LAST EDITED ON 11-27-11 AT 03:22 PM (EST)

As I saw it, the Recap episode presented us with several contrasting storyline, but also brought into focus the gameplay of some of the remaining players. Most of those already eliminated from the game were totally ignored, Keith and Papa Bear getting a bit of notice in spite of the fact they are gone, because of relations to remaining players.

The biggest and most obvious contrasting storylines were in respect to the initial tribes, Savaii and Upolu, and their respective returning player nominal leaders, Ozzy and Coach. Ozzy took a laid back approach to controlling Savaii, an organic approach, in an effort to instill a fun atmosphere. Coach took a more controlled approach, using his initial role as experienced advisor, to establish order.

Neither approach is actually better in Survivor terms, it depends on the personalities involved, it depends on the make-ups of the tribes; though Coach's approach worked better given the personalities in Upolu, Ozzy's approach in Savaii was problematic from the start as there were those on his tribe looking for more leadership.

Ozzy relied on his tribe's dependence on himself as a provider, Coach was more about giving orders and delegating jobs. Early on it became a contrast between the fun tribe and the get down to business tribe.

Outsiders in both tribes faced their own problems. Mikayla representing the outsiders for Uloplu, Cochran for Savaii (though Dawn had some problems fitting in as well). In terms of tribal approaches, Coach determined who were the outsiders in Upolu, Cochran fell into that role in Savaii per his own choices and retained it as long as he was around, or rather there was a Savaii.

In the pigfat scene Coach was shown to be petty and vindictive. Mikayla was shown to be feeling ill the day after the pork victory, which she was fundamental in winning, and took two scoops of sugar in her coffee. Coach, who had made eight cups of coffee that morning while limiting his intake of cream and sugar, got all emotional and upset and she didn't even ask. Coach, seriously, quit over-caffinating. And why should she have to ask for medicine, oh yeah she's not Brandon who would have been forgiven the same offense.

In contrast Ozzy was shown "forcing" Cochran to participate in the slaughter of the rooster, along with Jim, with Jeff telling us that Cochran was always being made the object of ridicule in Savaii. (I don't actually believe he was forced so much as he felt compelled to go along with the decisions made by others, but nonetheless it was Coach who was deciding who was on the outs in Upolu, Cochran just positioned himself that way in Savaii.) Somehow, inexplicable to me, the way Cochran held the rooster's body was funny to Ozzy, became the joke of the day. (I honestly don't get it but that's how it played, even though it takes only one person to wring a chicken's neck and then chop off the dead chicken's head, grossed out as some of you may be to read that, facts is facts.)

In desperation of being outnumbered at the merge, Ozzy then conconcted a plan so ridiculous it might work, and sent himself to Redemption Island to beat Christine and be the returning Savaii Messiah. Well, part of it worked, Ozzy beat Christine, got back together with Savaii, but he sent Cochran to Coach as adouble agent and everything fell apart. Coach, BS artist that he is, managed to convince Cochran that he was Hercules, played on the observations he had made about how disorganized Ozzy had made things in Savaii, and oh gosh Cochran was all like stoked and rewarded and empathised with, and Coach was Zeus the father to his Hercules. And Ozzy even offered Coach a seat at the end, I mean how stupid and desperate was that! Even though he didn't mean it.

Individual assessments to follow.