Survivor: South Pacific – Recap & Review – Cult Like

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Survivor: South Pacific
Cult Like

Original Air Date: Nov 30, 2011

Ryan O – Senior Reviewer
ryano@thetwocentscorp.com

This was a pretty frustrating episode. Although, I have a feeling that I’ll be frustrated with every episode until someone at least thinks about making a move against Coach.

Another opportunity to do that presented itself this week and people let it slide.

Pre-credits

Cochran solo-views that he has to re-evaluate what he needs to do get further in the game since he feels as if he’s the next to go.

Pre-Challenge

Sophie solo-views that she doesn’t like Cochran. She used to feel sorry for him but she’s beginning to see why people became annoyed with him. She thinks he believes someone will still take him to the end. Of course they would like to do that, Sophie. Who on the jury would vote for Cochran to win? No one. You need to start thinking about taking out Coach, not Cochran.

Cochran solo-views that there’s a cult-like quality to the Upolu, even with the way they constantly refer to themselves using the word “family.” Cochran says that conjures up thoughts of Charles Manson and the Manson Family. He says Brandon seems obsessively devout, as if he’s hiding something deeper and darker. Cochran then goes a bit too far and says he doesn’t want to be Sharon Tate (a young actress the Manson Family murdered in 1968), he doesn’t want to drink the poison Kool-Aid. Given that he’s playing a game and comparing his situation to ones where people actually died (over 900 people died by drinking the Kool-Aid, that’s why it’s not a great phrase to use, kids), well, it’s a bit much.

Cochran speaks to the tribe. He reminds people of the sacrifice. He asks to be saved for one tribal council. Sophie says he made a bad move when he ditched Savaii and she doesn’t feel indebted to him. Coach and Albert are ready to let him slide for a vote.

Redemption Island Duel!

Ozzy vs. Dawn vs. Whitney. Oh, come on Dawn!

An old stand-by: the stacking and balancing dishes challenge. You stack dishes and plates on a wooden arm continuing to balance the pile as it grows taller and taller.

Dawn almost yawns and almost spills her dishes but recovers. A few dishes later, her dishes topple and she’s out. On the 13th dish, Whitney’s pile topples and she’s out. Ozzy wins.

Post-Duel

Ugh. More footage of Ozzy talking about how great it is for him to be on Redemption Island.

Albert solo-views for what might be the first time all season that he’s there to do well in challenges and play a good strategic game. He has no interest in doing housework. He’ll leave that to other people. Make of that what you will.

Brandon is catching fish and Cochran is helping by holding the fish. But I thought only Ozzy could catch fish?

While Edna steps away from the laundry, Albert tips the laundry bucket and puts out the fire. Edna is pretty pissed and rightly so. I’m not sure what Albert was doing but it almost looked intentional.

Edna talks to Coach about being next to go after Cochran. She says, “Do you have any suggestions? What’s your plan Coach?” Wow. No, Edna, no. You’re smart. You make your own plan. You get Sophie. You get Cochran. You get Albert, even if you don’t like him, and you get rid of Coach and then pick off the rest of them. People, this isn’t difficult.

Coach solo-views that keeping Edna and Cochran would make things easier for him.

Coach and Cochran are on the beach the next morning doing tai chi. Coach solo-views that there’s always one player that you want to give your all to teach, “and that’s why I play Survivor.” Good grief. How is he not sick of himself at this point?

Immunity Challenge! Immunity! Back up for grabs! And Reward!

First round, tossing sandbags on to crates. First three to do that move on to using a slingshot to shoot coconuts at targets. Winner gets immunity and a spa afternoon, which includes a massage and a shower.

Albert is first to do the crates. Then, Rick is in. It’s close, but Sophie pulls it out.

Albert is the first to knock down a target and Rick follows soon after and then soon gets another. Albert knocks down his second and then his third and he wins. It really was just about that exciting.

Albert has to choose another person. He takes Coach. Albert asks if he can take a third. Jeff says no. Albert asks if he can give his reward to someone else. He wants to give it to someone else with the hope of going on a food reward next time. He gives it to Cochran, who has a birthday in two days. That didn’t make any sense other than trying to get Cochran’s jury vote.

Post-Challenge

Cochran and Coach get their shower and massage.

Albert and Cochran go into the woods. Cochran thanks him for the reward. Albert tells him that it’s not looking good. Albert says Coach isn’t ready to make a big move. Do people realize that Coach has made his move and isn’t going to make another one? Cochran says that he is and that Rick is calling Albert “Princess.” Albert says Cochran can count on him.

Cochran talks with Edna about voting out Rick. Edna is in. Cochran talks with Coach about Rick. Coach considers it for a while. We don’t see him answer. Instead we see him give a solo-view. He quotes Shakespeare. Or rather, he attempts to quote Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and really, really mangles it. Also, the quote he’s attempting to recite was given by Brutus, who lost his battle with Octavius and Marc Antony. So, good job all around, Coach. You can just feel that he spent time memorizing the quote before he left for this season and that he’s been waiting for an opportunity to use it.

Tribal Council

Cochran says he feels he deserves another night for the move that he made in switching alliances. Albert speaks up and says that he told the tribe that he agrees.

Coach says they are where they are because of Cochran.

Edna is upset because she had previously believed that the six of them were equal and now she finds out that she’s at the bottom. What did she think was going to happen when they got to six or seven? Jeff says that Edna and Cochran, who believes he’s 7th, just need to find who believes they’re 5th and 4th and they can go to the end. Jeff is right, of course. It means pairing up with Sophie and Albert.

Brandon announces he’ll be voting for Cochran tonight and Edna next. Coach says it’s good and bad that Brandon isn’t flexible. If Brandon is with you, then it’s great. But, if you need to change plans, it’s bad.

Brandon starts to cry and whine about wanting to do the right thing and something inside him. Blah blah blah.

Cochran says that Brandon has revealed that you probably don’t want to be in a strategic alliance with Brandon. He says that Brandon has no real capacity to think about the game strategically.

Jeff calls it one of the most interesting tribal councils of the season, which is damning with faint praise.

Voting!

Cochran, Rick, Rick, Cochran, Cochran, Cochran and he’s out. Good luck to him when he gets to Redemption Island and Ozzy.

Bubbling Under

Okay, it might not actually be bubbling under but Ozzy vs. Cochran next week should be fun. Ozzy has promised to feed whoever comes to Redemption Island. Think he’ll stick with that?

Coach vs. the rest of his tribe. Someone has to make a move. It won’t be next week though since it’s an even number and you’d need to go 4 to 2. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Coach take Brandon and Rick to the end. Once Edna is voted off next week, it becomes easy. Coach talks to both of them about Albert, or Sophie if Albert wins immunity. Then, the other leaves the week after.

The only kink in that plan is Ozzy (or whoever it is that returns from Redemption Island, so, yeah, Ozzy). If Ozzy enters and makes the numbers odd, he could be used as a swing vote.

What do you expect to happen in the coming weeks? Let’s hear your Two Cents!