I'll be back to comment on your post FP, but I wanted to get my thoughts out before being influenced by yours:

This season opened with the returning “Heroes”.

Coach: “I’ve played this game twice, I haven’t been successful…It’s one more shot for me to prove that I can win this game and that it can be done with honor and integrity.”

Ozzy: “I’ve been the guy that’s able to climb coconut tress and hunt fish and I’ve been really strong in challenges but I don’t think I’ve had the best strategy…I need redemption because I feel I haven’t been able to lock my hands on the million dollars.”

Is this why, pre-season, Jeff said we’d see in the first few minutes that Ozzy may have learned a few things but Coach hasn’t? If so, I guess he didn’t watch the rest of the episode. I do find it interesting that Ozzy speaks of redemption though; a first indication he may spend time on its island.

Then, we meet the newbies, none had their name on screen but we started with

Cochran: “I am the most Survivor savvy player to ever play the game. I’ve never missed an episode…”

Elyse: “I don’t have a great background in outdoorsmen activities but I am part Native-American so I’m hoping that in my ancestral background the spirits will impart on me some wisdom.”

Now, if she starts wearing a feather and walking around in fuschia underwear, I’ll start to worry! But it is noteworthy that we had this personal touch from Elise on an episode where she wasn’t featured. Cochran had to be shown since he was a boot target but the personal touch gives the impression we will see him last a while.

Rick: “I’m 51 years old, I own my own ranch in Utah. If you didn’t train before you got here, if you didn’t run, if you didn’t learn to build a fire…pbbbbbt! You may as well spit in the wind.”

Stacey: “I’m 44 years old. I’m a funeral director mortician… Being the mother that I am, I will keep my eyes and ears open. You think I am sleeping, I am not sleeping. I’ll be nosey as hell.”

Brandon: “I’m Russell Hantz’s nephew. It’s like being related to Hitler…I came out here to change the course of the Hantz family name.

After Jeff’s usual lines, we went to commercial. Note that all 5 newby interview were designed to give us character background but had very little about the game or the theme of the season. They could all be early boots or go much further but only Cochran gave me the impression he could last a while.

While the players wondered who would be joining them, we saw Edna leaning over to Brandon and telling him: “I hope it’s not Russell.”

Brandon: “The lady next to me said she hoped it wouldn’t be Russell. I will never, ever, tell them my last name.”

That sounded like this could be the nephew’s main storyline. It made me think he will be discovered and then voted out.

Savaii agreed that they would greet these people as part of the family which could be ironic if things turn poorly for Ozzy.

Mikayla: “The helicopter comes in and you see Coach and you see Ozzy and, of course, right off the bat, you are like: Ozzyyyyy! He’s just an amazing athlete, someone you’d want to have on your tribe. Coach, he’s going to be so loony and out there, he’s just going to be nuts.”

Note that, besides Hantz’s nephew, Mikayla is the first true newby to get a credited interview and it also touches the theme of the season. And, as an editing staple, it was used for its irony because she wound up with Coach. That makes me wonder if Mikayla will thrive, ironically, because she happened to be on Coach’s tribe?

Asked for a reaction by Jeff, Christine said: “They are temporary players.”

That was the error committed by Francesca last season so I wonder how it will work for Christine.

Cochran was also pointed out and he explained why he’d like to be called by his last name. He also admitted he was a huge fan of the game.

Cochran: “I couldn’t be happier that it was Ozzy on my tribe…”

Rick: “I didn’t want to see Coach’s egg bleed blue…He’s in his forties.”

Interestingly, three people have now had 2 interviews. Brandon, Cochran and Rick seem to take more importance than the others…

Coach: “I’m not getting a good vibe from the blue tribe…”

Ozzy: “I felt I was received a lot more warmly than Coach. They look like a good, strong tribe.”

Could this turn out to be completely false?

When Jeff explained the rules of RI, we saw Cochran, Ozzy, Coach, Stacey and Sophie. When he talked about re-entering the game, we then saw Mark, Albert and Rick. Would the editors use the same camera work to tell us who would be going to Redemption Island and who would return? Maybe not but I still wanted to keep track of those that were shown.

The Hero Challenge.

Ozzy got stuck on the puzzle so he asked for help. Jim yelled out good directions.

Jeff: “This is how Survivor works right here: Teamwork. What started out as a Hero duel is now a tribe challenge.

In defeat, Edna came over and offered to help Coach carry his bags.

Coach: “I lost the challenge, my tribe walks off and one person stops and helps me. Everybody else is like: “Don’t let the door smack you’re ##### on the way out. I have to come face to face with that biggest fear: You are going home first.”

We know that Coach won’t be the first to leave, in fact the episode will show he could have found a nice niche in Upolu, so my idea is that he will thrive more than Ozzy.

Savaii
Day 1

Ozzy: “I think it’s nice to have played this game a few times and know what’s ahead of you… They want me to tell them how to do everything but I am trying to play a strategic game this time.”

Cochran, Whitney and Semhar got to tell us their occupation, Semhar even reciting a poem.

Semhar: “I was put on the spot.”

Ozzy asked her to repeat her name which would come in handy later in the voting booth.

Ozzy: “Semhar is not only beautiful to look at but when she did her poem, I thought it was beautiful…I respect her passion and I would like to have someone like that with me for the long haul.”

The irony of the first episode continues to develop and it didn’t help that Ozzy told the tribe they had the advantage and didn’t need to work too hard, that they should go swimming. As experience as he may be, he sounded like John from Galu! But his suggestion led to the funniest scene of the evening:

Cochran: “Ozzy’s suggestion was to just have fun in the ocean. The only option was to get out there in our underwear and I was really opposed to doing this. I have this really pale skin…I wasn’t crazy about the idea of going in the water; it’s only going to make me more like the pathetic twerp that I am with my clothes on… What I have to do is focus on the positive, visualize success and get these negative thoughts out of my head.”

This would be an amazing million dollar quote? Could Cochran’s little pep talk lead to what he will be doing in the game? I guess it would be too amazing but one can hope.
(His run in the ocean reminded me of Amanda running to meet a returning James!)

Upolu

Coach: “When I lost the challenge…I was afraid.”

Sophie: “I’m a Russian economics major, Coach… he’s ready to show off what he has but at the same time you cannot deny the situation: Coach has been out here twice before, he knows some things..”

Edna: “I like Coach. I think he’s a team player and he’s working well with others and he’s showing us little tricks. Right now, I think he’s an asset.”

Christine said she would go look for firewood but started looking for a hidden idol. The tribe noticed, so Christine, after repeating Francesca’s error with the returning players now makes Kristina’s error of getting caught looking for an idol.

Christine: “I’m a big fan of Survivor so I have to assume that there is an immunity idol. I don’t think I need it but it’s nice to have in your back pocket.”

Coach: “Christine scares me the most. She said, right off the bat: You are a temporary player. Now she’s looking for a immunity idol. When I came on the beach, I wasn’t thinking about the idol, I was thinking of putting a shelter up. So, no doubt about it, Christine is target number one.”

Savaii

Jim: “…We have three girls on our tribe that are as hot as hell. Bikini Time. Loved it…I’m not a teacher: I have a MBA, I won over 20 poker tournaments and I own two marijuana dispensary but I’m not going to tell them that. Why would I?”

Mark: “I’m here for the million dollars just like everybody else but I’m here for another reason. I’m older than most of them and I am experiencing life free of anything that would restrict me. Being gay is who I am if they don’t like that, Pfffut! It’s not about being gay, it’s about Surviving. I’m a team player so, hopefully, they will see that and they are going to keep me.”

Dawn: “It seems like the tribe is forming bonds but, coming here, I had these hopes that we would really be organized…When I don’t see the shelter up by day one, it worries me…I have 6 kids, I’m used to being in charge…We should have a leader and Ozzy is a little like Bob Marley. I’m a planner and I’m not sure Bob Marley is.”

Upolu

Coach and Mikayla noticed Brandon’s Loco tattoo.

Brandon: “…At one point in my life, I kinda was crazy…I was like Russell in High school, I was bullying everybody…I grew up a lot. God’s number one for me.”

Mikayla: “We are doing the shelter and we needed to get the top done. Me and my brothers used to climb trees when we were younger so I just got up there and started doing it. When the time comes, we got to get down and dirty. This is a game and you can’t be a little princess.”

Brandon: “I don’t feel comfortable around Mikayla, the way she carries herself, the way she flaunts herself off.”

Great! Not only is the devil’s nephew a God fanatic, he’s even a little bit of a taliban.

Upolu
Night 1

Coach: “There was five of us that was sitting out by the canoe (we saw Brandon, Rick, Albert and Sophie in Coach’s alliance) and it was kind of like a feel-out session, trying to get to know everybody.” To the group, he said: “If you have a strong five, you can go far even if you are down in numbers at the merge.” His interview continued: “There’s not going to be another chance in this game where the five of us to just sit down and talk so that’s why I pounced on it about how we can go and play this game together.”

Albert agreed, saying he liked the vibe between the five.
Coach added: “First day alliances are the most solid.” His interview ended with him telling us he was here to win.

What could be the purpose to show us this alliance in an episode where Upolu wasn’t going to tribal council? It’s strange that the editors let us see that Coach wasn’t in immediate danger anymore but this put some players in the underdog category: Christine, Edna, Mikayla and Stacey are in the minority and, while one of them will probably be an early boot, it could be good for a couple of them. Survivor loves an underdog so we will have to see how the four evolve from here.

Savaii
Day 2

Dawn spilled the pot of boiling water, extinguishing the fire in the process. It led to her breakdown.

Dawn: “I think day 2 for me started off really rocky. I really didn’t sleep and so I think I may have a mini-breakdown.”

She went to Mark for reassurance and he told her to be strong because they were the two oldest people.
Dawn’s attempts at gathering vines didn’t go well either as she fell.
She then went to Ozzy for comfort.

Mark: “Dawn was crying and that scares the crap out of me because Dawn and I are older than most people out there…Crying is viewed as a weakness but I will support her. I won’t turn my back on her because everybody has emotions.”

Ozzy: “I had a conversation with Dawn and she is a little bit scattered, a little bit frazzled… And, whatever I can do to calm her nerves is my job at this point. I am the anchor…If she can start to trust me, she could be a very important and crucial ally. If Dawn doesn’t get it together, she could very well be going home.”

That was a nice example of teamwork from Mark while Ozzy sounded good at first but we soon heard his cold-hearted side. What does this scene mean to Dawn’s story? It could go in one of three directions: She’ll be an early boot like Tocantins’ Sandy, she will quit like Micronesia’s Kathleen or she will recover like Nicaragua’s Holly. It’s too early to tell but there was a nice feel to Dawn’s story, nothing of the silliness associated with Sandy and Kathleen’s early showing so I think she can last.

Savaii
Day 3

Semhar distributed some sticks to serve as toothbrush while Ozzy was working on the shelter.

Ozzy: “I definitely feel like we have to get things together. I know, for my own sake, I am going to be OK. For everbody else, the elements, the stress, the not eating the daily labor of camplife of is wearing on people and it already has. Right now, we just have to keep a strong tribe. That is just Susrvivor 101.”

Next, Cochran asked Elyse to give him advice on cutting a coconut. Elyse was the one that said she didn’t know the outdoors so there was irony in seeing her showing Cochran what to do. It didn’t escape Ozzy’s eyes.

Ozzy: “I’m a little skeptical of Mr Cochran. He doesn’t seem he has the most to offer on the physical side of things.”

Cochran: “I’m not the strongest guy but I think I have enough social game to overcome any deficits that I have. People seem to like me a lot. Is charm and humor enough to keep somebody around? I hope it is.”

And, with that, we have the first real conflict on Savaii. It seems like an unfair fight but our experience with the way this show is edited says that Mr. Cochran could very well come out ahead of Ozzy. The scene felt like it had more long-term implications than only to set up this episode’s boot.

Upolu
Day 3

Brandon while he was seen fishing, gave us this interview: “My uncle Russell lacked in the social game but I want to do what my uncle never did: I’m trying to provide for my tribe. It’s just going to be to my advantage.Even if we have our alliance of 5, I will never reveal that I am Russell Hatnz’s nephew… I don’t want to be judged by my uncle’s reputation.”

Sophie: “I think I have a really great advantage right now because I have this really strong alliance where I think that at least a couple of people there are really, really sincere. Brandon, I am a little more worried about because I have this gut feeling that he is hiding something.”

With Brandon wanting to keep his identity secret and Sophie telling us she knows he jas a secret, we are witnessing a storyline reminiscent of the one in Guatemala where Gary’s secret was discovered by Danni. Will Sophie be as successful?

Immunity Challenge.

I think it was important to note that Coach gave instructions to his tribe, something Mariano was often shown doing.
For Savaii, we heard that Ozzy was interrupted by Semhar who said she was good at shooting basket. Their huddle was less efficient.
We saw that Cochran had trouble at the wall while Albert showed his strength, pulling Brandon all the way up by the arms.
Jeff said: “Ozzy’s going to go at it alone.” (what about Teamwork?)
After making a shot, Semhar started to get tired.
Mikayla was “a scoring machine” and she was shown making the shot that won it for Upolu.
Semhar had to apologize to her tribe while Mark was heard saying they would get them next time.

Asked how she felt by Jeff, Semhar said she felt sort of bad. That caused Jim to shake his head in disbelief. He commented that: “Sort of bad? I feel worse than sort of bad. I feel sort of bad when I’m out of milk, I feel like crap now that we have to vote somebody out.“

Jim: “I’m pissed that we lost. She shoots two baskets and she wants a sub? This isn’t tag-team wrestling, this is Survivor and she chose to do it. She was adamant about what she wanted to do. She failed so there’s no reason to keep Semhar.”

Upolu

Christine had an interview while Coach was speaking about the tribe’s success: “We won the challenge today but I think that. underneath the celebratory tone, there is an uneasiness because Jeff mentioned the immunity idol clue hidden at camp. The game has started and it might get ruthless.”

Everyone started looking for the clue.
Stacey: “That immunity idol is here somewhere but there is a lot of somewhere it could be... It could be right in our face and we don’t know it.”
Indeed, the camera showed us that Syacey had looked in the right spot, a hollow tree, but had missed the roll of paper.

Savaii

Semhar apologized to the tribe but went after Jim for pushing her down when she already felt bad.

Semhar: “Something that might hold me back is that I am extremely honest…”

Dawn after talking to Mark about keeping each other safe, told us: “Having started this game very emotionally I think the tribe is going to be looking at me and think that outbreak, being emotional like that, is a liability to the tribe…”

Mark and Dawn agreed they should be voting against Semhar.
Ozzy had a different idea. He didn’t think that Semhar should go just because of one challenge. While Whitney, Elyse and Keith listened in silence, Jim spoke up, saying the tribe wouldn’t agree with Ozzy.

Ozzy: “You got Cochran on one hand who didn’t show much in the physicality sense and you have Semhar on the other, she basically blew the challenge for us. It’s not fair to blame Semhar.”

Jim: “Semhar knows she’s on the chopping block tonight. Here’s my concern: Ozzy wants her around for a reason. It’s round one and it scares me that he already has a reason to keep her around. I’m concerned that Ozzy could get in an alliance with all the girls. He’s got charm, I can see that happening. But, Semhar is pretty much useless. Her body is mesmerizing but it isn’t hypnotizing. It blows my mind that Ozzy could be factoring in the snuggle factor in a million dollar decision.”

Semhar went to Whitney and Keith for reassurance.
Jim told Cochran that they wanted him gone. Mark tried to reassure him.

Cochran: “My Achille’s heel is crippling insecurity and anxiety. It’s heartbreaking to learn that apparently Ozzy thinks that I am the weakest person and that they should get rid of me for that. Right now, I am in high alert, paranoia mode and extremely depressed. To be the first person kicked off when I’m on a tribe with Popa Bear and Semhar and all these girls? This is insulting. This is a nightmare… Tribal council is going to suck… I’m probably going to hear that the tribe has spoken, my torch will be snuffed and I’m going to be sent to redemption island like an idiot. It’s just going to be a sad conclusion to my Survivor story.”

Tribal Council

Asked about Redemption Island, Dawn said: “It’s hard with 9 people so solo? Tough.”
She told Jeff about her breakdown.
Elyse told Jeff that Semhar was concerned because of how the challenge went.
Jim explained that he hated losing. “Semhar wanted to prove herself and she was confident in her abilities and I think the only people who are good losers are people that are good at losing.’
Whitney said she was glad the attention wasn’t on her, adding: “I definitely thought I could do it but when she was so vocal about her abilities, no one else really had a chance to jump in and say I can do it.”
Semhar said she knew she would have been safe if she hadn’t stepped upo but she wanted to give it all she had.
Ozzy said he prefered to play with the person that had the guts to step up and try.
Dawn told Jeff that Cochran was another target.
Cochran, stammering, said: “It’s easy to say that I’m one of the weakest but I flew over that net portion like a hummingbird. I had a snaffu climbing the wall but it lasted like a half second.”
After telling Jeff he liked to be called Popa Bear, Mark explained that Cochran hesitated. It wasn’t a fatal mistake but he’d need to make a decision and go with it.
Semhar said that Cochran’s name had come up.
Turning to Jeff, Cochran pleaded: “You better not say it’s time to vote right now.” Cochran then questioned Semhar’s working abilities while he was learning what to do. He explained his 11 year passion and that it would be mortifying to be the first one voted out.
Keith said the vote had to be based on what they had seen for the last 3 days.

During the vote, the camera focused on Ozzy, Semhar, Cochran and Jim: The two targets and the leaders of each faction.
When Jeff went to collect the urn, we saw Mark hugging both Semhar and Cochran who were sitting next to him.
With a 8-1 vote against Semhar, we saw that Ozzy had to give in to Jim’s side. Was it a capitulation, a coming to terms or a battle delayed?
While we heard Semhar’s tears as she walked down the stairs, we heard Ozzy saying he should have taught her how to make a fire and we had Cochran thanking Dawn.

Jeff’s final words were: “It appears that you made the decision to believe that a person can improve. Let’s hope it goes for the entire tribe.”

The Story

Jeff comment about Teamwork made me think that a big theme of this season was going to show that cooperation works while selfish actions turn against their authors. It could lead to an alliance of hard-working players going to the end.
Another theme to explore was delivered by Cochran when he said he had to “focus on the positive, visualize success and get these negative thoughts out of my head.” If this is indeed a theme this season then the winner will probably have a much harder road to victory than a Fabio or a Rob.

The Characters :

Semhar: She could return to the game but it is highly unlikely so I won’t waste time analyzing her episode.

The Bench Warmers
Elyse : She did have an opening confessional but her role in the episode was so limited that I think her confessional was just to add to the comedy of seeing how poorly Cochran was doing. She has no outdoors skills yet she was teaching him how to open a coconut. Until we see a story developing around her we have to assume she is not an impact player, just another member of the roster that sits on the bench.

Edna: She had only a small role but it was interesting that it tied her with previous players. Her first comment were to Hantz’s nephew, telling him she didn’t want Russell in her tribe and then she helped Coach after his defeat. It could indicate that her future is closely tied to one of those players in that, either like Stephanie, she goes down because she is too close to Coach or, like Natalie, she goes far by hanging on to him.

Stacey: Although seen as one of the players yelling out directions during the first challenge, Stacey was mostly shown fso that the audience could laugh at how close she came to the clue but didn’t see it. Her opening confessional about keeping her eyes open could simply have been to set up that scene.

Keith: Despite a intervention at Tribal Council, Keith was mostly a non-factor in this episode. He was on Ozzy’s side, reassuring Semhar that she was safe but he had to give ground to Jim’s army. Can he recover or will he remain an outsider? His strength will be needed because Jim’s army isn’t very impressive, strength-wise.

Whitney: Just like the attention wasn’t on her during the challenge, the attention wasn’t on her during the whole episode except to show that she looks good in a bikini. There wasn’t anything in Whitney’s first episode to suggest she will have an impact down the road.

Albert: Although his role was insignificant, his demonstration of strength at the challenge makes him a player that you can’t leave on the bench too long. I see a challenge domination by Upolu because of Albert who could be this season’s Grant: The true hero that is hidden so the audience can root for someone else.

The Individual Players:

Christine: Her first episode made me think of a combination of Francesca and Kristina. It was nice for character development but not good for her longevity. She seems set up for an early departure because her search was followed by Coach who had a thematic interview, saying he was thinking of the team’s well-being, while she was acting selfishly, trying to find an idol for her safety.

Brandon: His story seems all tied to his secret. We have to assume that he won’t have the impact of his uncle but will fall as soon as his identity is revealed. If he survives that then we will have to reconsider his story. His attempts at being the provider could put him in the team player category but let’s say I am judging him on the reputation of his uncle. And did you see the size of that fish?!!

Ozzy: Despite some words of compassion and some actions to help the tribe, we were reminded that Ozzy is mostly about Ozzy.

The Team Players:

Rick: This season’s Jimmy T seems much more relaxed. We know he is a no-nonsense kind of guy that is also in Coach’s alliance even of he didn’t want to see Coach at first. It could be fun to see how their relationship evolves.

Dawn: I was interested to hear a negative comment about Ozzy coming from a player that had such a tough episode. And no one can argue against her assessment: As leader, Ozzy is indeed more Bob Marley than say Yul or Mariano. Her contributions during tribal Council could be the beginning of a narrator’s role for Dawn. She seems to be on a journey to prove herself but I don’t know how long that journey will last. It feels like she could have legs but it’s too early to tell.

Jim: He told us a little about himself but we mostly saw a strategic player. He immediately saw that Ozzy was building his numbers and quickly countered, building his own army. He will be a force in this game.

Sophie: She was presented as quite a player. The only character background she gave us was more to highlight Coach’s ability to speak Russian but this woman should go far. She is in Coach’s 5 and she has her eyes on Brandon so something should develop between them.

Mikayla: She had a solid episode where she was shown to be a good worker but still became the target of no less than Hantz junior. The fact that his rant came while Mikayla was taking charge of building the shelter tells me that she will outlast him. If his interview had been heard while the camera showed Mikayla sunbathing or flirting with some guys in the shelter then I’d say she was in trouble but the way it was presented favored her. Jeff’s comments at the challenge also made her noticeable in a favorable manner. She finds herself outside of Coach’s alliance but her opening confessional tied her into the returning players so there could be an interesting twist to that story.
Right now, we know that Mikayla is a beautiful woman that works hard in camp, is great at challenges and is in an underdog position. That kind of impact usually denotes long-term players.

Mark: He had the most solid episode as far as teamwork is concerned. The Popa Bear was the comforting shoulder that Dawn needed and he proved to be a force in rallying votes to save Cochran. Just considering his age, he does face a hard road to the end so he would even fit in the second theme. In addition to his connections to the theme, Mark had a very personal interview where he revealed he was gay, told us he was a team-player and it even contained a winner’s quote. Mark is someone to keep our eyes on.

Cochran: Clearly, this survivor fan seems to be on a coming-of-age story as he told us himself. Despite his fears, I think his story will come to some kind of happy conclusion. Can he win? I think it’s very unlikely and would be the biggest turnaround ever, even surpassing Chris for episode #1 target to Sole Survivor, but somehow, Cochran should come out of this adventure feeling satisfied. His vow to be a hard worker, Ozzy’s genie in a bottle, works well with the first theme of the season.

Coach: He had a solid episode, both in positioning himself within the tribe and working on the season’s theme.