Well that was wild. I don’t know how I can start anywhere but tonight’s Tribal Council. After all, part of the journey is the end.
Yes, we’re in Avengers: Endgame gif time. Just a couple weeks away now, will definitely try to pepper (no pun intended, Pepper Potts sucks) in as many Endgame related gifs as I can. I won’t force them in, but if they work, they’ll be there. Okay, sure, the wording for this one might have been forced. But let’s just ignore that and move on.
Tribal Council
Just a fair warning, I’ve watched rewatched Tribal twice since it aired, and I’m still having a hard keeping everything completely straight. I did my best to hit the highlights and keep things straight, but my apologies if anything here is disjointed or any moment was overlooked.
Going into Tribal, David and Wentworth seemed like the likeliest of targets. Okay, David technically only had half an idol, but whatever, semantics. But before we really get into the details of what went down, we need to address my guy Rick Devens. David was telling everyone about his time back at camp, where he saw some minnows and a shark, all while taking a poop. Probst asks if Devens feels more like a minnow or a shark, and Devens responds, “I might be the poop.” This man is the best, a national treasure. And once again, another quote that would have made a far better title than what the producers landed on.
I don’t normally (have never?) awarded an MVP for a given episode. I certainly don’t think I’ve ever ever named someone LVP. But Julia, my goodness. This was a masterclass in what not to do. Before the madness even started, Julia, when prompted by a question from Jeff, volunteered the info that she had assured Wentworth that their plan was still on.
After a bit more conversation, Devens jumps into action. “Just throwing this out there. It seems there is a really strong Kama group that doesn’t want us messing with them, and then we have 5 Lesu and 2 Kamas that have been left out. That’s 7 people and we can do whatever we want.”
And then the following brief exchange is another tough look for Julia.
Julia: “I thought you guys were so dysfunctional that you would never work together again. So how is Rick throwing out this plan where all of a sudden Lesu would go back together?”
Devens: “No, I think Aurora threw it out, I’m just on board.”
Julia: “That’s just asinine to me. You’re such a passenger, Rick.”
Julia (albeit a little later): “Rick, you’re paranoid because you’re not part of any of the many plans that are formed here tonight.” Yikes. You’re confirming many plans? Cementing in the fact that you’re double dipping is not great. Most people likely assume it, but to hear it confirmed is something on an entirely different level.
And it’s here where we get a truly “live” Tribal. Everyone is getting up, walking around, and talking. It’s honestly hard to cover it all. We see a fantastic shot of Wentworth confirming David (to David) as the original target. And then they instantly decide to work together. Julia tries to keep Julie in line, who then proclaims, “I don’t have Kama control! I’m ready to jump ship! I’m ready to jump ship!” She literally runs to join the Lesu.
Eventually everything settles down and the players go back to their seats. Wardog wants to get on with the vote, but Julia seemingly can’t help herself tonight, responding, “Shut up, Wardog.”
But then there is more discussion, and David and Devens speak with Jeff about how live the Tribal is. And I have to agree, it’s certainly the most live one I can remember ever seeing. What makes these live Tribals so great is that they’re such a break from the norm. Usually the vote is set and decided before Tribal starts. Jeff asks his questions, and a discussion ensues, but the vote rarely changes once Tribal has begun. But here? I feel like it changed multiple times.
And what makes it even better than that? I don’t think one single person had Julia who walked into Tribal Council planning to vote for Julia. But she managed to talk her way out of her safe position. And not only that, but it was a landslide. Every single person (well, except for Aurora; tough look) voted for her. That to me might be the craziest thing about this whole insanity. She was literally 100% safe. Or, at least as safe as one can be in Survivor. Yet in the end, she was the consensus vote. She brought warring factions together to take her out of the game. It’s actually kind of impressive?
In other news, David and Devens play their idol for David, which negated an entire one vote. As dumb as it looks in hindsight, it’s hard to really blame them for doing it. David knew he was the initial target, and a lot happened on the fly. I’m sure he didn’t feel completely safe. How could he? I thought there was a chance Wentworth might play hers. Just with all the chaos and back and forth, it would be easy to not feel totally confident in the agreements they all made. But she tends to have a good feel for what’s happening in the game, so I’m not surprised she ultimately made the right choice.
Other Things Happened Too
As that very creative heading tells us, yes there were indeed other parts of this episode. And just like Tribal took up a huge chunk of the episode, it likewise takes up a good amount of the recap. So I’ll just run through some quick hits before saying goodbye.
- While it ran long, I actually liked, well, maybe appreciated is more appropriate, the intro with Eric at Extinction Island. He brought up a good point that, unless I’m forgetting something, hasn’t been mentioned yet. Obviously we’ve been inundated with how boring life on the Edge is, but when you combine that with the “I Quit” mast staring you in the face, I can see how it might be tempting to consider calling it quits.
- Wardog was really feeling himself after last week’s vote. He definitely has some soonish qualities, but he’s grown on me as the season’s gone on. I think he might be able to continue making some noise.
- We got a very different Ron this week. Obviously it can’t ever be fun to go from the top power position to the bottom. But Ron was a shell of his former self, completely dejected. How (or maybe if) he’s able to move forward will go a long way in determining how he finishes the game.
- I hope Julie gets a bounce back episode next week. She had a tough go of it and it would be nice to see her get a moment or two to shine.
- Yay, another balance challenge…
- After a less-than-solid showing last week, Rick could be on the come up. Hopefully he won’t get too big for his britches after his big moment this week, but he seems to have significantly improved his position.
