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Wacky Wanda's S13 Episode 3 Commentary!
« on: Sep 29th, 2006, 8:49am » |
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Wanda shares her thoughts with us about last night's episode...
YES! Now that one was a nail-biter! After both of the first two episodes of Cook Islands, I heard the word "boring" used by some fans, for at least the first half of each episode. This time, the nasty "B" word is impossible!
First, the tribal merge came sooner than expected. I suspected it would come early, since the tribes started out small, but I thought they might get two weeks of real-time play, or four-weeks of TV shows, before the merge. Instead, they only got a week of real-time, small-tribe meshing-before-merging. They could have merged when the two merged tribes would have been seven or eight person tribes, but instead we got nine apiece, each five women and four men.
Just when we were getting comfortable with knowing all the players on each of the four tribes --- we were given our challenge: to know the players in new contexts, new tribes!
The shuffle has helped some folks and hurt others. Hiki tribe was looking weak; the shuffle has undoubtedly helped each of them. Conversely, Puka seemed to have the strongest tribe, least likely to visit TC, so Pukas (Asians) were potentially hurt most by the merge. It may have helped Cao Boi, who was certainly the first to go if Puka went to TC, but it appears that if his mouth doesn't wear out his welcome in a hurry at Aitu, his actions will, while Ozzy's physical strength will make him a more valuable male to keep than Cao Boi.
The challenge was a reprise from Palau, where the sand bags were heavier (20 pounds instead of the 15 in this challenge). Walking in knee-deep water is exhausting even without the additional weight. The Aitu women were as responsible as their men for Aitu's loss, as four Aitu women clipped out first while the Raro women hung in there longer, saving the strength of their men. Kudos to Jessica (white, if it matters) and Rebecca (black, if it matters, and lasting longest of the women) as the gals who stuck it out longest for their respective tribes. Strength and endurance merit honor and respect.
At this point we don't know much about how the dynamics will work at the new Raro. Brad and Jenny (the two Filipinos from the Asian tribe), JP and Cristina (who had somewhat different views about evicting Billy in the last TC), and Adam and Parvati are pairs from their original tribes, while three former Hikis -- Nate, Rebecca, and Stephannie -- remain together. There may be some tacit, inherent alliances there. If the three Hikis pick their fav pair, they'll have a majority. However, the "Exile Island Immunity" could throw a monkey-wrench into that plan, as it nearly did at Aitu this week.
At the new Aitu, Sundra is the lone ex-Hiki. I liked her line about feeling both "vulnerable and valuable" as a hinge or tie-breaker. Well-said: polysyllabic and alliterative! That alone gets my attention regarding her intelligence! Ozzy and Cecilia came from the same tribe, but Ozzy's now partnerless with Cecilia's demise, so he'll have to go looking. (It might be noted here that Ozzy's plan to throw the challenge last week can now clearly be seen to be short-sighted. He'd be better off in the merge with a weak brother than none at all. He had only considered the problem of feeding an extra mouth on his original tribe, neglecting the possibility of an early merge.) At any rate, Ozzy and Sundra could partner just for strategic balance on their tribe. Meanwhile, Koreans Yul and Becky managed to stay together, and Candice and Jonathan are tight from the original Raro. Cao Boi and Jessica are the "Number Threes," the "odd man out" guys from the Asian and Caucasian tribes. They've established their own sense of unique "kindred spirits" (a phrase I loved from Anne of Green Gables). So with eight remaining Aitus, there are four logical pairs.
Jessica and Cao Boi were indecisive even when it came time to put pen to paper at TC, but they came through for their original tribemates. Their indecisiveness makes them unstable alliance-mates, however. We wondered if Yul would play the immunity idol this early in the game to save Becky. Now we will never really know; maybe he will never really know. At any rate, the Yul-Becky-Jonathan-Candice alliance appears to be the strongest foursome in the game, and since the immunity idol gives them essentially a fifth player, with the ability to save one of their own and knock out a rival, we can expect them to Pagong Cao Boi, Jessica, Sundra, and Ozzy. My guess is that that would be that order: first the most annoying, then the least "stable"/reliable, then Sundra by default, and Ozzy probably last of the four because his strengths and talents will make him an asset, especially pre-merge.
Jonathan was admirable this week, talking to Jessica about "thinking ahead," making analogies ("It's a chess game"... "It's a war.") Although he's playing hard, he was still gentlemanly in his attitude at TC. He recognized, rather graciously (and surprisingly), that some people just go to Survivor for a great experience and the opportunity to make friendships. At the same time, he succinctly made the point that one can play the game concurrently with developing friendships and having a great experience. I tended not to like Jonathan before; this week I liked him better. He was sensible and decent with a teammate who came across as frizzy-headed both inside and outside the skull, if I may say so, with all due respect to Jessica's sweet and gentle, don't-wanna-hurt-nobody spirit. When Jessica gets Pagonged, she will have deserved it for not recognizing and acting upon her powerless status in the game.
Whether you liked what happened this week or didn't like it depends entirely on whether you like the YBJC alliance. If they're the good guys, you're happy. If you prefer the underdogs, you're bummed. Yes, I've been reading Christopher Wright's Tribal Warfare: Survivor and the Political Unconscious of Reality Television. (Available on Amazon.com.) This episode was another classic in what Wright describes regarding the haves and the have-nots in Survivor and in the real world. The "haves" take charge, and the "have-nots" let them. Cao Boi and Jessica tonight gave up their only chance to be part of a 5-4 majority. They are going to let themselves get picked off, when Candice returns from E. I. , which is the way it almost always goes. The have-nots go along long enough to get themselves done-in. There might be a smart one or two who sees it (Ozzy here, likely), but there is nothing that can be done, because the have-nots don't stick together. They look up to the powerful people, and then they get had.
Cao Boi's analysis that "Becky's a princess out here" was interesting, but the princess has her prince to protect her, and Cao Boi's got... problems. The next ticket home?
Two incidental notes:
First, we have an interesting new sponsor -- Quiznos! Will there be a reward challenge in which the winners get meaty subs? I remember on our season that Willard worried that we'd be sponsored by Dad's dog food and have puppy chow for a reward.
Second, I used to have the distinction of being the only Survivor to hold 19th place in a game. Now I share that honor with Billy! I am so glad he is the kind of guy who knows how to feel the love when it flows so easily from a warm white woman. I trust that Billy and I may meet and be some kinda friends some day! Here's to you, my man Billy! I'm sending you some love! Yeah, seriously. I imagine this has been hard for you, and I care. I know how bad 19th feels! And being made fun of!
Finally -- this weekend is the "VISIONS OF REALITY" benefit for World Vision in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, just west of Toronto. There'll be about a dozen Survivors there helping to raise money to support needy children in third world countries. I've supported two children through World Vision consistently since the 1980's. Some of them are grown now, and I've taken on new ones as earlier children matured out of the program. My current boys are Misheck in Malawi and Markose in Ethiopia. I can't feed all the starving children in Africa, but I know that two of them get decent food and an education because I care. We all have to do our part. Anyway, I'll be in Stratford this weekend. Check it out at www.visionsofreality.org, and come see me and Scout and Bruce and Twila and Tina and Jolanda and Kim and Jake and Ken and Cirie and Melinda and more. If you're anywhere in the vicinity, you can visit with us on Saturday, bowl with us Saturday night, hear our stories on Sunday morning, get some great Survivor memorabilia at the auction, and contribute to a great cause at the same time. Hope to meet some of you there!
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