RECAP: “Survivor 47” Episode 10
God, that was satisfying. One of my constant takeaways on “Survivor 47” is that this season, intentionally or not, has ultimately all been about socially maladjusted young men functioning or flailing in a society. We had a whole slew of them, some of them eliminated early on (TK), some eliminated later than they should have been (ROME), and a few still in the game up until this episode. We got to see how another of those journeys played out tonight.
Heading into tribal, we had a fascinating scenario, in which the two candidates up for the axe were keenly aware that they were the target, and who the other target was, and neither one of them had any real power to save themselves. Their reactions to this information was interesting, as was their shared take on what would happen if they managed to survive the night: the rest of the game belongs to them.
We’ll see if that’s right in the next few episodes. For now though, let’s get into this week’s episode.
Read on for my spoiler-filled thoughts on Episode 10 of “Survivor 47”!
Since we’re down to just 9 players, I’m going to go over my thoughts on each player — how I feel they’re doing in the game, how they did this episode, and how likely I think they could win it.
Andy: Andy continued to get a strong edit this episode. He’s cast himself as this master manipulator who has made connections with just about everyone, drawing them in with his charisma. To which I say: what charisma? I don’t know who among this tribe actually buys what Andy is selling at this point, or if they’re just keeping him around as a vote, the way that his original tribe did. Rachel seems to think that Andy is an actual ally, but even in those talking heads, you can almost see her second guessing that statement. My feeling is that Andy is playing both sides far too obviously, and that ultimately it will come back to bite him. I can see a path to him making Final Tribal, but do I think that many of the people on that jury will award him $1 million? I honestly don’t. Maybe I’m misreading the situation, but I think he has a real likability issue. Just as he has a real problem at challenges.
Caroline: Caroline continues to be invisible when it comes to talking heads. She and Sue must be the least-interviewed players this season. At least Caroline this season finally shifted into gear, realizing that she needed to peel off from her alliance and get Gabe out of the way. So long as Gabe stayed in that game, Caroline had really no shot of winning. Thus far almost all her decisions were made in concert with Gabe, and he had a better, shower narrative around all of it. She knew she had to ice him while she still could, although doing so will likely cost her her OTHER closest ally in Sue, who was genuinely loyal to Gabe, to the detriment of her own game. I still think Caroline is boxed in here. With the collapse of the Tuku alliance this episode, where does she fit in? What kind of game can she play? I don’t see a path to the win for Caroline at this point.
Genevieve: This was a great Genevieve episode. Last episode I was irritated/concerned that her big move to get out Sol was a tactical mistake. I understood the logic behind it — she had to get Sol out to have control over the narrative that she wanted to put forward — but she took that shot too soon. She splintered what was left of her Lavo alliance, and she put herself at a numbers disadvantage against a four-strong Tuku. Right move, wrong week. She got that message loud and clear this episode, when Teeny had a brutally honest conversation with her in which basically said she could no longer trust Gen, and that she felt personally insulted by Gen’s behavior. That had to have been hard for Genevieve to hear, and you could see the toll it took on her. The other repercussion of the Sol move was that everybody now saw Genevieve as a big dog in this fight — her threat level went WAY up. Rightfully so! She pulled that Sol move out of thin air and got a nearly unanimous vote-out on the guy. Emperor Palpatine Shit! Watching Genevieve’s reactions this episode as she realized just how much trouble she was in was fascinating. Her confessionals were astute and honest, but it was her faces at tribal council that got me the most. She looked like she was physically in pain as she prepared for the votes to be read, absolutely certain she was being snuffed. I think she needed to suffer a bit to get herself back in check, but I also think the work is not yet done. She needs to coast for a vote or two and re-entrench herself with the tribe, because she’s still a real risk. And Teeny for one is just waiting to get a clean shot at her.
Kyle: Kyle continued to dominate the challenges, winning one of the three spots in the reward and then taking home his fourth individual immunity. Thus far he’s missed only one possible individual immunity, and in that one he came in second to the person eliminated tonight. I get why they aren’t taking him out yet — he can keep winning immunity, but his social game seems pretty underdeveloped. But as he himself said this episode, it’s awfully dumb to let a family man in need get to the Final Tribal, as he’s going to play that card with abandon. Kyle did flip willingly on Gabe, and also knows that Genevieve has to go. But is Kyle leading any votes? No, not at all.
Rachel: I think Rachel continues to play the best long game. She was not wrong when she tried to swing the vote back to Genevieve, who is not only a big threat to win generally, but also specifically for Rachel. If they both end up at final tribal, only one of them will be able to sell the quiet-but-strategically-shrewd card. Rachel does have a hidden immunity idol, which nobody seems to know about. But she also doesn’t have any strong alliances at this point. So she’s a free agent, which can be a power position at this point, but does have an expiration date as they head toward the finale.
Sam: Same found his footing this episode, and I think he’s got some juice left in him. He joined Kyle and Rachel on the reward challenge, which gave Rachel an opportunity to tell Sam how badly he screwed her last episode by blowing up her spot immediately after she asked him to not reveal information she shared with him. Sam apologized, and Rachel seemed to move on — but I’m not so sure on either count. Sam seems to be trying to organize a Leftovers Alliance with Rachel, Andy, Caroline, and Kyle. It’s not a bad ploy, and that collective was successful in the vote tonight. But can Sam really lead this disparate group for long? I find that hard to believe.
Sue: Sue is playing a bad game. She’s doing amazing in the challenges, don’t get me wrong; super impressive. But her social game? Dreadful. I clocked early on that Sue was playing this game like it was early-season “Survivor.” Everything is very personal for her. She’s not thinking strategically. That “I hate Kyle” montage was unhinged. But even aside from that, Sue was never going to win if she had it her way and Gabe got to the F3. She had no shot against Gabe, who was actively playing this game, while she was just puttering along. Gabe being booted actually opens up Sue, but I doubt she’ll see it that way. I full expect her to come for Caroline for her “betrayal” next episode, and grind that grudge to the bitter end. Also — and I don’t like to comment on anyone’s appearance — but what is going on with Sue’s face? Is it just caked with dirt? Will someone help this woman?
Teeny: Teeny is also playing a bad game, but at least she knows it. She fully admitted this episode that she has no idea what’s going on with this tribe, who to believe, etc. This episode felt like Teeny hitting rock bottom. Between her betrayal at the hands of Genevieve and her freaking bag catching fire, I got the sense that Teeny has taken all she can take, and she can’t take no more. Maybe that means she’ll start actually playing this game. From a season-long narrative arc, Teeny has one of the more compelling ones. But it only works if she starts to seize the moment and really starts making moves now. We’ll see how that goes.
Gabe: I cheered when Gabe was eliminated. He absolutely was a threat, and you have to give him credit — he was running a major alliance for nearly the whole season, and exerting significant power on many if not most of the boots. I do think, however, that Gabe believed his own press, and was awfully up his own ass about his place in the game. I couldn’t help but think of the way he repeatedly told people that Caroline and Sue would vote however he told them. That might have been true for Sue, but not Caroline, as she proved this week by voting against him. He also seemed to miscalculate his relationship with Kyle. Hubris is not good gameplaying, and I think Gabe is guilty of it. How full of himself is he? Immediately after being snuffed by Jeff, he said, “I’ll be back,” referring to a returnee invitation to play the game. When this filmed, Season 50 as a returnee season had not yet been announced. There hadn’t been a returnee season since S40. And this guy said not once, but twice, that he would be getting a callback? It’s definitely possible, but Gabe, the past 7 seasons — to say nothing of the previous 40 — have had plenty of memorable players who deserve another shot. I wouldn’t be so bullish about my chances were I you…
Next: the balancing blocks challenge, the Leftover Alliance activates, and Sue seems like an unhappy camper.
What do you think of Season 47 so far? What do you think of this cast? Drop your thoughts in the comments.