Edgardo) and "trust" Certainly I have not yet heard such a push coming from Earl, Cassandra and Yao Man to that degree. It has been stated yes but the "trust" angle was swirling around the heads of the prior individuals (Alex with Stacy, Stacy with Alex, Edgardo with Mookie and the use of the idol, the three men about Dre and trusting him with information, etc.) with such an impact that I would be highly surprised if this isn't monumental in how their game is affected. I also would not mind seeing Stacy "up" her game a bit since quite a few of the females have been sorely neglected but time will tell. Yes, the court does seem empty but I always enjoy lobbing with you Michel Personally, Earl has embodied the best of all three criteria that I had mentioned previously. I'm glad you brought it up again Earl is TRULY playing poker and even his commentary to others is very low key but it has a tendency to manipulate. I would suggest that at this time, Earl is probably playing clinically first and foremost and as we discussed in prior seasons, someone can take on more than one role and I agree that he is under the radar as well to a degree. I *think* that it may be unrealistic for Earl to believe he could be completely under the radar but he certainly does not call great attention to himself either. I do think Earl has, on certain occasions, taken the head of household role on but again, it is a matter of subtlety. One does not have to show themselves overtly making decisions and so forth to be head of household. While Earl did not appear to be leading the fold (as we saw Rocky and Mookie appear to do) Earl was shown consulted about certain things during some instances and it is the smart player to know when to try and work another angle and perhaps allow the "self proclaimed" leader to believe it was their own decision or allow the "self proclaimed" leader to have their way at certain times. Was he "edited" as the head of household/leader? As Rosie laid out, he certainly was not BUT that does not mean he wasn't either, eh? To sum up my longwinded response (as is the norm) Earl's dominating feature appears to be that he identifies all angles for consideration. As I watch him speak there almost appears to be wheels turning; he appears that deliberate. While there appear to be others that have fleshed out a game plan, quite a few appear to be contigent on other factors. Yao Man's thought process constantly revolves around the hidden idol (his "character" though is obviously the main feature), Cassandra's seemed hinged upon what her alliance will do, Alex, Mookie and Edgardo felt very confident upon finding the idol and their "collective" advancement but I haven't really heard any of them identify "individually" how they can succeed (Mookie naturally is claiming the idol as his own but again, resting your laurels on the idol can be dangerous) Dre really appears to have no clinical strategy; his rests solely on righting the wrongs done but then we see him acquiescing to others (and again his "character" seems the bigger goal). Boo's strategy has now been made known to us by Boo himself and it is probably a good route for him to take. A young strong male always has potential problems just by nature of being a young, strong male. By virtue of the fact that he has straddled both tribes, he may, in fact, be someone who becomes valuable despite all the smoke and mirrors surrounding him deeming him the next to leave.
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forestfriend 18 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Got Milk? Spokesperson"
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04-17-07, 05:39 PM (EST)
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79. "RE: Episode 9 Editing" |
Michel (please, how DO you pronounce your name?) asked Veruca Salt what sort of leader Earl is, and, using the idioms of this board, specified "clinical" and a couple of other types.I'll catch up on the idioms and the theories they are based upon, but for now I would like to answer the question by mentioning Earl's response to the gutting of Camp Moto: he smiled and was "home." He had "trained" for this moment, for these circumstances. He moves about quietly -- and the direction of the flow of power is clear: people come to him instead of him seeking them out. He is the kind of ruler who is "to the manor born," as opposed to, say, Rupert, another kingly player who nevertheless blunders about, his character too large for the setting. Rupert simply overwhelmned Pearl Islands and he reached a point where he could no longer move. He was, if you will, too large to get through the doorway, very much like that other blundering king, Lear, who also outgrows his throne and is no longer fit to rule and we know it. When Rupert was voted out, it was sad for his many admirers, but it was hardly surprising. Earl rules more naturally, with greater comfort. The role is his when he arrives on Fiji, but his patience is, I think, Earl's guiding trait. We cannot know how much the editors shaped Earl's adjustment to the barren setting of the Ravu camp, but Earl certainly came across as not only comfortable there but also comfortable in the surrounding kingdom. The patience that characterizes Earl and that helps to give him that regal air is perhaps shown best when Yau-Man excitedly tells Earl that he has found the idol. Earl does not bounce up and down or demand to see or touch the idol, as Alex and Edgardo seem so eager to do with regard to the selfish Mookie. Instead, Earl nods and compliments Yau-Man. And Earl has no demands to make or questions to chafe his friend. In return for the gift of a share of the idol, Earl gives to Yau-Man his trust. What could be more flattering -- for either of the men -- than the king's trust? I thought of Rupert when Earl led his team to victory in the Fijiian dance. Can you even picture Rupert in Earl's role there?
Earl showed then that he can rule all parts of the kingdom and the game -- or, at least, all the parts that he MUST control. I think we, the audience, have been fully prepared for an Earl victory. I will be shocked at anything less. And, frankly, after the stultifying opening episodes of this season, I think we are owed the restoration of order that comes when, after the chaos, the true king assumes the throne. If someone other than Earl pulls Excalibur from the stone -- Stacy for example, or Mookie -- I know I will feel cheated and that what I thought was Camelot was merely "the smoke and mirrors" of bad theater. Survivor has done that to us before -- crowning the unworthy. This time around, they owe us the rightful king.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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04-17-07, 09:17 PM (EST)
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80. "RE: Episode 9 Editing" |
LAST EDITED ON 04-17-07 AT 09:28 PM (EST)Thank you Veruca for your answers. As always, you served an ace! That analysis of Earl's gameplay was great. Forestfriend, welcome to the boards. Thank you for the kind words. I must return the compliment as both your posts were very interesting. Regarding Earl's comment, if he was talking about the non-realists, then he could've been thinking of Boo. Maybe Earl heard Boo say: "We get back with the boys." Boo certainly had to worry of who wanted him out. If that was his meaning, it doesn't prevent Earl from knowing where the boys go. He told Cassandra; "They still don't know who has who" yet Earl wasn't worried. Your name analogy, especially for Earl, Cassandra and Dreamz was fun to read and it could have some basis in the way the show was edited. If Burnett decided to use the win by Ethan, a young Jewish man, to portray it as a modern version of the Jesus story, then everything is possible. Did Cassandra already decide who will win and we simply haven't heard her? It could be! The opposition between Rupert/King Lear and Earl is also very interesting. The three categories of winners I alluded to in my question came from Veruca's comments opening the Guatemala season. You can read them here: http://community.realitytvworld.com/boards/cgi-bin/dcboard.cgi?az=show_thread&om=5982&forum=DCForumID2&archive=yes PS: My name is pronounced the same way as our last booted player.
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forestfriend 18 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Got Milk? Spokesperson"
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04-18-07, 01:24 AM (EST)
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81. "RE: Episode 9 Editing" |
Thank you, Michel (unusual spelling, speaking of names) for the link. I enjoyed that article, and it made me wonder if in Earl we are seeing a player who combines all three types of winners delineated by Veruca Salt. That's what I like so much about having found this site -- it puts me in touch with whatever humility I have because I realize how much I don't know and have to learn.Guatemala was in many ways a watershed season for me. For one thing, I believe it was physically the most demanding of all the adventures. I don't think there's anything to compare in all of Survivor history with that 11-mile race to begin the show. And, I thought Danni came out of nowhere to win the million dollars. I've never figured out what sort of winner she is, not even now that I am armed with Veruca Salt's thoughtful taxonomy. I'm working on a theory that there is another archetypal sort of player -- the one who refuses to be changed by the shattering and new experiences of playing the game (Rudy, Judd, and to an unpleasant extent, Lisi), and I think that Rafe (despite his many good qualities and his brainy execution of a novel strategy) belongs to this small group of people. Rather than admit he had lost the game fair and square, he came very close to suggesting he had donated the game. I'm so up for the rest of the Fiji season. I think I understand better how things work, thanks in great part to this site, and that makes the spectating, speculating position tons more fun.
Cheers,
Forest
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LionChow 2033 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Roller Coaster Inaugurator"
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04-20-07, 02:45 PM (EST)
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82. "RE: Minor Alex point" |
I know this is old news by now, but I just wanted to trow it out there.*******
After the excursion to exile island where Alex feared the cannibalism would start (!) and as the boat reached Moto beach, a confessional from Alex was inserted. It was just before the tribe realized that Moto had been stripped: “Thank God, after 7 days of hell at Ravu, I get to eat rice, potatos…toothbrush, toothpaste, a shower, I smell like crap, I know. Finally…Finally, things are looking up.” I don’t think a sole survivor would be heard saying that things are looking up because he gets to have a shower.
******** As I watched this confessional, I got the very clear impression that this actually happened AFTER they had already seen the stripped down island. It's just the way he smiles that, to me, implies that he was making fun of himself for thinking this way. "Oh, I was so stupid. I was thinking that blah, blah, blah..." That the confessional was used to make it seem like he really said it out loud and was duped, doesn't bode well. 
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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04-21-07, 07:51 PM (EST)
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85. "RE: Ep 10 Editing " |
Needless to say a topsy turvy episode and one that I thoroughly enjoyed just due to pecking challenges alone! This season the players are going for the gusto and what some may lack in finesse they certainly make up for in playing as hard as they can.Recap Two tribes merged into one… Alex "Finally things are looking up" Again, noted as one of the "ironic" statements Survivor is fond of Returning to Moto, everything was gone: Alex: "This is a bad dream" Earl "No bed, no couch, no nothing" The new merged tribe contained two alliances, the four horsemen (Alex, Edgardo, Mookie and the "not so reliable" Dre) Alex "Unless I'm mistaken, the four of us are controlling this game right now" (more irony) And a separate alliance of four (Edgardo shown walking by with Earl then thrown into view) Earl "Another tribe within a tribe, myself, Michelle, Cassandra and Yao" Leaving Stacy and Boo on the outs Mookie finally tells Dre about finding the hidden immunity idol Alex "But you can't say a word!" Dre "Shut up!" Dre "We had a pact; it made me not trust them a little bit..." Edgardo "If Dreamz tells somebody I'm going to kill you Mookie" And the four horsemen's alliance began to fall apart In order to protect themselves, Mookie and Dre decided to go against the four horseman and target Stacy Dre "I'm really looking forward to voting off Stacy" At the IC, a twist randomly split the tribe into two teams Yao Man proved himself a valuable asset (highlighted by Jeff) At Tribal Council, Dre waffled and betrayed Mookie when he voted for Michelle instead of Stacy Tribal Council Aftermath Edgardo "Guaranteed Michelle or Stacy are going" Boo "Who's Dreamz more tight with?" Edgardo "I don't know because he didn't like Stacy at all" The members return.....Yao Man asks what the vote was? Dre "It was two - three" Mookie (conf) "I guess you could say I'm pretty upset right now; Dre and I had an earlier conversation to go back to original plan... but Dre still votes out Michelle; he basically gave all the power to Alex, you know? We just basically screwed ourselves" (Interesting visual of Mookie with his head down but the camera angle focused on Earl in the shot, the confessional comes from Mookie but the visual was centered more around Earl, this was not a camera angle where the two people "share" the visual) Alex "I made it very clear it was supposed to be Michelle; you were doing your own thing, I was like....." Mookie "No!!" Alex "Alright, that's fine, it was just miscommunication. The way to seal the final four in blood (pesky numbers again!) is to taken idol and rotate it, each of us gets it a day, that way..." Mookie "That does nothing!" Alex "What it tells me what it tells everybody that none of us can screw each other.... look the three of us found it together... you happen to be the first one to touch it and now you're telling me you're not going to part with it unless only on your terms" Mookie "I'm not saying that" Alex "That's exactly what you're saying, you're saying something different? Be honest man" Mookie "You know what, Alex is like each going to share the immunity idol (a humorous shot of Dre following a bug in the air seemingly more closely than following Mookie's conversation) each are going to hold it once every day" Dre (on screen) "You're supposed to tell him no!" Mookie "Then he's like four horseman's nothing" Dre "We recruit then" (said on screen) Mookie "No we can't..." Dre "We got the numbers over here" (on screen) Mookie "No we don't because they don't trust us! You just screwed everything with this" Dre's confessional now shown Dre "I didn't screw you" (on screen) Mookie "You did. Trust me, don't worry about it, trust me, you just screwed both of us!" Prophecy? Dre (conf) "When we got to Tribal Council, Michelle starts talking and she said I don't know Dre, I don't hang around him, that kinda let me know that wait a minute; I don't know her either.... so it kinda scared me a little bit. For that, it caused me to vote her name. If she never said that, she'd be still here right now" A New Day, A New Plan Earl shown thoughtful with a shot of him glancing around - a shot to Stacy moving over to Boo then a glance up to the high mountain with Dre sitting alone on top (arresting visual and usually symbolic but how one interprets it can be subjective. Mind you, this is coming from an editing angle that is supposed to be from Earl's vision) Earl (conf) "....I was hoping Stacy was gone (Stacy shown then Earl playing with his beard) I was definitely disappointed and that just flipped the whole script around for everything in my head" Boo "If ya'll want to take me in as a swing vote to make it to the five (pesky numbers again!) with me, you, Cassandra, Yao cause I know you're tight with Yao Yao, solid solid person and Dreamz. The rest of them, they're all backstabbers" Earl "As long as we take out Alex first" Boo "Fine with me but Dreamz is not gonna want to take Alex out. He likes Alex" Earl (conf) "When Boo and I had our man to man talk, we looked each other in the eye and said he's with me, I still didn't buy it and Boo is just trying to save his neck at all times but I need to know if he's with us because we really need his vote since we don't have Michelle" (same spot as confessional hoping Stacy was gone) "Basically the main core is myself, Yao and Cassandra. I trust them completely. Dreamz is definitely a wildcard and I don't know if I trust Mookie all the way yet.... It's that part of the chess game where you lost a couple of really good pieces” (Always my eyebrow raises when I hear someone state they “trust” someone completely; there may be an eventual situation with those in THIS alliance where trust also becomes an issue) (More interesting visual with Earl then to the moving sky then of Earl standing high on the mountain, which, I am not convinced is a current shot which then reflects more manipulation. One may also compare/contrast this to the visual of Dre and there are fathomable differences. First, the vision of Dre came from Earl's vision and commentary, the vision of Earl came from his own. Dre is shown sitting down and Earl is standing up. Two different types of "warriors" - if you will from the view of one individual. There is a slight aura of the same feeling that came across in Guatemala and Exile Island) Earl (conf. Cont) “I got to really think; you can't trust everybody but I like playing this game and I am still here" Needless to say, the four horseman are in a very convoluted place and the trust issue that I had "felt" swirling around them last episode is taking on a life of its own. A nice editorial of what Earl once said when describing his and Yao's methods of the idol where he stated "...and that is how you use the idol" compared to what the four horsemen have done with their "use" of the idol. The gauntlet was thrown also with respect to Earl and again we see a methodical thought process in the planning. While there is a hint of bravado surrounding Earl, I am pleased we have not heard him tell us some of the more poisonous aspects of editing, i.e. mentioning directly winning, mentioning directly the million dollars and so forth although his mention of complete trust makes me question if something happens within his core that breaks that trust. This only serves his edit better as "revealing your hand" completely can often be detrimental in terms of editing. Emphasis on Dre again and his unreliable and impulsive nature and also his decision based upon "personal" feelings moreso than cohesive strategic game play. The four horsemen are showing desperation and obviously this plays out at the end but it also is creating more tension for the three now. Boo, who was the "boot a la mode" last episode has become that valuable tool as discussed after the last episode and suddenly was not even a boot candidate but something is brewing there for all the "hoopla" revolving that vulnerability initially Pecking Order Challenge - My Favorite! Jeff "This time (Alex, Boo, Stacy, Edgardo, Dre) your trying to guess what the group (Mookie, Cassandra, Earl, Yao Man) said. In other words, whose name came up the most often; that may differ from what you wrote down (Dre) you are looking to match the group consensus (Stacy) Each time you get it right you get to smash someone's tower, when you're three towers are gone you're out of the challenge. Last (Earl) person left standing wins reward (Alex, Boo, Stacy, Edgardo, Dre).... winner will send one person (Dre) to Exile Island (Mookie) Question #1: Who would you trust with your life? They answered:
Yao Man: Earl
Earl: Yao Man
Cassandra: Earl
Mookie: Alex
Dre: Cassandra
Stacy: Cassandra
Edgardo: Alex
Boo: Earl
Alex: Dre Cassandra (after clarifying it doesn't have to be random) hits Stacy
Boo knocks Stacy
Yao Man knocks Stacy Stacy is already gone (and not surprising she would be hit by any of the three above as it would appear that she is more tied to the four horseman and not entirely liked as well) Question #2: "Who are you least likely to invite to a family dinner"
Yao Man: Dre
Earl: Stacy
Cassandra: Boo
Mookie: Boo
Dre: Boo
Edgardo: Stacy
Boo: Stacy
Alex: Boo Boo: "Wow" (Perhaps his cooking skills are better than his manners?) Mookie hits Boo
Dre hits Boo
Alex hits Boo Boo eliminated Clearly establishing the "hit list" of the four horsemen. No doubt Boo would be on the other alliance hit list if not for the agreement he made with Earl but clearly Boo has been on the target list for the four horsemen. Also interesting the "power" struggle between both alliances. Note the two "on the outs" i.e. Stacy and Boo were hung out to dry first Cassandra knocks Alex (not surprising as Alex is the first in command)
Question #3: Who most has a sense of entitlement?
Yao Man: Stacy
Earl: (We were never shown Earl's answer)
Cassandra: Alex
Mookie: Alex (Some brewing tension building?)
Dre: Stacy (Notice how Dre's answers appear thus far to be more on a personal level rather than his thinking outside the box of what the group would think)
Edgardo: Stacy (A bit of a blind spot is how Edgardo is about Alex?)
Alex: Mookie (Like, Mookie, tension?)
Cassandra knocks Alex (Taking down the leader?)
Mookie knocks Earl (Not surprising, Mookie is aware of Earl's leadership Question #3: Who would you most want to be stranded on an island with?
Yao Man: Yao Man
Earl: Yao Man
Cassandra: Yao Man
Mookie: Yao Man
Dre: Yao Man
Edgardo: Yao Man
Alex: Earl Quite an interesting response and clearly Alex either feels that Earl is well regarded by the majority OR as we have seen before, he (like some of the other boys) clearly have underestimated and disregarded Yao Man Earl knocks Mookie (Payback as Jeff indicated as opposed to shutting Alex down as Cassandra earlier started)
Mookie knocks Earl (Would not be surprising if there was some prior, although possibly never stated, conflict with these two. As Ravu members, Mookie took the bull by the horns quite often while Earl observed but probably did not appreciate. This may be more testosterone filled more than anything else)
Dre knocks Alex (A somewhat surprising hit)
Edgardo knocks Earl (Following suit with Mookie)
Yao Man knocks Edgardo (Closer to Mookie, not surprising he would go after Edgardo)
Cassandra knocks Mookie (Choosing Mookie over Edgardo, perhaps for Earl? Perhaps just no love lost)
Earl and Alex are now out of the challenge The two "on the outs" then the two "leaders" Question #4: Who do you not want to see again....."
Yao Man: Stacy
Cassandra: Stacy
Mookie: Stacy
Dre: Stacy
Edgardo: Stacy (Earl shown laughing -a nice edited shot as it appears that Alex is sitting below him but Alex is next to him in another shot- at the response and giving Stacy credit where due, a much more even keeled response than we have seen in prior pecking order challenges but clearly Stacy is not well regarded) Dre knocks Yao Man (after a bit of deliberation but not surprising since he is close with Mookie, Edgardo and Cassandra)
Edgardo knocks Yao Man (choice was Yao Man or Cassandra so no real surprise)
Yao Man knocks Dre (Some payback)
Mookie knocks Cassandra (No surprise there)
Cassandra knocks Mookie (No surprise there) Mookie is eliminated Question #5: Who smells the worst? Earl raises his hand with Alex smiling
Yao Man: Stacy (Yao Man is quite put off by Stacy )
Cassandra: Dre
Dre: Dre
Edgardo: Edgardo Cassandra knocks Yao Man (A little surprising she did not choose Edgardo)
Dre knocks Edgardo (Not surprising as Dre feels very close to Cassandra) Yao Man eliminated Question #6 Who mistakenly believes they are in control of this game?
Cassandra: Alex
Dre: Boo
Edgardo: Stacy Cassandra takes out Edgardo Edgardo eliminated Question #7: Who has wasted this great opportunity?
Cassandra: Stacy
Dre: Edgardo
With that, Cassandra must hit Dre Question #8: Athletically, who out here has surprised you the most?
Cassandra: YaoMan
Dre: Cassandra (Again, Dre is very linear in his thinking; while his ideas and thoughts seem random and rampant, they are quite boxed in solely based on personal feelings and thoughts) With that, Cassandra hits Dre Stacy, Boo, Alex, Earl, Mookie, Yao Man, Edgardo with Dre and Cassandra essentially ignored. Interesting and perhaps quite telling order. Again the "loose ends" the "leaders" first taken down. Mookie and Yao Man *may* be construed as the leaders' partners, Edgardo as the next partner but not as threatening as Mookie with Dre and Cassandra being those who are not taken seriously perhaps? While Stacy has gotten a “boost” in her edit, the lack of any insight from her on what was a pretty insulting challenge to her leads me to believe she is not end game despite she still manages to hang around. I’m sure Stacy had a confessional on her thoughts of how these players felt towards her yet we heard nothing from her. Her thoughts and feelings outside the general context of the game are not important Mookie is chosen to go to Exile by Cassandra and there may be some hidden tension between these two that has been ignored in the editing most likely due to it not being relevant for the story itself. It will be interesting to find out if her motivations to send Mookie went further or if discussions were held between herself and her alliance members for strategic purposes. As we see later, her choices for reward seemed quite telling as she left the four horseman in precarious situations with one at Exile, one at reward and two left at camp (perhaps under the watchful eye of Earl?) Exiled One This sequence appeared to be edited carefully. The discussion by Mookie involving Cassandra were all from the same confessional spot and someone can advise if that was actually Exile Island or not. I have suspicion that some, if not, all Cassandra related talk was from a different time frame and may, in fact, be from a future confessional. The other items were time appropriate but we can see that he is speaking them from Exile Island or a voice over. The discussion on Cassandra appeared slightly out of place for simply sending him to Exile Island. The portions where he speaks of her being deceiving, taking out *her* alliance and gunning for her are all from the same confessional spot whereas the more "time appropriate" talk is either at Exile Island or in a voice over. I do question whether more happens that merits Mookie to speak this way of Cassandra which then begs the question does he fail in his quest? Quite a few times the editors have placed nuggets that occur from a future segment to start another chapter in the Survivor story but they show these items prior to when it really is being spoken because the outcome does not coincide with the commentary. Mookie's "revenge" may be a carefully inserted plug for a chapter for potential build up but if it falls by the wayside when it is supposed to occur, there is no reason to show it later. Even if Mookie’s wrath is solely from Cassandra sending him to Exile, the editing made sure to emphasize this so it appears this is being floated for a potential issue in the future Mookie "I am very irritated with Cassandra..... she has no idea who she's messing with (said on screen at Exile) Cassandra is quiet but in a deceiving, conniving way (this sentence in during his confessional area); she made the worst mistake of her life" (this last part was in voice over) Mookie (conf) "Given the clues, there has to be two idols (same confessional spot) Earl came to Exile Island about five, six times, most likely Earl found the other one" Mookie (on tower) "I'm 99 percent sure Earl has the other one, smart guy" Mookie (conf) "All I want to do is take out Cassandra and her alliance period. Call it revenge but I'm gunning for her" (same area as the other confessional) Mookie (continued but this time in voice over) "I just have to get in touch with the four horseman and it's done" (This is time frame appropriate since Edgardo is not gone yet but this was in voice over; he may actually be talking about something else to be "done" i.e. believing Earl has the idol and his plan for this and, as we see later, Mookie wanted to vote out Earl whereas this confessional is centered around getting rid of Cassandra. Edgardo is the one who thought of Cassandra to take out so I’m suspicious that Mookie’s discussion about Cassandra may be from another time period but since it proves unsuccessful they are showing it now for effect)
Decisions And Rewards
Dre tells Cassandra and the group as in high school, she is the "most popular" girl... (Cassandra's confessional shown) Cassandra "Dreamz you may as well come up" Alex slaps Dre and Earl nods Cassandra "Boo" (more confessional shown) Cassandra "Of course it gets tougher as I narrow it down; Yao Man would you join me" Cassandra (conf) "First time winning reward, get to take three people with me" and "Basically my strategy was to choose people to form an alliance with; Dreamz and Boo I wasn't sure where they stood" and "Yao Man works so hard, he needed it" and "The spread was amazing... ...started sinking in I just won!" It will be interesting to see how much time elapsed in between the arrival from the challenge and her selections, the sky was a bit more cloudy and as the boat came to the yacht, the sun was beginning to set so there may have been some time for Cassandra to consult as to who she should take. Boo was everyone's person to boot last week and Cassandra now takes him on reward during the same episode that we see Earl and Boo have a "meeting of the minds?" This is not to take away from any potential individual strategy Cassandra may have initiated on her own accord but we have seen Cassandra consulting with Earl and Yao Man in the past and less we forget, Earl requires a new spy as well. In addition, Yao Man's confessional later on appears to reflect the decision to take Dre as a premeditated choice and Yao Man is aware of it and the reason behind it. During the selection process also, Earl was shown three times in a tight camera shot only on him and those of you who are still reading and posting in this thread know how much I value the visuals in this show. However, the intent is to also showcase a newly fleshed out Cassandra reflecting a strategic mind both by her own words and Mookie so the viewers are meant to see this supposed other side from Cassandra; manipulated or not They arrive on the yacht with Cassandra (same confessional spot as the earlier ones) discussing the "spread" and that it sunk in "I just won" Yao Man "Boo you're solidly with us..." Boo "I am solidly with you..." Yao Man "....with our syndicate" Focus on Dre as a palpably "unsure" person in this setting with this conversation Yao Man "And Dreamz, the syndicate... ...let's not make any more mistakes (I believe) proceed carefully all the way" Cassandra "It was a hard ball(?) yesterday, I was like oooh!" a little music for emphasis and Yao Man's confessional is shown Cassandra "So we're all straight in our alliance" Boo "Without a doubt!" (Dre honed in on yet again) Yao Man "The next one to go is Alex" (Cassandra and her famous "Mmm hmmm") Cassandra "He's playing his Harvard graduate game; he's playing hard ball" Cassandra's confessional shown about Dre
Yao Man (conf) "Lots of work to be done but Dreamz a little bit more so we can be absolutely sure we have him on our side and this is a way to solidify, feed him, get him away from everybody, brainwash him basically"
Cassandra (conf) "I think Dreamz is playing both sides right now (voice over) cause I can't sense in his eyes a 100% commitment to our alliance (end of voice over) so I don't know what the future is going to be for us with Dreamz" (same spot as her earlier confessionals although again, a portion of this was in voice over and there may have been some manipulation and editing of two separate confessionals) Dre (conf) "I'm the swing vote, I'm stuck between two alliances (voice over) Mookie wants to stick with the old plan with the four boys and Stacy but my heart is telling me go with Cassandra, Earl, Yao Man and Boo so there's so much information going on that it is clogging my mind that I don't know what to do right now, it's like being tugged in every direction except my own" Lovely fireworks shown which certainly were also demonstrated much later! Who's Zooming Who? Dre "Your name is gonna come up tomorrow" Alex "What if I use the immunity idol and got rid of one of them?" Dre "What about Mookie, if Mookie don't give you the idol" Alex "You think Mookie's not going to give up the idol?" Dre "You ever see Lord of the Rings when they get the ring and they are like my precious? Alex "Yeah, yeah, yeah, Gollum?" "I don't want to get knocked down" Earl shown approaching asking for the pot. Earl (conf) "There is a major part of me that wants to let Dreamz go. I mean right now I'm trying to keep it personal between us but if you keep on fraternizing with the people we are talking about getting rid of then you know, you're gonna have to get cut" Dre "Who's doubting me?" Cassandra "Earl and me..." Dre "You're hurting my feelings telling me that" Earl approaches Dre "Come here Earl" Earl "I want to talk to you" Dre "I want to talk to you! Cassandra told me that you're doubting me" Cassandra "I told you that we're not sure what camp you're in, we need to know that you're firm on our side" Earl "You know I heard Alex talking.. ...you know I was standing right there" Dre "Yeah, yeah, that's the whole thing. Earl I can tell by the way you are looking at me that you're doubting me" Earl "Listen. That is one thing you need to start doing a little bit more" Dre "…you can’t tell I’m strategizing" Earl "Listen. Listen. You need to listen more cause I notice you talk over us and we have agreed to this" Dre "Mookie's got the immunity idol" (With that, the loudest ringing of music with reaction from Earl is shown) Earl "He told you he has it?" Dre "I've seen the idol" Earl "What did it look like?" Dre "It's a turtle" Earl "It's a turtle?" (Earl continues with his feigning surprise of it being a turtle) "So he has the idol?" Dre "He has the idol" Earl "So why are you just now telling us about this, I didn't know anybody from over there had it. I should have been knowing that" Earl (conf) "Dreamz, his problem is that he's trying to do a lot of strategy on his own and yes that could be effective but if you don't tell people what you're doing, I'm not gonna trust anybody who has all these little antsy and little things I still kinda question" Earl "He told everybody about the idol?" Yao Man arrives Dre "Alex got the idol" Earl "They got it together? They didn't fight over it?" Dre "No" (Close up of Earl looking like he could not believe that) Yao Man "There are two immunity idols (Note: that sounded exactly like the very first time we heard him say that and probably edited in) and the one here in the Moto camp was dug up by me. Dreamz revealed that Mookie actually has the idol from Ravu. The fact that Mookie has it makes me very nervous and not only that but the other two crucial members, Edgardo and Alex also know he has it. I have to rethink how this will play out" Immunity Back Up For Grabs - Individual Style The traditional endurance challenge for first time individual immunity. Cassandra, Edgardo, Earl are first to go and all agree Stacy is the odds on favorite. Mookie, Alex and Dre then follow then Stacy. Boo slips and falters and Yao Man asks: “How many lives does this guy have?” (Possibly potential prophecy that Boo has a couple of lives yet especially in light of all the emphasis on how he was to be booted and less we forget the emphasis placed so long ago on how clumsy he was with Dre stating to us that he would hurt himself out of the game) Yau Man wins and says: “I could stay another hour” with a nice shot to the three horseman who have discounted Yao Man time and time again! Jeff “One of you (Alex) is going home tonight” (Mookie) Bait and Hook Yao Man announces the immunity necklace will bring good luck to everyone (Dre to Boo to Mookie) Mookie (voice over) “Cassandra sending me to Exile Island just ruined the game for herself and her alliance (Earl) I’m gonna take out her whole alliance (now said with Mookie visible) one by one” (Again, I’m unsure when the portions Mookie speak happen; consider what happened last episode and the venom that Mookie speaks may be more appropriate if coupled with what occurred last episode. Then again, Mookie may just be a very vindictive person and his being exiled once by Cassandra could be only what was needed to set him off) Next…… Mookie “What’s going on?” Alex “What do you want to do tonight?” Mookie “I’m voting Earl, we’re all voting Earl” (Dre comes into focus now nodding) Mookie (in the same confessional spot is where he was shown in his confessionals during the Exile confessionals) “Knowing Earl potentially has the idol does change the game a little bit in terms of strategy. You wanna get the guy with the immunity idol (Earl) get him by surprise and hopefully take him out with the immunity idol and he won’t even use it” (Another reason why I question all the Cassandra talk by Mookie earlier; somehow it doesn’t seem to fit Mookie’s MO this episode) Alex “I’m trusting you guys….” Mookie “I committed myself, I will not be faltered, I will not be wavered (Dre) this is the order, Earl, Yao Man, Boo, it’s done” Alex “Done” Mookie “It’s done” Dre “Are you 100% on Stacy; what if Stacy folds” Mookie “Stacy’s with us” Dre “Are you sure?” Next…… Stacy “It’s so weird to go to Tribal Council, I have no idea what’s going on…” Yao Man “Who are you going to vote for?” (said on screen) Stacy “I have no idea” Yao Man “Vote for anybody but Earl, okay? If your heart will let you, vote for Alex. If not, just don’t vote Earl” (on screen) Stacy “But it makes no point if I’m the only one voting for Alex” Yao Man “It will not be a blind vote out there” (on screen) Stacy “Okay, as long as I have that assurance” Yao Man “You have my word….” (on screen) Stacy “Then I will do that to save myself” Next…….. Alex “I saved you on the Michelle vote. Mookie wants to get rid of Earl first because Earl probably has the immunity idol. What do you think? Are you in? You okay? (on screen) Stacy “I’m just hot, I’m really agitated.” (on screen) Stacy (conf) “I of course want to go with the majority so it’s who do I trust more at this point in the game. I don’t owe anything to Alex, if saving myself means severing a tie then I’ll sever that tie” Next……. Alex “She was just like, I’m tired… ….she just seemed like she was out of it…” Edgardo “..she’s not into dude” Alex “Does that mean she’s not in?” Edgardo “No” A spider……. Dre “You think Stacy’s in with us?” Edgardo “What do you think? I think not” Dre “I think, I don’t know, I think not” Edgardo “So everybody wanted Alex off right?” (on screen) Dre “Pretty much” Edgardo “So if Mookie gets the idol to Alex and we vote for Earl, everything works out our way and then Stacy…” (on screen) Dre “You think Mookie’s gonna do that?” Edgardo “That’s the only move we got” Next…… Edgardo “If she comes through today, we’re safe, if we pull the immunity idol on Alex, we’re safe anyway so the only way to keep Alex in the game right now (Dre)” (on screen) Mookie “Is to show the immunity idol” Edgardo “is to show the immunity idol” (on screen) Mookie (conf) “My hope was that Stacy would vote with us today 5-3 but it seems like she’s not voting with us anymore. I don’t want to use the idol this early in the game (confessional on beach) but at the same time I have to think what will get me strategically further in the game (this part in voice over and the voice was different, I’m pretty sure he said these same words in the episode he found the idol and were dubbed in now) “I can save Alex by giving him the immunity idol but this early in the game using the idol is kind of a disadvantage so things have gotten very complicated” (This portion is in same spot as when he just discussed Stacy therefore this portion was the completion of his thought discussing not wanting to use it so early but knows it could save Alex. Why the editors felt it necessary to dub in him discussing what would get him strategically further in the game may be a nugget for something Mookie does or is able to do to last a bit more in the game or simply to further his character as one of the “villains”) Earl and Yao Man watch Mookie approach while Boo and Cassandra are shown close by Alex “Drop it on the ground, I’ll pick it up” Mookie “God Stacy you stupid….” Alex “I know, I know, who cares about her, we don’t need her. As soon as we do this, we’re done” Alex and Mookie transfer the idol with a shot of Dre then shown Alex “It’s gonna work Mook, it’s gonna work” (All above said on screen) Next…… Dre “Mookie gave Alex the idol” (on screen) Yao Man “Mookie gave it to Alex?” Earl “That’s what he said” Earl “You sure he gave it to him, he gave it to him?” (on screen) Dre “I promise” Boo “I believe his word” Dre “Listen, promise, just trust me” Earl “Okay I know” Boo “I believe his word” (Yao Man shown with these words on screen which had me question why Yao Man shown regarding believing Dre’s words when Boo said it) Earl “Listen, Mookie, Mookie….” (shown looking at each Dre, Stacy, Cassandra, Boo..) Earl (conf) “Turns out Mookie gave the idol to Alex so we’re going to vote Mookie to catch them off guard” Next….. Edgardo “I say we don’t vote for Earl, we vote for Cassandra” Alex “Why” Edgardo “Because Cassandra is in the middle of the group; if you take Cassandra, you split the whole group and it’s just Earl and Yao by themselves” Alex “Ed thinks we should vote Cassandra” Mookie “Tell Dreamz” Edgardo (conf) “Dreamz, Alex, Mookie and I are voting for Cassandra. I think it’s the smartest move and it have the hardest punch at Tribal Council. This is an all or nothing move, if it works out (Mookie shown with Dre) it will be one of the best moves ever” Next….. Stacy “You don’t think they will try and throw us off and try to vote Mookie” (same group meeting as before) “If they think we’re voting between Mookie and Alex (Earl shown) why don’t we vote off Edgardo” Boo “Why don’t we vote Edgardo? That’d come out of nowhere” Stacy “Because they think we’re doing Mookie or Alex but if we hit them with Edgardo that hits them from the left side” Earl “Yeah, I had thought about Edgardo…” Stacy “I think we should talk about it between the five of us ….. Look we should do the five us for Edgardo and not say anything to anyone else” Earl “That’s it, we’ll all do Edgardo” Yao Man “Okay, the five of us Edgardo, right?” Earl “And we won’t discuss it with Dreamz” Earl (conf) “What’s going on now is total chaos, a lot of people are paranoid, the panic button has been pushed. Mookie had the idol, he actually gave it to Alex; that was from our source which is Dreamz but it could be a test. It doesn’t matter cause we’re smarter than that so we won’t vote Alex or Mookie, we’re gonna vote Edgardo” (Notice that despite it being Stacy’s idea, again we hear nothing from her about this; this quite brilliant strategic decision was told to us by Earl) Next…….. Dre whispers to Alex to come over. “Let’s do it. Let’s work it” Alex “Is it Cassandra or Earl?” Dre “They said we was, I thought we was voting off Cassandra?” (I find it interesting that Dre would have entertained this idea and I question whether or not he opted to go with Earl, Yao, etc. because Cassandra was to be the vote. It will be interesting to hear if Dre would have sided with the horseman if another candidate was selected as he seems very close to Cassandra) Alex “Cassandra right?” Dre “Yeah, they’re not talking to me much. I think they suspecting something” Alex “They don’t think we have the idol though, they definitely don’t” Dre “They don’t, they don’t know we got it” Alex “They know we don’t have it?” Dre “They know we don’t have it” Alex “Right, so they’re gonna vote me?” Dre “Yea, you might be going home tonight. So they think” Alex “So they think. This is brilliant” With that, Dre nods in satisfaction Tribal Council – What A Doozy! Rocky, Lisi and Michelle enter with a shot to Mookie appearing unhappy with Michelle as a new juror. Michelle shown with a big smile and what is edited to appear as Earl with a big smile in return. Dre asked if a mad scramble occurred after challenge Dre “It was chaotic… (shots of players smiling – note that the shot of Earl laughing/smiling looks strangely like the reaction shot he was “supposed” to be giving Michelle; more manipulation. Recall the “reaction” shot Yul gave when Jonathan announced that he believed he knew where the idol was on the challenge mat; that Yul shot looked exactly like his reaction shot to Jeff explaining directions to the challenge) Edgardo “Seriously, I don’t even know what the majority is. I’m lost, I’m paranoid…” Yao Man on he is the one person to not have to feel paranoid Yao Man “The first time I’ve come to Tribal Council with regular heart rate and normal blood pressure (Jeff, Cassandra laughs) “That’s a good thing for an old man” (Earl laughs/nods) Mookie on being gone and then coming back to chaos Mookie “Tons of names coming up… (Edgardo) I’m thinking I’m one of these people cause I’m at Exile (Dre) I don’t know what’s going on (Earl) either but I guess I have to use my own judgement” Yao Man asked about vote impact regarding the hidden idol Yao Man “If we suspect someone has the idol (Alex) we should try to avoid voting for that person and vote somebody in his alliance out first (Mookie) there’s two ways (Edgardo) to defeat an army; one is to cut off the head, the other to cut away all the soldiers” (Stacy nods) Alex asked how much does he think about idol in terms of strategy Alex “Logically speaking, I’m going to suspect the people who have been to Exile Island like Earl (Earl) are going to have it so that tells me either avoid Earl (Edgardo) or try to take out people in Earl’s alliance” Dre asked how crazy this vote will be Dre “This vote right here is going to determine everything (Foreshadowing?) in the game. This vote will separate the snakes from the rats” (More snake analogy. Dre claimed to put on snakeskins boot come merger and less we forget how Earl advised he and the snake came to an understanding. More ties…. and to solidify….Earl is then shown) Dre shown voting for Mookie: “A strategic move, let’s still be friends” Edgardo shown voting for Cassandra: “Nothing against you; better you than me, let’s see if this works” Jeff asks if anyone wants to play the idol with Mookie and Alex to look at each other and Earl shown with Dre and Yao Man soon after. Alex gets up and Earl shown smiling/nodding. Alex passes the jury with Edgardo then shown and Cassandra smiling. Mookie, Cassandra then Yao Man smiling are shown when Jeff announces Alex used the idol. Alex *shown* to be looking at Earl (one “leader” to another?) and with Edgardo then Yao Man shown again smiling. Dre shown with a grin. Jeff announces he will read the votes and Alex and Mookie *shown* to be smiling to each other. Normally I don't bother with the voting but this time is an exception Cassandra (Edgardo and Mookie smiles) Cassandra (Alex watchful, Edgardo smiles) Cassandra (jury watching; Mookie and Alex exchange smiles; Yao Man watches) Mookie (Mookie a bit surprised, Alex watchful, Dre grinning) Edgardo (a previous smile disappears quickly, Alex’s smile disappears quickly, Mookie looking over, jury reaction with Rocky grinning and tapping Michelle – a quick shot over to Earl smiling, stroking his beard and nodding) Edgardo (Quick shots from Edgardo, Alex, Mookie) Edgardo (Quick shots of Edgardo, Alex then Yao Man smiling with a last glance of Mookie with Earl in the background appearing to look over at the jury perhaps? and watching them with a last shot of Cassandra) Edgardo (shot of Edgardo appearing to look behind him when the shot cuts to Dre shaking his head, Alex with head down and Yao Man watching) Edgardo then gets the last vote with Alex and Mookie reaction shots. Edgardo taps Dre and Alex’s head with a shot to Earl looking over then Cassandra with Dre in the background. Edgardo’s torch is out and last shots from Alex and Mookie and one final shot of Yao Man grinning. Jeff “Alex played the idol tonight, it turns out he didn’t need it (Alex) the idol will be rehidden (Cassandra) new clues will be put on Exile Island (Earl smiling) The chaos of tonight’s Tribal Council (Dre) is a great reminder that this game (Stacy) is always (Mookie) in a state of flux (Alex)
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forestfriend 18 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Got Milk? Spokesperson"
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04-21-07, 11:22 PM (EST)
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86. "RE: Ep 10 Editing " |
I cannot comprehend the amount of work that goes into the preparation of these transcripts-cum-magical-analysis.Thank you so much. You SAW so much more than I did, and I don't understand at all what the gift is that you have. I do not think I could be trained, for example, to watch these programs with that kind of acute memory for places, tones of voice, exact words, etc., that you have in abundance.
I MIGHT be trained to try to notice the time of day in the confessionals, but that's about it. My Dear VS: Is there a boot list available ANYWHERE that pertains to the remainder of the season? Mookie scares me with all his threats against Cassandra! Oh, yes, and thanks in particular for the insights on the timing of the smiles at Tribal Council. What we saw was not necessarily the order in which events actually took place. The music used in this episode was actually quite humorous in places, and I don't think I'd have noticed that without having experienced this site and here having been alerted to be more, uh, alert.
FF
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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04-22-07, 05:07 PM (EST)
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88. "RE: Ep 10 Editing " |
LAST EDITED ON 04-22-07 AT 05:12 PM (EST)I must applaud Veruca who was the only person to see that Stacy had a potential for betraying Alex. I was pretty impressed as I saw the events unfold. This week, your analysis of Stacy’s post RC reaction, of Mookie’s confessionals and of Cassandra’s decisions are real jems. Thanks also for reminding us of the following: More snake analogy. Dre claimed to put on snakeskins boot come merger and less we forget how Earl advised he and the snake came to an understanding. I wrote the summary for this episode. I looked at the episode with a different frame of mind but I hope you enjoy reading it.
Now, it’s time to get serious. Imbroglio The episode was a enjoyable ride into a veritable mess of alliance switching, plans formed and changed and some surprise contributors. The “unreliable” Dreamz was responsible for most of the drama. He had strange visuals during the episode, from being fascinated with a bug flying around when Mookie scolded him, to the figure on the hill in Earl’s vision then the dazed look during the fireworks. After trying to reassure Mookie that it will be alright, Dreamz explained his last vote when he confided that: “Michelle told me she didn’t know me and didn’t know which alliance I have during the last tribal council. It made me realize I didn’t know her. It scared me a little bit. It caused me to write her name.” For a player who has rubbed many the wrong way, it was surprising that Dreamz was one of the last two standing at the RC. Could it be they knew he would take any hits personally? On the yatch, Dreamz was in a daze while he watched the fireworks “I'm the swing vote, I'm stuck between two alliances. Mookie wants to stick with the old plan with the four boys and Stacy but my heart is telling me to go with Cassandra, Earl, Yao Man and Boo. There's so much information going on that it’s clogging my mind that I don't know what to do right now, it's like being tugged in every direction except my own." Day 27 started with Alex and Dreamz talking at the water hole. The scene was of capital importance for the episode and had ramifications on the story of many players. I insert it in the analysis of Dreamz’s story because he initiated it.
Dreamz informed Alex that his name will be coming out at the next council.
Alex told him: “What if I use the immunity idol and got rid of one of them.”
“What about Mookie” asked Dreamz. “Will he give up the idol? Have you seen Lord of the rings? He wants to keep his precious.”
“You mean like Gollum? Yeah I understand.”
The music increased in volume and we got a camera angle from behind the tall grass…Someone was approaching the conspirators. After losing his young spy, Earl decided to become a spy himself and he walked in on the pair. He innocently asked for the pot of water but we knew he had heard everything! When Mookie made the idol transfer, he had two witnesses: Dreamz and a bat hanging from the trees above. After the exchange, the bat flew off as if to tell all its friends. Dreamz did the same! “Mookie gave the idol to Alex. I promise he did” He told Earl’s alliance.
Boo believed Dreamz.
Everyone agreed that the vote should then go against Mookie. At TC, Jeff asked Dreamz if there was any scrambling after the challenge.
Dreamz answered: “Jeff, if you was on that beach, it was chaotic. It was the most chaotic day.”
Everyone laughed at that in agreement. The mood was still light in the beginning but it was already a little more tense when Dreamz answered the last question before the vote: “This vote tonight will determine everything. It will separate the snakes from the rats right here.” The visuals of Dreamz were mainly to show he doesn’t really understand the ramifications of the game. The shot of him on the hill could be a reminder that he stood above Earl when the “King of Fiji” comment was made but rather, I felt like it meant that Dreamz was in his own little world. Before we dub him a stupid player however, consider the following chain of events: -Boo tells everyone that Dreamz doesn't want Alex voted out because he likes him.
-Dreamz wants to be with Earl and Cassandra but they want to go after Alex.
-Dreamz tells Alex that Earl's alliance is gunning for him and that he needs to get "Gollum" to give up his precious.
-Dreamz tells Earl that the horsemen have AND SHARE the idol.
-Dreamz tells Earl that Mookie gave the idol to Alex so that they must vote against Mookie
-Earl’s alliance gets the upper hand and Alex is safe.
Coincidence or nice strategic play? I don’t know but what I do know is that Dreamz wasn’t given the credit for those moves by the editors. If he had been given a confessional to explain he wanted Mookie out, then we’d see him as a genius. We heard nothing more than his usual ramblings which isn’t the portayal of a winner. Isn’t it strange that Dreamz again went with the alliance that had Stacy?!! One of the victims of this episode was Mookie who started by telling us that Dreamz screwed them with the vote and gave all the power to Alex. Before Mookie had a chance to talk to Dre, Alex took him out of camp. He told him that he can’t understand why Mookie voted on his own.
Mookie assured him he didn’t want to create dissension and Alex let it go as mis-communication but he insisted that the horsemen should start sharing the idol: “The way to seal the final 4 in blood is to take the immunity idol and rotate it so each of us gets it a day.”
Mookie disagreed: “That won’t do anything?”
“It does” insisted Alex. “What it tells me is that none of us can screw each other over. The 3 of us found it together…Now you’re telling me you’re not gonna part with it unless, only on your terms. That’s messed up, dude. ”
“That’s not what I’m saying” replied Mookie but we never heard his explanation. After that argument, Mookie had it out with Dreamz
Mookie told him: “Alex wants me to give him the idol.”
“You tell him no” argued Dreamz
“Then he says the 4 horsemen means nothing.”
“We recruit, then” proposed Dreamz. “We have the numbers over there.”
“We can’t do that because they don’t trust us” objected an exasperated Mookie. “You screwed up.”
“No I didn’t” said Dreamz
“Yes, you did” insisted Mookie. “You screwed both of us.” On Exile Island, Mookie was fuming: “I’m very irritated with Cassandra. Cassandra has no idea who she is messing with. Cassandra is quiet but in a deceiving, conniving way. Cassandra made the worst mistake of her life. All I want to do is get Cassandra and her alliance. Call it revenge but I am gunning for her.” That obessive behavior isn’t the way to portray a winner on Exile Island! At least, he read the clues and realized that there had to have been an idol at Moto beach also. More importantly, he figured that the clues were clear enough that someone would find the idol after the third clue. “Earl must have the other idol.” Back in camp after the immunity challenge, Mookie showed that his obsession had time to grow: “By sending me to Exile island, Cassandra ruined the game for herself and her alliance. I’m gonna take out her whole alliance, one by one.” He told Alex and Dreamz that Earl had to go first.
Mookie confided: “You get Earl out. He could have the idol, so it changes the game a little bit in terms of strategy. You want to get the guy with the idol and get him by surprise. Hopefully we can take him out and take him out with the immunity idol and he doesn’t even use it.”
To the guys, he concluded: “The order has to be Earl, Yau-Man and Boo.”
Alex agreed but Dreamz wanted to know when it would be Stacy’s turn. Both guys assured Dreamz that Stacy was with them. Seeing that the 4 horsemen needed to use the idol to save Alex, Mookie was tormented: “I can save Alex by giving him the immunity idol but this early in the game using the idol is kind of a disadvantage so things have gotten very complicated.” Mookie was with Alex when Edgardo proposed a new plan:
“Cassandra is in the middle of the group. You take out Cassandra, you take out the whole group.”
The move that Edgardo hoped would be considered one of the best moves ever made on Survivor must have pleased Mookie. Someone decided to put the target on his nemesis. He certainly didn’t argue and the guys agreed to tell Dreamz. Throughout the episode, Mookie was shown as a vindictive, emotional player. The shots of his smiles turning to despair at TC showed that revenge isn’t the best way to play this game. Mookie has no future. Alex was the other victim still standing after this episode. The events happened around Alex but he was never presented as being in control, of knowing what was really going on. How ironic after he had been the answer to two questions a leader doesn’t want to be perceived as:
-Who most has a sense of entitlement?
-Who mistakenly believes they are in control of this game? His talk with Stacy underlined how much he lost his grip of the game. After that, Alex was uncertain of how to proceed. Edgardo came to his aid as he understood what Stacy’s strange reaction meant. He told Alex: “That means she’s not in, dude.” Edgardo made the arrangements for Mookie to give up the idol.
Once he received the idol, Alex assured his ally “It’s gonna work Mook. It’s gonna work.” As they were about to leave for Tribal Council, Alex was happy to tell Dreamz that they were voting Cassandra. Dreamz had a smile and he told Alex that the other alliance wasn’t talking to him much, that they could be suspecting him. Still he assured Alex that they didn’t know that the horsemen had the idol. Alex had always been presented as thinking about what was good for the alliance instead of what he needed to do for his own sake. Sure enough, when it came to saving himself, Alex made big mistakes in reading the other players and he was portrayed as having lost all control…not that he had much to begin with according to the RC question! Not everyone was caught in the turmoil Earl woke up on day 25 to a vision of Dreamz suddenly appearing on the hill, overlooking the camp. Earl had a confessional: “I was hoping that Stacy was gone. It was definitely a shock and I was really disappointed. It turned the whole script around for everything in my head.” Boo then had a talk with Earl: “If you all want to take me as a swing vote, we make it to the 5; You, me, Cassandra, Yau and Dreamz. The rest of them, they’re all backstabbers.”
Earl appeared to go along: “As long as we take out Alex first.”
Boo told Earl: “Dreamz won’t want to take Alex out. He likes Alex.” Earl’s confessional then continued: “When Boo and I had our man-to-man talk and looked each other in the eye, he said he’s with me, I still didn’t buy it. Boo is trying to save his own neck at all times. I need to know if he’s with us because we really do need his vote since we don’t have Michelle. The main core is myself, Yau and Cassandra. I trust them completely. Dreamz is a wild card and I don’t know if I trust Mookie all the way yet because he tries to manipulate a lot as well. It’s the part of the chess game where you already lost a couple of really good pieces and you have to really think. You can’t trust everybody. I like playing this game and I am still here.” As the confessional ends, we see him on top of the hill. The reason for repeating that image is hard to determine. Is it to show Earl as too confident and to prepare his fall? Some have started to suggest it. I rather think it is to make us simply doubt that he can win. At about this time last season, we started seeing some chinks in Yul’s armor which made us doubt he would win. Anyway, I could be overanalyzing this. The majority of viewers haven’t counted those shots like we have. They needed to be reminded that Earl is the King of Fiji, especially on the night when the decision between the alliances was made. In the reward challenge, Earl had no real involvement except for being named the most trustworthy. That is a question a leader likes to be the answer to. During Cassandra’s decision as to who would accompany her, we had many shots of Earl looking on. He didn’t look disappointed, rather it gave the impression he was happy with her choices. They were indeed good for his alliance. After catching Dreamz and Alex during their secret discussion, Earl told us that: “There’s a major part of me that wants to let Dreamz go. If you continue to fraternize with the people we want to get rid of, then you are going to get cut.” Earl saw Dreamz talking with Cassandra and he let him know it was time for an explanation: “I was standing right there.”
Dreamz replied: “I can tell by the way you’re looking at me, Earl, that you are doubting me.”
“Here’s something you need to start doing right now…Listen! I’m someone you need to listen to”
Dreamz saw that he was in trouble so he explained it was all strategy and he told Cassandra and Earl that Mookie had the idol.
Earl looked all surprised: “What does it look like?”
“It’s a turtle, A turtle necklace” claimed Dreamz.
“A turtle necklace?? I didn’t even know anyone had the idol. He told everybody he has the idol? They found it together and they’re not fighting over it?” Earl bluffed nicely and got a lot of information from the loose cannon. He would get even more vital information from Dreamz about the idol transfer. After agreeing on a vote against Mookie, we heard Earl saying: “We will vote Mookie just to get them off guard.” After Stacy proposed to surprise the other group with an Edgardo boot, Earl was given the confessional that was rightfully Stacy’s: “What’s going on now is total chaos, a lot of people are paranoid, the panic button has been pushed. Mookie had the idol, he actually gave it to Alex; that was from our source which is Dreamz but it could be a test. It doesn’t matter cause we’re smarter than that so we won’t vote Alex or Mookie, we’re gonna vote Edgardo.” The tribal council was very satisfying for Earl and we saw him smiling when Alex got up to give the idol and when Jeff read the votes. Earl’s vision of Dreamz is puzzling. Could it be that the pair are being set up as rivals or was it simply to show that Dreamz is someone that is always out of reach? I tend to think it is the latter. We have some signs that not everything is perfect, such as those smiles at TC which aren’t good if you want to play with a poker face but in general, Earl’s edit has been consistent; he knows what is happening around him and he keeps everything under control. Yau-Man also found a way to profit from the turmoil. He was happy to have time to brainwash Dreamz on the yacht. He told him that they are “the syndicate” and that they have to proceed carefully without making any more mistakes. Yau wanted Alex to be their target and they had a toast to their success.
After joining Earl, Dreamz and Cassandra on their idol discussion, Yau told us that he was getting nervous now that he knew Mookie had the idol and that he will have to rethink his whole strategy. While he was speaking, we had a shot of Stacy in camp with Alex and Edgardo. It pointed the direction that Yau’s strategy would soon take. Yau-Man approached Stacy with a lot of tact after the challenge: “So, who are you going to vote for?”
Stacy answered: “I have no idea.”
“Vote for anybody except Earl, OK?” suggested Yau. He goes on “If your heart will let you, vote for Alex if not, then just don’t vote for Earl.”
“But it makes no point if I’m the only one to vote for Alex.”
“It will not be a blind vote out there” assured Yau-Man. Yau-Man, with the immunity necklace, enjoyed his first tribal council with a regular heart rate and a normal blood pressure which he told us is important for an old man. He explained how one should handle the vote when an immunity idol is in play: “If you suspect someone has the idol, you vote someone in his alliance first. You can cut the head or you can cut out all the soldiers first.” Yau-Man, the professor, is shown as a smart player but most of his strategy talks are centered on the idol. He is a fan favorite and his story of surprising the doubters was furthered with his immunity win. Being named the one the players would most like to be with on a deserted island is good for his potentail jury appeal…if he gets there. The idol is only good through final 5; what does Yau-Man do without an idol? Some players surprised us Stacy had a brutal reward challenge. She was the answer to two insulting questions:
-Who do you not want to see again after the game?
-Who has wasted this great opportunity?
We didn’t get the usual funny recrimination scene. Stacy was eliminated first. The players said that they didn’t want to see her ever again and that she wasted her opportunity. If she had blown up, the editors would have showed it, so we must conclude that she wisely kept quiet and used the time to think about the portent of those answers. After her talk with Yau-Man, we heard Stacy remark that she will do what she needs to do. That’s when things started to get interesting. Alex had a talk with Stacy
“I saved you on the Michelle vote. Mookie wants to vote out Earl because he has the immunity idol. What do you think? Are you in?” Seeing that Stacy wasn’t reacting, Alex asked her: “Are you alright?”
“I’m just hot” she simply responded. “I’m really agitated.” Not the best bluffer, Stacy told us: “I don’t owe anything to Alex. If saving myself means severing a tie, then I’ll sever that tie.” From being an outsider, Stacy was in with Earl’s alliance when Dreamz delivered the key information. Quite a step up for someone that was mainly ignored up until then. Not wanting to waste her opportunity anymore Stacy spoke up as soon as Dreamz left the camp to go get firewood. She came up with a good question for Earl’s alliance: “You don’t think they are trying to throw us off? If they are thinking we are voting between Mookie and Alex, why don’t we vote off Edgardo?”
Stacy made a great point: “If we vote Edgardo, that gets him out of left field. I think we should talk about it between the five of us and not say anything to anybody else.”
They all agreed with her not to say anything to Dreamz. If Stacy reacted smartly after the reward, it isn’t a good sign that we didn’t hear her say anything about her resolve. Worse, Stacy has had very few strategy talks with her fellow castaways since the tribal switch. Seeing Yau-Man approach her with a very simple and sincere proposal had to be like a breath of fresh air for Stacy. She certainly did not waste this opportunity and came up with a very smart plan. Why wasn’t she given more credit? That answer is simple: She isn’t the one that will ultimately profit from it. Cassandra had her best episode in a long time. She started with a perfect record at the reward challenge, proving she knows her fellow castaways. Mookie was the only player to smash one of her towers after smashing her leader’s. Add to that the fact that Mookie was the only player she had never been with, then her choice of Exile wasn’t surprising. Returning to camp, Cassandra told us that she wanted to choose wisely to solidify her alliance. VS, you wondered what happened to help Cassandra choose: Here is what I found from Insider: Cassandra held court and let each Survivor give her a sales pitch. Yau-Man told her: "This is strategic! Think of the alliance. Take Boo…our swing vote." When it was his turn, Earl told her: “"Boo is the swing vote, we might need to take him. Take Boo and Dreamz and me." She first picked Dreamz and then Boo. After some hesitation, she had pity for Yau who she said works so hard and never takes a break. Once on the yacht, Cassandra was feeling like she was living the life of the rich and famous. Helping Yau-Man in his reasoning of Dreamz, Cassandra pointed out that Alex was playing a Harvard graduate game. At least Cassandra realized that: “I think Dreamz is playing both sides right now because I can't sense in his eyes a 100% commitment to our alliance. I don't know what the future is going to be for us with Dreamz". The nice helpful player story that we’ve seen from Cassandra ever since she took care of Papa Smurf was presented nicely in this episode. She is acting almost like a mother to Dreamz who seems to like her very much. She is so well liked that she is a dangerous player to keep around until the end. Can she slide by that long? She certainly is in a nice position. Boo didn’t have much impact in this episode. His talk with Earl was important for the alliance and it certainly helped Boo get the target off his back yet it wasn’t presented as a special development. We never had a confessional from Boo to explain his choice. Certainly, if he considers Earl the most trustworthy, it could explain it. Why not give it a build-up? On the yatch, Boo was more interested in the margaritas and the champagne but he did have a friendly disposition with Dreamz and he was helpful in assisting Yau-Man in his brainwashing attempt. Boo rarely has impact in the game except when he injures himself. He is a strong soldier, a loyal partner if you are trustworthy but basically a helpful tool. PS: Hello Forestfriend: If you do find a booting order, please leave it out of this thread. We try to operate without spoilers. To one of your earlier question, we saw Danni mainly as a clinical player. She was the big sister in charge of her alliance and then went UTR after the merge but mainly, she made calculated, unemotional decisions. Hope that answers your question.
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rose1974 11 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Got Milk? Spokesperson"
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04-23-07, 00:43 AM (EST)
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91. "RE: Ep 10 Editing " |
Veruca, great summary. I always look forward to reading your synopsis. I just wanted to add a few things.. The tribal council was very telling and you could almost see the lightbulb go on in Edgardo's head when Yao discussed taking out the head or the army. Also after the first three votes the music completely changed to very ominous fitting with the turn of events. Also after Edgardo is voted out he taps Dre on the head as if to say "you knucklehead" but then actually shakes Alex's hand as if to say "good luck". Also going back to the interaction between Earl and Dre on the Turtle idol when Earl says "really a turtle?" it was believeable. He definitely has a "pokerface". I also wonder why we had so many reaction shots of Earl during the twist at tribal council. To some he could come across as a little too cocky as a result. Dre is just all over the place. I think this stems from his unstable childhood. He never really learned how to trust people and probably had to do a lot of manipulating while living out on the street. I just wonder how long he can keep this up. His interaction with Earl and Cassandra was like two parents scolding their child. Earl was firm and yet did not humiliate him. He didn't treat him like a "little kid". He also did not let Cassandra keep her views a secret when he said "we've talked and we both agree" that you talk too much. This was one of those "we're disappointed in you" moments we've all had with our parents. This vote puts Dre in a very bad situation as he voted Mookie and help "fool" Alex out of the idol. He isn't making any friends on the jury is he?
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redbeard103152 466 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Daytime Soap Guest Star"
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04-22-07, 11:30 AM (EST)
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87. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor - Fiji" |
"Notice that despite it being Stacy’s idea, again we hear nothing from her about this; this quite brilliant strategic decision was told to us by Earl" This vote put the nail in the coffin of the Four Horsemen. This particular edisode of Survivor was one of the best episodes I have ever seen. The looks on the faces of the Four Horsemen were priceless. I have never seen a smile turned into a look of "what happened" any faster than this in any other TC. It is really beginning to look to me like Earl is holding a Royal Flush in his hand. Thanks again V.S. for bringing this to my attention. Your observations and analysis of Survivor is second to none. This particular thread is the one place to come to understand just how the game is really being played.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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04-28-07, 06:45 PM (EST)
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92. "Episode # 11: The Editing " |
LAST EDITED ON 04-28-07 AT 08:58 PM (EST)As the game gets more serious, we see players using different tactics to get to the end. We had snoops, spies and liars. It’s: Time to get Down and Dirty: Alex was with Mookie in the opening scene, talking about how Dreamz had double-crossed them. Alex said: “I think Dreamz may have been playing us all along.” Day 28 started with Alex calling Dreamz a true traitor. He wasn’t happy to hear Dreamz say that they had been outwitted: “What are you talking about, you turned on us.” His face showed he didn’t believe Dreamz’s excuse but he turned the page when he asked him: “Is there any way out of this?” Winning challenges was the only answer Dreamz could offer. Alex had a wry smile at the end of the scene to underline how he felt about Dreamz. After the reward, the seaplane was still in the air but we had a confessional from Alex: “It’s great. The first thing I’m gonna do when I get on this reward is see if I can try to wiggle back into this alliance. I’m certainly in a bad position, I feel the odds are against me but I’m definitely gonna give it my all” The timing of the confessional is in question since they left from the challenge still dirty and went directly to the seaplane yet Alex was clean during his confessional. His first pitch was to the other three players during the meal: “You’ve seen how I play this game. Whether I win or lose, I congratulate the other team and I try to minimize the showboating.” “Sometimes” countered Stacy to Alex’s displeasure. The glance they exchanged showed there was no OldMoto bond left. Dreamz left the table, preventing Alex from trying to convince everyone. The summit meeting
Seeing that his frontal approach wasn’t working Alex confided: “A lion is most dangerous when it is wounded and backed up against the wall and that is how I feel. I’m clearly on the chopping block. So, if I can buy myself a couple people off, that might give me more time and maybe infiltrate the alliance. (the next part is shown after the conversation with Earl) Obviously I’m at a disadvantage but I don’t care, I’m not going without a fight and they better be prepared for me to bring it at this point.”
Alex changed his tactic and went to work on an individual level, talking to Earl as they relaxed away from the others.
-“So, can I ask you a question Earl…what’s the order” he asked. “Mookie and I.”
-“That information probably wouldn’t be revealed” replied the poker player “because the game isn’t over. Can’t be stupid.”
-“Fair enough.”
-“I’m assuming you want to go second.”
-“I think Mookie wants to go.”
-“That’s why Mookie may not go first, ‘cause he wants to go first.”
-“Sounds reasonable. I’ve come to terms with the way I played the game so far…I’m happy” concluded Alex, realizing he wasn’t making any progress. Snooping and Plotting
While Yau-Man was fishing and Dreamz was sound asleep, Alex went with Mookie who had figured Yau-Man probably had the idol. Mookie spotted the second turtle and Alex started thinking: “What can we do with this information? Lets go think what is the most damage we can cause.” The two allies rushed out of camp to discuss their plans…within earshot of Stacy and Cassandra!
Their plan was to surprise Yau-Man at tribal council by telling everyone he had the hidden immunity idol and hope to cause a fracture in the votes: “If they learn that he has the idol and has lied about it…” proposed Mookie,
“They would vote with us. God, it would feel so great. Even if we get voted off, Mook, it would feel so great…That’s going out swinging, litterally, a blaze of glory…Pow, pow, pow” said Alex acting like a gunslinger.
Mookie said: “It will be a great tribal council.
Alex thought they were brilliant and both guys were laughing when they heard a twig break. Alex now looked worried: “We’re screwed…Dammit”
The plan changed: “We walk up to Yau-Man and we say: Do you want us to tell everybody you have the immunity idol or do you want to yourself.” Another Plan Bites the Dust
The ultimatum was presented to Yau-Man: “We know you have the idol…we saw it in your bag.”
It was rejected, leaving the two guys bewildered.
Alex confided: “We go to Yau and he was shocked, I definitely saw it in his eyes…He’s not going to be able to use it the way he wanted to so that still makes him more of a target than it did before.” The smile had left his face. Last Stand
After losing immunity, Alex had a chat with Mookie: “We can’t be anything but honest…if I’m going down, I’m bringing hell with me.”
He confided: “I’m a lawyer, I know what it’s like to negotiate with people, I know what it’s like to use information strategically which I’ve been doing all along. It’s very clear; Yau-Man cannot be trusted so at tribal council, I’m going to point it out that those are the persons you have aligned yourself with, draw your own conclusions.” Before leaving for the tribal council, Alex assured us that he would make his vote count. Tribal council wasn’t kind to Alex when Jeff pointed out that going through someone’s bag is about as snaky and ratty as you can get. Earl had a chance to tell Jeff he was pissed at the move. Stacy and Boo exchanged a disgusted look as Alex said: “What they did to get to this point going to come back to bite them. Karma has a funny way to work in this game and it’s pretty immediate.” At least, Jeff’s final words gave him a reason to hope: “There’s one very strong group of 6 and then there’s Alex. Alex is either odd man out or suddenly very valuable.” With Earl laughing at those words, it seems Alex will have a lot of convincing to do. Alex has been constantly portrayed as someone who wants to play the game but who has to run around putting out fires. He is presented as an emotional player who gets enamored with his schemes but can never pull them off. The looks Stacy had, at the spa and during the TC, show that she is a dead end. Boo looks firmly on Earl’s side. Dreamz is the only one that could help him yet Dreamz is the one he could set a target on. Quite a conundrum!
Stacy seized the first opportunity to explain the Edgardo vote to Dreamz: “We were worried that they were feeding you misinformation. They could have told Dreamz anything and been like switching, they could have done anything.” Once everyone was settled back in camp, Stacy had the last words of the opening sequence: “Their days are numbered. From here on out, we don’t even have to stress it or anything. They’ll be lucky if they get fed.” She showed some good thinking during the reward challenge, communicating with Dreamz who was often alone deep in the mud field. Stacy aimed her shots at him and they connected on four occasions, including the clincher. Was it that connection that made Dreamz joke with her about the shower? She enjoyed herself at the spa and was given the confessional to explain the group’s mood: “Getting the reward was good and it was definitely good for morale but it was extremely ackward to have Alex there.” The grimace she made as Alex spoke showed the “wounded lion” can’t count on his old ally to infiltrate the alliance. Stacy was making an alliance with Cassandra while sharing a pineapple under the cover of trees: “We’re doing this because you and me are the last two girls. This is to a long and prosperous game together.” Then, Stacy heard somebody coming; it was Alex and Mookie discussing Yau-Man’s idol. The two women crouched in silence, trying to hear the discussion but catching only a few words. It was enough to scare the two guys when they heard Stacy breaking a branch and realizing they had been there all along. Informed of the blackmail attempt by Yau-Man, Stacy told the tribe: “My heart is like hurting right now. Alex went through Yau-Man’s things, his bags, his pants, and then he threatened him.” Cassandra agreed with her that it was unacceptable. The immunity challenge win by Stacy was accompanied by an exchange of smiles between the two women as Cassandra gave her a “You’re #1” sign. While we saw a very disappointed Alex, we saw Cassandra applauding and Earl smiling as Stacy was getting the necklace. Stacy has recovered nicely after the brutal coconut chop challenge. Could it be that a few see her as a good opponent to bring along? She certainly wouldn’t get many votes and that makes her a dangerous player to keep around.
Dreamz was appeased by Stacy and Earl after returning from the tribal council and accepted their explanations: “That was smart” he said about the safer, Edgardo vote.
Dreamz confided: “Everybody made a pact to vote out Mookie but suddenly they made a switch to vote out Edgardo. I was the only one to vote Mookie. At first I felt they didn’t trust me but they came to me and let me know they changed it just in case Mookie pulled out the idol. I was comfortable after that.” He concluded his talk with the group by saying: “I’m glad it’s over.” The next morning, Dreamz tried to smoothe things over with the remaining horsemen: “We got outwitted…I didn’t turn on you…I gave a random vote to Mookie It’s not me turning on you ever.”
Dreamz then confided: “I said we just got outplayed because I didn’t want them to think it was my fault that it happened. I pretty much told them a story about me not knowing what was going on. As fast as I’m trying to get them out of here, I still want to be their friend because I’m gonna need them in the future if I reach the final two.” If he wanted to be friends with Alex, he had a great chance during the reward. We didn’t see them together at all, leading to the conclusion that they will not work together anymore. Dreamz was the only one that didn’t completely sympathize with Yau-Man after the idol revelation.
He confided: “Finding out that Yau-Man has the immunity idol changes a whole bunch of stuff because everybody with the immunity idol is considered dangerous. Me, Cassandra and Stacy know that everybody else is going to be on a different level. It’s gonna change a bunch of stuff.” Once it was time to decide on a target, Dreamz talked with Earl: “We should get Mookie out of here. Mookie can lay around… Mookie does nothing. At least, Alex will help with the firewood and stuff.”
-“Alex has a better chance of winning immunity than Mookie. Mookie has checked out mentally” objected Earl.
-“Alex cannot win immunities.”
-“Man, you see how luck goes with these challenges. It’s not physical, man. Yeah, we got them dominated on the physical, but you never know. It’s lucky…Look Stacy won today. ”
After that, the tribe decided to split the votes. Did Dreamz save Alex by telling him the plan? Tribal council was another occasion where Dreamz may have spoken too much: “Both are on the chopping block but after they’re gone, there still 6 of us left and we are going to split up too, so I want to find out where I stand.” The rattle of a snake was heard as he said those words and Earl didn’t seem happy. Again, we are left wondering if, after telling Earl he wanted Mookie gone, Dreamz didn’t take it on himself to decide that Alex wasn’t the one going home. He is a loose cannon but he seems unlikely to switch away from Cassandra and Earl. Cassandra was shown to be the one to bring up Edgardo’s name first during the recap but it wasn’t underlined by Jeff. Cassandra showed surprising determination during the challenge, choking Earl and tripping up Alex to prevent them from making catches. Cassandra heard about the existence of the second idol while spying on Alex and Mookie. She looked amused on how paranoid the guys will be that they were listening in. Cassandra was shocked at Mookie's and Alex's behavior: “He threatened you? To go through people’s personal stuff and then they try to bully you? That’s dirty, that’s dirty.” When Jeff asked if any players were coasting in this game, the camera went to Cassandra. Cassandra has been shown as not being very active but she seems partly responsible for Stacy going with Earl’s alliance. For sure, showing motherly love to Dreamz has been very helpful. Boo seems to like her. She could be the gel that has kept this alliance together since the merge. This likeable woman has gotten very little respect from some of the jury members, Edgardo and Mookie in particular. Boo had another mishap at the reward challenge. Hearing his knee pop was sickening but he showed his toughness by getting back up and insisting to play on. Exile Island was his punishment for spending so much time living in the lap of luxury. There he learned that: “The idol is back at your very own beach. It’s close to a singular tree and easy to reach.” His showing on Exile Island was very short; we heard he didn’t want to do anything so that he could rest his knee. We did have a nice image of him walking in front of a huge setting sun and saying: “I’m out of water, I’m nearing heat exhaustion. I cannot be in the sun anymore, I’m gonna die.” Yau-Man wondered how many lives Boo had last time; it seems he used up a few in this episode! Back from Exile Island, Boo told everybody that the 3rd hidden immunity idol was easy to find: “It’s here on this island. They could have found it. It’s not in a hard spot from the clue I got. It’s around here, somewhere.”
Earl thought it was impossible to find the idol without a clue.
Boo asked: “Why take a chance?”
Cassandra proposed to split the votes so that no one in the alliance gets a surprise boot and Stacy supported the idea.
Boo told everyone who they should vote for. Boo got a chance to lead the tribe with the voting split decision. Maybe that is the extent of his leadership skills but like Aras and Shane found a way to keep Bruce in line by asking his advice, Earl seems to have gained Boo’s trust by letting him have a say…For how long?
During the recap, we saw Yau-Man “obliterating the competition” with an approving “thumbs-up” from Earl.
Yau-Man was walking along the beach when the guys told him they knew about the idol. After a moment of surprise, Yau recovered: “You do what you need to do. Good luck…No, I don’t think it’ll change, actually, very much.Yeah, I think I’m past the phase where I absolutely have to have it.” That put an end to the two guys’ brilliant plan.
Yau confided: “Earl is the only one that knows I have the idol. At this point, it doesn’t change any outcome because my voting block members, we have already decided, we have the majority to continue to sequence. It changed somewhat for me personally because having the information, it put me a little at risk. I will have to tell all my voting block straight up.” He first told Stacy: “Alex is trying to blackmail me. He found my idol. They went through my bag. He said: I know you have it. What do you want to do about it.” Yau got a sympathetic response from Stacy who found the snooping revolting.
Interesting that Yau-Man put most of the blame on Alex when he talked to Stacy. He knows she has no contact with Mookie so making Alex the guilty one is more important.
Yau-Man had another confessional before the challenge: “The worst thing that could happen is if either Mookie or Alex wins the next immunity challenge and if somehow they manage to get Dreamz and Boo to their side. Then it would be a 4-4 split and if we lose that split, it could go downhill for me.” The confessional was placed right after we had a shot of Alex and Mookie lying down in the cave and finding a way to laugh at the dissention they had caused. From that shot, the camera went to Yau to give the impression he was looking on and disapproving such childish behavior. Yau-Man showed a bit of cockiness at tribal council when he answered Jeff's question regarding the expectation of privacy: “It’s a desperation move and besides it won’t affect the outcome of the game for the next few rounds.” Jeff found that a bold statement but Yau insisted: “A couple of rounds at least. I may have to change my strategy a little bit if I have the intent to use it at some point.” Yau-Man is slowly becoming a little too confident. His handling of the blackmail was masterful but his “Good Luck” and his talk at Tribal Council was daring. The TC talk got a disapproving look from Earl. His story is even more entangled with the hidden immunity idol. Can he change his strategy in time? Interesting however how he didn’t doubt Stacy when he talked about the 4-4 split. Earl started by calmly explaining the reason for the vote to Dreamz. Once Dreamz was glad, Earl said the vote was brilliant.
He told us that: “Now the power is pretty much on our side and I feel good.”
Going to his tribe, he told them: “We’re actually 6 strong and there’s two people waiting on death row.” Earl was leading the reward party to the spa, giving a “Bula” to the woman greeting them. Knowing the value of hiding his cards, Earl gave nothing away to the wouded lion during their whole stay at the spa. We saw Earl in the background as the tribe learned that Yau-Man had the idol and that he had been threatened. When he had a confessional about it, he was partly amused: “People were pissed that they went through Yau’s personal things, not about; OK, Yau has the idol. It sucks to me because I like to keep everything quiet in general. Too many people know about things, bad things happen.” All the time that the confessional was going on, we had shots of Earl in camp with gestures that were reinforcing the moral outrage that the women had expressed. Earl had another occasion to worry about bad things happening when the tribe agreed to split their votes. He told them: “See, I just get nervous when you start splitting stuff up and dividing. People make mistakes.”
Earl confided: “People want to do; 3 votes Mookie and 3 votes Alex. The reason for that is you never know what might pop up. That will make it a tie at tribal council so, at that point, we can make a choice. We know that no magical idol has been played…OK it’s going to be Alex ‘cause that is who is going to go. I’m against doing a split vote but I do what makes people feel comfortable. I’m not going sit there and say: ‘No guys, we’re going to do this’ cause that’s not my approach.” Earl’s last words before leaving for Tribal council define the strategy he has employed since Day #1. He is a calculating poker player who stays out of the cross fire and leads the tribe gently by making small direction changes rather than imposing the way. He has to worry about the loose cannon but he seems to have gained Dre’s respect, as their voting discussions show. Is he becoming too arrogant? I don’t think so. The Edgardo vote was amazing and most of the credit was taken away from the players who were responsible for the move and given to Earl. That looks like a clear sign for our winner.
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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05-01-07, 06:32 PM (EST)
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94. "RE: Episode 11 Editing Thoughts" |
Thank you Michel for your contributions. As always, an insightful read on your thoughts and observations. I was planning on skipping this week since the new episode is days away but I tend to be one who is anal retentive and I had started a post and was compelled to finish it. Lucky for anyone who is involved in this thread, this is not as long as I normally make it (though long nonetheless)The recap featured Dre and his characterization of flying by the seat of his pants "I'm just going to see how this plays out" is essentially the bane of his strategy although his "story" involves more. We are shown for progression purposes how he is in between alliances. Of note is Jeff indicating "Yao Man looks like he could go all day" at the challenge (I don't believe this particular statement by Jeff was shown during the episode) Stacy shown as a possible swing vote with no luck by the horsemen Cassandra viewed as the target for the four horseman Earl shown leading the charge for Mookie with a confessional to the audience about same. Surprisingly enough (or not so) while Stacy's "on screen" suggestion to vote off Edgardo was shown (but she was not shown uttering the words at the time) Jeff then indicates "Unwilling to fully trust Dreamz, the vote switched to Edgardo" Stacy is shown is the second half of her statement of "If we hit them with Edgardo (not shown) that hits them from the left side" (shown) We then hear Earl state: "Yeah I thought about that" Again, Stacy was essentially ignored as the outstanding originator of this idea. I have found in the past that integral characters to the outcome of their season are highlighted if an idea or suggestion, etc. is done by them and is a fairly monumental one that causes quite a stir. Stacy, as I mentioned last week, was the one who made this suggestion which resulted in a solid move was played down as to her credit. Jeff could have stated "STACY made a suggestion that....." instead she was fairly back burnered in credit ribal Council suggests how certain Alex, Mookie and Edgardo were and how the "rug was pulled out from under them" while visually Earl is nodding and smiling which is underhanded manipulation by the editors that Earl was satisfied by everything that happened and could also be construed as the driving force behind Alex, Mookie and Edgardo's failure. The Aftermath Of note: "Dreamz doublecrossed us" was featured on screen (both Mookie and Alex were whispering so not unreasonable) along with "Dreamz might have been playing us all along" along with Mookie's confessional how Dre backstabbed them. Yet another portion of Dre's characterization Ironically, Dre advises that "I'm not a liar" and Stacy gives a nice little spin on their concern of misinformation. It "appeared" the editing wanted Dre to look a bit naive with his reply of "That was smart" with Earl shown stating "It felt safer with Edgardo" and Dre agreeing with this as well. Dre "At first I thought they didn't trust me... they let me know they changed it just in case... I was comfortable after that" Dre not only shown as impulsive and untrustworthy but again naive in many aspects Earl "Now the power is pretty much on our side and I feel good; now we are actually six strong and there is two people waiting on death row" You will recall later on, Alex makes an argument about the six and how they also will turn on each other, Dre is shown questioning the hierarcy of this six as well. This is inevitable of course but it will be interesting to see how these six will define themselves in this hierarchy especially with the news of Yao Man and the hidden idol. Cassandra, Boo, Dre and Stacy were not privy to this and it stands to reason that one, if not some of these four may attempt to take this power away Stacy then advises how they don't have to stress and they will be lucky if they get fed (i.e. Mookie and Alex) Again, the subtle differences of an end game player and one who is not; the audience was essentially made to enjoy this Edgardo boot, this was not an "underdog" situation tweaked at us and Stacy "joined" those who we are meant to enjoy still being there i.e., Stacy's "edit" was a bit repaired but with one small sentence, she has not been redeemed completely and she easily could have been if at end game Dre's backpedaling also seemed apparent in his explanation to Alex and Mookie. He then lets the audience know that "I didn't want them to think it was my fault... as bad as I want to get them out of here.... I still need their votes" Dre mentions "final two" and with what occurred last season, that may be adjusted to "final three". Regardless, the reception from Alex and Mookie to Dre's explanation was not accepting nor was it meant with blind belief as Dre did upon the excuse from Stacy as to why he was not told about the switch. Alex and Mookie could have been edited to appear "dumb" or appear "accepting" and they were not. This scene was more of a reflection on Dre's character than either Mookie or Alex. The focus now seems to be of the comfort level of the six, the vulnerability and bitterness of the two and Dre swinging all over the place. We hear nothing about this exciting Tribal Council from Yao Man and Cassandra (edited integral players in the six either visually or characterized or manipulated) and while we hear from Stacy it is not her thoughts, it is only words spoken as the scene plays out. Boo is not seen or heard. Alex and Mookie are shown and for good reason however their showing was strictly in terms of what occurred. Earl and Dre were given ample time with both forecasting a bigger picture and future events. Dre with his discussion on jury votes and Earl with his discussion on the strategic balance with his group and the two lone horsemen. Yao Man was also felt to be the story surrounding the player and his lack of any insight after this Tribal Council seems to cement that. Cassandra, who has manipulated during this season (and quite featured last episode) received no camera time either which is a bit disturbing as well if she were to claim victory this season. This was a significant turning point in this game. Those shown and heard from may want to be noted The reward challenge as teams of Yao Man, Boo, Cassandra and Mookie against Stacy, Alex, Dre and Earl had some defining moments: Earl's reaction shot to Stacy saying sorry for launching a ball for the other team, Cassandra's "hold" on Earl, Boo's injury and the notion that Yao Man was right in the last episode that Boo essentially has more lives than a cat! (Recall again how Boo was the boot choice for all which was hammered into us a couple of episodes previous and Dre's early contention he would hurt himself out of the game rounded out with Yao Man stating that he has many lives; Boo has outlived more episodes than he probably was supposed to ) Mookie's frustration, Dre's advising Earl to get physical, Stacy's call to Dre with Dre making the winning catch and Stacy's victory jump into Earl's arms. Earl's advising Boo should go to Exile as he has been living in the lap of luxury the "haves" and "have notes" theme still creeping in) Boo received generalized time at Exile Island (a snake shown slithering along - we recall who or what the snakes are associated with) with more emphasis on his physical health than aspects of the game. That would be of an editing concern for Boo at end game especially now with this amount of people and the dynamics unfolding. The reward winners showcased: Alex citing his disadvantage and the "odds are against me", Earl telling Alex he is "getting my sexy back", perhaps a bit of ogling from the camera man on Stacy washing, Stacy advising it was uncomfortable with Alex there with Alex giving it his best shot by reflecting to the others how he plays the game. A comical moment when Alex refers to how he doesn't showboat with Stacy replying "Sometimes" Fun music is played and Alex is edited to appear somewhat comically. A few choppy confessionals from Alex (leading me to believe one or two may be from this coming week) One leader of a dwindling group asks another leader of the "order" and Earl, the avid poker player advises "That information probably won't be revealed because the game isn't over" with Earl also advising that Mookie may not go first because he wants to go first Despite Mookie and Alex's thoughts of not trusting Dre; Mookie still mulls over that Yao Man should have the idol and shares this information. As Dre is shown sleeping, Alex and Mookie go and search Yao Man's bag and find the idol. Cassandra and Stacy are sharing some quality time as it is noted they are the only two females left with Stacy toasting to "a long and prosperous game" Stacy and Cassandra then overhear the two discussing the "other idol" with Mookie and Alex suggesting to put Yao Man on the spot at Tribal Council. They realize they were overheard and the plan is deflected for the moment although they race back to confront Yao Man instead. Stacy advises they only heard a few ones and saw them running back. Mookie "We know you have the idol" Yao Man "Why do I have the idol" (Both state they saw it in his bag and Yao Man then tells them to do what they need to do) Yao Man "I don't actually think it will change very much. I think I am past the phase where I absolutely need to use it" Alex (conf) "So we go to Yao Man and he was shocked... ....he won't be able to use the idol the way he wants to so that still makes it more of a target than before" Yao Man "Earl is the only one who knows I have the idol; at this point it doesn't change any outcome.... We already decided we have the majority..... I will have to tell my voting block straight up" Yao Man "Alex is trying to blackmail me (only Alex? Reasonable that if Yao Man would like Alex to leave before Mookie, let the emphasis of this deed fall on Alex) they went through my bag; he said I know you have it, what do you want to do about it?" Stacy "They went through your bag Yao Man?" Stacy informs the others her "heart is hurting and Alex went through Yao Man's bag and threatened him" Earl "Yau told everybody they went through everybody's bag and they found the idol; people were more pissed they went through personal things, not about okay Yao has the idol but it sucks to me that someone knew cause I like to keep everything quiet and general cause too many people know about things, bad things happen (a slight homage to Dre Dre "To find out Yau had the idol changed a whole bunch of stuff cause everybody with immunity idol is considered dangerous, me, Cassandra and Stacy know that everybody else will be on a whole different level; it's gonna change a whole bunch of stuff" Another confessional that will be interesting to know when it was filmed. Dre does not mention Boo nor Earl who are in the "six" and therefore one may question why Boo and Earl were not stated also by Dre. Dre could be factoring that Earl is very close with Yao Man perhaps but leaving Boo out is a bit curious which makes me does question if this particular confessional is not from this particular episode but perhaps a future episode when Yao having the idol and those mentioned by Dre are the most vulnerable to be set up as potential foreshadowing Alex and Mookie see that everyone is talking while Yao Man tells us that the "worst thing that could happen is Alex or Mookie win immunity and somehow manage to get Dreamz and Boo to their side" The visual closeness we have seen between Yao Man and Stacy may have some bearing on why Stacy is not noted by Yao Man and Cassandra has "played" with them long enough to be trustworthy although it is interesting that Yao Man references Dre and Boo as a concern while Dre references himself, Stacy and Cassandra questioning where they stand. These "six" have quite a bit of confusion amongst themselves as their standings within the six. Of note also is the editing that had been done with respect to Alex and Mookie going in Yao Man's bag. How can we forget Yao Man's fingers through Sylvia's bag yet the editing surrounding that was very mild. They essentially committed the same "crime" but Yao Man's edit was shown to be in a much more benign manner as opposed to Mookie and Alex. Obviously there was more involved with the latter as Yao Man was also strong armed but quite a case was made over rifling through personal belongings which Yao Man did, in fact, do. Quite like the "glossing over" of Ozzy's deliberate throwing of the challenge where another contestant that would not fare as well in the long term or be deigned as an embraceable contestant would be shown quite differently Jeff walks through the immunity challenge noting a "one in seven shot (Yao Man and Stacy) at winning this game" (Dre now shown) "Losers (Alex) go to Tribal Council..." Stacy wins immunity and obviously Alex and Mookie have much to consider. Alex "I'm definitely up against the wall; I don't have many more moves left but I'm not gonna go down without a fight" and tells Mookie "I'm not going to go out quietly; if I'm going down I'm bringing hell with me" Alex "I'm a lawyer, I know what it's like to negotiate with people... I'm going to point out that these are the people you chose to align with, draw your own conclusions" Dre suggest to Earl to get rid of Mookie (more likely that Dre likes Alex better from what we have seen) Earl "Alex has a better chance of winning immunity than Mookie; Mookie's checked out mentally" Dre "Alex cannot win immunity" Earl "Man you see how the luck goes with these challenges; it's not physical man. Yeah we got em dominated in the physical but you never know; these lucky... Stacy won today" (A bit of a dagger thrown at Stacy but truth to the statement based on fact that the immunity challenge shown in this episode did appear mostly to be of luck but there was a small change in music that took this statement beyond just fact) Boo shown informing Earl that "they could have found it" (idol) as it was not in a hard spot. Earl "It's impossible for them to find it without not one clue" Boo "Why take a chance? Let's just do a split" Yao Man "Boo came back... and he had one clue and I think that Boo convinced Cassandra or whoever Alex and Mookie may have found it somehow; they're afraid Alex will pull another one out so they're gonna try and spread the vote out" Boo shown advising who is to vote Mookie and who is to vote Alex and that Alex and Mookie can't do anything about it with a split vote. Earl advises Yao Man that he is nervous when "you start splitting stuff up and dividing. People make mistakes" Earl "People want to do three votes Mookie and three votes Alex.... the reason that was is that you never know what might pop up; that would make it a tie at Tribal Council so at that point we can make a choice, we know that no magical idol has been played and we say okay it's gonna be Alex; that's who's gonna go cuz that IS who's gonna go" "I do what makes people feel comfortable, I'm not gonna sit there and say no guys I don't want to do this cause that would be the wrong approach" Again, more insight into Earl's game play as opposed to simply reporting events that are occurring. Earl's statement with respect to Alex more than likely was kept solely for dramatic effect. More than likely Alex would have gone, Yao Man honed in on Alex being the main person who rifled through his bag and threatened him, Dre normally capitulates to a "leader thinking" but the tie breaker never occurred so this simply helped to conjole the audience into believing one thing and being "surprised" by the other Alex "Tonight's Tribal Council.. Mookie and I are going out swinging; if that doesn't work, it is just my best bet to stay alive... I got one vote, I better make it count" The Tribal Council begins with the true shot being of Dre's reaction upon Edgardo's arrival. Alex had some big moments with potential prophecy to his words "...it definitely revealed how some people are willing to play games" (Earl amused, Cassandra reaction when Alex continues about tripping people and Dre shown when Alex speaks of "the rats and the snakes came out of the woodwork") Mookie "I think we respect each to some point..." (Yao Man appears not to really agree with this) ...there are alliances and one alliance was completely destroyed at the last Tribal Council." (Dre) "There may have been some backstabbing (Edgardo) and trickiness (Earl smiling) by the other alliance's part but (Yao Man grinning and nodding) but at that point you feel yourself being an outsider...." "Alex and I know our backs our against the wall, we came up with a way to possibly get out and that was through an immunity idol that we found in Yao Man's bag" Jeff "You found an immunity idol in Yao Man's bag?" (Yao Man and Cassandra shown) "You found it?" (Earl waiting on the answer) Mookie "Well it was in Yao Man's bag yeah" (Yao Man shown smiling) Jeff "This is coming on the heels of Alex saying the snakes and the rats came out" (Alex shown) "That's about as snake and ratty as it gets (Earl shown to appear to look at jury with jury shot) to go inside someone's personal belongings (Edgardo shown) Yao Man "Well the expectation is of some privacy (a bit of hypocrisy although the events played out differently in terms of going through bags but editing and Jeff made certain to condemn what Alex and Mookie while editing showed Yao Man to be more cheeky in going through Sylvia's bag) but on the other hand it was a desperation move and it won't affect the outcome of the game for the next few rounds...." "...couple of rounds at least" (Showing your hand Yao Man? Interesting to note that Earl is then shown on the heels of this statement) "I may have to change my strategy a little bit if I have to intend to use it at some point" Earl "I was pissed... no one is going through anyone's stuff; that just hasn't been going on so (Alex) when I heard that I was pissed off" (Mookie) Dre "My take on this? They're both on the chopping block; after they're gone (Stacy then Boo) they're still gonna be six of us left; we're gonna split up too so I'm trying to find out where I stand" (Earl then shown and again a new chapter of ths story is unfolding) Upon Jeff asking if anyone was coasting and were threats but did not appear as such Cassandra was shown with Alex then saying.... Alex "If Mookie and I are gone (Yao Man) there are six people left and they are gonna have to look at each other (Stacy) so whatever they did to get to that top six (Dre shown) is gonna come back and bite them in the ##### (Dre continued in the shot) Karma has a funny way of working in this game Jeff and it's pretty immediate (Stacy glancing back at Boo) whatever will be will be but word to the wise (Boo) remember past actions because they foretell the future" On that note, an interesting turn of the visuals which heads to Michelle with a small smirk then shifts to Earl smiling and ends with Yao Man appearing to look over to where this exchange was held) Jeff's final words will no doubt be a new shift in the story as also noted by Alex and Dre for that matter: "..it sounds like there is a very strong group of six and Alex which means Alex is odd man out or suddenly very valuable" There have not been too many seasons where a large dominant alliance can only then play against each other. Should Alex leave (and with this episode very heavy handed on how these six should handle the rest of the game it certainly appears this is so) it appears that, unlike seasons where there may be one or two members from another "sect" hanging on and fighting, we have a fascinating dynamic in determining the pecking order within the pecking order. As we have seen in Thailand and Palau for example, the game, in some ways, was even more interesting and more times than not, this set of dynamics had one integral person who was required to lay out the game plan. I hope it will be as exciting as I expect it to be
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DRONES 615 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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05-04-07, 05:18 PM (EST)
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95. "5-3 Episode" |
Pagong.I have yet to see anything to change my opinion about the end players in this game. Yau-Man is moving up the chart, with Jeff showing him a lot of love This is typical mis-direction to make us believe that Earl isn't going to be in the F3 or win. Dre's adventure is almost over. Boo and Cassandra are practically invisible. Stacy, Earl and Yau-Man are my final 3. Will there be a lot of controversy in this tribe over the ouster of Cassandra, Dre or Boo? DRONES
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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05-05-07, 10:40 AM (EST)
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96. "RE: Episode 12 Editing Thoughts" |
DRONES I had hoped you would pop in which I would love for you to do more of! There is no question that the anticipation of the "six" is now coming to fruition as the editors have been hinting at his for quite a bit now.
Recap
The four horseman broken and Alex and Mookie on the outs Earl “We’re 6 strong... two people on death row” In a desperate attempt, Mookie and Alex searched through Yau Man’s bag and discovered hidden idol Alex “If I’m going down, I’m bringing hell with me” When Alex and Mookie confronted Yau Man, he decided to tell everyone Yau Man “I will have to tell my voting block straight out” Stacy shown telling the group that Alex and Mookie went through Yau Man’s bag and threatened him about the idol Dre “Yau Man have the idol changes a whole bunch of stuff cause everybody with an immunity idol is considered dangerous”
Story progression continues
At the RC....
Jeff: “Dreamz wins reward!” Dreamz secured victory for himself, Stacy (jumping) Earl (hugging Dre) and Alex (lone shot exhausted) and they sent Boo to EI” Boo “The idol’s back at your very own beach” “It’s not here, it’s on my beach” (Nothing with respect to his physical weariness emphasized last week; solely about the “idol”) He discovered the very first clue.... (snake slithers by) At the IC.... Jeff “Alex out” (some foreshadowing ) Stacy came out on top (Earl, Dre, Cassandra sitting next to each other) Jeff “Stacy, safe tonight at TC, you are not” (Alex) “Somebody going home” (Mookie) At camp...... Boo “It’s here on this island, they could have found it” Earl “How could they find the other idol?” Fearing Mookie/Alex could stumble upon idol, Boo convinced his alliance to split their vote (Note how it featured Boo as the key person in this plan as opposed to when Stacy verbalized her plan about Edgardo? This current plan however was met later in this episode with derision especially by Earl so not only Boo is featured, he is also held accountable. What is even more interesting is the correlation between these six splitting their votes this past episode and all the rhetoric about these 6 splitting up and turning on each other, I will be interested in seeing how next week plays out with 6 people and “split” voting perhaps?) Earl and Yau Man however, were uneasy with the plan Earl “I just get uneasy when you start splitting stuff up and dividing” (Yau Man agrees) “People make mistakes” More potential prophecy in the making? Too much emphasis on all of this makes it quite likely this is our next big event Yau Man “Going into tonight’s Tribal Council with a split vote worries me.....”
At Tribal Council, in a last ditch effort, to save himself, Alex turned on Mookie and helped vote him out (Mookie then Earl shown)
Jeff “Well based on what I heard tonight, Alex is either odd man out or suddenly very vulnerable” Not often are Jeff’s last words heard on a recap and despite Alex leaving regardless, it was interesting to note this Tribal Council Aftermath A swarm of ants I believe are devouring a much larger bug and only those who were very talented in animal symbolism could shed light. Earl “Now ya’ll know why I wanted to vote straight” (Cassandra shown the comments directed) “It’s cause I thought that would happen” Alex did most of the narrating in his confessional so for continuity purposes, his entire confessional is here Alex (conf) “Tonight’s vote was pretty important for me....” (Dre and Stacy now shown) “...It saved my a--. I’m still here, yup, I’m still here” (Earl, Dre and Stacy’s conversation shown, Earl’s confessional shown and the beginning of Stacy and Alex’s conversation shown) “After Tribal Council, Stacy approached me and tried to clear things up... like I care” (The group shown talking about Stacy/Alex talking with Dre instructing Boo to break it up, Boo shown breaking it up) “At this point, they’re all stressing out. Obviously they’re not all in agreement (Stacy shown joining the group) and that always creates room for opportunity” (Stacy now shown joining the group) “My best bet is to lay low, observe, let them get at each other......” Dre “I’m trying to do the math real quick” (A humorous visual of Stacy standing next to Dre with a look like she can’t believe he is counting his fingers then the shot moves to Earl then Alex) Earl (to Stacy and Dre) “Splitting the vote was not a good idea but ya’ll wanted to do it; I said fine” Dre “I thought ya’ll wanted to do it” Earl “I wanted to go straight six” Earl “That’s the last time I let people (Dre) convince me of something I’m against” Earl (conf) “I would have preferred Alex to go. Alex is more of a threat but for some strange reason they wanted to split the vote .... and no one considered the fact that hey Alex and Mookie have a vote so they might vote for each other duh!” Stacy (to Alex) “I’m willing to say if I am wrong, I am wrong” Alex “It’s not that big of deal” Earl (Yau, Boo, Cassandra, Dre shown) “They’re talking, I don’t think they should be talking” Dre “Boo go break up the conversation” Boo “Stacy I think everybody wants to talk to you...” Stacy “Who’s everybody?” Boo “Everybody besides you and Alex” Stacy “Why are you... what’s going on?” Earl “I wanted to ask you a question” Stacy “Boo was like .....” Earl “No, he just wants to know” Although Yau Man expressed his doubts with Earl, Earl was the voice to the audience behind the vote. In fact, aside from Alex, Earl was the only person shown discussing the Tribal Council. Solely because Earl was against it? Yau Man was also and it would not have been unusual to show Boo confessing as it was his idea and we certainly could have heard from him about it and even that Earl was bothered by the decision The Next Day - Quest for Survival Alex shown “napping” with the others while observing what is going on around him, notably we see Cassandra and Earl speaking Alex (conf) “I definitely feel on the chopping block again. After last night I said I am going into ninja mode.... ....I just kinda laid there, I just kinda listened” (Earl/Cassandra shown talking) Earl “I like Boo but you can’t trust him and you know you can’t” During this conversation, Cassandra replies with her famous uh huh’s Earl “Yau I trust 100%” “I only trust Yau and you 100%” (Again, my eyebrow raises when someone trust someone else completely) “So it could be me, you, Yau and Dreamz” “I’m learning really that the key to this game to go far is being honest and I know I can depend on you and I know I can depend on Yau and I can depend on Dreamz” This conversation and Earl’s words are “biggies” in terms of potential foreshadowing. Trust conversations, alliance conversations always have ramifications in one aspect or another. We may be revisiting these words in hindsight Earl “Dreamz has proven himself. He can be a little rogue at times with his strategy (a notable distinct musical instrument then played; this was typical Survivor “warning” music) Cassandra “I always relied on Dreamz” Earl (conf) “The core alliance is myself, Cassandra and Yau but Cassandra and I talked about taking Dreamz to the top four (camera shot of Dre - sleeping) and then we can have just the core four. That’s what we’re called! The Core Four”
Cassandra “How are you feeling about Dreamz right now? I know at one point you had concerns about him”
Yau Man “Honestly my concern is that you and Dreamz are tight and I don’t see you voting him out, you know, at some point, in favor of me so mathematically I am optimizing..” Earl “You’re being honest” Yau Man “That’s as honest as I can get right?” First part of Yau Man’s confessional shown Yau Man “I would like a very weak candidate up there, the very weakest is Stacy. I hate the idea, I really do. I wish it was Michelle....” Second part of Yau Man’s confessional shown Yau Man “I mean, if at four, and you win immunity right? You would certainly take me out before Dreamz. I mean, come on” Cassandra “Oh no, I..” Yau Man “But if it was Stacy, no problem with you.. that’s my thinking...” Cassandra “No you shouldn’t be concerned. I mean if it was four and I had immunity, I’m going to look at everything so honestly it would be a challenge for me but I’m looking towards you know the overall picture” (Earl also states “overall picture at the same time) Yau Man “Thank you (they shake) you make me feel better” Cassandra’s confessional shown Earl “And we’ll do Alex next?” Like it’s up to you. You guys want to go ahead still and do Boo next and then Alex” (This may be subtle game play on Earl’s part and if it were another player, I would probably not make that assessment. From the season thus far, Earl has been a strong voice in getting rid of Alex, it stands to reason he still wants Alex gone not to mention, despite his statements of not trusting Boo, there may be some relationship between Earl and Boo. His mentioning Alex next then stating it is up “to you” is simply a way an astute player appears to allow the decision to come from others as Earl even indicated before it would be less than stellar game play to tell people what to do. He wants Alex gone and has wanted Alex gone; this was simply him playing politics. There was no mistaking Earl’s excitement when Boo later won immunity) Cassandra “No I ...” Yau Man “I really want to do Alex” Earl “Okay” Cassandra “Alex is a much bigger threat than Boo” Earl “But it doesn’t matter, because it is one down and one to go when it comes to those two” As we know, boot orders rarely ever come to fruition in the order it is stated Yau Man (conf) “Earl and I have a major disagreement on who the top four should be. His idea of the top four is myself, Earl, Cassandra and Dreamz. That is a very bad top four for me to get to the next stage because Cassandra and Dreamz are very close” Yau Man "I would like to see the top four as myself, Earl, Cassandra and Stacy (as with Dreamz, Stacy shown and sleeping also) because then I have a chance of getting to the top three” Cassandra (conf) “I trust Yau Man but Yau Man is definitely playing the game for himself. Yau has the immunity idol so I think Yau is a really big threat. I know he is playing the game, I know he is playing the game hard, like street ball. He’s playing it to win it” The Reward Challenge A lovely Amazon repeat and just as fun to watch. A nice twist for the winner to receive an advantage for the next immunity challenge as we find it will be Boo. Of note: A little camaradarie with Yau and Boo at the end of the challenge, Earl slapping his hands together when Alex told he did not have enough, Earl actually nodding as Jeff tells Boo to send someone to Exile Island, as Boo is shown “thinking” Earl is shown nodding again and Boo sends Earl to Exile Island (It appears there may have been some premeditation involving who would go to EI. Not only were we specifically shown Earl nodding during the decision process but Earl’s reaction to being sent (not appearing happy) did not appear genuine especially since he was very satisfied to be at Exile Island when we visited him there) The Reward Of note: The set up begins for an alternative to the Alex booting as what would Survivor be without some element of surprise so we see indicators of Boo talking and being annoying. Dre is the most vocal of this problem and if it were only Dre commenting, it may be disregarded somewhat by the audience. However, he does get validation by the editing of Boo as well as validation by Yau Man making the same assessment Yau Man tells us how this is his first helicopter ride. Again this is the same confessional area as when he discussed the Core Four. Boo is shown again talking about inconsequential items with music and visuals of Dre’s annoyance Dre “During the reward, Boo…. ….I don’t know he was just talking too much” Yau Man then narrates the events of the landing and the rafting instruction Dre tells us about the fun and wishes he could take his family Boo tells us how he kept saying to take it all in Dre stating how much food there was and comparing a homeless man to living like the rich The letters from home are passed out and there was a distinct change in the music as it turns to Dre. He was given the “emotional” edit for the letter reading less we forget where he came from and how he was given this opportunity and how he was touched that it was him who got the opportunity “It lets me know she still believe in me even if I don’t believe in myself. It lets me know my fight is just beginning, I know what I gotta do now, I know what my purpose is” The “star” of the reward obviously was Dre (despite Boo winning it and Yau Man being a heavily featured character thus far with his little man that could edit. Dre certainly given the most substantial and thoughtful edit for this segment. Dre easily could have been edited throughout this entire season as a cardboard cut out of a character type of “evil” or “ridiculous” but it is moments like this that give weight to the edit they created for him. He is impulsive and thoughtless but not shown to do so in a directly malicious way (i.e. Johnny Fairplay); he appears to be typecasted at times and then they provide us with a moment of a very human element. We see him flip on people he is supposed to be aligned with but comes across almost convinced that what he did was not intended to betray anyone. We obviously recognized this was a long term edit as it were but there is distinct manipulation to provide more depth to Dre than he may even have in reality. Exiled One Earl “What I came here for… I’ll figure it out, I think two clues will be enough for me, I can’t wait to get back to camp and go looking for that idol; it’d be all worth it” (Earl shown looking down on the island) The Decoy Notwithstanding that Boo is probably annoying, the heavy handed way it was presented was no doubt placed to help build upon the upcoming Tribal Council. In all reality, the audience has not been privy to how horrendous Boo is; we have only been served that Boo is comically clumsy at times with hints that can’t be trusted (although ironically there never has been any reinforcement to that) This appears to be forced onto Boo very overtly and as I have always stated, where there is no “bad guy” (i.e. someone who is blatantly negative and will not reach end game, a creation of one is made to justify their elimination; Boo appears to be that candidate) Dre “My momma says try to make a good situation out anything” Stacy “He talks more than a girl” Cassandra “He talked the whole river raft?” Yau Man “He could not stop” Yau Man (conf) “..he almost spoiled the trip for us. He just talks too much” Again, this is the same confessional area as when he discussed his concerns about the Core Four being proposed Dre “I know what I was thinking, I was thinking would you shut up; why don’t you stop saying stupid stuff” (Not entirely the best endorsement considering what we have heard Dre utter in the past Stacy “He’s been like that since day one” Alex “Can’t handle it anymore” Alex (conf) “Boo’s been irritating enough to where I don’t think these people want him to get the million dollars……” “People are not going to want to see certain people win (Dre and Stacy shown) and right now (Boo shown) I don’t see Boo winning a popularity contest so if I can help steer things in an anti Boo campaign I am all for it” Alex “It’s pretty much me going tonight?” Dre “I think so. I really want Boo gone” Alex “It’s me or Boo?” Dre “Yeah” Alex “If Boo doesn’t win the immunity challenge you can try talking them into voting Boo out first?” Dre “I could try” (Dre confessional shown) Dre “If you can win the immunity idol tonight, everything go as planned” “So try hard” Alex “I’m gonna try my damndest you know that; you do the same” Dre “I definitely will” (Alex confessional shown) Dre (conf) “I never liked Boo and I want Boo gone before Alex; Alex is still fighting strong so I am still making plans with Alex so point blank I’m just not gonna let Boo win” Alex (conf) “If Boo wins immunity… I think I’m pretty much screwed. Boo’s got a fully belly and an advantage but I need to keep myself alive in this thing so I am focusing all of my energy and my willpower on that challenge” The Immunity Challenge Earl returns with a nod from Dre and greetings from everyone. Alex shown coveting the returned idol Jeff “…for the rest of you after 33 days somebody will be going home tonight at (Boo) Tribal Council. Make (Dre) sense?” Of note: Only Earl not remarked upon by Jeff during the challenge. Alex, Dre and Yau Man essentially verbalized as working hard, Stacy coming up with nothing and Cassandra shown to not really working enough. Boo makes quick work of the pole with Alex very determined. Earl shown jumping up with hands in the air when Boo wins and cries of victory from Boo. Boo swims over for his necklace and tells Jeff to give it to him. A small thumbs up from Earl to Boo and Cassandra rubs Alex’s back Desperate Measures Yau Man (conf) “Fortunately for us, the person we wanted to vote out did not win immunity. Alex will get voted out today” Earl “Will everybody say they are writing Alex’s name please?” Boo “Nah, I’m going to give him this necklace” Earl “I’ll freakin tackle you. That would be the greatest Tribal Council ever" Potential foreshadowing? With the story swirling around the hidden idol and the concerns expressed by some and the pairing of Yau Man and Earl, this “snippet” didn’t necessarily have to be shown. Time will tell Yau Man (conf) “Tonight I’m feeling quite safe (One should never feel quite safe however in this regard, this helps set up yet another potential boot candidate. It is quite ironic how Yau Man felt for a long time how he lived to fight another day but the idol in his possession has changed his persona and changed his storyline to encompass more about the idol) because we all agreed Alex is odd man out so I’m feeling safe enough where I do not think I need to use my immunity idol” Alex (conf) “My situation is grim, but I’m not going to approach these people with desperation, I’m not going to beg for my life, that’s not the way it works for me.... I think the people I need to talk to will approach me.. I think I’ve earned enough of their respect where they’ll at least want to say something to me” Cassandra “Hey Alex, I hate to see you back down here by yourself.....” “I know we started out together... you should be very proud of yourself....” Alex “I tried to be a gentleman.... and do something my kids could be proud of someday. If I could be very honest with you at this point; I’ve been observing the last couple of days. I don’t see Yau Man taking Dreamz to the end” Cassandra “I kinda had a feeling that he’s been playing to win” (Somewhat a ludicrous statement considering that everyone plays to win ) Alex “He knows he’s got a better chance with Stacy or Boo. Apparently he’s taking one of them to the final four and one of you is not going and I’m thinking it’s Dreamz or Earl” Cassandra “Oh, okay” Alex “And if you’re going to make a power play today’s the day to do it. Once I’m gone the opportunity is gone” Cassandra (conf) “Alex is trying to make a last effort to make a pitch to stay on longer and he presented a strong case. His argument was that Yau Man has the idol and that he’s gonna take Boo and Stacy with him because with their personalities people aren’t going to vote for them to get the million dollars. It all started to make a little sense like Yau Man is going to eventually have to leave so why not tonight. Maybe I’ll be able to convince other people (Earl shown) of that” With Yau Man not going but the issues of the six turning on each other, Yau Man with his now ever present idol and the issues brought up about the idol, a lot appears to be on the horizon. None of this played out this episode but it was heavily emphasized which usually indicates another story progression Alex “Here’s what I’m thinking okay?” (I am interested in finding out what possessed Alex to have this discussion with Earl. It has been abundantly clear to everyone that Earl and Yau Man are very close so I do question the logic of this case being presented to Earl) “If you don’t take Yau Man out today he’s going to take out you or Dreamz either the next time or the time after that” (Dre shown in the group) and trade you for either Stacy or Boo cause he knows he can’t win against either of you. One of you two is gone after I’m gone. That’s a fact. If you don’t make the power play now that’s my prediction. Mark my words.” Earl “We need four votes” Alex “There’s four of us sitting right here” (Yau/Boo’s conversation shown) Earl “So you’re saying vote Yau Man out today?” Alex “Today. The immunity idol is out of play (Earl shown while Alex states this) “You rid yourself of a competitor” (Dre and Cassandra shown at this sentence) “And you gain yourself a trusted vote. You know I won’t stab you in the back” (Earl shown at this)(Earl’s confessional now shown) Earl “So we should probably think about taking him out now” Alex “If you don’t do it now, then you will come soon” (Second portion of Earl’s confessional shown) Yau Man “Where’s everybody Boo?” Boo “Under the tree” Yau Man “Is Alex there too?” Boo “Yeah” Yau Man “I get nervous when I’m alone you know. They’re all talking about me” Boo “Don’t think so” Earl (conf) “I anticipated this; Alex is just trying to save his neck saying I should use his vote; this is the only chance to take Yau Man out but you know what? I’d rather just vote your a-- off now and I’ll risk it” (Potential foreshadowing of the risk that Earl now takes?) Earl (conf) “Alex is talking to Cassandra and Dreamz and they seemed like they were listening but they weren’t. I winked at them a couple of times; you know just play along with them (Earl and a wink, another wink! ) they’re not taking it serious” A bit of concern and doubt shed over Earl which is actually a good sign as doubt needs to be created and Earl has been relatively untouched thus far. Ironically, Earl is a player that one would expect to hear about from the others as someone who may need to be eliminated and he has been untouched by that to date. On rare occasions, even an obvious threat to the audience has been left to continue to play despite their threatening status but there does come a time when some doubt is thrown into the mix or else, in the event, they are the winner, there is no suspense created A spider, a web........ Dre “You buying any of this?” Cassandra “I’m buying it but then where does Alex fit in anywhere?” Dre “He don’t. That’s the cool thing; regardless of what happens, me, you and Earl get to the top three. With Yau Man gone, Earl’s on our side 100%, do you agree?” Cassandra “You know Dreamz, like I told you from day one...” Dre “I really want to do that” (Dre’s confessional now shown) Dre “We might go with the plan and go Yau Man tonight” Stacy “I’m down with that” Dre “Cassandra, what do you want to do?” Cassandra “I’m down, I told you from day one....” Stacy “And I’m like a freaking follower, I follow Cassandra...” Dre “If Cassandra’s down with it then it’s definitely going to go through” (Cassandra confessional shown)
Dre (conf) “The plan was to get rid of Alex tonight but Alex is my friend and Yau Man has the immunity idol and that makes him so dangerous” (Dre now shown confessing) “Yau Man has already said I was a threat (by Cassandra it would appear) If he could put the immunity idol into play that means he is gonna try and get rid of me”
Cassandra (conf) “It’s pretty safe to say that if I vote Yau Man out, Stacy and Dreamz will more than likely vote with me and so uh I definitely have a choice to make, either vote Alex or Yau Man and at this point right now I’m very undecided, I’m not sure what I want to do tonight” (Earl and Cassandra’s conversation now shown and then Dre and Alex’s conversation shown. Cassandra’s confessional then picks up and it is the same setting and clothing so this would be a continuation of her first confessional. As she is dressed with a different outfit and hairstyle, her confessional did not appear to take place at the same time all of the “Yau Man” boot candidate conversations were shown) Cassandra (conf) “I think Earl is very close to Yau Man; there’s no way he’d go for it so in order to blind side Yau Man it would definitely feel like we have to blind side Earl at the same time and so my head is telling me one thing and my heart is saying another thing so I’m hoping by the time for Tribal Council I’ll have a clear feeling of who I am exactly voting for” Earl “Baby, what’s wrong?” Cassandra “They just pushing that whole concept right now” Earl “Don’t buy it” Cassandra “I’m not” Earl “Please do not. Trust me on this. I want to vote his a-- of (Alex shown) just cause of stuff like this. Everybody just stick with the plan.” Cassandra “We’ll stick with the plan?” Earl “Don’t try to lawyer me” Cassandra “So why do you think Dreamz is trying to hold so tight to him?” Earl “He’s just playing along I thought.” (And there lies the question ) Cassandra “Oh you think he’s just playing along?” Earl “I winked at him a couple of times, just to let him know I was playing along with it” (Dre and Alex’s conversation now shown) Earl “We have a strategy and a plan already mapped out. Let’s just stick to it. It’s up to you how you want to do it” (More political moves) “I’m writing down, A L E X” Cassandra “Mmm hmmm” Earl “I think you should do the same” Cassandra “Alright” (Cassandra’s confessional shown) Dre “Earl’s not with the plan. The whole time he was winking and laughing and stuff. Yau Man today. Yau Man tonight” Alex “Okay” Dre “You stay for the fight another day and then it’s fight for your own with Stacy” (Stacy? Not Boo?) “You owe me” Dre once again shown in his topsy turvy manner we have seen time and time again however one item has been consistent with Dre; what he says he is going to do is then changed to where he capitulates to the “higher power”; this has occurred from the very beginning of the season. Earl’s past words to Cassandra had a definite foreshadowing on how he trusts Yau, Cassandra and Dre; we have already seen that his trust in Cassandra and Dre may have consequences for him. Cassandra is divided by her relationship with Earl and Dre which will be interesting to see how she resolves this. This ENTIRE sequence honed in on Earl, Cassandra and Dre. Stacy played a bit part in her agreement, Boo was ignored and Yau Man only briefly was shown with a nagging of worry. Yau’s lack of showing in this potential firestorm under him does not bode well for him. He only advises us that he felt safe tonight which then transcends to his mention to Boo that he thinks the others are talking about him. That was all. En masse, the group of six is starting to flesh out where the relationships are becoming a little clearer but still tempered by some mud and it has become quite clear that Boo and Stacy are more or less resigned by the editors . No thoughts by the two people who are clearly on the outside of the six? No concerns from Stacy, no feelings of relief from Boo that he won; this completely showcased the other three. Tribal Council The jury arrives with Earl shown to be looking over upon their arrival. Dre, then Stacy smiling upon more of their arrival with Mookie’s arrival noted with a change in the music as Alex, Cassandra and Dre then shown. Jeff mentions how it was Alex or Mookie last Tribal Council and Mookie is on the jury Alex “I told these guys, if I’m gonna be in this, I’m gonna fight to the very end (Earl nodding) and for the people who are sitting over here you have to really consider (Dre) who you really want next to you and people forget (camera then moves to Cassandra) alliances; things are going to get (Alex now shown) very very messy from this point forward whether I’m here or not” Jeff asks Yau Man if he is concerned as tonight would be a night something dramatic could happen as Alex may be valuable Yau Man “I thought about that scenario but because I have been with my alliance for so long (Earl) I decided I could actually trust them up to this point. (Earl still shown but his head turns towards the direction of the next camera angle that will show Cassandra, Dre and Stacy with that musical instrument played that usually indicates “warning”) I could see him maybe turning one, maybe two (Cassandra, Dre and Stacy all shown) but turning three over that’s a very remote possibility... (Alex shown) I may be wrong but I hope I’m not” Jeff asks Dre whether he really believes that the six are tight and Alex is gone Dre “It’s definitely a possibility that he can swing three people (Earl shown with a small smile, eyebrow raised and that “warning” note again) it’s not totally out of the question” Jeff asks Alex if he would lay down and die or look for cracks Alex “I guess we’ll find out tonight Jeff” (Cassandra shown appearing to look over in the direction of Dre as Dre is then shown) Jeff speaks to Yau Man about the hidden idol with respect to being a target Yau Man (Cassandra shown) “I don’t feel any (Yau shown) pressure today but the next round I think I will feel the pressure and the six original alliance members are gonna look around (Earl shown) for somebody to vote out they may decide to flush the idol out (Stacy shown) so I cannot use it for some nefarious purpose (Dre shown) so at that point I will really need to keep my ears closer to the ground....” Jeff asks Alex about any talk regarding the “other” immunity idol Alex “With one immunity idol out and another possibly on its way that’s gotta way in on people’s minds (Earl shown to be tired of Alex’s talking) you can only use them tonight, the next (Yau shown) Tribal Council and the one after that. That’s three (Alex, Cassandra and Dre shown) opportunities, two idols, you do the math (Boo shown) on that, if it’s not going down tonight (Yau shown) it’s going down in the next couple of Tribal Councils (Yau still shown smiling) so now or never, maybe the next time it will be now or never you just never know” Jeff asks Alex if surprised how unconcerned the six are. Alex “I’m very surprised by it. Either (Earl shown this entire sentence) they’re completely 100% trustworthy or they haven’t seen enough of this game (Dre shown) it really comes down to the six after this (Yau shown) they have to think people are thinking more than one move ahead (Alex, Cassandra and Dre shown) it’s possible there is only a few days left, you gotta think ahead at this point” Jeff aks all if legitimately concerned. Alex answer yes, all else answer no with Dre saying “I don’t think so Jeff, nah” although when Yau is asked, upon his saying “no” Cassandra is shown quickly with that “warning” instrument and when Earl is asked and he indicates no, Dre is shown appearing to look over at him with a musical change that in past Survivors almost seems to reflect “oh really?” It stands to reason this segment is flush with quite a bit of foreshadowing, Cassandra shown when Yau indicates his feeling of safety, Dre shown when Earl indicates his level of safety. No manipulated visuals with respect to Stacy and Boo. Something is brewing along the foursome of Yau, Earl, Dre and Cassandra in terms of safety with the hint that Cassandra and Dre are the ones to compromise Earl and Yau’s safety Alex is shown voting for Yau (for obvious reasons to create doubt) Yau is shown voting Alex (also not a surprise although Yau’s words are a bit arrogant) Cassandra is shown last which usually is indicative of the “deal breaker or maker” Jeff “Well based on what I heard tonight I suggest you head back to camp and start sharpening those knives” (Ah Jeff always gives us good ending sound bites with many of them the premise for the next chapter to unfold.....)
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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05-05-07, 07:11 PM (EST)
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97. "RE: Episode 12 Editing Thoughts" |
I enjoyed reading your post Veruca.The following, taken from your account of the recap, is an example of things most of us miss:
“it featured Boo as the key person in this plan…This current plan however was met later in this episode with derision especially by Earl so not only Boo is featured, he is also held accountable.”You wondered why Alex approached Earl. In Survivor Live, Alex addressed that issue: For this TC, he couldn’t argue that YM was more of a threat than he was. Alex felt Stacy and Boo weren’t able to think 2 or 3 steps ahead. They were happy to survive this TC so talking to them was pointless. He felt Earl was one of the few that was thinking ahead, to the time when the idol’s power would come into play. I also noted that the episode started with a rare repeat of Jeff’s parting words of the last Tribal council: “Alex is either odd man out or suddenly very valuable.” Some players ran with that, trying to play on the tense situation. In the end, one player declared that: The Recess was Over The Kids at Play
Stacy made an early play, talking to Alex, trying to clear things up and to make friends with him: “I don’t want it that there’s a riff between you and I. I’m willing to say that if I’m wrong, I’m wrong.” Interrupted by Boo, she tried to defend herself in front of the group: “Why am I…Why are you…What’s going on?” When the guys returned from reward, Stacy jumped in on the Boo-bashing by telling Dreamz, Yau, Cassandra and Alex: “He talks more than the girls talk…He’s been like that since day 1.” It gave hope to Alex. When Dreamz proposed to go with Yau-Man as the vote, Stacy agreed: “Hey! I’m down with that. I’m like a freaking follower, I follow Cassandra!” Stacy is the “mean kid” who got put back in her place a few episodes ago. She has managed to get back in the fold for now. For someone who looked down on Cassandra and Dreamz in Moto, how far has she fallen now that she is reduced to following a follower! Stacy has nowhere to grow and she’ll soon join her friends on the jury. Dreamz finished his homework at start of the episode: “I’m trying to do the math real quick” he said to Stacy, trying to figure out how Alex could’ve saved himself. Earning a “field trip”, Dreamz told us it was almost ruined by Boo who wouldn’t stop talking. (If Dreamz complained, imagine how bad it had to be!) More importantly, it was an occasion for him to tell us more about his story: “At camp, we were living like cavemen in the dirt with nothing. It was like going from living like a broke, homeless guy, to living like you’re rich.”
He showed how close he is with his family when he read his sister’s letter: “My sister said a lot of deep stuff…She thought it was over for the family, she thought that our opportunity was up…It lets me know that she still believes in me even if I don’t believe in myself…It lets me know my fight is just beginning, I know what I gotta do now, I know what my purpose is.” It was a very touching scene. When Alex started the Anti-Boo campaign, he had a talk with Dreamz. They both agreed that they should fight to win the immunity: “If Boo doesn’t win the immunity challenge, you can talk them into voting Boo.” “I can try” promised Dreamz. “If you or I win the immunity idol, everything goes as planned.” Dreamz told us: “I never liked Boo. I want Boo gone before Alex. Alex is still fighting strong so I’m still making plans with Alex. I’m not gonna let Boo win.” Once Boo had won the immunity, Dreamz had another rogue plan when, after listening to Alex’s proposal, he told Cassandra that Alex wasn’t in the plan even if they voted out Yau: “The whole plan is you, me and Earl get into the top 3. With Yau gone, Earl’s on our side 100%.”
Dreamz confided: “The plan was to get rid of Alex tonight but Alex is my friend. Yau-Man has the immunity idol and that makes him so dangerous. Yau-Man has already said that I was a big threat. If he can put the immunity idol into play, that means that he’s gonna try and get rid of me.” Dreamz is presented as the trouble-maker who disturbs the classroom. He is hard to follow with all of his rogue plans. It was strange to hear Earl saying he was trustworthy but, in thruth, he has never gone against Earl himself. Dreamz knows how to save himself from being on the chopping block but his lack of social skills will prevent him from winning the final vote. Boo got involved in the action only at the reward challenge. The camera focused on him in the pre-challenge discussion: “Oh! Wow!” he said of the river raft reward and he had a pleased look on his face when he learned that the winner would get an advantage for the immunity challenge. Jeff kept us informed of his progress: “Yau, Boo and Cassandra working together. No one working with Alex…Boo with a huge chunk.” We even heard Boo laughing with his mouth full as he deposited a piece in his plate! “Good work” he told Yau as Jeff put an end to the game. Boo’s win was not much in doubt. Boo send Earl back to Exile Island in what appeared to be a pre-arranged decision. Earl was nodding all the time that Jeff was talking about the decision. Boo won the “field trip” but he wasn’t the one to tell us what it was like. It was rather an occasion for the others to tell us about Boo’s incessant chatter! Boo had a reserved position in the finals of the immunity challenge and he made good use of it. It seemed that Alex paid the price for the exhausting first leg and didn’t have the arm strength left to climb the pole. Boo exulted when he raised his flag…and so did Earl!! Jeff gave Boo the necklace that he demanded and Earl gave Boo a “thumbs-up.” Boo is the jock who was irrelevant outside the “sporting” events. His only chance to last is to win a few key immunities. Telling us that no one could stand Boo’s incessant talk could be to give us a reason why he wouldn’t win a jury vote. More likely, it is to explain why they will vote him out. Alex was the smart kid of the group. He tried many angles to stay in the game. When we didn’t see him using the opportunity to cause dissention when he was alone with Stacy and Cassandra at camp, it was a sign his time was up. A Concerned Parent
Cassandra was bolstered by an early talk with Earl. She liked the idea of the proposed top four. She talked about it with Yau-Man in Earl’s presence. “What are you feeling about Dreamz right now? I know you had concerns with him.” Hearing that Yau was indeed worried of being excluded because of her closeness to Dreamz, Cassandra reassured him: “No, you shouldn’t be concerned. I mean if it was four and I had immunity, I’m going to look at everything. Honestly it would be a challenge for me, but I’m looking towards the overall picture.” On that, Cassandra and Yau shook hands.
Cassandra told us what she thought of the exchange: “I trust Yau-Man but Yau-Man is definitely playing the game for himself. Yau has the immunity idol so I think Yau-Man is a real big threat. I know he is playing the game hard…He’s playing it to win.” After the Immunity challenge, Cassandra was the first person to join Alex as he was resting alone. “You should be proud of yourself” she told him. She found Alex’s observations very interesting.
She confided: “Alex is trying his last effort to stay on longer and he presented a strong case. His argument was that Yau-Man has the idol and that he’s going to take Boo and Stacy with him because he knows with their personalities, people aren’t going to vote for them to get the million. It all started to make a little sense like Yau-Man is going to eventually have to leave, so why not tonight. Maybe I’ll be able to convince other people of that.”
If they were to keep Alex, Cassandra wondered where he’d fit in the plan, but Dreamz assured her it would help get them to the final three with Earl. Stacy agreed to the change of plan.
Cassandra confided: “If I vote Yau-Man out, Stacy and Dreamz would definitely vote with me. I have a choice to make between voting out Alex and Yau-Man. Right now, I’m very undecided.” Her talk with Earl didn’t seem to convince her because, even if he told her it was best to stick with the plan, she confided: “I think Earl is very close to Yau-Man. There’s no way he’d go for it. In order to blindside Yau-Man, we definitely feel like we have to blindside Earl…So I’m hoping that by the time of Tribal council, I have a clear feeling as to who I’m voting.” Mama Cassandra was caught between her kids and her loyalty to Yau and Earl. She had a tough choice to make and it would be interesting to see what was the deciding factor. As it is, she’s is in a good position with every member of the alliance which should guarantee her a top spot. This season hasn’t been her story, so we know the votes cannot go her way. A Beleaguered Teacher
Yau-Man, our professor, told his allies how he sees the game unfold while the kids were napping: “Honestly my concern is that you and Dreamz are tight” he told Cassandra. “I don’t see you voting him out, you know, at some point, in favor of me, so mathematically…This is as honest as I can get right? I would like a very weak candidate up there, the very weakest is Stacy. I hate the idea, I really do. I wish it was Michelle....If at four, and you win immunity, you would certainly take me out before Dreamz. I mean, come on. But if it is Stacy, no problem with you, that’s my thinking.” After Cassandra’s explanation, Yau tells her: “Thank you. You make me feel better.”
Yau confided: “Earl and I have a major disagreement as to who the top four should be. His idea of the top four is myself, Earl, Cassandra and Dreamz. That is a very bad top four for me to get to the next stage, because Cassandra and Dreamz are very close. I would like to see the top four as myself, Earl, Cassandra and Stacy, because then I have a chance of getting to the top three.” Yau accompanied the kids on the “field trip” reward. He was the one that told us about the scenery that reminded him of his homeland, the sentiments they all felt…and how unruly one of his kids was! Returning from the Immunity Challenge on day 33, Yau was happy as he confided: “Fortunately for us, the person who we wanted to vote off didn’t win immunity so Alex will get voted off. Today, I’m feeling quite safe as we have all agreed that Alex is the odd man out and he needs to be taken out. I do not think I will need to use my hidden immunity idol.” The professor, however, was out of touch with his group. He started getting nervous as he sat alone in camp. At Tribal Council, Yau told Jeff that he trusted his alliance while the camera gave a shot of the three conspirators, Dreamz, Stacy and Cassandra. He seemed to surprise Cassandra when he told Jeff that he wasn’t concerned about the vote. When it gets to the end of the year, the kids get unruly and give the professor many headaches. Yau remained calm despite the threat. To keep the suspense, we weren’t shown when the decision to stick with Alex was finalized. Did the kids settle on Alex because they didn’t want to blindside Earl? Did Yau’s own confidence shake their resolve and force them back to the safe vote? Did Alex’s own smart answers to Jeff, especially when he declined to say if there was a crack, prove to the others he was too dangerous? The vote was too well organized for a last minute decision. Someone had to intervene. As is, Yau’s story remains confined to the play of the idol and we are getting close to the last time where he will be able to use it. After that, what is left for Yau? He has already proven that he is a surprisingly strong competitor. His story is reaching its conclusion. The Principal
Earl tried to keep the game under control as Bula Bula returned to camp on night 30: “Now, you all know why I wanted to vote straight. It’s ‘cause I thought that would happen” he told Cassandra. He chastised Stacy and Dreamz: “Splitting the vote was not a good idea but you all wanted to do it. I said fine. I wanted to go straight six. That’s the last time I let people convince me of something I’m against.”
Earl confided: “I would have prefered Alex to go. Alex is more of a threat. But for some strange reason, they wanted to split the vote between Mookie and Alex. And no one considered that, hey! Mookie and Alex have a vote, that they might vote for each other. Doh!”
If the warning wasn’t enough, Earl saw Stacy standing with Alex: “They’re talking. I don’t think they should be over there, talking.” Dreamz agreed and said: “Boo go, go break up the conversation.” Boo obeyed and went to tell Stacy that everyone wanted to talk to her. The rest of the opening sequence showed Earl discussing the situation with Stacy but what we heard was Alex saying there was tension in the group and that he had to have “A smile, velvet gloves and a dagger in my pocket.” That told us that Earl was going to be busy for the next three days. While Alex was in ninja mode, Earl’s work started early on day 31 with a talk he had with Cassandra (the principal talking about grades with a worried parent?): “I like Boo, but you can’t trust him..and you know you can’t. I trust Yau and you 100%. It could be me, you and Yau…and Dreamz. I’m learning that the key to this game to go far is being honest and I know I can depend on you, and I can depend on Yau, and I can depend on Dreamz. Dreamz has proven himself. You know he can be rogue at times with his strategy but he is trustworthy.” It is doubtful Alex heard any of this even if the camera tried to make us think he was close enough to hear.
Earl confided: “The core alliance is myself, Cassandra and Yau. Cassandra and I talked about taking Dreamz to the top 4. Maybe we can have the Core 4. That’s what we’re called, the Core Four.” After listening to Cassandra and Yau express their concerns, Earl brought the focus back on the game: “We’ll do Alex next. Like, it’s up to you. You guys want to go ahead and still do Boo next and then Alex.” Both Yau and Cassandra agreed Alex was the bigger threat. Earl concluded: “It’s one down, one to go when it comes to those two.” I thought Earl said he was done letting other people convince him. He may have felt he needed to backtrack a little. Arriving on Exile Island, Earl went to the clue box saying: “This is what I came here for…I’ll figure it out. I think two clue will be enough for me. I can’t wait to get back to camp to start looking for that idol. It will be all worth it.” During the discussion prior to the TC, Earl sat with Alex, Dreamz and Cassandra to listen in on the talks of voting out Yau-Man.
Earl confided: “I anticipated this. So, Alex is trying to save himself by saying; ‘you guys should use my vote. This is the only chance to take Yau-Man out.’ You know what? I’d rather just vote you’re a.s.s off now and I’ll risk it. Alex was talking with Cassandra and Dreamz and they seemed like they were listening but I winked at them a couple of times to let them know: Hey! Play along with him. I don’t think they’re taking it serious.”
Earl can’t interpret Dreamz! Earl saw that something was wrong with Cassandra. When she informed him that “they” were really pushing the idea of voting out Yau, he told her: “Please do not buy it, trust me. I want to vote his a.s.s off because of stuff like this…We have a strategy and a plan all mapped out and we should be sticking to it. I’m writing down A-L-E-X and I think you should do the same.” The pricipal, Earl, finally has decided to step up and impose his authority. He is in charge and no one seems to consider him as someone that would need to be stopped. I wouldn’t be surprised that the deciding factor to keep Yau was Earl telling the conspirators that, with idol having to be played at F5, there will be a chance to vote him out. We saw how bad he wanted Alex out when he jumped up at Boo’s immunity win. For him, it wasn’t one down, one to go. It had to be Alex now and Boo will have his turn. There is concern that he revealed his alliance and maybe the Core4 runs into more hurdles but his plan is all mapped out. All the way to the end and the kids aren't going to stop him!
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DRONES 615 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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05-09-07, 04:22 PM (EST)
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99. "RE: Episode 12 Editing Thoughts" |
I believe Jeff's exact words about Cassandra towards the end of the IC were,Cassandra, just waiting for the end of the game." To that I say, she is indeed. The only reason we are hearing from her or about her is because there are so few people left in the game and she appears to be a very likable person. Earl and the rest have to see that Boo must go next due to his ability to win the II. If he loses tomorrow he will be gone. VS and michael have very accurately pointed out how YM's game is all about the II now and his ever growing paranonia. Still I'm torn as YM is a very intriguing character and would make the F3 more entertaining Dreamz, is all of over the map. His plans are wild and ill conceived. Will he make it to the F3? He might fall victim to the HII. Stacy as michael pointed out has fallen a long ways and is now irrelevant. She could be that F3 person who doesn't receive a single vote Earl, took out his last biggest threat in the game and can coast to F3 and his coronation. His added bonus of being sent to EI, an obviouse pre-arranged agreement, should get him the last HII. DRONES
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DRONES 615 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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05-11-07, 12:49 PM (EST)
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100. "5-10 Episode" |
This is one of the most exciting episodes I've seen in long time.Is Boo clueless? Yes, as was shown by him going to all that effort to spy on people at the watering hole, when in fact that were talking about him in the open down at camp. That is not a winners edit type of moment. HII
This is clearly a pivotal moment for this season. Yau voiced his concern about being uneasy and then that's the end of it. There were no conversations between Yau and Earl about any of this. This leads me to believe that Yau was not playing the idol at this point on a hunch, and as a matter of fact I think he likely knew that he was being set up. Earl told him what was going on and that he needed to play the idol. The look on Yau's face was not one of relief or shock, but of knowing and the cat that ate the canary. The hanging question about whether Yau played it on his own hunch or he was told by Earl is key. The answer to that question will tell us who was in control and ultimate who's the real strategist. Clearly Earl and Yau have their fingers on the pulse of the game, so where does that leave the rest of them? A day late and a dollar short. Clearly, last TC was the time to take out Yau, as Alex pointed out. Every body else seems to be thinking one step behind Earl and Yau. The next question this raises, was this the best or even the only move that could have been made by S/C/D/B? No it wasn't, and as matter of fact it was extremely risky. The better move would have been to go after Earl. Everyone knew that Yau had a HII, so why not go after Earl? If they were keeping Earl in the dark as it appeared(again I don't believe Earl was all that in the dark) then he would have been a more logical choice by Stacy to profer. So where does this leave B/D/C?
Boo
Boo is simply not a factor in this game anymore. His attempt at spying was laughable.
Cassandra and Dreamz
They played their hand and have been caught bluffing with a whole lotta of nothing. Cassandra's performances at challanges ranks up there as one of the worst in Survivor history. We hear very little from her. All she does is nod and go hmmm hmmm. Dreamz, once again, was on the wrong side of a plan that he was instrumental in executing. What does this mean as the final episodes are played out on Sunday night? Cassandra and Dreamz have got to be realing from their failed attempt to cross their alliance. Now they will be scrambling. The look on their face when Yau presented the HII was one of shocked devastation. We still have the other HII out there and I can't help but believe that it will have an impact, whether it's played or not. Enjoy the finale everyone as it should be fun. DRONES
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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05-11-07, 10:07 PM (EST)
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101. "Episode #13: The Editing" |
LAST EDITED ON 05-12-07 AT 12:35 PM (EST)The episode started on the morning of Day 34 with no discussion about the last Tribal council. The intent seemed to be to show that what happened before had no more importance, that the game was now just starting between the remaining 6. It was an episode where the survivors were: Setting Traps Boo introduced the theme of the episode when he started by clearing a secret path that would lead to the water well: “When people want to go and discuss at the water well, I’m just gonna come the back way and then I can slowly creep down and listen to see if they’re talking about me. Sneaky is fun! I can’t wait to try it out.”
As Drones pointed out, Boo was outplaying himself because the scene immediately switched to Earl saying: “We gotta make sure he doesn’t win immunity.” Boo’s trap was set in the wrong place! The funny musical piece that we heard, as we returned to Boo’s jungle adventure, pointed out the futility of his attempts: “They’ll never suspect me hiding behind the thicket, so, if my name comes up on the chopping block, I’ll know.” Boo was ready to do some espionage and the expression he had, with his two thumbs up, showed how he was proud of himself. We knew it was never going to work! Winning the immunity was a better tactic for Boo. Like the surprising image of the little crab quickly finding a hiding place in the sand, Boo’s win took him off the chopping block: “I’m extremely stoked to win immunity this time. I think I noticed disappointment, people talking like, OK plan B.” As with the futility of his secret passage, Boo is shown to be useless in the game, outside of the challenges. He wasn’t seen in the discussion to boot Yau or Stacy, he said he wasn’t concerned about the hidden immunity idol. Stacy also tried to set her traps. At first, she let Earl know she was willing to do anything to help fool Boo. After the immunity, she tried a new trap when she told Earl that she was accepting her fate: “I don’t have any hard feelings. I can’t do anything about the numbers. My hands are tied.” Yau-Man had a busy episode. He started by telling us: “At this point, I’m definitely having fun. There’s a lot more sneaky conversations. There is a lot of combinations going on in my head as to say who should be the four I should have and how do I get there. Getting rid of Boo first would make my life much, much better.” Yau wound up trying to trap bigger game than Boo when he made the deal with Dreamz: “First, Dreamz, how badly do you need a car?” The deal was the truck in exchange for final 4 immunity if Dre wins it. Jeff made sure to let us know that Yau couldn’t enforce the deal, that it depended on Dre’s word, regardless of what happened. Yau was heard to say: “His word is good.” When Jeff asked, Yau assured us that he was willing to take that risk. Yau was not out of surprises and proved it by sending himself to Exile Island. Jeff and Dreamz couldn’t believe it. Dreamz commented: “Yau Man is an amazing dude.” Yau had a pleased grin on his face as he left for Exile Island, the first self-imposed exile. Right after the challenge, we followed Yau to exile island for an explanation: “Earl has been to Exile Island once too many times and I don’t think Cassandra would survive at all…I feel very good about giving Dreamz the car…Here is the opportinity to really, really change his life, and I’m glad I’m able to do that, eventhough it is based on a strategic move. My worry has always been that if I get to the final 4 Dreamz will probably be there…I need a way to get rid of Dreamz. So I made Dreamz the offer…I was very surprised he said yes without much hesitation By giving away the truck, it’s the best way to get rid of my biggest competitor and I have pretty much guaranteed myself a free pass at the final 4” After reading the third clue he told us that he had the location pin-pointed: “I will need to share with Earl. Hopefully one of us can find it.” Even if we know how smart Yau Man is, the repetition of the deal and the need to share the HII information with Earl made Yau Man appear naïve. Yau was happy to see Earl’s immunity idol after his ally had been gone for a long time.
Yau confided with a smile: “With that, we will certainly guarantee our place at the final 4 and with my deal made with Dreamz, I will guarantee myself a place in the final three.” Yau was brimming with confidence but, ominously, the clear blue skies changed quickly, clouds moving in on fast forward mode, as we went to players who had other ideas. Was it because of the bad vibes he had felt but Yau Man seemed less cocky at the TC: “I expect Dreamz to live up to his word. There’s a risk that he will renege on it. The bigger risk is that the next two rounds there’s a big target on my back so I don’t make it to the final 4 but I thought it was worth that risk.” After that, the editors tried to make us believe that Yau Man was surprised at Stacy’s words that the vote was going to be split. Was it Stacy’s words that really made Yau use the idol? I think he had already made up his mind back in camp since they still have another idol to share next time. Twelve seconds elapsed before Yau stood up to give Jeff the turtle that symbolizes immunity. We saw Alex and Earl wondering what would happen while Stacy and Cassandra looked very anxious during that time. The idol has been played but a new story has come to the forefront between Yau and Dreamz. The showdown is set for final 4.
Dreamz was smiling when he heard the tree mail announcing the car challenge. He opened himself up to a trap when he told the tribe: “I ain’t got a car. I’m the only one over here without one. If anybody could help me get a car. Please get me one if y’all win. I just want a car.”
He confided: “If we’re playing for a car and it has anything to do with strength or agility or any of that stuff, I guarantee you that I’m going to win a car today.” Yau was shown listening attentively before leaving camp. When Dreamz told Jeff: “You wouldn’t believe what I’d do for a truck like that” Yau had to figure that his trap had a chance to work.
After embracing Yau to thank him for the truck, Dreamz took some time before realizing the consequences of this gift: “I don’t get it and I’m not going to try. Yau Man is an amazing guy.” The scenes of the school during the reward were fun to watch. Dreamz was happy that the kids would be getting the school supplies. Dreamz got to talk with the children, telling them about America. “I related to them 100%” he said as the kids were laughing.
Dreamz finally realized the trap he had walked into when he confided: “When Yau Man gave me the car, what did he gain out of that? Then, I thought about his strategy. The fact that Yau Man can get the immunity off my neck, I’m gone. The best thing for me to do is to get rid of him before he makes it to the final 4.” Could Dreamz reverse the trap? Dreamz started working on it when he got back to camp and Cassandra told him that Earl was out looking for the idol.
Dreamz’s confessional continued: “With the deal Yau set up he was actually trying to get rid of me…because he knows that me, Earl and Cassandra are gonna stay together and that we are going to make it to the top three. If we make it to the final 4 and I win immunity, I will give Yau Man my immunity necklace because I appreciate what he did for me and I wouldn’t want my son to not be a man of his word. That puts me in a bind of either I gotta get Yau Man out of this game before the final 4 or lie and look like a total liar and people not trust me again.”
He told Cassandra: “That truck was pure strategy…It was a nice thing to do…We could buy twelve cars with a million dollars. Not that I’m a snake but he made me realize that this is a game…I’m gonna sound crazy but we have to play for us: Take Yau out and if Earl gets in the way, we may have to take him out too but I doubt it. I still want to take out Boo and make it me , you and Earl to the final 3…We got a couple more times to get rid of Boo.” The final stage of the trap was getting Stacy in on the plan. Dreamz told her: “This is the deal: Yau is pretty smart. As you know, he wants me, him, Earl and Cassandra, which knocks you out of the top 4…That’s not what I want to do. I want to get rid of Yau today.” That got Stacy’s attention. “Yau has the immunity idol and he’s gonna use it at top 5 and then I give him my idol at top 4 and that puts him two spots up.” Since Dreamz and Stacy were the only two voting on the plan, Dreamz turned to Cassandra: “Any plan that I’ve planned hasn’t worked out so far…because we always switched it at the last minute…Now is the time. Please help me.” Cassandra told them she was with them. At TC, Dreamz explained the deal that he had accepted to an incredulous jury. Alex and Edgardo showed even more incredulity when Dreamz assured he was a man of his word. Dreamz is always trying something. He has advanced but not exactly the way he had planned. Now, he is in a trap that he couldn’t reverse. He will be tested if he wants to get to the end. He has to pull off one of his plans to get there but it is those plans that will prevent him from winning. Quite a dilemma, isn’t it!
Cassandra hesitated to take part of the trap against Yau Man that Dreamz proposed as he returned from the reward.
She confided: “It is tempting to take out Yau, he is a strong candidate and I think that if he’s in the #1 or 2 position, he’s going to have quite a few of the jury’s vote on his side. Boo is a huge threat. Physically, he is stronger than Earl and if he continues to win immunities, he’s going to be a threat to our entire alliance.”
The comments that Jeff has used to describe her challenge performance tells us she won’t be in any position to stop Boo’s immunity run! After finally agreeing to Dreamz’s trap, Cassandra told us: “There’s definitely a risk in voting Yau…The con is that, if he uses the immunity, I will have burned two bridges, one with Earl, one with Yau Man and they are two valuable bridges. The key right now is getting Yau Man and Earl to believe they don’t need to use the immunity idol.” Cassandra may have saved her bridges with Earl and Yau Man when one vote stayed secret. She could be able to say she had voted Stacy. Then, how does she appease Dreamz? She is lucky that there are still a few targets left. Earl also made preparations to set a trap. At the start he was shown talking about Boo at camp, foiling the water well trap. He warned the tribe: “Keep in mind that Boo could possibly have that idol…We gotta blindside him.”
Earl confided: “The plan is actually to get rid of Boo…Now that Alex is gone, Boo is up. You want to get rid of the stronger people and people that you’re not sure if you can trust. So, everybody agreed that Boo is going to be the next person.”
He ended the scene by advising his tribe: “Be careful when you’re talking to him about everything, even hand gestures. He’s gonna see that.” There was an interesting exchange during the immunity challenge:
-Jeff: “Earl needs to get across that beam…He barely makes it.”
-Earl: “But I did.”
It seems more promising than Jeff commenting that “Yau has a nice throw but just misses” and “Yau Man hangs on!” Anyway, the challenges have never been shown as important to Earl’s game and another example was that big smile that was shown after he pushed Dreamz off the platform and into the water once both were eliminated. It’s only fun and games. Still, we saw Earl scratching his head after Boo’s win. It wasn’t all fun! After the immunity challenge, Earl and Yau went to discuss the third clue as Yau had promised he would do.
Earl explained the clues and we followed him to the tower of rock and the pine tree. “There it is. We are in business” he said, laughing while he showed us the third turtle.
Earl confided: “Yau and myself, we trust each other 100%. That’s why we are where we are now. We have two idols, man. Just think, we use to share an idol, now go figure, we both have our own immunity idol.” For a rare time, we heard a confessional from Earl showing he wasn’t in control of the situation: “Kudos to Boo, he saves himself so by default, it’s Stacy. Stacy already realized that possibility and she accepts her fate. She is going down with dignity.”
“I really respect that” he told her. Even when Yau told him that he had bad vibes, Earl was seen shaking his head as if there was nothing to worry about. Has Earl really lost control? It will be interesting to learn exactly when Yau decided to use the idol. Earl’s own TC response about everybody being in danger now that they are in the final 6 and have to cannibalize each other leads us to believe that Earl knew about Yau’s plan. Even so, there has never been a trap set for Earl despite the obvious threat he represents. The editors used whatever they could to put a doubt in Earl’s game and doubts are good. There is a need for some suspense but Earl has always been in control.
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DRONES 615 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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05-12-07, 00:01 AM (EST)
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102. "RE: Episode #13: The Editing" |
I had neglected to mention the Jeff comment at the IC. Very telling. He barely wins, but in the end, he will win.
DRONES
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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05-12-07, 05:19 PM (EST)
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103. "RE: Editing Thoughts Episode 13" |
LAST EDITED ON 05-12-07 AT 05:32 PM (EST)The Recap featured....... Yet another editing anomaly shown. Last week when the group saw Stacy speaking to Alex, Dre was shown with the words: "Boo go break up the conversation" with his face and those words on the screen. How interesting that this week in the recap, those same words were shown but this time Earl is shown on the screen while the words are on the screen (and to further compound to the audience this was possibly Earl's suggestion, not Dre's, just prior to this, Earl is shown saying "They're talking" to allow it to appear that Earl is continuing his talk) The shot of Earl with these words on screen is the one immediately following the shot after Dre is shown with these words in the prior episode. Again, editing intent seems to want to reflect something different than what actually occurred and who is the responsible party. As this was a "strategic" move (so to speak) Earl *appears* to be given the visual credit when this is not how it was shown last episode. Alex "At this point, obviously, they're not all in agreement" (a storyline that was shown to be underway and fleshed out this episode) Earl (to Cassandra) "I like Boo but you can't trust him..... it could be me, you, Yau and Dreamz" Alex learned that Earl, YaoMan, Cassandra and Dreamz had a pact to go the final four (This is interesting since there was never a pact like this shown definitively however the editors wanted the audience to note this in light of what occurs this episode. Yao clearly had issues with this final four last episode and there was nothing to indicate these four were set in stone) Boo wins reward and sends Earl to Exile Island: "I'll figure it out" In a tense IC, Alex held on for dear life but lost his grip at the last moment. Alex "If you don't take Yau Man out today, he's going to take out you or Dreamz" Alex tried to turn Yau Man's allies against him Dre "We might go Yau Man tonight" Stacy "I'm down with that" Cassandra "Yao Man is going to eventually have to leave, why not tonight" But Yao Man felt confident: "We all agreed that Alex...... so I do not think I need to use my hidden immunity idol" Jeff "First vote, Yao Man" (Just to remind us of what is to come) Though Yao Man's name came up, the alliance stayed true to each other. No Tribal Council aftermath since Alex leaving had no plot designs for this episode. And Then There Were Six Boo shown discussing his under cover plan to spy on those who may discuss strategy at the water well...... (While we know Dre is there, he is sleeping in the back part of the cave and not involved in this conversation) Earl "We gotta make sure he doesn't win immunity. Keep in mind that Boo could possibly have that idol" (Obviously, Earl knows Boo doesn't have it, Boo has confided in Earl the clues and his concern that Alex or Mookie may have found it but this is a nice manipulative technique to enforce that Boo is dangerous) "Cause places I looked, I'm saying, man I don't see it anywhere so...." Stacy "If he has it, then what happens?" Earl "We gotta blindside him" Stacy "Let me know how I can play into that; we should have a disagreement or something like that" (Earl's confessional shown) Cassandra "We got to go into the challenges too, really fighting for immunity" Earl "Everybody be careful who you are talking to about everything, even hand gestures..." (Yao's confessional shown) Earl (conf) "The plan is actually to get rid of Boo next... you wanna get rid of the stronger people or those that you are not sure you can trust so everybody agreed Boo would be the next person" Yao Man "At this point I'm definitely having fun, there is a lot more sneaky conversations, a lot more combinations in my head, who should be the four and how do I get there. Getting rid of Boo first would make my life much much better" We then return to Boo who advises that if his name comes up on the chopping block, he'll know. Obviously this was a very tongue in cheek sequence for Boo, there was no aura surrounding it this was slick, mysterious, intriguing or threatening. It had been accompanied by music that reflected it more as a silly excursion if not endearing. Compare this to perhaps Earl or Yao Man doing the same thing and I am sure the overall showing would have been edited substantially different The Car Curse? Dre wastes no time in advising he is the only one without a vehicle: "If anyone can help me get a car, please help me if ya'll win" He then further states that if the challenge deals with strength and agility, he will win. Dre "You wouldn't believe what I would do for a truck like that" The challenge obviously was not the highlight and ultimately Yao Man wins. Of note however was Dre's frustration, Boo advising to keep steady, Earl's shaking of his head upon the other team's win, Yao "appearing" to look over at Earl on his turn throwing the hatchet with Earl motioning to throw it with Yao succeeding Yao Man "So I want to see if I can make a deal with the car. First of all, Dreamz how badly do you need that car" Dre "You know how badly I need a car, I'm the only one out here without a car" Yao Man "When there's four of us left here, if you and I happen to be of the four, if you win the immunity for that round, you'll give it to me" Dre "I promise to God" (I never thought those who swore, promised and the like came out unscathed) Yao Man "When there's four of us?" Dre "When there's four of us left. If I win immunity..." Jeff "I want to be clear, you are saying I'll give you the truck and the condition is if we are both in the final four together (Boo shaking head) and you win that immunity challenge he'll give it to you" Yao Man "Right" Jeff "Knowing you can't enforce it (Stacy smiling) it's his word" Yao Man "Right" Dre "I give you my word" Yao Man "His word is good" Jeff "Regardless what happens, you get voted out at the next Tribal Council..." Yao Man "He'll have the car" Jeff "You're willing to take that risk?" Yao Man "Yes" Dre "Yes!" Jeff asks Yao Man of three left (Earl, Cassandra and Yao) who does he send to EI? Yao Man "Myself" Jeff "You are sending yourself?" Dre "Yao Man is an amazing dude, I don't get it, I'm not gonna try...."
The Exiled One Yao Man explains that he picked himself with a slithering snake shown: “Earl has been to Exile Island one too many times and I don’t think Cassandra would survive at all…. I feel very good about giving Dreamz the car; certainly that is the biggest gift I have given in my entire life. He has the opportunity to really really change his life…. even though it’s based on a strategic move. My worry has always been that when I get to the final four, Dreamz will probably be there and I need a way to get rid of Dreamz so I made Dreamz the offer that if and when we get to the final four together that if he wins immunity, he has to give it to me. I was very surprised he said yes without hesitation . By getting rid of the truck was the best way to get rid of my biggest competitor and I pretty much guaranteed myself a free pass at the final four. Electing to go to Exile Island…. will help me find the rehidden idol. I will need to share it with Earl; hopefully one of us will find it” A big scene for a little man with a big edit! As the story of Yao Man has shown, this journey is about the little guy trying to survive just one more day. Alas as discussed ad nauseum, his edit and the hidden idol were also closely entwined and that angle of his story has now been played out. Certainly, not since Rupert (to many, not everyone) has a contestant elicited such a favorable response. Alas, more times than not, these “outstanding” characters are pushed to the editing limit but never quite end up being our victor. Often times, the “fan favorite” misses that mark and one wonders if these wonderfully fun, entertaining or beloved characters would be edited in such this manner IF they were, indeed the winner or would there be a bit more tarnish? I am curious to see what Yao Man and Earl both have to say about the arrangements they had. Frankly, considering their relationship, it is somewhat surprising we were not shown any aftermath of YaoMan’s decision to make a deal. Surely Earl and YaoMan discussed this as it has ramifications for Earl as well. Yao Man’s deal also does beg the question as to how specific Earl and YaoMan’s partnership is as well. Why would Yao Man feel the need to gamble this way unless he had reservations? That is for others to speculate upon as I confine myself to the editing but a BIG nugget was left out for the audience to view and that is any discussion between Yao Man and Earl regarding Yao Man’s deal. I can’t fathom they did not speak about this and what it meant for both of them The Reward Certainly again, Dre was the receipient of careful editing moreso than Boo or Stacy at the reward. More “push” on Dre’s life situation and his hopes and dreams which have encompassed his character since the first episode. Dreamz is all about achieving and his own words “my next step up” and thus, is the edit of Dre. It was quite noteworthy observing Dre and these children as Dre did not seem so different from them. He is very childlike in many of the scenes we have seen thus far this season and like all children, Dre is forging a path ahead that requires many mistakes to be made and many lessons learned. This truly was the “Journey Of Dreamz” and like many youngsters also, some of Dre’s beliefs in “achievement” is about what you can get with no thought process of the ramifications; this takes time and I will actually be very pleased if Dre lets the audience know at the finale how this trek to Fiji has brought enlightenment to him Dre (conf) “Yao Man gave me a Ford…. I couldn’t believe it. Everything was so nice about the truck and it’s all mine” (Incidentally, this is the confessional where he also talks about YaoMan and knowing why he was given the car and the choices he may have to make) Stacy narrates about the dropping off of supplies for the school: “That was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had in my life” Boo describes the mobile office: “They have the best school around”
Dre (conf) “It was a day I’ll remember forever; when I got that brand new truck, it was my next step up; when these kids got those things for the classroom, they knew it was their next step up. I related to them 100%. But, I was thinking, Yao Man gave me a car, what did he gain out of that? And then I thought about his strategy. If I give Yao Man immunity off my neck, then I’m gone. The best thing for me to do is to get rid of him before he makes it to the final four” (Ominous music then follows) The Search For The “Other” Idol Cassandra “So Earl’s out there looking for that idol all the time” Dre “Is he?” Cassandra “Yeah! What’d you think?” Dre “I guess” Dre “That truck was pure strategy, pure strategy. It was a nice thing to do, it was a kind thing to do” (Dre’s confessional now shown) “You could buy 12 cars with a million dollars; both of us. Not that I’m a snake or nothing but he let me know this is a real game” (More snake references…. recall again what we have heard….. Earl kills a snake and states he didn’t really want to but he and the snake came to an understanding, Dre advises he is going to put his snakeskin boots on following his speech to Moto about not having to be snakes yet and now Dre emphasizing that while he isn’t a snake, Yao is letting him know it is game time. This speaks volumes in symbolism with the added visual touch we all remember of the one snake purging itself of another snake) (Next part of confessional now shown) Dre “I know it sounds crazy but we gotta play first; take Yao Man out and if Earl gets in the way we might have to take him out too but I doubt it I want to take Boo out before Earl. I still want to make it me, you and Earl to be top three” (Boo shown) Cassandra “You don’t think it could be dangerous keeping Boo around longer” Dre “If we take out Yao Man we have a couple more times to take out Boo”
(Cassandra’s confessional now shown) Dre (conf) “With the deal YaoMan set up he was actually trying to accomplish to get rid of me without literally saying let’s get rid of Dreamz cause he knows that me, Earl and Cassandra gonna stick together and maybe get to the top three…” and “We make it to the final four and I win immunity I will give Yao Man the immunity necklace cause I appreciate what he did for me and I wouldn’t want my son to not be a man of his word, that puts me in a bind of either I gotta get Yao Man out of this game before the final four or lie and look like a total liar and people would not trust me again” (Of note is Dre’s two choices, get Yao out before the final four or be a liar; he fails to mention the third choice, honor his word and accept the consequences of his decision to accept the car) Cassandra (conf) “It is tempting to consider Yao, he is a strong candidate and I think if he’s in number one or two position he’s gonna have quite a few of the jury votes in his sight. Boo’s a huge threat, physically he is stronger than Earl so if he continues winning immunity then he’s a threat to our entire alliance” The Immunity Challenge Jeff instigates Dre to share with YaoMan about his new truck Dre “Thank you, thank you, it was lovely” Yao Man “I’m glad you enjoyed it, keep enjoying it” Dre “I think I will” Of note: Dre makes quick work, Cassandra shown inept in this challenge, Earl stumbling his way to over the beam and of course, Earl’s pushing Dre into the water after they have both been eliminated with Earl smiling (more symbolism? Perhaps. Or just a fun moment for television ) Boo is ultimately successful and a new game plan commences….. A Turtle In Camp? YaoMan notes that any game with a ball and rope Boois “dead on” Boo (conf) “I’m extremely stoked to win this time; I noticed disappointment…. people talking like plan B” Earl “I was wondering how you were doing over at Exile” Yao Man (conf) “When I came back to camp, I had all three clues… as promised I shared it with Earl” )Discussion between Yao and Earl shown) Earl (conf) “Yao came back…. we are just hoping to find it. Yao will have one and I will have one” (Earl then shown searching and discussing the clues) Earl (shown finding idol) “There you go; we are in business” (Earl then shown coming back to get Yao Man to let him in on the news) Earl (conf) “Yao and myself we trust each other 100%; that’s why we are where we are now. We have two idols man! We used to share an idol and now go figure we both have our own immunity idol” (Incidental note this is the same confessional as to when he started discussing hoping to find the idol) Earl shows Yao Man the idol as they shake hands Yao Man (conf) “Earl and I each have our own hidden idol; with that we will certainly guarantee our place at the final four and with my deal made with Dreamz I will guarantee myself in the final three” Note the difference between both confessional. I have always found in Survivor editing the words “guarantee” and spouting where you will be placing are not good for those who are uttering it. Earl’s confessional does not have him state, I am guaranteed this or what number spot he will be; he only discusses how he is where he is now because of his relationship with Yao Man. Trust talk, however, makes one suspicious as well and there has been a lot of that with Yao trusting Dre, Earl trusting Dre, Earl discussing how he and Yao trust each other that something will obviously interfere with all this trust floating around A Snake At Camp? Dre “This is the deal, Yao’s pretty smart; as you know he wants me, him, Earl and Cassandra (and Dre has crossed over to not wanting to look like a liar to actually lying; not bad for someone who has been overlooked in this “smarts” department as we all know that Dre knows that Yao wants him gone. Dre said himself back on Moto that it wasn’t time to be rats and snakes, now obviously is the time) which knocks you out of the top four and that’s not what I want to do; I want to get rid of Yao today” (More ominous music heard) “If we get rid of Yao today, you’d be back in the top four; you get what I’m saying, you feeling me on this? Yao has immunity idol; he’s gonna use it in the top five and then I give him my idol in top four, that puts him two spots up” (Stacy’s confessional shown) Stacy “So how many votes will be going to Yao Man” Dre “It’s me and you right now” Cassandra comes over Dre “Cassandra, any plan I plan haven’t worked out so far… cause we always switched it at the last minute but we gotta take Yao out. If everyone will help me now is the time. Please help me” Stacy “I’m with Dreamz plan” Cassandra agrees Stacy “Tonight’s vote will be Yao Man” Dre “He won’t even know what hit him” (Cassandra confessional now shown) Stacy (conf) “I was a little concerned I would be next today but Dreamz came up with another idea; he said if he wins immunity when there is four people left, he’d give it to Yao Man and Yao Man is still in the game so if Yao Man’s not in the game really Dreamz didn’t go against him in that deal” Cassandra (conf) “There’s definitely a risk involved in voting Yao Man; the pros about it are looking down the line if Yao Man is still in the game and makes it to one and two position, he’d be a difficult competitor to beat; the con is though is that if he uses the immunity I will burn two bridges with Earl and Yao Man….” (Ah more proof of out of order confessional, Cassandra was in the same exact spot during her confessional as she was in the last episode when she discussed whether she should vote out Yao Man or Alex. Obviously they took a portion of her confessional from the cycle when Alex was still in it and used it here since the events played out nicely in terms of her confessional. The reality is that she was weighing the options between ALEX and Yao Man at the time so this confessional was manipulated to make it appear only about Yao Man. This confessional was about her decision on Alex but why Yao Man may have been an option as well.) Stacy “Can I talk to you a minute?” Cassandra (conf) “The key right now is getting Earl and Yao Man to believe they don’t need to use the immunity idol at this point” This part was only shown in voiceover while Earl and Stacy go off together Earl “I was very disappointed so; I definitely didn’t expect him to get immunity again” Stacy “I don’t think any of us did….. but I have no hard feelings; it would be smarter to remove him but who’s the smarter person to get rid of at this time” (Earl’s confessional shown) Stacy “I can’t do anything about the numbers, I know I cannot, my hands are tied” Earl “I really really respect that” Earl (conf) “Kudos to Boo…by default it’s Stacy. Stacy already realized that possibility and accepts her fate and is going down with dignity, she knows it’s her time” Yao Man “So I guess we’re voting out Stacy” Dre (nods) “Dang I was hoping Boo wouldn’t win that” (Yao Man’s confessional shown) “Yao, you changed a man’s life” Yao Man “Oh… please; had to make the best deal I can with it; thanks for making the deal” Dre “I’m not dumb … I know your strategy is to take me out at three and it’s a good strategy” (More of Yao’s confessional shown) Yao Man (conf) “At this point while we are all planning on voting out Stacy I am still very much in tune on what’s going on…” and “At this point I am sure people like Dreamz see me as a threat; so far in my conversations with everybody seems to be alright but on the other hand I will never be 100% sure” Extremely tense music plays with short shots at each player (note that Boo was not part of any intense discussion, only that he was glad he had the idol earlier; that we know Boo was not edited as the end player, this only serves to reinforce it) Yao Man (walks over to Earl) “I have bad vibes” (Earl shakes his head no and for once, the poker played managed to get bluffed!) Tribal Council, A Vote, A Turtle Jeff discusses playing for the truck (smiles/nods from jury) and the negotiation and asks Dre how it went down Dre “…he wanted to make an agreement, he said if I make it the final four (Lisi shown with eyebrows raised) and he’s still there (Rocky) and I win immunity I would give it to him (Mookie with a questioning look) and I was like, deal!” (Alex shown) “That’s nothing to me so he gave me the truck (Yao smiling) I’m a great man of my word (sharp music then Alex shown looking unconvinced then Edgardo shown laughing) I owe Yao Man to give him immunity at final four but I’m gonna see to it I do get it” Note that never in my observations have I seen the jury shown MORE during a current player's talk than these statements made by Dre. Normally a reaction shot is shown after a statement or a visual of a player and a jury member smiling, etc. This ENTIRE statement by Dre was shown reacted to by the JURY. Much like relationships are honed in upon to surmise how a jury member may sway, it appears this particular situation and Dre may cause quite a bit of relationship with many of the jury Jeff then asks Yao Man what he expects from Dre in this negotiation. Yao Man “I expect Dreamz to live up to his word (Dre) it’s a risk if he will renege on it; the bigger risk is that the next two rounds there is a big target on my back so I don’t make it to the final four (a cymbal then Stacy shown) but I thought it was worth that risk. The other part is he needs the car and that’s my big heart to let him have the car” (Yao laughs but Alex looks unimpressed yet notice there were NO jury reactions to the setup that Yao made for this deal except for Alex’s reaction to Yao’s “big heart” statement) Jeff mentions the hidden idol and that Yao had it and someone else may have it now and asks Boo if he is worried Boo “It doesn’t matter to me who has it at this point” (sharp music with Earl turning his head sharply) Jeff asks Cassandra if she believes that Cassandra “No, it definitely matters… the idol can be used in the next two Tribal Councils (Earl nods) I think it’s critical who has the idol” (Yao Man shown) Jeff to Earl wonders if a million dollar blunder if you have the idol and don’t play it and get voted out Earl “You definitely have to gauge when you’re gonna need it. (Yao Man shown) We’re the top six so every single time we come here (Stacy) you’re a target (Dre) there’s no guarantees for anything and now we got to start eating each other (The cannibalism theme commencing?) that’s when you start to worry” Jeff asks Stacy how scared she is tonight Stacy “I’m worried just because I’m a latecomer in this alliance (Earl) and I think that before they cannibalize each other they may want to try and get me out (Yao Man) but I guess I’ll find out tonight” Jeff asks Dre if he is worried (Cassandra shown) Dre “I’m definitely worried cause me saying I’m (Earl) giving him the immunity idol at four people are like oh I can’t let him get to four (Stacy) so I would think Yao Man would try to protect me a little bit (Yao Man smiling) until we get to four but you can never tell; we haven’t talked about it” Jeff asks Stacy what she thinks the result will be from the vote Stacy “I think that everyone wants (Cassandra) to seem like they are playing nice but I think there’s gonna be lines drawn (Yao Man) and there’s gonna be division (Earl with then a questioning look on his face) amongst the tight knit alliance because I don’t think it’s all gonna be a vote one way or the other, I think it’s gonna be split” (a big shift in music with Yao Man shown looking extremely questioning to Stacy’s words. At that point, he “appears” to glance over to Earl and Earl “appears” to be looking back at him) Yao Man is shown voting for Stacy
Dre is shown voting for Yao Man
Visuals of Yao Man, Dre, Alex and Earl shown with respect to Jeff’s question on playing the hidden idol then Stacy and Cassandra looking over with Yao Man giving the idol to Jeff. Earl shown a bit taken aback (although editing wanted it to appear earlier he became suspicious) and Stacy somewhat disappointed. Dre and Cassandra very bothered with increasingly tense music played As the votes are read, Cassandra is increasingly concerned, Stacy as well, Yao Man pleased, Earl nodding in approval and then a broad smile upon Stacy being told she is going home, Stacy leaves with the jury shown very watchful. As noted earlier, Boo was never shown in any reaction to this which again is just more proof he is not integral to the outcome of this game. Jeff “Well there is still the possibility that yet another hidden immunity idol (Earl, Cassandra, Dre shown in tight shot) might come into play (Yao Man) the last time you can use it is as the last Tribal Council” My episode one commentary stated that Earl's edit was astoundingly impactful for the end game win which seems to be the common opinion in here. While this show did want to embrace different cultures and races, I also suspect that their first African American male winner would be edit in a rather positive manner; after all these season, this is a first and while Dre (the other African American male) has certainly got his fair share of nuggets ("But I'm standing the highest" "I'm a Fijian warrior" "My fight has just begun" .... they are all very emotional editing tugs, not clinical in the game. The bane of Dre's edit is probably (to him) he IS a warrior, he is a fighter and really, not winning is okay because "he" is standing the tallest. Should he walk away learning from the mistakes he has made and the journey from beginning to end, that is pivotal. Earl came to an understanding with a snake, the finale will perhaps tell us how that comes to be. In a poker game, holding your cards close to your vest is usually a better way to victory than laying them all out on the table. I suspect that the editing (or information perhaps? I will find out after the season is over lol) was very direct that we lost a number of people this season in the thread. I find editing fascinating regardless if one knows or doesn't so I do appreciate everyone who plays with me either knowing or not . On that note, enjoy the finale and for those who have come into my little neck of the woods this season, I’ve enjoyed reading your insights and commentary as always
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Flowerpower 7262 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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05-16-07, 09:13 PM (EST)
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104. "RE: Editing Thoughts Episode 13" |
I just wanted to pop in now that the show is over and thank EVERY one for all the great input! I love this thread and I read every. single. word.!!! I'm sorry that I didn't get to comment as much this year but I will do better next season, I promise. But the experts in here sure do amaze me and I am grateful that they choose to converse here at Blows! Thanks, Veruca, as always! And everyone! GREAT JOB!!!fp
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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05-17-07, 02:53 PM (EST)
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105. "RE: Editing Thoughts Episode 13" |
Another season's over. I want to thank Veruca for another great season of analyzing this show. You make us see things everybody else misses. I also want to thank our readers. FP, it was nice to drop in and let us know that some still read us! This season, all the themes revolved around Earl. They had to show the first African-American male winner in a good light but the outcome wasn't much of a mystery. 1- The “Haves” vs. the “Have-Nots”: Earl and Yau-Man were the only ones to suffer through Ravu's terrible beginning and make it to the end. Earl was the one to tell us he was trained for it. The way it was shown, the Motos never had a chance, especially when they complained after the merge while Earl said it was like returning home. 2 - Don't underestimate Yau-Man Yau proved that he was strong. Earl was the only one to see that right away.
3 - Survivor is a Game of Poker:
- Dre was a wild card who wanted to bluff his way to the end.
- The 4 horsemen looked to make the big move, win the big pot.
- Only Earl had his poker face on throughout and took his time to devise the right plan.
4 - There are Snakes in this Game:
Jeff warned Earl about the snakes "Watch out for the sea snakes"
Earl was ready: "I'll eat them." He reached an understanding with the snakes...and Dre, who was the biggest one of all. 5 - Earl was the King of Fiji: It was his islands, his mountains, his season. I'm looking forward to China. The story should be harder to read in Chinese.
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Agent99 15 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Got Milk? Spokesperson"
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05-18-07, 10:34 AM (EST)
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106. "RE: Editing Thoughts Episode 13" |
To say that I am a long time lurker would be an understatement, but the time has come to unlurk and to thank you for your insightful posts. I've been a fan of analyzing the editing since Tapewatcher(?) analyzed Tina's win. Vercua, Michael, Emydi, AJ (analyzed the music, right???) and all the others that analyze the edits of Survivor, I read every word that each of you write and savor it! It brings to me a whole other level of enjoyment of Survivor. Please keep it going! I too noticed the drop off in the posts this season, probably half of what you've had before, but don't let the numbers sway you because there are those of use who either don't have the time or the wisdom to contribute. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
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