Since day 1, Coach has been a driving force in an impenetrable alliance of five and he added Edna as a sixth.
Brandon shattered any hope that Edna had of moving up in the pecking order.
At the merge, the two tribes were dead even...But Coach somehow managed to convince Cochran to jump from 6th at the old Savaii to 7th in his alliance.

With the numbers advantage, the old Upolu tribe picked off the old Savaii tribe one by one.
With Ozzy, Dawn and Whitney on Redemption Island, we heard Jeff comment from the previous Tribal Council: “The good news is that the 7 of you have accomplished your goal, the bad news is that there’s nowhere left to hide. This game is about to change.”

Really Jeff? Change? Nothing has changed because nothing happened. The recap had to go back to day 1 to tell us that something did happen during the season: Coach formed an alliance, they stuck together and at the merge, Coach tricked Cochran. That is the only story of the season and all the build-up of Savaii in general and of Cochran in particular was just to hide the fact that nothing happened.

Camp – Night 27

Coach: “We have seven left and they are all part of the family so we have to start sending home some of our own.”

Edna was worried about seeing her name on ballots.

Edna: “Coming back from Tribal, it gives you a sense of paranoia because people start having ideas floating around: Who is 5, 6 or seven and who is not in that top 4?”

Cochran: “Tribal Council was alarming for me because it was made clear that I was the person that was going in 7th place. I am aware that the family can turn on me at any moment… Helter Skelter.”

Cochran talked about crank calls he made as a kid.

Sophie: “I always felt that his personality is something that Cochran has going for him out here. When I first came here, I felt bad for Cochran, seemed like people bullied him but I can see now why people got annoyed with him. I get frustrated by the kind of air that he puts on. I think he is really proud of the move he made, I think he still thinks that somebody will take him to the end. I don’t like him.”

Sophie voices the opinion of a large segment of the audience that didn’t really like Cochran. In a nutshell, this also sums up the story of the season: At first we were supposed to feel bad for Cochran but then that story was simply dropped. The only problem with this confessional from Sophie is that we had heard that Cochran would have been a great F3 opponent so we are left to ask if she didn’t miss an opportunity.

Cochran: “There has always been that cult quality to the Upolu family…You can’t help but think of Charles Manson…Brandon in particular seems obsessively devout to the point where he seems to suppress something more scary…I don’t want to be Sharon Tate.”

Cochran’s references to Charles Manson, Helter Skelter and Sharon Tate are interesting. According to him, Brandon is the scary one which could make him Charles Manson. Then we were shown the axe-wielding Sophie!

For fun, I counted how many chops we heard from her: She took four stabs with the metallic flint, 4 more big chops with the axe and then, as the camera panned around camp, we heard 8 more before Cochran began to talk. 16 in total.
Then, I read this:
The coroner’s report for Tate noted that she had been stabbed sixteen times…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Tate#Murder

Are the editors hinting that Sophie is Susan Atkins?!!

Cochran gathered the tribe and pleaded to be given a chance to go further because he had sacrificed a lot for them and it was his birthday in three days.

Sophie: “Cochran said: “A lot of you feel indebted to me”. I don’t feel indebted to you. Screw you. He made an awful move, he should have stuck to his tribe.”

Albert, contradicting Sophie, told the group that Cochran made a valid point. Coach agreed with Albert’s version.

Coach: “Albert and I see that we do owe Cochran another day in this game. If we can pull just one more vote to keep Cochran. We’ve gotten down to seven, everybody is fighting to be standing at the bitter end.”

It is weird to see the opposition between Sophie on one side and Coach and Albert on the other. Which is it? Does Upolu owe Cochran? Does that even mean anything on Survivor? It’s a repeat of the argument between Jim and Coach at a previous Tribal Council: Should Cochran be punished for not being loyal or should he be rewarded for standing up for himself? Same question but the answer is different this time.

The Challenge

There may have been some suspense to this challenge at first but when Dawn dropped her plates, it became obvious that Ozzy would win another round.
Both women had nice final words.

Ozzy: “From this point forward, I am more excited to beat people who are my enemies. I have to rely on myself winning but that is what I do best and that’s the way that I want to win this game.” After the break, we joined Ozzy on RI: “I can survive out here, I can keep getting stronger. This is my home…this is how I am playing the second half of my game and there is no one better suited to be out here than me.”

Since there is little doubt in camp, Ozzy’s presence on RI has to serve to create doubt. Can he accomplish his goal? The recap told us he won’t but should we rely on the recap?

It was laundry day according to Edna.

Albert: “This is Survivor. It’s the ultimate strategy game. The players in my alliance don’t think it’s Outwit, Outplay, Outlast, they think it’s Outclean, Outgather, Outorganize. To me, this game is about doing well in challenges, creating a good strategy and playing a strong social game. That is what I am focused on, I will leave the housework to Martha Stewart.”

Brandon was out fishing and Cochran was “helping”.

Cochran, holding a tiny fish, had a confessional: “Whatever it takes to feed my tribe, I am willing to put my ife in danger.”

In camp, Albert spilled the water out of the bucket that had the clothes.

Edna: “Albert proceeded to lay in the hammock and watch me for two hours while I did the laundry. When I stepped away from the laundry for one minute, I come back and the fire has been dowsed out and the ambers are wet…That was so infuriating. Albert does pretty much nothing except lie around, eat fish and wait for other people to wait on him.”

Coach, walking by, added: “I don’t think Albert has done a day of work in his life.”

Then Edna told Rick about Albert’s laziness.

Rick: “Albert does precious little in camp. He’s like one of those Barbie Dolls. They look really cute but they don’t do a damn thing but sit there. That’s why I call him Prince Albert. It’s like “I’m the Prince and you work for me.” It just kills me”

Edna then asked Coach if she was next after Cochran and Coach said that he thought so.

Edna: “I am basically the next person to go after Cochran which tells me I am pretty low on the totem pole. I have to shake it up right now because 6th or 7th is not acceptable for me.”

Coach: “Keeping Edna and Cochran would be the best thing for me to do because they are never going to vote me out. So, it’s really like a catch-22: Which side do I go with at this point? Do I honor my word, be a man of integrity and stick with the five or do I go on another route? Nothing is for sure in this game.”

Day 30

Coach and Cochran did some “Coach chi”.

Coach: “There is this one player on every team that you give every thing to. It’s why you teach or coach and that’s why I play Survivor: To find that one student that wants to learn…I feel like I do owe Cochran, I owe him some kind of hope going into the challenge. You never know what type of challenge it is going to be. Maybe it will empower him.”

This ties in with what Ozzy told Cochran pre-merge about going to Redemption Island. Is it a hint that Ozzy shouldn’t be too confident in his next duel? What possible type of challenge would favor Cochran? 21 flags?

Coachran: “Coach Chi, despite all the jokes…is something valuable for me to do. I usually have these conflicting goals floating around in my head…Now, all the stress has exited…”

The Challenge
Fun comments:
“Albert hung on the edge and then fell off.”
“Cochran a little short.”

Having practiced previously, it wasn’t surprising to see Albert win. Like so many athletes these days, he gave thanks to the Lord after.
(This tells us he isn’t just going through the motions when Upolu prays.)

Asked to choose one person to participate in the reward, Albert picked Coach (we know he loves a massage!). Then, surprisingly, he gave his own reward to Cochran, the birthday boy.

Cochran: “There are two possible explanations. One: He wants to work strategically with me…Two: It was a sweet farewell gift to make me like him before I inevitably join the jury.”

Coach: “Every thing was laid out for Coachran and I…”

Cochran: “I’ve never had a massage. I’m happy to see that a stupid little white lie about my birthday, which actually happened 6 months ago, is helping me somewhat in this game.”

During the massage, Coach said: “I will fight for my man Cochran to my last dying breath.”

Cochran then told us he wanted to see what Albert was thinking.
Albert said it didn’t look very good because he didn’t think Coach was ready to make a move against Rick.
Cochran said Coach was ready, adding that Rick calls Albert “Princess”.

Albert: “Rick is about as sharp as a bowling ball. I hear that he is chirping in the background, calling names, dropping a princess here and there… I have a mind right now to get rid of Rick this vote.”

Cochran then told Edna that the vote could go against Rick.
Edna was on board.

Edna: “Albert caught wind that Rick was calling him Princess Albert because he doesn’t do anything around camp. Cochran and I are trying to use that information to get Coach to come with us to vote Rick off.”

Edna also told Cochran that they owed him.

Cochran then told Coach that, if he was on board, they had 4 votes to get rid of Rick.
Coach paused for a long time. We didn’t hear him give an answer to Cochran.

Coach: “My decision tonight and which way I go is going to determine the rest of this game. There is a tide that’s coming. I either take it and go with the new alliance or stay with my first five. William Shakespeare says: “There is a tide that comes in the lives of men that, when taken, leads to great fortunes but when omitted, all the rest of their lives are bound in shadows and misery. I want to make sure that I make the right decision, I want to make sure that I take the right tide so that I can take that tide to the end of this game that I love so dearly.”

Despite the inaccuracies in the quote from Julius Ceasar, Coach still delivered a powerful winning quote.

Tribal Council

Asked about the vote, Coach said: “I think the possibilities are endless…Nobody really knows if they are going to the Final 3…There’s a new scenario that is presented to me, to Albert and to everybody here, every hour.”
Cochran said: “I’m sure that it is going to fill the jury with glee to discover that I am in great danger tonight. I feel like an idiot…I gave life to this tribe and to be targeted 7th, it’s a little bit humiliating.”
Albert added: “It isn’t good for our image to, quote unquote, use and abuse someone.”
Sophie frowned at that.
Coach told Jeff: “We are in this good standing because Cochran made a move that some people consider cowardice, others, including myself, thought it was bold and courageous.”
Rick said he was worried, that he had his bags packed but didn’t want to go.
Edna said she felt like she was 6th. “I feel like I have already been deceived.” She added that she was looking for a little crack.
That’s when Brandon intervened: “Everybody here knows what is going to happen with these two. Tonight, I am voting out Cochran and then the next night I am voting out Edna.”
Turning to Coach, Jeff said: “Brandon poses a huge problem to those in his alliance: He is not malleable.”
Coach said it was both a blessing and a curse: “If you are with him, you know he is not going to turn on you but you are also afraid that he is going to spill the applecart.”
In pain, Brandon said that something inside him wouldn’t let him do wrong things. “Anything worth having is not going to be easy.”
Coachran said that Brandon wasn’t the best strategic partner: “Talking strategy with Brandon is like talking to you about shirts that aren’t blue.”
Asked about the problem that Brandon could cause, Sophie said: “I think, right now, the way our tribe is, I am not concerned about anything happening with the game.”
Interrupting, Cochran asked: “If Edna wins immunity, what happens?”
Jeff was impressed; “Wow” he said.
Coach, Albert and Rick seemed curious to hear her answer but Sophie only said: “Then it starts.”
Jeff said: “This has been an eye opening Tribal, hasn’t it?”
Sophie disagreed: “No” she said.
Jeff was surprised by that attitude.
Cochran told Jeff that he was very frustrated and humiliated after making one of the most idiotic moves in the history of the game.
Still on the same track, Jeff concluded by saying: “It has been one of the most interesting and revealing Tribal Councils of the season...It is time to vote.”
<Of course, the camera was on Sophie when Jeff said that.>

Coach winked at Rick when Jeff went to tally the votes telling us how he had voted.
Whitney gave an “I told you so” pat on Dawn’s shoulder.

Jeff ended the evening by saying: “There was a lot of information revealed tonight and your future in this game will be determined by what you do with it.”
Again, Sophie was shown.

The Story

It really comes down to two alternate endings: Either Sophie wins and nothing will happen in the game or Coach wins because, out of the endless possibilities, he took the right tide. Which one will it be?

I will say that Coach is right for multiple reasons. First, Jeff repeated three times that this Tribal Council revealed a lot of informations. Sophie disagreed with our host and that is never a good sign. Even worse: We saw that she was stumped by Cochran’s remark.
Also, Brandon gave more weight to Coach winning in the end when he said: “Anything worth having is not going to be easy.”
In addition, Coach is the one involved in all the stories: He talked to Cochran about his predicament. He discussed the situation with Edna. He commented on Albert’s laziness and Brandon’s lack of malleability. Sophie really only talked about Cochran. That means that we have an understanding of what the jury will ask Coach. From what we have seen, the only question that the jury could ask Sophie is: “Who are you?”

The Characters

On Redemption Island:

Ozzy: The editing of this season played a big joke on Savaii so I feel that Ozzy himself could be in for a finish that will embarrass him. Either he will be voted out a third time (giving Brandon and Upolu a chance to do what Cochran boasted he had done; voting him out twice) or he will lose to Cochran in the next duel. He did tell Cochran that all he had to do was believe he could win and now Cochran found “Coach Chi”, a way for him to get rid of his anxieties.

Cochran: Beating Ozzy would explain Cochran’s story but, even if he does, the joke will still be on him. He told us a long time ago that Redemption Island is only a way for continued humiliation so his story can’t recover from this latest humiliation. For all his boasts about knowing the game, Cochran forgot that not everyone is ready to play a strategic game.

Albert: If Cochran was Sharon Tate then Albert was Jay Sebring because this episode served to assassinate his character. Princess Albert cannot survive this much ridicule. Even Coach told us that Albert didn’t work a day in his life.

Sophie: We continued to see the calm and observant Sophie except calm and observant can be easily confused for cold-blooded and calculating. Maybe it was a coincidence that we heard 16 blows when Cochran mentioned the Sharon Tate murder but it does seem like something the editors planned.
Sophie’s main problem is that now she is on record as saying that nothing will happen in the game. If she is right then that means she will have won this game much too easily. I can’t believe that is the message of the season. The editors would want us to see that the winner had to fight for it. Sophie told us she doesn’t have to.

Coach: Will Coach win this season? The Helter Skelter reference should tell us that he is the Charles Manson of the story. After all, he is the one that built this family. But Brandon has been the one that has been portrayed as the scary, crazy guy. Even Cochran, the one that talked about Manson, told us Brandon was the most dangerous one. Maybe that is why we heard Coach saying many times that he wasn’t the leader of the tribe.

Coach’s quote just before Tribal Council can certainly go either way and one could say that he missed the right tide but Coach had talked to us about his catch-22 before. There was no need to add the quote by Shakespeare except that it made him look smart.

Dawn frowned when he went to vote so maybe Coach will have trouble getting the necessary votes but the story has turned his way. His comment about the game he loves reminded us of Rob’s feelings last season.
But I could be wrong! I have been wrong in the past!!