Redemption Island Ep. 07- "It Don't Take a Smart One"

Previously on SURVIVOR:

Ometepe

It was the usual with Rob's posse. Riding high on immunity victory, they could really only squabble amongst themselves to keep things interesting. Philip is certain he's in an alliance with Rob and Grant, so he's hurt when he sees them hide an immunity idol clue from him at the Reward. Unrest is growing, division is deepening, and you just know that somewhere down the line, this epic rivalry between Rob and Philip will become full blown. Now we just need an Ometepe loss or a merge to watch it happen.

Zapetera

Russell, Russell, Russell. It is a testament to the scoundrel he is that three episodes after his departure, his presence is still felt in a big way. Be it in the form of a two challenge losing streak, or in the form of Stephanie, Russell has plagued this tribe. Ironically, however, he really didn't even do that much to screw with anyone. Other than team up with two of the dumbest players I've ever seen on Survivor, and pretend to have an Immunity Idol when it was obvious they didn't, he did literally nothing. He was all talk. The Big Six made him the legend he was by amplifying him in their mind. I'm sure if he had stuck around, he'd have found a way to shake things up, but as it is, the Big Six screwed themselves royally by making him the villian they did. They might now be in less trouble had they proceeded differently.

Most everything went by the numbers for Zapetera last week. They lost the challenge, Stephanie scrambled, Stephanie got voted out. The only real hiccup was that Dave scrambled for Stephanie, too. He even voted with her for Sarita, feeling she was the weakest link on the tribe (But mostly, he just hates her! Shh...)

Survivor: Redemption Island Ep. 07- "It Don't Take a Smart One"

...To Realize We've Got a Problem

What is happening to Zapetera is absolutely fascinating. They now have exactly what they've wanted since around day one, and they all couldn't be more miserable about it. The Big Six are all that's left, with Russell and his minions all either gone or chilling on Redemption Island. But Dave went over to "the dark side," as Sarita put it. Oh, and he doesn't have any plans on making good with her. You can just see on his face that for whatever reason, he straight hates her. Maybe he's got a Jack Shepherd complex like on LOST. Maybe his dad used to tell him he didn't have what it took, and that he couldn't work under pressure. So it hit a nerve when Sarita said the same thing, years later? Who knows?

...To See Why They Voted You Out

Matt finally meets his match in Stephanie. He's such a nice guy that he becomes instant BFFs with most everybody that comes to Redemption Island. But when he says "I'm ready for the duel," you know he means it. Stephanie grates on his nerves big times. She talks food. A lot. He says wryly: "You're killin' me, smalls."

...To See you Need a Babysitter

While Matt waits to get the heck away from Stephanie (one way or the other) Ometepe has to choose two people to go to the duel. Philip says it's his turn to go, so Rob volunteers to go, too. you can tell he doesn't really want to, but he tells the audience he has to, to make sure Philip doesn't say anything stupid. This tension between Rob and Philip just keeps growing, and it actually gave this entire episode a more intense and elevated feel the whole way through.

...To See That Philip's Gonna Make a Move

After a boring challenge that was pretty much Matt's after the third or fourth round, Philip can't help but compare Matt to a Samurai Warrior (He read up on Japanese history and culture since last week, apparently), and this makes Rob, who had been almost bored as he watched the challenge unfold, furious. This is probably because he is beginning to see that odds are, Matt will re-enter this game, and Philip appears to want to align himself with him. Rob deduces that once the merge hits, the story will go: "Let's get Rob out."

...To Tell Who Runs the Circus

On the way back from the duel, Philip, in (I guess?) an attempt to let Rob know that he still owns his vote, asks if Rob wants to withhold any information about the duel when they reach camp. Rob says he wants everyone on the same page, and almost chastises Philip for even asking, which puts Philip on the defensive just a little bit. To the audience, he applauds Philip's question, because it's ammunition he can use against him. Rob had a fire in his eyes this week, it was undeniable.

You can see that it's game on for Rob, at this point. He is normally a really good day-by-day player, but the double threat of a looming merge and "dangerous because of his stupidity" Philip has Boston Rob thinking a little bit farther down the line, for better or worse. He almost sounds slightly paranoid, but mostly just aware of the heightened state of affairs.

Back at camp, Rob tells everyone what Stephanie spilled after the duel - that Rob needs to watch his back, because there's a target on it. Once Philip walks away, Rob lets the others know that Philip wanted to withhold information, and uses that to inform them that if they lose a challenge, it's Philip going home.

And of course, they all nod and smile, because Rob's logic is air tight. He tells the audience that he wants everyone on the same page, because if they all feel that Rob's number will come up before theirs, they feel safe. Genius! Plus, with Philip on the outskirts of the tribe, there's even more security. Rob is somehow playing this game on the edge while being almost one hundred percent honest with everyone. He even says he'll let Philip know when he's going to vote him out. He won't blindside him, he says. "I'll frontside him!"

...To Call This Tribe Dead

I'm beginning to think there aren't too many forward thinkers in Zapetera. I can't really put my finger on it, but they just aren't seeming as bright as I once thought they were. But more on that later.

Anyway, Dave is completely alienating himself, and everyone is complaining about him. He's getting "tough to stomach" as Steve puts it. This has become a completely lifeless tribe. There's really nothing especially interesting about them, and I'm hoping some of the personalities will start to pop once we hit the merge.

But one thing worth noting is that we really only see Dave have one conversation about the state of affairs in the tribe, and that's with Ralph. He asks if Steve has said anything about Dave's defiant vote for Sarita at the last Tribal Council. They talk about Steve as though he is the leader of the tribe. We have previously seen him play peacemaker multiple times, including at the beginning of this episode, after Tribal Council. It has sort of gone without saying that Steve is ultimately in charge of affairs at Zapetera, but this week we got our first real proof that he's the man in charge.

...To Make a Mountain out of a Mole Hill

Next up is one of the best segments of this season so far. So the girls of Ometepe are talking about saving all the crispy rice for Rob. Rob this, Rob that. Philip exasperatedly chews on some rice of his own as he listens from a distance. Rob, Rob, Rob, Rob...

Finally, Philip has had enough. Philip is done. Philip can take no more. He walks over and asks for a small scoop of crispy rice. This, he is denied. And then it's over.

He blasts Rob and the rest of the "tribe" to the audience, stating that in any other world, he would receive deferential treatment because of his seniority! But instead, he gets the red-headed stepchild treatment! There is a division in the tribe, but not of Philip's making! The first chance he has to eliminate Rob, he's going to do it!

It's on.

What makes Philip so absolutely fascinating is that, though he is seemingly without a real sense of self-awareness in his relations with his tribe, he is also the only person, other than Rob, aware of just how tight a grip Rob has on the tribe. So, although he has a vital understanding of the tribe's unfair politics, he can't relate it to anyone without coming off as crazy. This works in Rob's favor, because it makes opposition to Rob seem like allegiance to Philip, because of how polarizing Philip is.

...To See that One Could Have Gone Either Way

This week saw one of the closest and most exciting Immunity Challenges I have ever seen play out on Survivor. Slight leads, catch ups, breakaways, lead changes... it had everything. In the end, though, it came down to who could shoot hoops the fastest, and Grant looked like he was going to win that one every time. So Ometepe wins for the third week straight. And sure, you could get into how Sarita struggled with the bag, and that helped lead to the loss. But Philip struggled with the net cage, and Rob struggled with getting the ring of the loop. This one was a marathon that could have gone either way.

...To See- Holy Crap, Volcano!

At the Volcano Reward, Rob takes all of ten seconds to locate the Immunity Idol clue, and then toss it into the volcano, which probably marks the first time in history a television program openly littered into a volcano. Really, Rewards have just become about watching how quick Rob can find and then get rid of the clues. This was his finest and most artistic work to date. He sent that thing straight to Hell.

...To Get Blindsided at Tribal

I have to say that even though I said last week that I thought Dave would end up being okay this week, they did a good job of making it seem like he was going home. Don't worry, Sarita was surprised too! So they sent her packing, with Dave offering her a friendly "Don't get too confident" on her way out. Yeah, someone do some research on this guy's relationship with his dad. Come on.

Now, back to just how stupid this tribe has become- with a merge on the horizon (Even though they don't know it's as soon as before the next Tribal Council...), why would you get rid of a weak, but loyal member of the tribe, in favor of a cocky, smart, headstrong player that does well with puzzles and is (obviously) good at arguing his case? They all even admitted he'd probably be willing to flip at the merge, where they'd likely be down in numbers anyway. Wouldn't it make more sense to just assume at this point that you'll probably be down in numbers at the merge, and have a tighter group of five? Literally baffling.

Predictions

Last week I made a couple of predictions that ended up coming to pass- Dave would be safe, and Tribal Council would be a trip. Safe and generic bets, I know, but I've got one or two more predictions I want to throw out, and we'll see how I do next week.

• From next week's preview, we know that the winner of the next Redemption Island duel is going back into the game- the assumption being that Redemption Island ends when Matt or Sarita comes back to the merged tribe. But what if it continues on? What if those voted off after the merge keep getting sent to Redemption Island in the same fashion as before the merge? Then the remaining player comes back when there are maybe six players left. Just a thought, but I have a feeling it's a good guess.
• Though the preview hyped up the idea that Rob could be in trouble at the merge, and that Probsts told EW that Tribal Council "will have your jaw on the floor," I don't think Rob's going home. I can think of a hundred arguments detailing why I'm probably wrong. But I think the man will find a way to make it happen. Unless he's severely blindsided, he has an idol, anyway. But if I'm wrong, refer to my above prediction. (Potentially) Well played, CBS.