I'm not rewatching the fucking episode... Even w/ Coronavirus, and even w/ this season being mostly fantastic, I got better things to do. So here's a very hasty, probably very inaccurate Edgic based on a single viewing done under the influence of two glasses of wine.
Sele
Parvati - MOR3 - Parvati never really took off this season. We heard a lot of talk about her threat level, but didn't see much of that threat enacted (sadly!). Even in this, her boot episode, the majority of what we got out of her was incidental-- statements of fact related to receiving yet another fire token and being very clearly on the Sele bottom. Her last-ditch effort to bury Wendell with his own words, while exciting, didn't end up paying dividends. So much for my pre-game prediction!
Michele- CPP2- Michele is my Sele "Winner" pick at the moment, even if her edit seems more like a Wentworth "I'm changing my game, making the merge, and crapping out just before FTC once the others discern how close I am to winning" (i.e a "redemption" storyline) than a true Winner's arc. In her interactions with Parvati, Nick, and Wendell, Michele is shown as a calm, thoughtful player with an accurate read on the game. (Especially when put alongside Wendell!)
Nick - CP2 - After starting the season largely UTR Nick has found himself as the crucial "swing vote" in two straight TCs. He's getting a bit of character content, talking about his personal relationships with Yul and Wendell, as well as his hilariously dorky crush on Parvati. But it seems like a lot of the "strategy" we're hearing from Nick has less to do with an overall plan, relating more to his current set of circumstances. His TC line about having a "backbone" was fascinating. Was he trying to justify to himself his Parvati vote? Making a final pitch toward Michele? There's something impulsive about Nick's play (the man makes an eerie foreshadowing comment practically every other scene) that makes it seem like he's in for a fall.
Yul- UTR1 - As a solid vote in a strong alliance of three, it makes sense that we wouldn't hear much from Yul this episode, especially with the bigger stories of "Nick the swing vote" and "Wendell the bitter fuck" in play. Still, it's a wee bit concerning that Yul, Mr. Numbers/Strategy-Man, was not given a single testimonial to describe his thought process this ep. He was described by Parvati as (if I remember correctly) a "brick wall," never the best image to be compared to, in this game. Perhaps this is just a cooldown after his emotionally vivid prior episode and a strong Edgic start.
Wendell- OTTN3 - Some folks would call this a CP3 because Wendell was shown throughout as a player who does have ideas about the game, some of which seem semi-correct. But when my thought after every one of your statements is "God, what an asshole"... Well, I feel like only OTTN will suffice. Michele criticized him last episode for thinking he's "hot shit," and the Picker-of-Teeth lived up to that description this turn, plus some. He was dismissive of his ex, dismissive of the idea of fire tokens, and pretty much dismissive of everyone's feelings as Tribal (every player said something clearly Wendell-targeted about, well, not being a jackass). His semi-apology about "being real" sealed the deal... No rational viewer would call what Wendell was doing this episode or last episode as "realness." Right now, it's Michele who seems like the "real" half of this pair-- and that means Wendell could be in big trouble. Fine by me!
Dakal
Sandra- CPN3 - The Queen goes to the Edge. But her edit here, and throughout this season, isn't quite consistent with the idea that "Sandra's arrogance" was the cause of her abdication. True, there was a Negative tone-- Sandra underrated Denise completely, and no one so thoroughly blindsided will ever look very, uh, good at Survivor. But Sandra showed a willingness to play this episode, and a willingness to adapt all season. But for the (rather large loophole) that Denise exploited, Sandra's plan for blowing up TC seemed interesting. And that, I contend, was the problem. Sandra is not a "blow up the game" kind of player. That's not her skill-set. Sandra deviated from a tried-and-true formula, and it cost her in a devastating, supremely entertaining way.
Kim - MOR2 - It's hard to know what to make of Kim's edit at this moment. On a tribe with Sandra and Tony, the fight for screen time is never gonna be easy. But her status as a "swing vote" changed-- maybe definitively-- this episode, as Kim was shown going along with Sandra and Tony's whims without question. The strategy talk testimonials that she's given in episodes past were mostly ceded to Jeremy. This was about as middle-of-the-road as an episode gets.
Denise- CPP5 - An instant classic of a turn for Denise, who I always knew was gonna be this season's stealth force (honest I did!). Denise's ability to form "real" relationships with people was on full display, in her positive comments to her tribemates, her idol play for Jeremy (which might have actually been a very canny move to counter a potential Sandra vote for someone not-named-Denise), her ability to go toe-to-toe with Sandra, and her description as a "humble" player. What made this ability more than just a positive tone was Denise's actual USE of it. The "ice-cold" blindside of Sandra was not presented as the rash move of a bitter player, but the cunning play of a winner who was much craftier than anyone thought. (Indeed, the rest the tribe seemed pretty happy for her, on the way out of Tribal!) She's in a good place if she had re-affirm her connection with Jeremy. Her read of the game, demonstrated so positively in this episode's edit, might allow her to do that.
Jeremy- MORP3 - Another "swinger" turned into a pawn in Sandra and Tony's game, though Jeremy got a lot more screen time than Kim this episode. Some of that is related to his advantage-- Jeremy's description of which gave this episode its curious title-- but it was Jeremy's description of an upside-down-duck that really got me. It was smart, funny, and self-aware: things you like to see in a Winner. Jeremy still seems more like a side-player this season than a potential FTC candidate, though.
Tony- OTT4- Wacky Tony came back this episode. Every statement he made, to the camera and other players, was breathless and paranoid... Or were they? Though it would be impossible for me not to award him an OTT after the re-implementation of the spy-shack (which, perhaps tellingly, didn't pay many dividends), Tony's suspicions that something was up ended up being verified by Tribal's crazy result. I still think he's got a good chance at winning this thing-- but as a threat, he's back on the radar, which might make things difficult down the line.
Yara
Sarah- UTR1- Not much for Sarah to say or do here. Commentary on the post-Rob-killing Tribal was ceded entirely to Ben and Adam. They both affirmed that Sarah and Sophie were tight, capable players.
Sophie- UTR1- Same thing goes for Sophie.
Ben- CPP2- Ben and Adam were chosen to explain the aftermath of the Buddy System. Ben emphasized his changing strategy, the differences between his social game "then" and "now," and his relationships with Sarah and Sophie. It was a pretty good look!
Adam- CP2- On the other hand, Adam was shown as a player more obviously calculating than Ben, and one with far less success at forming the end of relationships that might, MIGHT, take one to the end. So who wins out? Wiley but trustworthy Ben? Or the most explicitly cunning Adam? The answer, of course, is NEITHER. I can easily see both of these characters sneaking into the merge... And then both being picked off for their myriad mistakes.
EOE
Natalie, Amber, Danni, Ethan, Tyson, Rob
Ehhh who knows. Tyson got all the content, cuz he figured out the clue. The dude is entertaining as hell in his testimonials. Will his peanut butter give him the strength he needs to... Man goddamnit EOE
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