1. The episode where the tribes swap members, never really disappoints. It adds a new layer to the game and while I have always adopted the position of not endorsing any twists in the game, I can admit that it does make for entertaining television. I think the primary reason for this is that it takes the show back to its ultimate root level which depicts the interaction between strangers who would otherwise never cross paths. We know that the favorites tribe have all met before at various finale parties and other charity events so it was quite refreshing to see them try and make in-roads with the fans who they didn’t know.
2. The best part of the episode, for me, was in the preview for tonight’s episode. There has been a fascinating foreshadow of the relationship between Malcolm and Reynold. Save for a couple, they almost have had a showdown in every challenge up to this point and it’s clear that the rules of athletic bro-code dictate that they were destined to align in the game. Also, don’t forget that Malcolm is the loosest member of the “Stealth R Us” alliance. He didn’t have a chance to meet any of the other favorite tribe members at events since his previous season was the one directly before this. As a result, he truly doesn’t owe them any kind of loyalty.
3. If we take the above analysis further, we know that Malcolm has a hidden immunity idol and that Reynold does as well. When you couple that with the fact that we growing closer to a merge where the challenges become individual, they could impose a Colby Donaldson teaming up with James Clement type threat. Who could beat them? Cochran? Phillip?
4. While we finally started to see more of Corinne, I really believe she and Brenda have been shown the least this season. What shocks me about that fact is that they are two of the characters that fans have wanted to see play again for years. I have been trying to decipher the root cause of this, and the only thing that I can come up with is that they are not the true decision-makers on their tribe and simply pawns in the strategy of others. I hope that isn’t the case. Am I wrong?
5. I love Erik Reichenbach, but why does he seem like he is in a state of perpetual hibernation this season?
6. Anyone missing Brandon?
7. I was all about Phillip’s strategy of doling out ‘Stealth’ nicknames to the entire Favorites tribe as I could see the logic in getting them to feel like they were all part of one unit. With that being said, I do think assigning them to the fans was a bit much.
8. I was quite disappointed to see Matt leave. I thought he was a great character and clearly was a fan of the show. With that being said, I really enjoyed the fact that his departure was the first one that you didn’t expect going into tribal council. This season has been quite predictable and it was nice to have an episode that wasn’t for once. Hopefully that trend continues.
9. Isn’t it amazing that no one sees Dawn as a threat? Could an argument be made that she is playing an even better game than Sherri is? While I love what Sherri has been doing so far, everyone is on to her. Dawn seems like she is more of the silent puppetmaster. And no, I never, ever thought that I would describe Dawn as being a puppetmaster at anything but a children’s birthday party.
10. I wish Boston Rob was on this season.
