Photo: Robert Voets/CBS
“It would be stupid if we made an alliance, gave it a name, bandied the name about, talked about ourselves being warriors, and then chickened out at the last second.” — Benjamin “Coach” Wade,Survivor: Tocantins
This week onSurvivor,the David tribe loses the immunity challenge, and is offered a classicSurvivorconundrum. With Pat pulled from the game, the tribe feels like it needs to stay strong. The loudest voices quickly settle on Lyrsa as the weakest link.
But what’s allegedly good for the tribe isn’t always good for each tribe member.
“When you hear your best buddy’s name thrown out, you’re not going to just sit idly and do nothing. You’ve gotta get into gear,” says Elizabeth. Elizabeth wins the Fishy this week for shifting the vote off her ally Lyrsa and eliminating Jessica instead.
When Elizabeth hears that Lyrsa is the target, her first instinct is to try to vote out Carl. But she realizes that the tribe will never vote out a strong male, and suggests Jessica instead. The first step to having your plan adopted is knowing who the tribe will actually vote for.
Erik Reichenbach
And as Lyrsa notes, Jessica is the link between Carl and Bi. I’m a big fan of targeting the social connectors. Loyalty onSurvivoris typically to individuals rather than to groups. With one key person gone, an alliance can fall apart.
Do I think Elizabeth is being self-consciously manipulative when she gives Christian a giant embrace immediately before telling him she’s upended the strategy? I do not. She seems like a genuinely caring person. But asGuatemala’sRafe Judkins once said, “Your character is your strategy.” Elizabeth’s caring nature helps sell the plan.
I also like how Elizabeth makes her pitch. It’s not “What do you think about getting out Jessica?” or “How would you feelifwe changed things.” She leads with “We just changed things.” The change is already done. You can get on board or you can be left behind.
Christian loops in Nick, and then from being the obvious boot, Lyrsa suddenly controls a five vote majority. That’s how fastSurvivorcan change.
While Elizabeth wins the Fishy for being the prime mover, this episode also shows how decisions never really come down to one person. It’s always a network of alliances, a push-and-pull between every person on the beach exerting their influence. It’s a mixture of strategy, paranoia, and random chance.
Each person has their own web of reasons for agreeing to the plan, and recruiting others.
“Play with you?” Christian asks. “Oh, in the sand?” Then he offers his hand for her sand game.
“No, I don’t bond with Jess at all!”
Christian seems like a nice guy. (Such a David). And he also manages to let his kindness and awkwardness serve as a mask for his brilliant strategic brain. “I am surprised how fast things change,” he says. “But I’m encouraged that things move so fast, that I feel like a hyper-frenetic person like me is the ideal person to handle it all.”
Christian pulls Nick along with him as part of the Mason-Dixon alliance. Nick deserves a ton of credit this episode. When we left him last week, he was the tribe’s de facto boot. But adaptability is the most importantSurvivorskill. If you can recognize how people perceive you and change accordingly, you’re set up to do very well.
At Tribal Council, Jessica is practically giggling about her big move. “I think the way of the game isn’t — wait until tribal council to start playing,” she tells Lyrsa.
But that’s the thing aboutSurvivor. Everybody’s hustling from the moment they hit the shore. If you don’t know what somebody else’s game plan is, then you very well may be their target.
Goliaths
Jeremy: “Here’s the issue. I’m not a psychologist, and I’m not getting paid for this. There’s a lack of self-awareness.”
Natalie: “Okay, so let me stop you there. I feel like I get along with everybody.”
Jeremy: “Why do you feel you get along with everybody?”
Natalie: “Because I do.”
Jeremy: “Lack of self-awareness would be …”
Natalie: “You don’t have to define that for me. Is that all?”
Survivoris at its best when people are completely themselves, and Natalie Cole is 100 percent herself. As Jeremy says, “She’s been married 24 years. That means somebody loves her as she is. That means she’s not making any changes.”
“How is the oldest person in the damn tribe the biggest threat?” Natalie asks. “You guys are playing like a bunch of amateurs and a bunch of Davids.”
A bunch of Davids. The ultimate burn.
Natalie is actually making a strong argument. She’s using her age as a virtue, pitching herself as somebody who isn’t threatening and therefore isn’t worth eliminating. And why should Natalie wait for John to give her the go-ahead to save herself? Make the case now and let it marinate. If Natalie just waited to scramble before tribal council, it could be too late.
David vs. Goliath
I want to take a moment to once again praise the storytelling of this season. It’s only episode two, and I can already name a key alliance for literally every character on the show. Tell me a recent season where that’s been true. If the show can keep up this balanced, engaging editing,David vs. Goliathcould be a heavy-hitter.
Survivor: David vs. Goliathairs Wednesdays (8 p.m. ET) on CBS.
source: people.com
