Michel, once again, we are seeing things very similarly indeed, but you catch so much, and it’s always appreciated. I also love how you break it down in to the editing of the show, then how you see the story, then the individual edits of the characters and how they fit into the story. Well done, as always!

Jims, love hearing your two cents as well, but I don’t know about Natalie. She seems to be acting like Jeremy’s mouth piece, but for me, they make a nice “couple”. I think Natalie and Jeremy have some legs but I just don’t know how this show will shake out. Eventually the couples must go after couples, afterall, only one can win. I see it though as the couples trying to dominate over singles until they have to eat their own, then they do it one couple at a time. So, could our final 6 be 3 couples, final 4 be 2 couples, etc...

With the introduction Jiffy did spread the blame...2 tribes going in opposite directions, one couldn’t win, but the other tribe couldn’t be beaten, but they couldn’t live in peace either. We saw Val calling out Baylor for wanting them to vote out Dale and we saw Drew deciding to throw the challenge. It backfired and the majority came together to vote him out, leaving his only ally alone and in shock....Jon. This intro really pits Baylor against Dale, while also the majority gets backfired upon...Hey Jeremy...#toptobottom, while Jon goes from the bottom to the top. Everything we needed to know was tied up in the intro.

With the Rocker exit episode we saw Jacklyn at the bottom of her alliance....she was the last girl besides Baylor, so she could have been toast. But “the girls” turned the tables and got Rocker out, blindsiding him and his buddy Dale. Jacklyn went from being an apparently clueless player to flipping the tribe, according to last weeks intro.

Last episode we saw the apparently clueless little boys get blindsided, and now Jon finds himself on the wrong side of the numbers. He and his girlfriend are living parallel lives. They are seemingly horrible at the game of Survivor as singles...

We hear Jon, however working the group...I would have been with you, etc. In confessional he admits that Drew was his friend, but he also noted that he “stepped on alot of toes”. Jon was not blind to his faults and I think it was clear because he did not vote with him.

Jeremy in conf: He comes to me, I just swooped him up
I am right in the middle of where I want to be, I am in a beautiful spot right now.

Once again, Jeremy is shown to be arrogant, and now he’s got his “dumb” boy, right where he wants him...

Wes reads the tree mail, and Alec notes that he’s ready to go toe to toe with his brother...exit to Hero Arena and we get a nice reaction shot to Drew’s absence. His tribe supports him, they are really surprised, but Josh gets the nod by noting that they don’t know about the tribe dynamics...it sucks.

There were a lot of reaction shots from Kelly upon hearing what Coyopa had to say about their surprise. Then when Jiffy noted, “drop your buffs”, we heard Kelly say, “I knew it!” Right at that point, I really got the vibe that Kelly was toast. I think this is where they cut to commercial as well.

Then Jiffy specifically asks Kelly if she would be excited to be paired with her dad...then they open their buffs and Jiffy calls out the reunited pairs, we see Josh/Reed hug, and Jacklyn/Jon as well...we all know Jiffy loves the love. Jiffy calls out the tribes, 3 pairs of loved ones and one single on Coyopa, with all singles and one pair on Hanahpu...Keith said he would rather be with Wes, Reed said that he could be a target. Time will tell...

Jon gets the conf: When I first realized that Jacklyn and I would be on the same tribe, it was an extremely happy moment right when I needed it. When I was at Hanahpu I was on the wrong side of the numbers so it's a whole game changer...
He gets the confessional because now that he’s reunited with his GF, he’s gone from worst to first. And, I think so has she, so has she!

After the Jon confessional where he notes he’s gone from the wrong side of the numbers to a much better situation, re: worst to first, we get the contrasting confessional from Jeremy who had told us what a beautiful position he was in, now in conf. he notes: “I was not on anyones radar and bam, what happens now? Josh and Reed, Josh could work his magic on Reed and work on me”, then we see Josh and Reed. We hear Josh’s opinion on what he is thinking with the swap, a very enlightening and revealing confessional...”I am so excited to play with Reed...my relationship with Reed gave me the strength to come out to my family and friends ,not everyone agrees how I live my life, we are remaining abstinent till we get married. It's that commitment that is going to take us all the way to the end...” (My first thought was that could indeed be a million dollar quote right there!)

Note that we had a confessional from Jon, then a confessional from Jeremy, then a confessional from Josh. Jeremy and Josh have already been identified as strong contenders for end game and important to this season’s story. Jon being lumped in with this group tells me he is in good company. I think all three have compelling winner stories at this point. Jon, as a single, failing, yet when reunited with his loved one, capitalizes and preserveres, starting out fun loving and immature and then matures through the show and learns by mistakes. Jeremy had his loved one removed from the game early and has had to navigate a world of couples on his own merits, now he’s gone from first to worst, can he make it? And, Josh, another who navigated well without his loved one at first, now reunited notes that it will be their commitment to one another that sees them through to the end.

I was so busy writing for the East Coast Spoiler thread that I didn’t even see the wave submerging Josh, but I have to agree, that sure sounds ominous for Josh’s chances. Good catch, michel!

I also love that you noted when we now switch over to camp Coyopa, we see a howler monkey jumping from one tree to another, remarking how they could be representative of Jon easily navigating the swap from Hun to Coy. I distinctly recall in the first episode when they noted howler monkeys...Baylor and Missy were afraid, but Jon loved them and howled up to them...! How astute, the old howler monkeys could be calling to our boy, Jon, after all!

Jon gets the confessionals and the screen time with GF, Jack: “It’s good. I feel good about it. They got a bunch of rice and I was like Yesss! We get to eat! I couldn’t have been happier but even more importantly; I am on the same tribe as Jaclyn.” We saw him kissing Jacklyn and then continues on... “I don’t care what implications this has. I’m just pumped. Being here with Jaclyn right now is a huge weight off my shoulders. She knows everything that is going on in my life especially my dad right now is dying of brain cancer. Jaclyn has been there for me every step of the way. I am excited that I can actually share so much of this experience with her and even more excited that it seems like we can help each other.”

He is giving us the gambit of emotions that he must be feeling, recognizing he is getting to actually play this game with his loved one, while at the same time, going from a really bad positon to suddenly going to a very good position. He has to be so "pumped". We all know how Jiffy loves the love, and, I think seeing them be affectionate with each other and then describing how they feel really hits at the emotions and heart of a loved one’s season. They verbalize it so beautifully.

Interesting that you noted in the pre-season media we heard that Jacklyn was unable to bear children and clearly, we have not seen any of this, so the story of this couple must belong to Jon. I agree, Jacklyn will be the supportive one. I have to say that I had no idea until you mentioned it within your post! Then I hunted it down and found a preseason interview with the couple from Jacklyn’s own Twitter feed...
Putting Jacklyn’s confessionals after Jon’s spells it out, I think. Jacklyn underlines Jon’s perception of their new situation. Jon will be the more invested character of the pair, but clearly I think they are destined to work well together as a cohesive and supportive team.

I loved Jacklyn telling Jon about the Coyopa dynamics and how Baylor flipped back and forth, and that she doesn’t trust Baylor or Josh. So, despite being on the bottom, apparently she was paying attention.

I also LOVED the scene with Baylor admiring the kissing couple and Jacklyn telling her, you guys will probably hate us, and Baylor disagreed heartily and had her confessional: “Jacklyn and Jon are in love, I am totally jealous, here I am with my mom....she's been married and divorced 3 times, my time will come and my mom's time will come again”...then she is all smiles. I like this Baylor, I love that she is admiring of them and not out to get them. This scene makes me like her and gives me hope that Baylor can work with Jacklyn and Jon in the future.
I also note that it’s always a good thing for players to talk about other players positively, and I thought this was good that Baylor is admiring Jon and Jacklyn as a couple.

Next we have Keith and his two cents, another significant character in the season...He talks about the brand new tribe and being the odd man out, but I laugh when he notes that while he might be by himself he’s got a little idol tucked away in his Boot....wouldn’t that be funny if his little idol “BOOTED” another right out of the game. I still LOVE the fact that he’s not told anyone about it! I loved the helicopter shot as well...I also love you noting that he’s providing for the tribe as a father would, a role that Dale failed to do!

Back to Hunahpu and Alec has his confessional about the new athletic tirbe and outlasting his brother in the game, finally beating him at something. Then Natalie and Jeremy going off to the well to plot, and I love the snake nod...Jeremy again perhaps being villainous with his side kick, Natalie?

Jeremy has his confessional regarding his assumption of Reed jumping with Josh, Alec, and Wes. He notes how he needs Alec and he’s just like his brother, and surround and drown...he still sounds villainous to me, surround and drown, with his plotting and stalking of the ignorant kid brother of Drew. If this story does turn out to be “all” about the couples than it’s easier and easier to see Jeremy as the antithesis of the couples, the villain, the penultimate single.

Now we get to the rice scene at Coyopa and Missy gets confessionals regarding the events going on currently there. Note she doesn’t get the confessional regarding the reaction to the split of the tribes. Missy goes on to say how all she wants to do is to protect her kid from the “guy that’s picking on her”. Then we hear from Dale, and Kelly, calling Missy out as a diva, and a “self-centered biotch”...Kelly notes that if she doesn’t play peacemaker Dale will put a big ole bullseye on his back and on hers...
I love the family comparison, paternal dad, Keith, matriarch, Missy, and the kids that all got along...Baylor, Jacklyn, and Jon-boy. Clearly, there is no room for a cantankerous old grandpa, Dale...or Kelly.

Dale tells us that they are voting going with Jon/Jack and against Missy/Baylor, Kelly tells us the same thing. Jon notes his strategy, “We have so many couples here that it really is all about finding your couple that you match up with. The most important thing is to read a situation and be able to say: Is this the best thing for me now? So, I’m leaving room to make adjustments.” Basically, after this episode this choice will either lead to the end road for Jon/Jack because they apparently made the right choice with Baylor/Missy, OR, it will lead to their swift demise because they could have made the wrong choice. I have a feeling with the way this played out that Jon/Jack make the right choice. Still, “there is room to make adjustments”...lol!

We then see Jon/Jack getting to know the other couples better...
I agree, Missy most likely forged more relationships than Kelly did. Kelly was paired with Jeremy, but Jeremy was seen to be more tied to Natalie. Missy went to Julie when Jeremy and by association Kelly, dejected her. Missy most likely was pretty tolerant of the “dumb kids” on the tribe as well. It will be interesting to speculate about what happens when Missy is reunited with Jeremy and Natalie...
Tribal Council unfolded nicely, and I think we can sum it up by the following exchange: Dale said that Jaclyn and Jon were the hottest couple in camp right now. Baylor corrected him: “They are the hottest couple period.”

I have to add here that with all of the Jacklyn confessionals about how Baylor flipped flopped and she doesn’t trust her or Josh, and the warnings that Dale gave to her, I would not be surprised if Baylor and Josh were the demise of Jacklyn, down the road.

In this season of Blood vs. Water, the players have taken on a new tactic. Instead of singles banding together to get the couples broken up, Jon told us he wants it to be couples to the end. He was the first to mention the strategy, a positive sign, especially if it indeed unfolds this way. This theme continues with Jon being reunited with his GF, Jacklyn. While they were both seen as failing in their tribes as singles, now that they are reunited they are The. hottest. couple. period. In a game where the new strategy is to keep the couples together and vote out singles, I’d say being the “hottest” couple is a dang good place to be. Both were at the bottom, now that they are reunited, they are seriously on the top...just for phun, we’ll call it the “hot seat”.

I see the major characters of this story as Jon, Jeremy, and Josh. Baylor, Keith, and Missy as strong characters as well. I do see Jacklyn, Natalie, Reed as supporting characters to their loved ones and Jeremy. I see Wes, Alec, Julie, Dale as insignificant characters.

Next week, I predict the demise of Dale, but I think I have voted for him in the vote thread more than I have ever voted for any Survivor!