LAST EDITED ON 11-03-11 AT 01:27 PM (EST)KO wrote:
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"Ozzy not only could have done a better job of trying to learn more about the other tribe, he could have done a better job of knowing his own tribe.He knew them on the surface, but do you think he realized how fragile Dawn was or that she was contemplating flipping too since she felt like she was on the outside? He had no clue, because he has no social game."...
"Is Cochran a good actor? He was the only one at the RI challenge that appeared to be keeping a distance from the other Savaii. Everyone else was showing with their body language that they were rooting for Ozzy. The whole tribe gave it away, and Upolu was watching. This made Cochran's job all the harder and Coach laid it out to him exactly as it went down, because Coach had been observing.
If Cochran is such a bad actor, then why couldn't Ozzy tell that he wasn't really with Savaii? Because Ozzy was in his own world, didn't care enough to observe the body language, the tells. Even Jim the poker player should have been able to observe Cochran when they discussed the rock pulling and is everybody with me crap, he couldn't tell that Cochran was flipping? Please. Cochran was a good actor in Savaii but a bad actor in Upolu? It depends on who was paying attention, and we know who did."
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^^^^THISThere is plenty of blame that can be spread for the demise of Savaii. A plan is only as good as its implementation. And as we saw it was POORLY implemented.
- By Ozzie at camp(all season) (not knowing his tribe and their potential actions beyond superficially)
- By Ozzy at RI w/Christine(where he did nothing (where in this case Less is not More).
- By Ozzie at the Duel (where he stumbled and mumbled...where Less is More).
- By Savaii (minus Cochran...where they openly cheered Ozzy on).
- By Cochran at his tete-a-tete w/Coach (pathetic infiltration attempt).
- By Cochran in his game analysis...(the odds WERE w/Savaii and thus by default also w/Cochran).
- By Dawn who knew of Cochran's potential flip (but did nothing to re-direct the Savaii target vote..or re-direct the Savaii HII protection...either of which could have changed the TC outcome)
- By Savaii (not knowing or caring about one of their tribe...the entire season)
- By Savaii (not following thru on The Plan's details to ensure its success)
All of the above criteria involve failure of game playing abilities/tactics...and not failures of character or integrity. So selfishness in the game of Survivor is all but understood. The Coach understood it(tho he pretends otherwise), Ozzy understood it(tho he self denies it) and certainly Cochran understood it (he simply, foolishly showed it openly). There can be only one Sole Survivor. Kind of selfish isn't it?
I was astounded by how poorly the Savaii tribe behaved/reacted at the Duel. The Plan wasn't just a role for Ozzy to implement...or Cochran to implement. It needed every single one of the Savaii onboard. And that clearly wasn't the case. 'Out-To-Lunch' should have been the episode's title.
JP did his part to help Ozzy and Savaii by offering the acting opening at the Duel. He didn't have to but obviously it was in SEG/CBS best interests for the play-out of The Plan to occur. So much for JP supposedly not knowing what's going on at the camps.
Ultimately...after the double wins by Savaii in the Immunity Chal. they should have immediately thrown The Plan out the window...b/c the odds were now in their favor. Something any real 'student' of the game should have clearly realized.
As far as the reason for Cochran's ultimate betrayal of Savaii... The Coach simply filled Cochran's void in confidence and insecurities w/his(Coach's) own plan. And he did it in a way that was not very 'warrior-like'...by bullying. While clearly Cochran was bullied bigtime by Ozzy in E7, the Coach is just as guilty. As 'Parathor' so succinctly stated in post#53 of the East Coast thread:
"...and yet, he was bullied by Coach. "If you don't flip, then we pick rocks, and that's a terrible way to play this game." Seriously? Coach was willing to go that route and not switch, so he pushed Cochran into doing it for him? That's not bullying?"
Coach clearly became a student of the game w/that move. Cochran, though he might like to think he's a student of the game, clearly flunked both the Math exam on probability at TC and the Psych exam at his 'Intell' assignment w/Coach. As far as sympathies by Coach...please...he was playing Cochran the whole time. The Coach has only one person on his agenda..the Coach.
So blame?...there's enough of that to fill the anals of Survivor for quite some time.
Edit to change 'would' to 'could' ..."either of which could have changed the TC outcome"