While I know that stating an opinion such as this on the “Survivor” internet may not win me many friends, I cannot help but be honest: I am not a fan of Angelina Keeley (“Survivor David vs. Goliath”). Is she the worst thing to come out of the show? Not by a long shot! In a world where we have the likes of Russell Hantz (“Survivor Samoa”), Angelina is practically a saint. But, I feel I must admit that I don’t much understand the appeal that she seems to have. While she seemed to have good ideas (selling herself to the jury, idoling out a threat, working as a negotiator, etc.), the fact must be stated that she was not very good at executing those ideas. This in and of itself would not be a big deal, were it not for the fact that Angelina acted like she was all that and a bag of chips, that everything she did was a brilliant move that everyone should respect. That got real old, real fast, and just rubbed me the wrong way. It’s not that I mind the way she played the game, it’s that I mind that she did it poorly, yet acted like she didn’t.

With that said, if there’s one area where I completely agree with Angelina, it is in the disparity in terms of the number of women finding idols. Partly that’s because the numbers don’t lie, but also because it just seems wrong to me. Now, this is the first season where players actually had a chance to see Angelina talk about this before filming, yet none invoke her name. Nevertheless, since Angelina made this point, there’s been a noticeable uptick in the number of women finding idols. Whether this is directly Angelina’s doing or not, I can’t say, but if it took her mentioning that to get this started, then I’m happy we had a season of Angelina, even with the problems mentioned above.

Starting off our episode proper, you could be forgiven for missing the fact that the episode had started. We do get a recap of what happened in the previous episode, but it seems Probst was making himself scarce in more than just the premier. There’s no narration, no foreshadowing, there’s not even an epic “Previously on… ‘Survivor’!” to kick things off. Again, I’m overall in favor of this. It shows humility on Probst’s part, and brings us up to speed on the previous episode without too heavily leaning into what will happen as the season progresses, which would make the whole exercise predictable. That said, I feel like this goes a bit too far. Leave out the Probst narration, but keep the “Previously on..” intro. Adds an air of epicness to the proceedings.

Speaking of epicness, a blowout of epic proportions seems to be happening at Lairo. Yes, virtually no one is handling the fallout of that Tribal Council well. Aaron is, understandably, pissed and untrusting of the rest of his tribe, and isn’t doing a very good job of hiding it. Elaine seems to be the speaker for the group, explaining why they voted the way they voted. Normally I’d be in favor of this, as Elaine is generally well-liked, and therefore in the best position to deliver bad news. However, since she was a target at that Tribal Council, even sugar-coating the move will still seem like rubbing salt in Aaron’s wound. Not helping matters is Vince, who CONSIDERS doing the smart thing, before throwing that out the window and angrily asking why he received votes. An understandable reaction, but as I’ve said before, on “Survivor” you need to temper down those feelings for the sake of diplomacy.

Only Missy really comes out of this situation looking good. While she privately admits that she’s happy, since the women’s alliance can now control the tribe, she still thinks she can work with Aaron. She accordingly takes him off into the woods for a one-on-one talk, where she soothes his bruised ego by seeming to demure to him (though my read is that she’s merely pretending to to keep him happy), and talk soothingly about how much he’s needed. Aaron says he’s on board, but it’s clear his frustration is simmering just underneath the surface. Sure enough, Aaron admits in confessional that he’s ready to slash and burn everything when he gets the chance. I see Rory Freeman (“Survivor Vanuatu”) is making a comeback.

Dawn at Vokai, and we see people FINALLY get the idea to put a freaking roof over their fire to keep it going in rain. Sure, the roof we see is only a palm frond, but it’s a start, and I’m frankly amazed so few tribes think of this. The only other one I can come up with off the top of my head is Zhan Hu from “Survivor China”. Good on you, Vokai.

Of course, with them only coming up with the roof idea now, this begs the question: how did the fire survive the night? The answer is Noura, who reports getting up repeatedly to tend to the fire. Now, Noura is understandably going to be a little cranky about this, and has a right to express that crankiness. Unfortunately for Noura, crankiness quickly devolves into complaining, loudly and frequently. We see her going around to pretty much everyone in the tribe, pontificating about how the camp should be run, and about how certain people, particularly Molly, aren’t doing anything to help. I can’t say I entirely disagree with Noura here. While Vokai is not even close to a terrible camp, I have a hard time saying that the more serious people when it comes to actual survival are in the wrong. What I CAN say is that Noura’s delivery is way off. Even if you’re in the right in your way of doing things, how the camp is run should be a consensus, not one person mandating everything. Call a big group meeting, express your views, maybe have a spirited yet polite debate. What you don’t do is complain to people individually. Most likely, nothing will get done, and people will just see you as annoying. Worse, as it becomes a pattern, they’ll start to tune you out. In one shot, you can pretty much see Jamal’s eyes glazing over.

Needless to say, Noura isn’t getting through to very many people, though she at least realizes it. Privately, she complains to Jason about their spot in the game. Together they talk about pulling a “Revenge of the Nerds” style coup against Molly, who they see as the ringleader. I would complain about neither Noura nor Jason being particularly nerdy, but I’m too busy wondering when Molly became such a threat? Don’t get me wrong, she was hardly a nobody last episode, and we did see her and Jack bond, but when did she become this Parvati Shallow (“Survivor Cook Islands”) type of threat? It’s not as out of the blue as some plot points I’ve seen, and I can understand that there’s only so many things you can cram into one episode, even an extra long one, but a little more foreshadowing would have been appreciated. Still, Noura and Jason don’t really have a way of convincing the others to go against Molly, so for now, it all just remains a pipe dream.

Smoke is also present at Lairo. No fire, alas. Aaron, continuing his newfound downer status, states that they won’t get fire tonight and will remain a wet, cold, hungry, pathetic tribe. What’s that smell? Why, it’s the sweet smell of HUBRIS! And our waitress tonight is none other than Superfan Chelsea, who seems the only person capable of beating Boston Rob in a fire-making race. As Tom puts it (in a mildly chauvinistic joke), she makes a fire in about two minutes. Chelsea fangasms about making fire on “Survivor”, which is fair enough. Why, the only thing that could be better is if she found an idol! Which she proceeds to do! Like I said before, I’m happy for her. She seems nice, I always like to support the superfans, and the more women finding idols, the better I say. Plus, I like to see people hunting for idols the SMART way, as Chelsea does here: Do your chores, and when you happen across a likely-looking tree, poke around really quick. Limits the suspicion thrown on you, while still giving you at least a decent chance of finding something. Way to go, Chelsea!

Really, my only complaint is that this throws out my idea that all idols this season might be time-limited ones from Island of the Idols. I’m not as big a detractor on having a ton of idols in the game as some people, but if you’re potentially having someone win one every episode, I think giving them time limits and throwing out regular idols would have been a good balance.

Heading back to Vokai, a boat arrives. The tribe has some mystery as to what’s going on, but we the audience are of course aware of what this must be: the name drawn for Island of the Idols. The answer turns out to be Kellee, who goes off with some encouragement from her tribe. She walks with some trepidation towards the appointed area, calling back to “Survivor” History in wondering whether Cochran (“Survivor South Pacific”) will be waiting for her. Give her credit, she had the right idea. She now gets to meet and greet with Sandra and Boston Rob, which she calls better than Cochran. Sandra I’ll agree with, but Boston Rob, a better sight than Cochran? Debatable.

Now, let’s see how Boston Rob and Sandra analyze Kellee’s game! Since we’ve seen so little of it, apart from her not liking being touched, this will be a good chance to gain insight into how she’s playing… Oh, wait, apparently we need to hear about Boston Rob and Sandra’s personal lives. Ok, I guess that’s kind of cool too, but I really wanted to get to know about the new players before hearing about the old. Naturally, this is telegraphing pretty clearly that Kellee’s game will be a variation on the old “How well do you know each other?” challenge of old, and sure enough that’s what it is. I’m disappointed, “Survivor”. Oh, not in you bringing this challenge back. I understand your need to get rid of it after Vecepia broke it on “Survivor Marquesas”, but it was a fun challenge nonetheless. No, my problem is that these “lessons” are not being tied into an individual’s game. I could understand having it be pre-determined for Elizabeth, since her game hadn’t had much of a chance to develop, but I was hoping that, through talking, our veterans could identify a key weakness in a person’s game (which everyone has. Yes, even your favorite players.) and play a challenge directly to said weakness. Instead, we get these cookie-cutter lessons that aren’t bad, but feel hollow as a result.

Kellee faces a similar deliberation to Elizabeth, since the stakes are similar: Win and get an idol good at two Tribal Councils, lose and lose your vote for the next Tribal Council. Unlike Elizabeth, however, I think Kellee should go for it, for two reasons: Most obviously, there’s the fact that this time she just has to answer four out of five trivia questions correct, meaning she’s not in direct competition with a professional at this, and therefore has a better chance of winning. A better reason, though, is that Kellee’s had more time with her tribe. Yes, Elizabeth wasn’t likely to be a target at Lairo, but in those early days, especially being away from the tribe during pre-Tribal discussion, there was still at least a decent chance her name could come up. Kellee, however, has had that time to bond, and ensure she’s in a solid majority where her vote may not be missed. There’s still a risk, to be sure, but it’s a much more calculated risk than before.

Even so, Kellee is unsure, having been so focused on looking for a hidden challenge that she didn’t pay much attention to what was being said. Does she get pressured to compete like Elizabeth was when she said she was unsure? Nope, that would have been fair! Instead, Boston Rob sweetens the pot, and offers her an idol good for three Tribal Councils with only three correct questions. With the odds actually better, Kellee goes for it, and nails the softball questions. She cries, then chastises herself for crying, though I don’t really see why. It’s an emotional moment, crying’s ok.

To her credit, Kellee does weaponize that crying back at camp. First of all, like Elizabeth before her, she lies about the nature of Island of the Idols, basically saying it’s like Ghost Island from the titular “Survivor Ghost Island”. By sheer coincidence, these two have come up with almost exactly the same lie (Kellee had a detail about statues that Elizabeth didn’t). It’s almost like these people are being coached or something… Anyway, Kellee really doesn’t want people to suspect she has an idol, and so tearfully starts dumping her bag out. Now, the crying part of this is a risky strategy. Done with subtlety, it can make people feel for you, and forgo heavy scrutiny out of feeling uncomfortable. Done over-the-top, it can make people suspicious. Personally, I thought Kellee was being a bit transparent, but her tribe seems to buy it, so I guess good on her. Of course, even if they had stripped her, it wouldn’t have mattered, as Kellee cleverly hid the idol in her hair. I have to admit, that’s a new one. Good for Kellee.

As we head to commercial, I have to say that I’m seeing a trend I don’t like on Island of the Idols itself. Overall, Boston Rob and Sandra still aren’t stealing the spotlight from our players. Hell, I’m even ok with them at tonight’s Tribal Council, since their comments are limited and don’t take up much time. But it was made out that these two are equal partners, but so far don’t seem to be. Apart from Boston Rob’s victory and Sandra’s defeat being emphasized in the season opener, Boston Rob has now taken the lead with the new player both times. This could change, but it feels like this is really “Island of Boston Rob” with Sandra there as a bit player. It’s not the end of the world if it is, but it’s a shame. Sandra is objectively the better player, and I just find her more entertaining.

Wow, our Immunity Challenge already? Geez, these episodes are flying by fast. Our first episode made it pretty clear which tribe was losing the challenge, but this one makes it look subtle in comparison. Who will win? Lairo, the tribe with one guy who’s mildly pissed at being left out of the vote, or Vokai, the tribe that’s cracking internally, and has multiple viable targets? We don’t even have that exciting of a challenge to make up for it. Swim, get a ladder, untie balls, play “Plinko”, and that’s it. While holding up the ladder is exciting, that’s about it. In particular, Plinko as the closer bother me. I don’t need the closer to be a puzzle every single time, and there’s some nice CBS synergy going on here, but Plinko is just not that exciting, being more luck than skill.

Jamal, it seems, is incredibly lucky. Despite Vokai being behind for most of the challenge (due, I say, to the inexplicable decision to NOT have Jason on the water portion of the challenge), he actually makes thing pretty close, but as we all suspected, Lairo wins. While I like Vokai as a tribe better, it is nice to see variety in who goes to Tribal Council, so I’m happy in that respect.

With no viable way to target Molly, it’s time for Noura and Jason to start eating each other. To put it bluntly, Noura does so badly. She goes for a Sandra strategy of “I’ll vote how you want”, which I’m normally in favor of, but when people are asking you to have an opinion, you need to say SOMETHING! Either throw Jason under the bus, or push for your Molly preference, but say SOMETHING! Instead, Jamal tells us that the majority plan to split the votes between Jason and Noura, in case of an idol. With their numbers, a fair strategy. They’re relatively safe in doing so, and fear of an idol from Jason is worth taking precautions against. Who would they go after in a revote? Either one. The guys seem to prefer Jason, while Molly is really pushing for Noura, since the latter called her out on not working enough. Frankly, either one’s a good choice, since both are causing divisions early on in the game. If I had to pick one to go, I’d say Noura is the smarter choice. She’s not as good as Jason in challenges, and while an idol is a concern, there’s ways around it, even if it doesn’t get played tonight.

But we’ve seen this sort of thing before, we need some excitement. Evidently I was wrong in saying that Noura needed to advocate for Molly’s exit, since others have come to the same conclusion. The women, spearheaded by Lauren with Janet caught up in it, have noticed how she’s taken the lead position, and are threatened, wanting to turn everyone against the Molly-Jack-Jamal threesome. But even that would be too straightforward! After all, people like Tommy and Kellee are in good with that threesome, and while maybe not on the top, have at least some pull, and would be burning bridges early on with a move like this. The pair agree to move together as we head off to Tribal. While the aforementioned bridge burning would make this a bad move for both Tommy and Kellee, I have to say that I think voting Molly out at this juncture would be bad for the tribe as a whole. Yes, a tight threesome is something to watch out for, but even if you vote out Jason and Noura, you’re still up 5-3 on them. “Shuffling the deck”, as Tommy puts it, this early only fractures your tribe, and makes you easier to pick off. It could be argued that Lairo did a similar flip last episode, but that was a case of someone rubbing multiple people the wrong way, and a secret sub-alliance. This is just the majority starting to cannibalize early, and I think it’s a problem for Vokai’s long-term prospects.

Jumping ahead a bit, tonight’s Tribal Council does not have the awesome music from last episode, but is still quite good. Jason gets things going right out of the gate by offering a strip-search (what is it with this tribe and strip searches?), and Noura quickly chimes in about how they’re on the bottom. Boston Rob and Sandra wisely have less to say this time, so we’re left with the wit of the tribe. Jamal, in a comparison to racing, calls the game in “first gear”. Jason protests, and Jamal retorts that Jason is playing from the bottom, and therefore in a different gear. Now, this is the sort of remark that, in the wrong hands, could really hurt someone’s standing in the game. However, for whatever reason, it comes across lighthearted and joking when Jamal says it. He’s got that inexplicable charm that can get someone out of a lot of tough situations. Even though Jamal’s on the bottom, I can’t help but root for him a little.

Make no mistake, Jamal’s on the bottom. There was some good mystery going into the vote, but all the comments at tonight’s Tribal Council point to Molly going home. She does, and as I say, I think this was the wrong decision. It fractures a tribe when it wasn’t needed over only a partially-established threat. I am sorry to see Molly go. I think her prowess was overstated, but she had good potential, and I saw very few flaws in her game so far, apart from being too obvious to the other players. Plus, with how badly Noura and Jason were floundering socially, I wanted to see that rewarded.

It’s amazing how much leeway episodes that aren’t the premiere get. Objectively, this episode either had the same problems (lame immunity challenge, Boston Rob stealing the spotlight), or more problems (a more obvious loser of the challenge, less time spent with the camps pre-challenge), yet I like this one just as much as the first episode. It was fun to see Vokai develop, and for all the minor problems this season has so far, the overall product still holds up pretty well. Again, it helps a lot that this is a cast that both knows how to play and is likable. When that happens, we can put up with a lot. Still, Sandra better start stepping up more, or we’re going to have issues.

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.