Thursday, May 6, 2010

PARANOIA STRIKES DEEP; INTO YOUR HEART IT WILL CREEP: Tonight's Survivor did not go according to plan, which made it a curious decision to be the two-episodes-crammed-into-one week episode (made obvious by Probst's odd voiceover during the first immunity challenge) when there was so much gamesmanship going on.

The main thing I'll note about this show is how completely they've abandoned any narrative dealing with deprivation, conditions and, um, survival. All that "strangers building a new civilization" mumbo-jumbo from the first seasons? Gone. It's all about the game, and how you play it; all about control, and if you can take it.

10 comments:

  1. Daniel Fienberg10:00 PM

    Regarding the survivalist aspects of "Survivor," certainly the Samoa location was cushy. Both last season and this season, the players were pretty adequately fed and the conditions weren't awful even when the rains got bad. Russell and Rupert have both lost an impressive amount of weight this season... Doesn't count for much, but still... 

    -Daniel

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  2. Fantastic entrance-music reference.

    I continue to be sorry I abandoned Survivor several years ago...the strategy of this season is exactly what I always wanted out of this show.

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  3. A thousand points for the entrance music reference.  And yeah, I have no idea where this season is going, but Sandra appears to be in fantastic shape and Russell quite the opposite.

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  4. Can Colby-Rupert-Russell-Sandra pick off the three remaining women?  We know from the previews that Russell tries to ally with Colby-Russell, but ... I don't know that it works because I'm not sure Sandra is advantaged by flipping.

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  5. Dan F1:51 PM

    I was going to say this last week - Adam, the double-boot episodes are surely mapped out before the season.  They wouldn't have had an episode comprising only Day 31.  I imagine plans can be changed if there's an evacuation and fewer tribals are needed.

    Two great things about this episode: both marginal "all-stars" are gone, and Russell's strategizing has gone too far and put him at serious risk.  But wait, hasn't that seemed to be the case a couple times before?  Crap.

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  6. I wasn't paying attention -- how many Survivor Days was this?

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  7. Patrick3:12 PM

    Sandra is one of the three remaining women, so I don't think thats going to be in the cards.

    I really have no clue whats going to happen next week, which is weird, because top 6 is an awkward number for big moves, Cirie's split vote magic excepted.  But really, I could see anyone but Sandra going.

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  8. Dan F3:31 PM

    I think it was the standard 3 days - last week's tribal was 30, first boot was 31, we didn't see any of 32, and second boot was 33.  Usually I'm FFing through the "nature bumpers" to get to the actual show, but they didn't have time to waste on spiders and snakes this week...

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  9. Nancy4:47 PM

    Even though it's late, isn't the Buffalo Springfield lyric "paranoia STRIKES deep; into your heart is will creep.." ?

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  10. Never too late to fix.

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