Not trying to argue or fault your view points, just wondering where my 2-cents worth stand.

>After last nights episode, I wanted
>to re-visit this thread. Where
>we went wrong. Clearly, Matt
>was threatening to Rob...we knew
>that, we have heard it,
>but we have especially heard
>it in the insider clips,
>where it was hidden from
>the general public....so, it could
>be surprising to John Q
>Public.

Yes, the people I watched this with don't read these boards and couldn't believe that Matt was sent back to RI by his girlfriend and his old tribe. They did not see the rationale of sending him back nor risking a tie.
Well, I read these threads and did not think that this could really happen till it did. Hindsight, it is a necessary move with too many possibilities of backlash. But David's captioned,"Genius, that's what it is" comment seems telling, that backlash possibilities that actually play out later on are limited.

>Krautboy was also right, and I
>was wrong, thinking that Mike
>would not throw any of
>his tribe under the bus....but,
>it sure sounded like that's
>exactly what he would have
>done. My bad! But, it
>gives us alot more insight
>now, into Mike. Who has
>Mike aligned with to the
>end. Clearly, only one other
>person is in it, and
>I believe that that person
>is Rooster....So, Mike offered number
>three to Matt....Mike was 1,
>Rooster 2...so Mike would throw
>David, Steve, Julie all under
>the bus. Or, was Mike
>just stringing Matt along?
>This is what we don't
>know, and in the end,
>I don't know if Mike
>would have honored this deal,
>or was it his desperate
>attempt to swing the big
>move?

He wrote the note to Matt with Steve looking on, so I thought and still think that Steve was no.2, just as the Throll had said that Mike and Steve were tight. Alliances revealed don't survive right? Just as well it did not work or Mike would have to go back on his word, written in black and white, or betray his tribe. Not good for the reputation of the Marines.
Also, writing it down and passing notes are not good game playing. Even if you are sure of getting Matt, you don't want to give such information to the other tribe. Natalie saw the note being passed! Matt showed the note to Andrea.

>A few other notes after last
>night...Andrea. Andrea was shocked at
>Matt's bold plans, and then
>infuriated that he would tell
>Rob all about them. Her
>insider clip confirms this. She
>felt like she couldn't trust
>Matt. She told him, do
>not tell anyone about this,
>and he promised he wouldn't
>and then he goes and
>tells Rob all about it.
>Andrea had no choice, imo,
>but to vote with Rob.
>In my opinion, she has
>just become invaluable to Rob.

Wonder how Rob convinced her to stick with him, a secret final 3 pact that we were not shown? Of course Matt made it easy by waffling so much, and "confessed" to the Godfather without giving her the heads up and implicating her as well.

>Phillip. Wow, did he turn around.
>See, perhaps he is smarter
>than we give him credit
>for. But, clearly the Zaps
>can see where he is
>in the hierarchy of things,
>as per David's insider clip.
>Look to them to go
>for Phillip. But, Andrea also
>noted that the Ome's need
>to woo Phillip, make him
>feel secure. Looks like Phillip
>is going to get the
>attention that he has so
>clearly yearned for...

Do you think that they will want to court Phillip after all the nasty things he said about them at tribal council?
I don't get to see the insider clips at my "geographical region"

When Matt disappeared, he asked where Andrea was. At tribal council, Rob said that he has not seen anything like this, that it is strange that the tribes did not interact outside the tribes of origin. Of course the Omes behaved this way. They saw what happened when Matt was friendly with the Zaps, and saw how exacting Rob could be. That tells me that Rob has the Omes under tight control.
Regardless, Rob would not have Matt sticking too long, Matt just made it easier for him to keep his tribe on his side with all that indecisiveness and letting the cat out of the bag.
Ashley was seen hanging around Matt in quite a few shots, was that under their leader's orders to keep the enemy closer, or is that giving Rob to much credit?