Great analysis, Michel!
>
>Brenda: It was interesting that the dynamics between Brenda, Dawn
>and Andrea were finally revealed. We had assumed that Brenda was
>close to Andrea but she is with Dawn instead, even talking about voting
>against Andrea. That was a premature reaction though; Brenda acting too
>quickly to a new situation. Turning too early on Sash is what got Brenda eliminated
>the first time so maybe she repeated the same mistake here. However, Brenda has
>given us so few confessionals that when she said she will not turn her back on
>Dawn and expected the same, I think we heard that for a reason. Dawn is
>playing a cut-throat game when she isn’t crying so maybe she will turn on Brenda
>who could be another bitter juror. Of course, the other way to look at it
>is that the scene was included to explain why Brenda votes for Dawn in the end.
>

Yes, I would've easily guessed that Brenda was closer with Andrea, before Dawn. And surely dynamics could shift over the course of 28 days. Still, it's a bit frustrating that they haven't given us more to let us get more of sense of Brenda's perspective and game-play. I think we heard Brenda's confessional for a reason too. Initially I thought, Brenda will remain loyal to Dawn, and Dawn will not (instead of "vice versa" like Brenda stated) as it seems like Dawn has been so cut-throat to everyone. But I like your thought that this could possibly signify the reason why Brenda could be a vote for Dawn in the end.

>Andrea: She received the focus as Stealth-R-Us’ decision maker at the
>wrong time because we were told that the alliance wasn’t a well-oiled machine.
>The right decision was to gain some distance from Phillip’s organization, not
>be seen as its power broker. It put her in Malcolm’s sights and could have
>cost her the game but then Malcolm changed target. Still, Andrea’s flirt with the other
>side, being happy in the company of Eddie, Malcolm and Reynold didn’t escape notice
>from her own alliance and she is now on their list. The game will get dicey
>for Andrea, especially now that her closest ally is gone. Like Jeff said, she was
>so agitated by Malcolm’s move that she couldn’t look up. She has no clear road
>to the end.
>

Agreed that it does look like Andrea's game could get dicey. There's something about her edit that isn't reading winner to me, so I'm thinking she won't make FTC - because if she'd did, I think she'd have a good chance due to her game-play thus far. I like your analysis that there needed to be distance from Stealth-R-Us (like with Cochran) and Andrea certainly is right there front and center. I'm appreciating that she's undoubtedly playing the game, but it's not the smartest approach for her to be on everyone's radar now.

>
>Sherri: Some will argue that she wasn’t agitated because she said
>nothing during the scramble and they will add that Sherri’s smile at Michael when he
>entered the Council area connects the two. I can’t agree because she would need to
>have a pulse to be agitated. Her character has become meaningless since the swap and
>we did see that Malcolm’s move gave her a headache. With the alliance facing the
>elimination of one of its own, Sherri would have been the obvious choice. Her name
>wasn’t even mentioned so that leads us to two possible conclusions: No one actually
>spoke about eliminating her or the editors didn’t show them talking about it.
>Neither is particularly good for her winning chances. The editors love underdog
>stories so it seems that they would have jumped on the occasion to cast doubt on
>her chances but if no one talked about eliminating her it can only mean that
>she has become everyone’s Shamar! How ironic that would be: She was looking for her
>Phillip in Shamar, then she looked at Phillip as her new Shamar but she’d wind
>up being the Final 3 goat herself!
>

Yes, Sherri really has become meaningless in the scheme of things. Almost looking more foolish in thinking her plans will work than Reynold did earlier in the season. It seems like ages ago since episode 2 when Sherri was in the center of things and looked to have the strongest chance of moving forward with a solid position in an alliance. I love your take that Sherri could wind up as the "Shamar"/"Phillip" for someone else. That would be priceless! And it would fit nicely with how carefully it's been telegraphed that this is Sherri's idea for a sound strategy. One that didn't work for her, but could for someone else.

>Cochran: Like everyone else in the alliance, Cochran showed some agitation.
>First when he was baffled by Dawn’s meltdown and paranoia and then when he faced
>the voting dilemma. In both occasions, he was shown doing what he does best: Listening
>and observing. We saw him taking the time to listen to Dawn’s problem, concluding rightly
>that Dawn was simply being crazy and not dangerous. At TC, he listened and we
>never heard him scrambling. We only saw him whispering to Erik and, judging
>by their respective votes, he was probably explaining that the best play was
>to stay with the original plan. With Erik voting against Phillip, Brenda and Dawn
>targeting Andrea and the farm girl spending so much time with the three guys,
>Cochran is the most loyal player left in that alliance. Quite a change!
>
>

Yes, Cochran's doing such a great job in staying calm and cool, and observing, while keeping the right amount of distance. His game has matured a lot since last he played. I noticed that he was least rattled at the TC when the scramble happen. And yes, I wouldn't be surprised if Cochran whispered in Erik's ear about not switching the vote. Like doing a Jedi mind trick to get someone else to take the credit on something that might seem too strategic. Better to have someone else do it, and keep the attention off of you.