BrainDead SE01 EP02 - "Playing Politics: Living Life in the Shadow of the Budget Showdown – A Critique"

Episode Name: Playing Politics: Living Life in the Shadow of the Budget Showdown – A Critique

Original Airdate: June 20, 2016

After a recap of last episode is sung to us, we're pretty much where we left off.

The space insects have infested multiple houses, and are moving into Laurel's apartment. She attempts to ward them off with typical bug spray, but to no avail - they just keep coming. Concerned, but having more important things on her mind then insects, she goes to work. Waiting for her is FBI Agent Anthony Onofrio, who wants to ask her a few questions about the incident with Daudier. Aside from the fact that his head exploded, Laurel really doesn't know much. She's pretty certain, though, that it wasn't from a gunshot (one of the EMT's claims they heard a gun firing), and she's almost positive it wasn't because the driver is of Middle Eastern descent. Onofrio gives her his card, and lets her know that should she remember and/or learn anything, to contact him.

Agent Onofrio

While not many constituents are in the office, Laurel rejects her brother's offer to go back home. He has a Democratic caucus meeting to attend, the first since they lost the majority in the Senate (and as Senator Healy's the party Whip, he is expected to be in the hotseat). He is - he's blamed by many for losing Senator Spitz to the Republican Party. Luke is backed up by a fellow Democratic Senator, and instead of blaming him and questioning his position as party Whip, they plan to fight the Republicans. After the meeting, however, the Senator in question tells Luke that if he has some plan, he best get on it, as she can only keep the rest of the members at bay for so long. As Spitz was offered a lot to switch to the Republican Party, Luke states that he'll find the Republican who was pushed aside and bring him over to the Democrats.

Unnamed Democratic Senator (left) standing up for Healy

One of the few constituents, Annie, a young girl with cancer, is trying to raise money for awareness by posing in front of twenty national monuments in twenty days with her father's help. The problem is, because of the shutdown, they're unable to take a picture in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Laurel promises to bring it up to the Senator and do what she can. Luke mostly blows off the request, but does offer to look into it if Laurel can meet up with Gareth and find out which Republican was pushed aside to make room for Spitz.

Annie and her father

Luke convincing Laurel to get information from Gareth

During the meeting, Gareth doesn't apologize, as he feels he did nothing wrong - Senator Wheatus simply changed his mind on helping end the shutdown. He does, however, invite Laurel to the Tax Prom, a prom-type party run by tax lobbyists. After an appearance on a political show, Wheatus offers to end the shutdown if Luke meets him for a meeting the next morning, which he agrees to do.

Meanwhile, chess player Gustav noticed a friend of his is bleeding from his ear. Despite getting him to a hospital, his friend's head explodes, splattering brain matter on his shirt and leaving him in shock. At home, he researches exploding head syndrome, but finding that one's head doesn't actually explode from it. He decides to record some of the brain matter left on his shirt to see if he can learn anything. After some time, he captures footage of a small insect exiting the brain.

Gustav playing chess

Gustav's now-deceased friend

At the Tax Prom, Laurel runs into two former friends - a photographer Stacie, and Abby, who months ago won a grant to write a novel, but now is working for a right-wing organization Help America Rise Again, confounding both Stacie and Laurel. Stacie suggests that the three of them have a girl's night out, get Abby drunk (as she has also stopped drinking), and have fun like they used to, which Laurel agrees with.

Stacie, Laurel's friend

Abby, another of Laurel's old friends

First comes her time with Gareth, though. They poke fun at each other for their respective political beliefs, Laurel eventually saying that D.C. just makes people cynical and former shells of themselves. Gareth gets a call, and taking the opportunity, overhears him talking to Wheatus about at Republican who was screwed over by Spitz. Laurel copies the number down, calls it, and finds that Senator Barneki is the Republican in question. Immediately, she gives this information to her brother.

Laurel and Gareth

Rochelle Daudier, daughter of the poor individual last episode whose head exploded, meets with Laurel as one of the constituents. She's a resident at Mount Vernon hospital, and states that her father's autopsy claimed a fake cause of death. Laurel confirms that her father's head did explode, and is surprised to learn that this happened the day before to another man. Rochelle shows her the two ct scans performed on this man, and shapes inside the brain appear to have moved. She brings this information to Agent Onofrio, who tells her that he'll look into it.

Rochelle Daudier

Laurel speaking with Agent Onofrio

The meeting between Wheatus and Healy doesn't go well - Republicans offer to end the shutdown if Democrats agree to cut spending on Education, Commerce, and Energy. Healy believes the offer to be insane, and suggests they use it against them. Using Annie as a symbol of the damage of the shutdown, Democrats, and Luke Healy in particular, try to embarrass the Republicans.

Girls' night with Laurel, Stacie, and Abby doesn't go well either. Upon questioning Abby on her choice to give up the writing grant and work for Help America Rise Again, she shoots back at Laurel for not finishing a single documentary since college and having a rich, Senator brother to make her life easier. She leaves prematurely after scolding Laurel, leaving Stacie and Laurel quite confused.

Laurel and Stacie

Abby, Laurel and Stacie

Happy that he's able to commit Republican Senator Barneki to switching parties, Luke again sleeps with Scarlett. She's obviously uncomfortable, though, which Luke notices, and decides to leave before Scarlett's able to infect him with the alien insects.

Senator Luke Healy and Scarlett

The next day, Republicans uncover some damaging information about Annie's father (the fact he's an atheist, for one) and the news airs it, along with an interview with Senator Barneki, who talks about how desperate the Democratic Party is to end the shutdown by offering information about what he was offered to switch parties, embarrassing the Democratic Party. Laurel learns that Barneki's number that Gareth wrote down was simply a ploy to see if she'd try to get him to switch. Because of the recent fiascos, Healy is removed from the Democratic Whip position.

At night, Laurel is able to convince a guard to let Annie and her father into see the Lincoln Memorial, and after reading a portion of the Gettysburg Address, feels inspired. She finds photos online from Gustav of the bugs on a conspiracy website, and decides to contact him. Before she can, Abby calls and offers for Laurel to come over for some tea. Laurel takes a raincheck, but lets her know that when she has time, she'll come over. After hanging up, we see that Stacie is over at Abby's, locked in the bathroom. As the space insects start pouring into the room, Abby plays "You Might Think" loudly to block out the screams.

Laurel and Annie gazing upon the Lincoln Memorial

Stacie, locked in Abby's bathroom, about to be infested by insects

I enjoyed the first episode of the series - it was pretty fun and rather amusing at parts. And luckily, the trend continues.

BrainDead is turning out to be quite a quirky show. The recap of the previous episode done in song? I certainly hope that they keep doing that, because while at first it took me for an unpleasant, tacky surprise, upon re-watching it, I think it fits the tone of this series rather nicely. I'm unsure if any past recaps have been done in song form, but it certainly seems a moderately unique technique.

Things are heating up in Washington. Those infected by the alien insects are far more partisan and uncompromising than they were before, and it's getting ugly. Attacking Annie for having an atheist father is certainly not beyond the Republican Party, but Senator Wheatus' utter unwillingness to end the shutdown unless the Democratic Party chooses to cut Education, Commerce, and Energy is, like Luke Healy said, "insane." What's the aim of these alien organisms? I don't know if they even have one, but right now, it's not overly clear.

What's also not clear at this moment is why some people, once infected with the insects, meet their death by exploding head, while others assimilate, quit drinking alcohol and start a fruit juice diet. At first, I thought it was just making people more partisan to their political beliefs, and those who had their head blow up were apolitical/had no political beliefs. But Doctor Daudier was sure to have at least some political ideas regarding scientific spending, and more to the point, Abby, Laurel's old friend, seemed to be a girl with few inhibitions and little to no interest in politics, and yet, here she is, working for Help America Rise Again, a right-wing organization, and more so, she's spouting off support for Trump. So obviously, my "politically neutral heads reject aliens by exploding" theory has been shown to be wrong. We'll see what happens to Stacie following her infestation, but it's not clear to me why some people take to this and others don't.

But let's look into some individual characters. Laurel's relationship with Gareth has hit quite the snag in this episode - I expected Gareth to be one of Laurel's partners in discovering the truth behind these aliens, but at the moment, it's looking less likely, especially with new characters such as Rochelle Daudier and Gustav Triplett being introduced. Rochelle I'm less sure about insofar as future importance of the show, but Gustav seems to be quite an important character. Laurel reached out to him at the end of this episode, so perhaps she and him will meet up next week and trade information. Regardless, I do think his addition is an interesting and important dynamic moving forward.

Back to Laurel, though. She's becoming the conniving, backstabbing person that personifies exactly what she hates about politics. Even though she's not infected, in a way, she's still playing the partisan game she hates. And despite Gareth's generally polite nature, he too is being sucked into backstabbing and tricking others for his Senator's gain. Neither one seems overly happy about this, but can they let go of each others' slights and work together? Over time, I do think that's likely, but insofar as the next episode's concerned, I'm thinking that Gareth will be on the backburner.

Another character who's place in the show I'm not yet sure about is Agent Onofrio. Despite his comments early in the episode about Daudier's exploding head being linked to potential terrorism, he seems like he genuinely wants to help and is interested in the information that Laurel brings to him. What he'll do with this new-found information isn't yet clear - he is still an FBI agent, after all. Still, he seems like a positive character, and while he's rather one-dimensional at the moment, perhaps over the time of this series, he'll grow into almost a hero-type character.

Luke's becoming more and more unbearable, by design, I'd think. He's the typical politician who cares more about his position in the party than he does the struggles that other people go through. He did avoid being infected this episode, though I expect he won't be able to avoid it for long. He was never going to be one of the focus characters, and once he gets infected, than Laurel will really need to figure out what's going on. Infecting a friend who Laurel's not seen in awhile is one thing, but Luke would be much more close to home.

I'm not sure where this show is planning on going, which is a good feeling. While I expect Gareth to be an important player down the road, who's to say that he doesn't get infected next episode? Wherever this show takes us, I do think it's going to be quite the exciting and sometimes suspenseful ride. 

The pilot set this show up well, and luckily, at least based off this episode, things are still going pretty good. Hope to hear "You Might Think" more as the series goes on, though. Until the end came along, I almost thought it'd be absent. It's just a small touch in a quirky series.

Rating: Above Average

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Survivor: Borneo SE01 EP10 - "Crack in the Alliance"

Episode Name: Crack in the Alliance
Original Airdate: August 2, 2000

Below are the remaining contestants.

Rattana:

Sean - Doctor

Gervase - Youth basketball coach

Kelly - River guide

Colleen - College student

Rudy - Retired Navy Seal

Richard - Corporate trainer

Susan - Truck driver

Susan's pleased that Jenna's been voted off - she talked too much, and the quiet really makes Susan happy. Related, Gervase is sure that there's an alliance, as it's only been former Pagong members voted off since the Merge. On the other hand, Sean's not 100% sure there is an alliance - he's not been asked to partake in one, and while he admits it's possible, he isn't entirely sure of one's existence.

However, Sean does decide to quit voting alphabetically. He realizes that people just piggybacked off of his vote, making it easier to vote certain people off. From now on, he'll vote in his own best interest. 

Because of Richard's arrogance and cockiness, Gervase and Colleen wanted Richard gone at the last vote - in fact, they still do now. Richard's aware that there are those against him, and so decides to catch less fish, and wait until there are just four people left until he goes all-out on providing food. For now, however, he'll catch the minimum fish necessary. Susan is told this plan, and she agrees with Richard - he shouldn't be bothered by feeding the mouths of people who don't appreciate it.

Susan explains via confessional that she's trying to play the part of a "dumb redneck," in hopes that her tribe mates will underestimate her and more so, people will be willing to speak to her about their plans, such as Richard. She speaks to Kelly, and offers to help Kelly take out Richard once they get to the final three (apparently, they believe that Rudy will be taken out at four). Part of Susan's trust of Kelly comes from the fact she reminds her of a friend she lost long ago, and she states in a confessional that she will not "fuck her" (obviously bleeped out).

Susan explaining her roll as "dumb redneck."

The Tribe gets word that Gervase's fourth child has been born - he receives a celebratory cigar. This spurs conversation about Gervase's relationships and the fact that he's not married yet to the child's mother, something that Susan and Colleen can sympathize with, but Rudy disagrees on, claiming that children "born out of wedlock" and without a family unit are the causes for half of the problems the country has.

The Reward challenge is one of balance - in three legs, tribe members must carefully balance themselves as they walk across bamboo poles. By the end, Richard and Gervase remain, with Gervase winning quite easily. The reward is two-fold - 1) a hot slice of pizza, and 2) a call home to whoever he wants. Gervase shares the pizza slice with the tribe, and is told that early the next morning, he'll be able to make his phone call (as it's 3:00 a.m. in New Jersey at the time).

Reward challenge

On the 29th day, tribe members ponder the fact they've been on the island for almost a month, along with further discussions of Gervase's choice to not marry his child's mother. Gervase, meanwhile, talks to his girlfriend via the phone call, and finds that everyone is doing well. The game can't stay paused forever, though, as Richard and Susan talk about the strength of their alliance, Richard still believing that Kelly is with them, though admit it's possible she's not.

Gervase talking to girlfriend

Gervase's girlfriend and newborn child

Kelly confesses that she never wanted to be part of an alliance, as she sees them as "conniving, dirty, and untrue to herself." Gervase sees this struggle she's going through, and hopes that she gets out of the alliance and fully gets behind former Pagong members. Kelly likens her deal with Richard as a "deal with the devil," and claims she is officially leaving the alliance. Colleen, like Gervase, notices Kelly is on shaky ground, and hopes too that she leaves the Tagi Four.

The Immunity challenge revolves around who can build a fire quickest to burn some rope, releasing a flag. Gervase has problems keeping his torch lit, and really, the only person with quick success is Richard, who wins immunity seemingly without too much competition.

Richard watching his rope catch fire

Sean offers to get into an alliance with Gervase and Colleen, if, and only if, they can pull Kelly over and make it a sure thing. Richard is concerned still that Kelly has switched over, and muses that tonight will be an interesting Tribal Council.

Jeff asks, at Tribal Council, about Sean's now-aborted alphabet strategy. Kelly states that she's voting off those who are competition and those who are pissing her off. Susan likens the alliance that exists on Rattana to lobbyists helping politicians, and defends the idea of alliances, and specifically, defends the existence of the Tagi alliance.

The vote count, with those who voted in brackets:

Gervase: 5 [Susan, Richard, Rudy, Sean, Kelly]

Sean: 2 [Gervase, Colleen]

Gervase after his torch is snuffed

We have some potentially major developments this time around, mainly surrounding Susan, Sean, and Kelly.

Susan's playing the role of a dumb redneck so people will underestimate her, and you know what? I think it's been working. I've thought for a little while that Susan was probably the second most dangerous player on the island, and this further confirms that. More so, I firmly believe that Susan will stick with Kelly to the final two - Susan's not one to get emotional during confessionals, but she started almost breaking down when discussing the friend she lost years back, and how Kelly reminds her of that friend. Susan won't screw Kelly over. It just won't happen. If her deal with Kelly to go to the final two after throwing out Richard works, she could very well end up the winner.

Same could be said for Kelly, though, also. She's definitely more friendly with former members of Pagong, and as they'd make up a good portion of the Jury, she may be able to rely on their votes, and if she can get Sean to vote for her, then it's possible Kelly could win just as much as Susan. That's, of course, assuming they make it to the final two, which is far from guaranteed, though I do think that if Kelly sticks with Susan, the two of them have a fair chance.

I honestly can't tell what's on Kelly's mind - one minute, she's claiming she's done with alliances and the next, she votes with her (former?) alliance to take Gervase out. Was she simply playing the former Pagong members? Since she stated in private confessionals how conniving alliances seem to her, it seems unlikely. Really, I think Kelly's just confused. She seems back with the Tagi Four now (Richard doesn't seem all that concerned like I thought he'd be, but perhaps he has a plan), but given her past (her vote for Sean last episode being the biggest warning sign), I wouldn't trust her whatsoever.

I think it's a positive sign that Sean's quitting his alphabet strategy, but it's a bit late. He's unlikely to get in with the Tagi Four at this point (unless Kelly completely jumps ship), and even if he somehow managed to do so, he'd likely be the the first person voted out upon reaching the Final Four. I simply don't see a path forward for him whatsoever, entirely by his doing.

Gervase was originally going to be voted out last Tribal Council, but the vote was switched to Jenna, mostly, I'm guessing, because Sean was vocally planning on voting for Jenna. It probably wouldn't have made much of a difference, though. Despite Kelly's apparent flakiness, she stuck with the Tagi alliance this episode, and Sean did also (though he probably did it more for himself then for the alliance), and as such, Jenna, Gervase, and Colleen were screwed from the beginning.

And really, that's where we are. Richard has a good hold on the game, as does Susan, and I don't think at this point Kelly can really undermine the Tagi Four. If Kelly sticks with them, then Colleen and Sean are gone next. After that? Well, I'd be surprised if Rudy pulled out a win, so really, it's down to Kelly, Susan, and Richard. Any of the three could realistically win - I'm rooting for Richard (he is arrogant, as Colleen and Gervase has said, but at the moment, he has perfect reason to be), but I wouldn't be averse to a victory by Susan. Kelly winning would leave a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, though.

Gervase didn't play that great a game. He constantly didn't do work around camp, and in confessionals, gloated about that, stating that his charm and personality got him by. And on Pagong, it did. He and Joel were best buds, and for the most part, he got along with the other members well also (aside from, of course, B.B.). But Survivor's a cutthroat game, and Gervase didn't have it in him to play like that. When Joel tried to get his tribe to form an alliance once they got to the Merge, what did Gervase do? He voted for Susan, when no other Pagong member did so. Afterwards, he tried to pull something together, but who does his alliance gun for? Not Rudy. Not Susan. No, they went after Sean, who was supposed to vote with them, giving the Tagi Four an advantage anyway. So no, Gervase wasn't a great player, nor was he particularly good. Nice enough guy, but it's good to see a less serious player kicked off so we can now see what happens with those who really want it.

As for Colleen, well, she's a sweet girl. But she was terribly naive coming into this game, and I think next episode, unless she wins immunity (in which case, Sean's gone), she'll be eaten alive. One last note - Rudy's really a blast from the past. Using the phrase "out of wedlock"? Almost unthinkable. Rudy's a fun guy, in an awkward way, but unless he somehow falls into the final two, I don't believe he has much of a chance.

As aforementioned, right now, the game's Susan's, Richard's, or Kelly's to win. The other three don't have an inkling of a path to victory.

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Survivor: Borneo SE01 EP09 - "Old and New Bonds"

Episode Name: Old and New Bonds
Original Airdate: July 26, 2000

Below are the remaining contestants.

Rattana:

Sean - Doctor

Gervase - Youth basketball coach

Kelly - River guide

Colleen - College student

Rudy - Retired Navy Seal

Richard - Corporate trainer

Jenna - College student

Susan - Truck driver

Among themselves, Susan and Richard joke about Jeff asking whether an alliance has been formed at last night's Tribal Council, Richard saying that it's "essential that you lie" in this game. Colleen's amazed that people are outright lying, and later says that she's believes on of the members of the secret alliance will win the game. Insofar as alliances are concerned, though, Kelly's close to her breaking point. She thinks alliances are "stupid and crazy." "If we stick with it," Kelly states, referring to the Tagi Four, "it's just like lining lambs to for the slaughter. We know who goes next. That's no fun." Kelly doesn't like the alliance she's a part of anymore, and wants to win the game "on her own."

Richard catches around 20 pounds of fish, further cementing his safe status in Rattana (though Richard believes the reason he's staying out there is not because of the fish, but because he is bright). Sean observes that he's in a very good strategic position, and claims that he doesn't really do much work out there, beside bring in fish. Everyone's good cheer is brought to an end when Rudy accidentally burns the fish, infuriating Richard.

The burnt fish

The Reward challenge is a gruelling rope-net course, pictured below. It's certainly worth fighting for, however, as the reward is both an old-fashioned American barbecue (also pictured below) and a letter from home. Jenna is of course excited, as she missed out on her video last episode, but excitement doesn't do it. Colleen wins, and is given the right to pick a second person to eat with, and of course, receive a letter from home, so without hesitation, she chooses Jenna.

The rope course

A portion of the award

At their dinner, Colleen makes fun of Sean's cluelessness as far as the existence of an alliance goes, and proposes that she and Jenna do something to break the alliance up. Jenna's all for it, knowing that they could get Gervase to their side. Who else they could bring over isn't discussed.

Colleen talking to Jenna about forming an alliance

Day 27 is upon us, and it's Richard's 39th birthday. As he wanted to months ago, he celebrates his birthday nude, bothering multiple members of Rattana, including Jenna, Rudy, Sean, and Colleen, who believes he's doing it purely for "shock value." After the clue for the Immunity challenge, Sean discusses how winning immunity gives contestants an out insofar as his alphabetical strategy's concerned - Gervase won immunity last episode, and Sean passed over him. Sean sees this as adding a new element to the game, and lets Jenna know that while she's next, if she wins immunity, she's out of the rotation. Gervase sees this whole strategy of Sean's as completely idiotic.

Richard celebrating his birthday in nude

Jenna, Kelly, and Colleen reading Immunity challenge clue

Sean explaining his alphabet strategy to tribe

The challenge is a pretty fun one, which values foresight and intelligence above physical ability. By the end, Rudy is able to claim immunity, dooming Jenna to at least one (vocal) vote from Sean.

Five members left

Gervase, Sean, and Rudy facing off

Jenna, Colleen, and Gervase form an alliance, reasoning that while they tried to play nice to begin with, it's not getting them anywhere. And who would the fourth member of this alliance be? Well, Kelly's been hanging out with Jenna and Colleen much more, even going as far as dressing like them. Colleen notes that this is good for them, as if Kelly's unsure of where her loyalties lie, maybe she would come over and vote with them. Susan tries to remind Kelly that the Tagi Four is a solid and safe alliance, and that math is on their side. Richard's even worried that Kelly will switch over, while Rudy's worried that the three younger women are lesbians.

Kelly, Jenna, and Colleen dressing alike

Gervase wants Richard gone, as the longer he's here, the more fish he'll catch and the more untouchable he'll be. Colleen and Jenna agree, and the swing vote falls on Kelly, who admits her important role this decision.

Jeff, at Tribal Council, reminds us that everyone voted off from last episode forward are members of the jury, who will decide the winner out of the final two. As the jury needs information to make this decision, they will be allowed to observe Tribal Council, and so Greg does just that, silently sitting to the side and watching the processions move forward.

Asked about his alphabet strategy, Sean replies that is is strategic, even going as far as to say that former Pagong members are alphabetically before former Tagi members. At the same time, he thinks that Jenna's a safe vote, and if he felt that she was in danger, he would vote for someone else. Susan bluntly states that Sean's an "idiot," and lacks the balls to make a decision and vote someone he thinks deserving out. "I don't have a malicious bone in my body," Sean retorts, which does little for Susan, as everyone came in knowing that they'd have to vote people out.

Sean explaining his strategy to Jeff

Susan and Sean bickering over Sean's "lack of balls."

The vote count, with those who voted in brackets:

Jenna: 4 [Rudy, Sean, Richard, Susan]

Richard: 3 [Gervase, Jenna, Colleen]

Sean: 1 [Kelly]

J for Jenna - Jenna's torch is snuffed

Sean's reaction to the vote

I'll focus most of my analysis on Kelly, Sean, and the Tagi Three (or is Sean an official member now? He wouldn't even know), as Gervase and Colleen are about as done as you can be.

Kelly, who we knew was wishy-washy for a few episodes now, has finally done it - she left the Tagi Four. Well, sort of. She still allowed the Tagi Four to vote off Jenna, and refused to tie the vote by voting Richard, so really, it doesn't do much good for her. In fact, I think she made one of the most idiotic choices I've seen this whole game. Sean's alphabet strategy is stupid (and I'll get to that later), don't get me wrong, but as Sean is stupid also, it makes sense. Kelly, though, understands the alliance, and she clearly sees how it would work (the Tagi Four constantly gang up on the other members and lead them like lambs to the slaughter), but she doesn't like it because "it's not fun."

Kelly had two acceptable choices, as far as I could tell. Either stick with the Tagi Four and vote off Jenna 5-3 (as Sean still would have voted for her), or switch over with Colleen, Gervase, and Jenna to tie the vote for Richard. Two acceptable choices; Kelly chose neither. There were two paths in front of her, both leading to a pleasant town, and she jumped into the rugged jungle to make her own way. What an utterly idiotic choice.

I'm not sure how Richard and company will deal with this. Is her place in the alliance still salvageable? It's possible, but if they do get back together and make it to the final four, Kelly's the first one gone, without any doubt. And even if she got with Colleen and Gervase, would they be able to switch Sean over? Sean must know by now that there's an alliance, and more so, that alliance has been following his idiotic voting method and piggybacking off it. Will Sean join with a Gervase/Colleen/Kelly alliance? It's possible, but this is Sean we're talking about, so I'm inclined to say no.

In short, Kelly made a foolish choice tonight. If you have a chance to lead five of your opponents to the slaughter, slowly increasing your chance to win the money, then do so. Richard may be ruthless, as is Susan, but that's the necessary attitude in this game. It's the attitude that Colleen, Gervase, and Kelly, apparently, lack. They may be good people, but they're soft, and in a game like this, that's a death sentence. Will Kelly make a move and fully join with the opposing alliance instead of just throwing her vote away and allowing the Tagi Four to dictate who leaves? I think it depends mostly on Sean.

Sean said so many cringe-worthy things tonight that I don't know where to begin. Right before Tribal Council when he's talking about how his alphabet strategy is adding a new element to the game, and telling Jenna that she's getting his vote, but he's sure she'll be safe. Or maybe during Tribal Council when he claims that there is a rationale behind the way he's voting, and plainly states in front of the whole team that he'll vote for Jenna, but he doesn't think she'll be in any danger. He even admitted that, alphabetically speaking, former-Pagong members come before former-Tagi members, but he doesn't think that Jenna will be voted off. What takes the cake is his voting confessional for Jenna, though, which I'll give verbatim below.

Sean: "Continuing my alphabetic strategy, Jenna, you know I love you, no offense to this, I hope you don't get voted off. I don't think - might have one, or two votes, or something like that, but nothing major, I think. I hope."

There was always a chance that Sean was just a really good liar - he was pretending to be a bumbling fool to throw suspicion off him, and his intention all along was to vote off former Pagong members. But no. This guy's just an idiot. In fact, I'm amazed how idiotic he is. During Tribal Council, he says that he'll be voting for Jenna. Back in episode five, Dirk got voted off with four votes. Two episodes later, Gretchen got voted off with four votes. Next up, Greg got voted off with six votes (Sean and Jenna helped the Tagi Four that time around). And now, he vocally plans to vote off Jenna, and still doesn't think that four more votes will be coming her way?

Sean's unbelievable. What Kelly did was stupid, but Sean's on a whole other level. What more can be said? Susan told us before, and she did so again at Tribal Council. Sean's an idiot.

I'm not sure how the Tagi Three are going to move forward, though I have to guess that Richard has some way to ensure the safety of his allies. It will be easy if Sean keeps to his order and votes for Kelly next - then Richard, Susan, and Rudy can just pile on with him and take out the betrayer. If Sean wises up and actually joins with Kelly and her new Pagong allies? Then the Tagi Four have their work cut out for them.

Truth be told, I'm not worried. Kelly's game is screwed, be it next episode or three down the line. Richard and Susan will never trust her again. And Sean's not going to wander into the final four - it's unthinkable.

Richard's game is going very well, the only wildcard, of course, being Kelly. Colleen sees him as arrogant, and in many ways, she's right. The thing it, it seems a pretty rightful arrogance. From the beginning of the game, Richard had an idea how to move forward, and from the moment he proposed an alliance to Susan, Kelly, and Rudy, he was leagues above the other contestants. Richard's smart, no doubt about it. He doesn't have scruples about benefitting himself with alliances that seemed natural to have on Pagong, and that's helped him cement two loyal, unweilding allies (despite what the previews for the next episode show, I don't think Susan's turning on Richard at all, and the idea that Rudy would ever vote against him is laughable). He's probably the favorite to win, if it's not Susan, who is a strong competitor also.

One last comment, though: Rudy's been laying on the great quotes recently. When talking about Richard, he comments to Sean, "I sort of liked him before I knew he was queer." Keep in mind, that's a compliment. On Richard's decision to strut around naked on his birthday, Rudy confesses, "I go home, and my wife asks me about 'well, who was with you,' I'll say a queer that ran around bare-assed half of the time, for one thing." And on Jenna, Kelly, and Colleen's friendship? 

Rudy: "I thought about a female alliance and watching them, the way they walk around, hand-in-hand. I even thought about lesbianism, but, uh, maybe no, I dunno. And it could happen if they have enough brains, but I don't think they have enough brains to do that."

You can't help but love Rudy. He's a man from another time, and he's a pleasure to listen to. I highly doubt he has the ability to get to the final two, but if he does, there is a slight chance that he could beat out more conniving players such as Susan or Richard. Still, I find that scenario quite unlikely.

Pretty much, it's a game between the Tagi Four - Sean, Colleen, and Gervase are certain toast, and Kelly's likely toast also. With Kelly's betrayal of her former alliance though, this game has gotten a lot more interesting.


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