The first episode of Survivor: David vs. Goliath was an atypical episode in a lot of ways, not least because we were set up for a one-on-one battle like we haven’t seen since the young vs. old dynamic of Survivor: Nicaragua. From the moment the twenty new castaways showed up on Jeff Probst’s boat for the intro segment, they were pitted against each other in every way.

The concept of the season remains a little iffy for me because it’s not clear how the tribes are divided – the Davids are supposedly people who struggled in life and fought for everything they had, but they’re an odd mix. You have blue-collar people working in humble jobs, but you also have highly accomplished people like Nick Wilson or Bi Nguyen, who came from tough beginnings but have achieved a high-level of success. Likewise, the Goliaths are supposedly major successes, but many like Natalie Cole built their successes up from nothing.

But then, this isn’t the first time a season’s theme was sort of forced – can anyone really tell us what a “hustler” in Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers was supposed to be?

After a series of introductory speeches from contestants where Davids and Goliaths talked about their accomplishments – including a few speeches from Goliaths that started to feel like we were in an episode of Queen for a Day – the first reward challenge was on. At least, it was supposed to be. The whole contrived affair felt like it was an elaborate set up for a “David Beats Goliath” moment. Sure, the Goliaths got to pick their two strongest members against the Davids’ two weakest members – picking robotics nerd Christian and blue-haired Lyrsa to face off against pro wrestler John and country doctor Alison – but the Davids then got to assign each team different tasks. The Davids, having a much easier challenge to complete, easily outpaced the Goliaths on the much more difficult course.

After the Davids won a shelter kit, the two tribes headed for their beaches on the islands of Fiji, and that’s where we got to see them interact for the first time. The interesting thing is that despite the very different tribes, a very similar dynamic emerged. Someone took charge, and a lot of conflict erupted from that.

On the Davids, blue-collar maintenance worker Pat Cusack made the classic double-edged Survivor choice of taking control. He has lots of experience with a work crew and treated his tribe as such. It worked – the shelter came together in record time – but not without ruffling some feathers. Pat barking orders and treating the crew like people on his work site definitely made him some enemies. Everyone on the Davids worked hard – with one exception.

Country lawyer Nick expressed his desire to save his strength for challenges and worked hard to make alliances. He formed some tight connections with women like rural mom Elizabeth, but he also aroused the ire of several of his tribe’s older men. He seemed to display a very smart understanding of the game, using a traumatic moment from his past to win over his tribe. The closest bond on the Davids, though, was the one formed between the two misfit geeks. Christian and technical writer Gabby formed an immediate bond, with Gabby seeming to be an effective balance to the frantic, awkward Christian.

The Goliath Tribe saw many of the same dynamics, as publishing CEO Natalie took charge of the tribe. The oldest castaway in the game, Natalie came off as a brash, focused woman who had no problem using her experience to direct the tribe. The issue was that unlike Pat, Natalie had no construction experience. She stayed in the background, directing the more physical contestants to do things according her plans while doing very little physical labor herself. This rubbed some people the wrong way, but none more than engineer Natalia. While Natalie’s strategy could have used some work, Natalia’s borderline obsession with her could easily backfire.

The two Nats weren’t the only ones making bad choices on the Davids, as Mike White – a popular filmmaker with two stints on The Amazing Race under his belt – quickly went idol hunting, and made himself the biggest target on the the tribe. Mike didn’t really seem plugged into the game, but he did kick off a massive idol hunt which ended with SWAT officer Dan finding the idol and sharing the knowledge with Natalia and military wife Angelina. They’re the closest thing this game has to a powerhouse alliance right now.

Then it came time for the first immunity challenge, a combination race and puzzle which proved to be one of the most even first immunity challenges we’ve ever seen. The two tribes kept pace with each other for almost the entire challenge, with the Davids losing some time due to truck driver Carl struggling on the digging portion. However, Christian’s skill as the caller in the large slide puzzle at the end caught them up – but not quite enough, as the Goliaths won the challenge by only seconds.

This sent the Davids to face tribal council, and a first-vote showdown between Pat and Nick seemed to be brewing – but they never got there, in one of the most disturbing closes to a Survivor episode we’ve seen yet.

It’s not 100% clear what happened, but the stormy waters and a rough boat ride resulted in Pat injuring his back from a rough impact, and he was dragged to shore in extreme pain. After the medical team examined him, it was determined he was injured severely enough to evacuate him from the game for medical treatment, despite his begging to stay. Pat joins Survivor: One World’s Kourtney Moon as the second contestant to be injured and evacuated in the first episode.

Pat deserved better than to leave this way, but he also deserved better than his likely fate in the game had he stayed. He was a bit of a Survivor relic – bold, loud, and unafraid to speak his mind. He was one of the oldest contestants on the tribe, and likely would have found himself a misfit soon with only Carl being really close to him. Once his shelter was built, the tribe would have turned on him soon – and might have done it that very night due to Nick’s social skills. I wouldn’t mind seeing Pat come back for another season, not even an all-stars – he deserves to finish his Survivor journey.

With no tribal council in the first episode of Survivor: David vs. Goliath, it’s a bit hard to figure out where everyone stands, but that’s what we do here at Break the Fourth! In my cast analysis here, I broke down my first impressions. Now that we’ve seen a bit of them, here’s my thoughts on the nineteen remaining castaways.

David Tribe:

Based on the first episode, this is definitely where I’m looking for the potential winner. They dominated the narrative, being shown as sympathetic and complex. If they don’t produce the winner of this season, it’s likely to be a rather disappointing edit.

1. Gabby

The biggest surprise of the first episode, she emerged as a major strategic force who formed alliances, had strong strategic confessionals, and was helpful around camp.

2. Nick

Nick was very clearly getting a villain edit of sorts this episode, coming off as sneaky and not a team player. The thing is – he always got to explain himself before he got any negativity. This episode was largely from his perspective. I’m not sure he’s the winner, but he’s undoubtedly one of the biggest players this season.

3. Elizabeth

Another huge surprise, Elizabeth seems like a throwback to an earlier type of player – the humble, blue-collar woman who shows a lot of common sense. She’s made some good alliances and seems to be plugged into the game. Her deal with Nick will likely be a major factor in the game.

4. Christian

Christian had a very good first episode, proving himself able to perform in challenges and finding himself an alliance partner in Gabby. There’s a thing such as overexposure, though, and he felt just short of cartoonish most of the time. He’s a major player in the early game, but I’m not sure he’s not just here to set up Gabby’s story.

5. Davie

Davie had a low-key, likable edit. He was subtly aligned with Carl, but displayed much more common sense and ability to weave between the factions of the tribe. He’s off to a slow start, but not a bad one.

6. Bi

Not much in the way of content here, but she did manage to introduce herself and set up her backstory. I think she’s going to be a strong, silent type who could turn into a powerhouse post-merge.

7. Lyrsa

She had a better first episode than I expected, despite coming off as an obvious misfit. Her challenge “win” with Christian bought her some time, but she seems like she might wind up on the wrong side of the tribe.

8. Jessica

Barely any content. This young waitress seems sweet and likable, but gave us very little to work with in the first episode and I’m not expecting her to be a major force in the game.

9. Carl

Carl seems like a hard worker and a decent guy, but he had a lot working against him this episode. His struggles in the challenge likely cost his tribe the win, and his blue-collar approach to life was the closest match with the departed Pat. He might quickly find himself the odd man out on the David tribe.

Goliath Tribe:

The Goliaths definitely weren’t the focus this episode, but that’s not a big surprise given that they didn’t have to plan for tribal council. Still, what we saw of them was not great. They came off as cocky, smug, and set up for a fall. There were some bright spots, but overall what we saw here did not lead me to expect them to triumph.

1. Alison

The young doctor immediately established herself as one of the most promising people on the Goliath tribe, showing a lot of game sense and social skills. She didn’t wind up getting pulled into the tribe’s main feud, and while she’s not in the core alliance, they also have no reason to target her.

2. Dan

The celebrity “hot cop” made the biggest splash this episode, finding an idol and getting into both a proper alliance and a showmance. His strategy seems somewhat basic and he’s rather “bro-ish”, but he’ll have the time to figure out his game as he advances easily.

3. John

The Mayor of Slamtown had a surprisingly low-key episode for one of the biggest names Survivor has ever cast, but he also didn’t have any red flags. He’s strong, seems well-liked, and should have zero trouble surviving the pre-merge and getting to the merge where he can dominate in challenges.

4. Angelina

She certainly wasn’t particularly likable, but she had a very good first episode. Got into an alliance and is trusted enough to know about her partner’s idol. I think she’s headed for a comeuppance, but it’ll likely come post-merge.

5. Kara

Not much to say, for good or bad. She immediately displayed some good social skills and formed a bond with the tribe’s strongest player, but she’s not trusted enough to be in his core alliance.

6. Jeremy

We didn’t see much of the New York attorney this episode, but his confessionals seemed to have a rather cynical edge that didn’t feel like the beginning of a winner’s storyarc.

7. Alec

Basically irrelevant – the Los Angeles bartender showed up to make a generic confession and then faded into the background for the rest of the episode. He’s likely to be the mid-range boot after falling in as the lowest rung on an alliance.

8. Natalie

She took charge of the tribe and her efforts overall seemed to be appreciated, but like Pat she made herself a target in doing so. As the oldest contestant in the game, she’ll always be a target and the only way to stay ahead of the snuffer is to be consistently useful.

9. Natalia

Natalia found herself in a lucky position by being part of the group that found the idol. She’s in on Dan’s secret – but will she be around long enough to use it? Right now her storyarc seems to be a one-note dislike for Natalie.

10. Mike

Oldest guy on the tribe, wealthy and famous, and made himself a target immediately by searching for an idol and not finding it. Mike has made himself an obvious target if the Goliaths get sent to tribal council and the Natalie/Natalia feud doesn’t explode.

So that’s the state of the game in Survivor: David vs. Goliath! Check back here next week for a recap and updated power rankings on Break the Fourth.