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'Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains' - 'Going Down in Flames' Recap
by Jackie Schnoop, posted Apr 23rd 2010 11:55AM
(S20E10) This season of 'Survivor' isn't going quite how I expected. Of course, that could be a good thing. Although I'm basically a force for good (yes, really), on my reality shows I have to admire evil strategies and schemes when they're executed well. In my own reality, I don't care for mean people. But when you consider the types of folks going on competition reality shows, the nice people can get downright boring to watch. The schemers other than Evil Russell are just getting started. Hang on, folks. We may be in for a wild ride!
The merger went down this week. So, we have Sandra running to her old buddy Rupert telling him how Russell is running the show in the villains camp. But, on the other hand, we have JT and Colby welcoming their presumed comrade-in-arms Russell thinking they have one over on the others. When we talk the others with them, we're not talking the Dharma Initiative ... we're talking the women from both camps. That includes their buddy Amanda even though she doesn't know it.
Russell being Russell, he makes up lies about Parvati using an idol to save herself and Courtney getting voted out. Only Rupert is skeptical of Russell. What I'm wondering is how Rupert just opened his eyes this episode and now has all this wise and pithy insight? Could he be worried that Russell will target him? Rupert tends to just follow and do his caveman roar a lot while not having a strategy of his own. Who is he to question anything when he hasn't an ounce of strategy in his own game? C'mon, Rupert. You've got to own it if you want to win it!
Russell wasn't even the chief villain and schemer tonight. I love it. His BFF Parvati turned her game on. While I'm not a big Parvati fan per se, I truly admire her manipulation skills with the castaways. She's had more of a target on her back than Russell has had all along. Yet, she does have her friends. Amanda won't risk her own game for Parvati, but they're uneasy allies right now. She has Russell and Danielle. Heck, if she plays him right, she can have Rupert. After tonight, Sandra will have her back. If Parvati makes it to the final three, she would get the votes over Russell or any of the others if they vote on a combination of game play and social game.
Last week JT made the fatal error in giving Russell his hidden idol. Tonight we saw that was fatal, but the fatality wasn't necessarily on Russell's hands although he put it in motion. It was Parvati. Russell, knowing she was a target, gave her the idol not knowing she already had her own hidden idol. He didn't want to lose his strongest ally. But is she truly his ally or playing the game smarter than he is?
When immunity was down to either Parvati or Danielle, Parvati dropped off her totem pole. In the scheming period prior to tribal council, the heroes were easily convinced that Parvati would save herself with a hidden idol. So they figured they'd force the idol out but throw their votes to either Jerri or Sandra (can't touch their new ally Russell) and get rid of at least on of the evil villain female alliance.
Then, not informing her buddy Russell, Parvati used both idols at tribal. She saved both Sandra and Jerri. Jerri would have been the goner with five solid hero votes. Instead, it was JT. Man, the guy deserved it. I wasn't impressed with his strategy his first season, but he worked it to win. He was all muscle and determination with no real strategy other than to work hard to win and be a good guy. This season he tried to think. He shouldn't have done that. He's surrounded by far superior strategists and even Amanda called him slimy. He played the game trying to scheme when he's just not a schemer. Now he's a juror. He did it to himself. He should have stuck to being nice and physical.
The merger went down this week. So, we have Sandra running to her old buddy Rupert telling him how Russell is running the show in the villains camp. But, on the other hand, we have JT and Colby welcoming their presumed comrade-in-arms Russell thinking they have one over on the others. When we talk the others with them, we're not talking the Dharma Initiative ... we're talking the women from both camps. That includes their buddy Amanda even though she doesn't know it.
Russell being Russell, he makes up lies about Parvati using an idol to save herself and Courtney getting voted out. Only Rupert is skeptical of Russell. What I'm wondering is how Rupert just opened his eyes this episode and now has all this wise and pithy insight? Could he be worried that Russell will target him? Rupert tends to just follow and do his caveman roar a lot while not having a strategy of his own. Who is he to question anything when he hasn't an ounce of strategy in his own game? C'mon, Rupert. You've got to own it if you want to win it!
Russell wasn't even the chief villain and schemer tonight. I love it. His BFF Parvati turned her game on. While I'm not a big Parvati fan per se, I truly admire her manipulation skills with the castaways. She's had more of a target on her back than Russell has had all along. Yet, she does have her friends. Amanda won't risk her own game for Parvati, but they're uneasy allies right now. She has Russell and Danielle. Heck, if she plays him right, she can have Rupert. After tonight, Sandra will have her back. If Parvati makes it to the final three, she would get the votes over Russell or any of the others if they vote on a combination of game play and social game.
Last week JT made the fatal error in giving Russell his hidden idol. Tonight we saw that was fatal, but the fatality wasn't necessarily on Russell's hands although he put it in motion. It was Parvati. Russell, knowing she was a target, gave her the idol not knowing she already had her own hidden idol. He didn't want to lose his strongest ally. But is she truly his ally or playing the game smarter than he is?
When immunity was down to either Parvati or Danielle, Parvati dropped off her totem pole. In the scheming period prior to tribal council, the heroes were easily convinced that Parvati would save herself with a hidden idol. So they figured they'd force the idol out but throw their votes to either Jerri or Sandra (can't touch their new ally Russell) and get rid of at least on of the evil villain female alliance.
Then, not informing her buddy Russell, Parvati used both idols at tribal. She saved both Sandra and Jerri. Jerri would have been the goner with five solid hero votes. Instead, it was JT. Man, the guy deserved it. I wasn't impressed with his strategy his first season, but he worked it to win. He was all muscle and determination with no real strategy other than to work hard to win and be a good guy. This season he tried to think. He shouldn't have done that. He's surrounded by far superior strategists and even Amanda called him slimy. He played the game trying to scheme when he's just not a schemer. Now he's a juror. He did it to himself. He should have stuck to being nice and physical.
| Russell | |
|---|---|
| Parvati | |
| Other -- you tell me in comments! |
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