Okay, folks, this was one of those recap episodes where they promise exciting, “never-before-seen” footage that will astonish and amaze you. And while you do get to see some slightly intriguing fresh footage, there’s nothing here that will change your view of anyone in the game, so this review will be a quick one.
Some highlights, if you can call them that:
Erik really, really liked good Russell, before Russell had to be evacuated from the show for medical reasons (and before Erik was blind-sided out of the game). I didn’t catch their bond the first time around. Probably because I never heard half of what Erik was saying because he was always standing in the trunk of that damn tree.
Jaison had some surprisingly harsh words for John right after one of the competitions where John was playing dirty, threatening to come after his butt and finish what John started. I have no idea why they cut this out of the original episode, because it shows that Jaison does have some fire after all, and doesn’t just stand around and whine all the time like we usually see.
Then we get to see a lot more about the “Erik wanting to catch the chicken that Shambo let loose” thing. This guy was really obsessed with the quest, constantly on the alert and getting all philosophical. “You gotta be smarter than the chicken, not stronger than the chicken.”
Lots of scenes with him running pointlessly after the chicken, waving a giant piece of tree that he was apparently going to clobber the chicken with, an act that I’m sure would not sit well with PETA. He even constructs a four-point trap out of netting, with a release mechanism you can set off to snare the renegade fowl if she should step under the net and investigate the bait. And this actually eventually works. But guess who pulled the release to make it happen?
Shambo.
Erik was off hunting crabs at the time. Go figure.
Then there’s an interesting scene where bad Russell, who keeps swearing to the camera that he is NOT going to tell anybody that he’s wealthy, fesses up to Mick that he’s a millionaire. They high-five and bond over that. Russell is just so full of himself that he can’t keep his mouth shut.
Mick in a sidebar: Would I use that information against Russell if I had to? Hell yeah.
We learn that at some point after the merge, Russell unlocked the chicken coops so they can get out again. But there are no follow up scenes to see if they really did. He’s such a sweet guy.
There’s a frustrating scene with Shambo and Laura on the beach, supposedly getting some sun. Shambo suddenly has an emotional breakdown while talking about an older sister who passed from cancer, completely understandable, and Laura is trying to be comforting. Remember, these two can’t stand each other (why they were even on the beach together is mystifying), but Laura puts that aside and does the right thing.
Yet right afterward, in a sidebar, Shambo tears Laura apart for not showing any sympathy. Yet she DID.
Folks, Shambo is just not all there. Something got twisted somewhere along the line. And her people skills, if you can call them that, completely suck, but she just doesn’t get that and doesn’t know how to read people or conduct herself.
And finally, Brett has the most prophetic line, right before a certain eviction: “Voting out Erik will shape the rest of the game.”
Which is exactly what has happened.
That’s about it, not much of anything really revealing. So, to thank you for stopping by to read a review about a traditionally boring recap episode, let me flesh this out a bit with my thoughts on the remaining players, alphabetical order:
Brett: Seems to have some smarts, was the only Galu to really question evicting Erik, physically strong. And he’s completely under the radar at this point. Actually has a decent shot.
Dave: Not as smart as he thinks he is. (“There’s no way Russell can have another immunity idol, forget about that.”) Buddy, that attitude knocked an undeserving Kelly out of the game. And dial down the attitude a little bit. That can cost you.
Jaison: Doesn’t really deserve to be here. He’s whined about wanting to go home since the first few days. In his favor, Russell NEEDS him right now, until the numbers get smaller. And again, not on anyone’s radar. But still. Quit whining and man up.
John: Pompous ass. And already marked for possible elimination a couple of times, even by his own tribe when the tribes were still split. His best shot is to put together an alliance that will take Russell out, because that’s the man to beat right now. But chances are slim.
Mick: Fifty-fifty. Not on the radar just yet, but he’s not playing this game. He’s following the direction of other people (Russell) and not making a plan of his own. No real alliance, because Jaison could quit at any time, and Russell will drop him the second he doesn’t need him.
Monica: Possible slider for a while. But her biggest weakness is that she won’t let go of the hope that the former Galu will stick together. Shambo: “Purple is GONE.” Understand that, sister.
Natalie: Great potential, would not surprise me if she makes it to the end. And if she does, I hope people will put two and two together and realize that, although Russell may have had the grand ideas, it’s Natalie that did the footwork. She’s the one who actually orchestrated the eviction of Erik, which changed the game. She’s got to stay strong, and understand that she might have to cut Russell at a critical point.
Russell: Although it pains me to say this, it’s his to win if he makes it to the end. He’s lied and maneuvered hard to get what he wants. If the jury makes its decision based on play and not the player, like they usually do, he’s guaranteed some votes in the end. But two weak points. The game play lately has been more about Galu falling apart and not strategizing instead of about Russell scheming, and if the jury compares notes and realizes that Russell has lied to everybody AND he doesn’t need the money, he could be in trouble. And I suppose there’s a possible third weak point: Shambo. Russell is going to cut her the second he’s done with her, and she could wreak havoc on the jury.
Shambo: The only way she can win right now is if Russell stays alive, he has a change of heart and decides to take her to the end, and the jury has discovered Russell’s lies. But as Russell constantly says, he thinks women are weak and stupid. He’ll probably cut her, and Shambo doesn’t have any other friends, real or imagined.
Then again, this IS Survivor, and all of the above can become moot points in a single eviction.
And so it goes…
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