Jeff’s recap reminded us that, at Upolu, Coach thought he had assembled a solid alliance of 5.
He had Edna as a spare 6 while leaving Stacey at the bottom of the pecking order.
But Brandon started behaving erratically…
…He went against Coach’s plan and covertly targeted Mikayla.
Later, he blew up in front of the entire tribe.
Brandon’s loose cannon behavior put everyone on edge…
<Mikayla shown crying>
…Especially Coach: “Brandon worries me. You are either loyal or you’re disloyal.”In Savaii, Ozzy was also in an alliance of 5 and he thought he was in charge.
Keith and Jim made up his core 3, Whitney and Elyse were his plus 2, leaving the oldest and the nerdiest on the chopping block.
<Cochran is heard saying he didn’t want to go home>
At the immunity challenge, Coach led Upolu to a landslide victory…
…sending Savaii to Tribal Council where Papa Bear tried to save himself by steering votes to Cochran.
In the end, Cochran prevailed, sending Papa Bear to join Christine on Redemption Island…
The recap tells the story almost completely from the point of view of the returning players. As Ozzy said about his position in the tribe, they are the anchors of the story. Or maybe it would be more accurate to call them the frame of the story because the picture is slowly coming into focus:
- Brandon is the story of Upolu. Note that, subtly, the recap gave Brandon the role of the potential Victim instead of Mikayla. Coach was heard calling him disloyal which put him in danger.
- Cochran is the story of Savaii. Note that, again, Cochran is credited with saving himself, Jeff saying that he had prevailed when, in reality, Ozzy’s alliance had agreed from the start to spare him.
Both “stars” are distractions, big characters used to build a story from which someone else will emerge. Cochran’s character continues to hit on all the right themes. This episode showed us one story that can rival his.
The theme of this episode came from Jeff’s words at Tribal Council:
Trust and Unity are Hard to MaintainSavaii
Day 9
Note that by starting in Savaii and in the morning once all TC discusions had ended ignored Papa Bear’s arrival at RI and his significance to the tribe. It was a big hint that Christine would prevail. Mark’s story was already over.
Elyse and Ozzy were cuddling in the hammock, Elyse asking about Ozzy’s family.
He told her that he was the only one into Survivalism in the family and that it had come from reading Robinson Crusoe’s adventures.
Much like Rob had witnesses to bond forming between Andrea and Matt, we saw Jim spying on the new couple.
Jim: “I’m thinking right now that Elyse and Ozzy have a tighter bond than people realize. I know the game well enough to know that a pair is very powerful and the thing is that Ozzy is powerful enough as a physical presence in this game that you can’t give him that physical presence and that voting presence because he is going to run it like Rob did last year. So, I am thinking that I can’t get Ozzy out so Elyse has got to go.”
He presented his strategy to Cochran, telling him that Elyse was a variable and he liked constants.
The pair was excited about pulling a big “survivor move”.
Cochran: “Jim is kind of a sketchy character. He has this used-car salesman smile with pearly white teeth that appear suspiciously white to me but he wants Elyse gone next which is absolutely music to my ears. If Elyse goes first, that buys me another 3 days and who knows what Ozzy is going to do?”
The editors, letting us hear this very interesting confessional by Cochran, stole a big part of Jim’s thunder. The sequence makes Jim look somewhat like a kid, eager to pull the big survivor move when it could be too soon. For Cochran, nothing is too soon because, as he said, he needs those next 3 days and he is also considering that Ozzy would want to retaliate against Jim. While Jim was at the origin of the move, it was Cochran that saw its full potential and planned on using it to his own advantage. If anyone doubts that we are supposed to see Cochran as the real mastermind, just consider that we heard Jim hesitating because Elyse is “so freakin’ hot”. Cochran wasn’t hesitating and he even joked about Jim’s loss of focus by saying he’d put on a seaweed wig!
This plot will come to fruition.
Upolu – Day 9
Brandon had a confessional that was introduced by the sound of bells (were they AC/DC’s Hell’s Bells?): “This game, to me, is so jacked up when it comes to people’s feelings. I came into this game with good intentions but it was ruined by my pride. I let my pride get a hold of me and I started gravitating towards lying to people. Every day is a struggle. I can’t tell you, tomorrow, that I won’t be upset but from here on out, I promise to be a better person, a better player, a better survivor.”
I’m afraid that this is the start of a Journey edit. Brandon’s story is turning into his personal struggle to get out of Survivor’s hell. Witness the smoke all around him and the tribe at the beginning of his interview. His story will be rehashed every week until he leaves as a “good person”, redeemed from the sins of his family. His conflict with Mikayla came to an abrupt end with his apology and it wouldn’t surprise me if she is soon presented as the evil one, bent on getting him out.
Mikayla (her confessional was taken at least slightly out of sequence because she already has the bikini that will only be delivered with tree mail.) : “I understand that you are doing the right thing by apologizing but, dude, maybe you should think two or three times before you talk because he does this thing that he shouldn’t have done then he apologizes and that makes him look like a fool but look whohis uncle is!”
Brandon’s next apology was for Edna. He told her that the tribe had lied to her, that the real alliance only had 5 members and that she wasn’t counted in it.
He told her: “The people that you trusted, including me, lied to you.”
Edna: “Brandon pulled me aside and told me that I actually wasn’t part of the alliance of six. He said that the other people in the alliance have basically just tolerated me and that, given the opportunity, I’d be the next to go. It was a terrible feeling because you think you are part of this group but it is easier to believe a lie sometimes than it is to accept the truth.”
Note that, while Sophie and Albert were seen during this confessional, Coach was not. However, as far as the audience knows, Coach assembled that alliance of 5 and Edna has only been talking with Coach so he is the one receiving the blame for lying to Edna.
Tree Mail – Savaii
Dawn: “Being Mormon, I was never comfortable swimming in my uderwear and bra.”
Interesting that, while Elyse and Whitney are the bikini models in this group, it was Dawn’s impression that we heard first
After some hesitations, Jim and Cochran were designated to go watch the duel.
Jim: “I want to go but, at the same time, I didn’t like the idea of Cochran and I going because nobody knows that Cochran and I are together and guilt by association is not a way to win this game.”
Watching Whitney and Elyse parading in their new swimsuit, Dawn had another confessional: “I honestly think that the thing that concers me the most in this game is my age. As I watched the other people that would be playing, I asked myself: “Am I Rudy on this tribe?” I mean, I love Rudy but for 40, I’m on the old side. But, I feel I have to show the Savaii tribe what I can do because there are already some comfortable pairings and groupings and there could already be some alliances so I believe that I absolutely have to perform. No question, I can’t be the weakest.”
This confessional pretty much confirms that Dawn is a Journey player, wanting to prove that she fits in. The confessional, although probably taken from day 1 and presented at a very opportune time, lacked some of the game awareness that is usually associated with an eventual winner.
Jim talked to Ozzy about planting a seed in the minds of the players from the other side but Ozzy felt it was too early.
Ozzy: “If you plan on going far in this game, you definitely try to think a few steps ahead” Note that Cochran is shown at this precise moment! “But Jim is trying to play the strategy point too much.”
This aligns well with the impression we had during this episode’s opening confessionals. We can now say that Jim is playing too much, Ozzy not enough while Cochran is thinking a few steps ahead.
Soon after, (Not immediately because, somehow, Whitney and Keith had taken over Elyse’s spot in the shelter) Jim and Cochran left.
Ozzy mocked Jim by repeating: “Strategy, strategy, strategy…”
Whitney chirped in: “No more strategy.”
Dawn: “While Cochran and Jim were walking out, Ozzy was saying we are not going to talk strategy. He was kind of mocking Jim like, don’t think too much strategy but I’m not sure that’s how I’ve seen Ozzy play this game in the past. I think he is strategizing but he does it at a different time and place. He doesn’t want us strategizing and that just irks me to no end.”
This confessional has more game insight. Note that she used the word “us” which indicates she was already part of a Jim, Cochran, Dawn group when she said that.
The Duel
Papa Bear took the opprtunity to tell Jim and Cochran that he would flip to Upolu if given the chance.
Jeff turned to Brandon saying it must be nice to hear they could have a new ally.
Brandon was more interested in pursuing his Apology Tour so he told Christine he was sorry for what he did at their Tribal Council and for being ruthless.
It was a close duel with most of the reaction shots going to Jim. He was surprised by Christine’s success. I wouldn’t say that suggest they could team up later on but I thought it should be noted. Maybe Jim faces Christine in a duel instead.
Mark had a nice exit, the editors giving him time to express how much he wanted to live this adventure.
Christine: “I want the spectators to see that I am not out.
Upolu
Day 10
Edna: “Knowing what Brandon told me is going to make me more cautious in trusting other individuals in my alliance. So, for me, it is important to be cordial and polite. It’s a social game and I have to emphasize the social aspect of my strategy because, physically, I can’t win this.”
She offered to clean Rick’s shirt while Coach requested that she walked on his back.
Edna had a good reply: “I don’t mind, I’ll walk on anybody.”
Stacey: “Edna is annoying. The girl goes on and on and on…She needs to be disconnected.”
The women went to the ocean to do the laundry so Edna started asking Mikayla about her modeling gigs.
Mikayla: “Edna asks so many darn questions… We couldn’t shut her up.”
Edna then massaged Coach’s back by walking on him.
Mikayla: “Her little laugh is going to haunt me when I get home.”
Stacey gave us an imitation of that laugh.
Even if this scene served to make us think Edna could get voted out, it also showed us that she doesn’t have the right social skills needed for this game. However, it was important to note which players were used to talked negatively against Edna: Stacey who has been voted out and Mikayla who, just last episode, was the tribe’s punching bag and is now delivering some punches herself. That turnaround in her story is bad news to her fans.
Savaii
As soon as Coachran returned, he went to Dawn to learn about any discussions happening while they were gone.
Dawn told him that Ozzy put the clamp on any plans to strategize.
Cochran said they would need to get something going to save each other.
Cochran: “Jim and I developped a good partnership moving forward but, numerically, it doesn’t look straighforward that we are going to be able to get rid of Elyse. Right now, there is only Jim and I on board with voting out Elyse. So, we are going to need to find somebody who is willing to do this or else we’re screwed.”
He asked Dawn what would be her next move.
Dawn said she wanted Ozzy to go but that, if Jim and Cochran wanted Elyse gone, she would go along.
During this discussion, Elyse was shown in the ocean close to Ozzy who had taken off his swim suit and was holding it up high.
To me, that was a clear signal that Ozzy will get caught with his pants down!!
Cochran’s confessional continued: “It turns out that Dawn is on the same page and wants Elyse out. For somebody like me who thrives on big strategic moves and loves seeing that in a game like Survivor, I have been dying to be part of something like this. Getting rid of Elyse is going to devastate Ozzy and it might make the other pretty people feel a little bit less secure. This is finally the time that the Savaii tribe makes a move that is going to change the game and is going to surprise a lot of people.”
During this scene, Jim was shown a few times sitting in the shelter or looking out at the ocean. The intent obvious: While the poker player wasn’t doing a thing to improve his hand, Cochran was thinking ahead and working on the details. He doesn’t have it all worked out yet but this confirms the earlier impression that Cochran is to be viewed as the tribe’s mastermind.
Immunity Challenge:
The players chosen to hold the weights were:
Jim, Keith and Dawn for Savaii
Albert, Brandon and Stacey for Upolu.
It was a surprise to see that the two self-proclaimed strong women of Upolu didn’t take Stacey’s place but it’s possible that Stacey insisted in order to save herself.
Brandon being picked instead of Rick was another minor surprise.
After 26 minutes, Keith was shown struggling and he was the first to drop.
As he has done during the whole season, Albert fell off his perch without drawing any attention.
Jeff said that Jim and Brandon both broke Survivor’s record. In actuality, Brandon outlasted Jim so he should hold the record himself. Should we take note that Brandon wasn’t truly credited for the record or is it simply the way Jeff thinks?
The game came down to the two women and, after a valiant effort, Stacey dropped her bar.
Dawn: “I had a really tough day 1 and day 2 but I came back strong and I think I can contribute. By being the last person standing in that challenge today, it felt so good. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t believe it.”
By winning the challenge for her team, Dawn became the star of the episode but how far reaching is this story? Was she highlighted in the episode’s opening sequence because this is the start of a great story arc or was it just so we would cheer for her in her duel against Stacey? It could be a bit of both. That confessional included a reference to being the last person standing so we could say Dawn has already told us how winning Survivor would feel but, on the other hand, it also tells us that she has won, has reached her real goal which was proving she was strong. Some will see it as a winning quote, the others as her story’s destination.
As an aside, the reward chicken didn’t get nearly the same amount of airtime as their predecessors in Australia, Africa, Samoa, etc…Call them Purple Chickens.
Upolu – Day 11
Stacey: “We didn’t win the challenge…but I think I proved that I have strength. More than anyone of the girls…I could be blindsided.”
Edna: “I felt pretty confident within my alliance but, at the same time, I have this little voice inside of me that says everybody perceives me as the weakest link in the tribe so I want to make absolutely sure that I am safe. I won’t feel safe until after Tribal tonight.”
I find it strange that Edna is still talking about being confident in her alliance after what Brandon told her. It makes me consider that, in reality, Brandon talked to her after this Tribal Council. If the editors manipulated the timeframe of Brandon’s apologies, it reinforces our thoughts that Brandon is on a Journey to make amends, a journey of redemption.
Stacey: “Edna is like on an Easter egg hunt right now. She is scrambling like scrambled eggs on a hot skillet…You haven’t talked to me since day 1 and now you want to talk to me? We know it’s either me or you. They should vote out Edna over me.”
After what seemed to me like a poor attempt at lifting the tribe’s spirit, Coach continued to do some coaching by going to Stacey.
Stacey wanted to know where she stood.
Coach could only say it was between her and somebody else.
Stacey understood that meant Edna to which Coach replied he couldn’t lie. He ended by saying he liked her.
Stacey in confessional, told us what we should make of Coach’s words: “I am not buying Coach’s BS at all. That loyalty game playing stuff and all, I don’t buy that whatsoever… I’m not a very big liar…but I have to lie to get in to fit in.”
Stacey went to Brandon.
Brandon: “Stacey told me to keep my eyes on Mikayla, Sophie and Albert. I would really like to think that everybody is keeping their promises as far as final five but it’s Survivor and everyone is looking out for themselves. It’s a really selfish game and you have to do what you have to do to win.”
Brandon told Coach that they might not have an alliace of 5: “It might be the end of the road as far as that goes. Stacey came up to me and said Mikayla, Sophie and Albert might have something going on.”
Coach stopped him: “This game is going to get so much crazier than this and, if you believe somebody…that is on death row like Stacey knows she is over somebody that is on our core alliance then you may as well throw in the towel right now...”
With a lot of à propos, Brandon asked: “I’m just curious how many people screwed you over the last two games you played?”
Coach tried to explain why it happened but, like Brandon, the audience wasn’t meant to believe he really knew why and how to remedy it.
With Coach’s story going downhill fast, we see that his elimination is already being set-up. He should heed the warning that Bradon just relayed because Mikayla, Sophie and Albert could indeed have something going on. You only get blindsided by people that are in your core alliance.
Sophie who had been watching from nearby had a confessional: “I thought I had a five strong plus Edna alliance going but it seems like we will have to do some reshuffling. Only because our alliance is based on trust and just because you are in it doesn’t mean we are always going to trust you. We’ll trust you until you do something wrong and now, it seems that Brandon is only a small, small Russell Hantz.”
Coach: “I think Brandon is a great guy and I want to be with Brandon every step of the way but I am worried that he will kick the kettle at the most inopportune time and ruin the game for everybody. That’s why I have to also protect myself. I have to remember that I am out here for the third and possibly (jeez!) final time. This has got to be my game and I can’t let anybody or anything mess it up.”
For the first time we heard Coach having one of his patented dramatic confessional, complete with hand gestures and self-importance. That isn’t a good sign. It is quite possible that, in an attempt to be with Brandon all the way, Coach loses Sophie’s trust and the reshuffling will be at his expense.
Tribal Council
Stacey told Jeff she did all she could during the challenge.
Turning to Coach, Jeff looked at both sides of the medal: “You can say Stacey gave a great effort or you can say that Stacey lost to Dawn.”
Coach said that if he was looking for warrior spirit then Stacey would be safe.
Saying that this tribe had always talked about staying strong, Jeff asked Sophie to define strength for the tribe.
Sophie: “I think you look at strength in numbers as well as physical strength because, if you come to the merge and you are not certain about somebody, that’s not a number, that is less of a tribe.” <The camera was on Brandon as she said this.> “We are trying to balance physical strength and team unity strength.”
Doing a bit a team therapy, Jeff asked Rick what was most annoying about Albert.
Seemingly not knowing him any better than we do, Rick hesitated, only able to say that Albert snores.
Brandon said Edna was annoying because she had a lot to say about a lot.
Edna disagreed.
Mikayla and Stacey frowned.
Edna said it was difficult to engage Stacey.
Stacey said it wasn’t hard for her to open up.
Asked about Brandon, Mikayla said: “He’s a great kid but it’s always in the back of my mind who is uncle is.”
Put on the spot, Brandon said he was proud to be a Hantz. “He came on the show and did a great job. His strategy doesn’t have to be my strategy.”
Jeff wanted to know how difficult it was to hear people talk ill of Russell.
That brought on a long tearful tirade where Brandon said he only wanted to be somebody that God is proud of. He ended it by telling Jeff that he would reclaim the family name in a positive light.
Albert said that Trust would be a big factor in their vote.
As Stacey stood to get her torch, we heard Coach telling the group to give her a hug.
She turned him down flat, pushing him away.
She explained to Jeff that the hug wasn’t real that everything was a lie.
The camera made sure we knew that she was talking specifically about Coach.
Jeff sent them back to camp after saying: “…Trust and Unity are two of the qualities you are trying to base this tribe on but they are two of the most difficult aspects of this game to maintain.”
In her final word, Stacey told us that Coach was running things and that she would spill the beans during the next duel.
The StoryWhile the story is still framed by its two “legendary” players, we see some of the new players taking over the spotlight. This episode set up both Coach and Ozzy to be voted out the next time their tribe goes to tribal Council. Ozzy is still blind to the strategy around him so he will be caught with his pants down while Coach was shown lying and ignoring warning signs. Somehow, I feel that Edna’s words will come into play soon: “It is easier to believe a lie sometimes than it is to accept the truth.”
The CharactersThe Players Without a Story:
Whitney: That is 4 episodes without a confessional and now she is only shown as one of the pretty people in the tribe. It seems like a strong possibility that Whitney will last a while but we are not meant to root for her.
Elyse: Although she always had a minor role in each episode, Elyse is now a target by association. Mary was eliminated for being close to Mikey B, Matt for being with Andrea so this is a proven strategy. That means we can’t even say that Elyse would be a Victim in this game. To paraphrase Cochran: For viewers who thrive on big strategic moves and love seeing that in a game like Survivor, we would want to see her voted out. Unless there is a bigger fish in the ocean!
Rick: Even when prompted by Jeff, he can only deliver a lame two word answer. This guy won a contest to be on the show?
Albert: It seems certain that, like in the challenge, Albert’s stay in the game will come to an end without fanfare, much less glory.
Keith: Never a big character, Keith was reduced to a being one of the pretty people in this episode. The small game awareness we saw from him in the previous episodes makes him a prime candidate to believe a lie that he would be fed by the mastermind of his tribe. Keith seems to have some knowledge of the game but in very limited supply. A little knowledge is a very dangerous thing.
The Players with a Story but no Game:
Christine and Stacey: Each received a nice opportunity to be on TV. They must have been proud enough to show their adventure to their families but they aren’t part of the game anymore. Neither has the big character development that enabled us to see that Matt had a shot to return. Their edits merely serve to keep our interest in what is happening on Redemption island. (As such, I’d say it is failing miserably) Soon, they should be joined by a player that will outmatch them
Mikayla : I find it interesting that she is so caught up in Hantz’s family ties when the story is making her out to be the product of learned behavior instead of genetics: She was once bullied so now she, in turn, becomes a bully. Her conflict with Brandon ended as abruptly as Tocantin’s vaunted cross tribal alliance which is poor story-telling in my opinion. From commiserating with her plight, we are now meant to be upset with her as she lashes out against Edna. Mikayla may have had a story but it is coming to an end and she was never really part of the game’s strategy.
Brandon : His story is following a clear trajectory, the only question being how long it will drag on. I think most viewers are still far from seeing him as someone that God would be proud of. So, from an execrable almost taliban-like bully to an apologetic Christian, there has been care given to his edit which tells me we could see him last a while.
Stories Coming to an End:
Ozzy : We see him resting in the shelter as Jim proposes a plan to fool the other tribe. Then he is frolicking in the ocean as a plan is set in motion to target his closest ally. Yet, we are presented with a player as arrogant as ever, believing he is the anchor of his tribe. Jim and Cochran opened the episode by telling us that Ozzy sees himself as invaluable. Same kid, same edit, same result.
Coach : After a great start it was always a question of wondering when the true Coach would return. Announced in the previous one, his arrival happened in this episode. We see him staying with the wrong people, we see him ignoring a possible move against him and we hear his lies despite his claims of honesty.
Characters with Game ties:
Edna : Edna, from the start, has had some character development and now she is trying to get involved in the game. With the knowledge that Brandon has given her, she could really turn things around in this tribe and blindside Coach. He’s the one that lied to her so she could tell Sophie and the others that he had wanted to go to the end with her. That would certainly end the trust they have for Coach. With Stacey promising to tell everyone that Coach is running things, Edna would get a great assist to help her convince the tribe to eliminate Coach. I don’t think that would be enough to turn Edna’s story into that of a winner but it would make things interesting. Imagine, the one that came to Coach’s aid in episode 1 would become the dragon-slayer’s slayer.
Jim : He is a smart guy but we hear that he is a sketchy car-salesman. We once had a sketchy car-salesman win this game but his negative qualities were evident only to the audience. None of the players ever called Brian sketchy until it was too late to stop him. There is plenty of time to stop Jim. Cochran is already considering that Ozzy could retaliate against Jim if they go after Elyse. It is even possible that Cochran could turn the tables on Jim if he can’t get the numbers against Ozzy’s alliance. Jim is portrayed as playing the game too hard too fast.
Sophie: The question with Sophie centers around her plans to reshuffle the alliance. Does she have something brewing with Mikayla and Albert? She has been portrayed as a smart player so there probably is something behind all that smoke. She still has to be considered a contender, the only good one left in Upolu, but the editors will need to show us more of her involvement in the game.
Dawn: As I said above, our task, in analyzing Dawn’s story, is to determine if her confessional after winning the immunity challenge was a winning quote or if it established what her goal was in this game. Until further evidence, I will see it as clearly setting Dawn on a Journey to Prove herself and that story was pretty much contained in this episode. She will evolve from this as someone we are meant to root for but I don’t see enough of the strategy being told from her point of view to consider her the winner.
Cochran : If we judge his chances by the amount of credit he is given by the editors then it’s easy to call Cochran this season’s winner. Jim and Mark saved him in episode 1 but the following recap told us that Cochran saved himself. The same pattern was used in this episode where Cochran was said to have prevailed even if Ozzy’s alliance never targeted him. In addition, Jim’s big move was credited to the new “mastermind”. He got the important confessionals to explain the plan and its ramifications. He even hinted that Jim’s move could turn against Jim, depending on what Ozzy does. This character has substance, an edit that is carefully manucured and the game’s strategy is explained from his point of view.
It is still early (and he may get voted out the next time Savaii goes to TC!) but, with the evidence before me, I declare that the Next Sole Survivor will be Cochran.
This was the first vidcap I have ever created so be gentle! I have many people to thank for teaching me how to do this, most notably cahaya but the quality suggests I have more to learn!