Survivor
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The response was almost a resounding yes.
A couple of double episodes per season were as much as CBS was willing to budge.
Its episodes like this, though, that demonstrate the need for a longer weekly runtime.
This is particularly damaging in a game where the dynamics are continually shifting and new strategies are always forming.
Alliances change at a moments notice for no real rhyme or reason.
Relationships we thought were meaningful are thrown aside like an old pair of underwear.
And the final vote leaves us in a puddle of perplexion, our brains melting out of our ears.
Weve bought you a new car!Unexpected and amazing!Surprise!
Mom and Dad are getting a divorce!Wait, what?
Why is this happening?
What does it all mean?
!This episode falls firmly in the latter category.
A staple ofSurvivor, the family visit continues to divide the fanbase.
Some people love it, others hate it.
That doesnt mean Im an emotionless monster, I promise.
It all gets a little bit Lifetime movie special with its sentimental platitudes and histrionic soundtrack.
Dont get me wrong, there are some sweet scenes.
But boy, does this episode milk the melodrama.
But half an hour of hugging and crying begins to grate.
Obviously, the excessiveness of this family visit has some contractual bargaining behind it.
But I didnt need to see so damn much of it.
An Immunity Challenge immediately follows, which leaves us with about ten minutes for the pre-Tribal strategizing.
And theres a lot going on!
Slow and steady is not what Im made of, he laughs.
Im more fast and sloppy.
Various players approach him with their plans.
Jeremy wants to split up Sarah and Sophie, who he perceives as a growing threat to his game.
You see, Tony would much prefer removing Tyson over Kim.
Talking to Tony is like talking to a rock, says a flustered Sarah.
And this is going to end badly if we cant work it out.
Things only get wilder from here.
Tony checks in with Ben and Nick and presents an alternative plan blindsiding Jeremy.
Theyre just suddenly together because … reasons.
And Denise and Michele are with them too.
Although Michele was previously aligned with Nick, who is now voting with the other alliance?
You see what I mean?
Some significant pieces are missing from this story.
Kim tells her alliance about her idol and how shes happy to play it for one of them.
Im willing to go to the Edge making a move, she states.
Tyson warns him not to use it because they need his vote for the numbers.
Meanwhile, Sophie suggests Sarah use her Vote Steal to get to avoid a potential rock draw.
This is a war, Sophie says.
And when the smoke clears, well see who is dead in the trenches.
The proceedings again rapidly descend into a hodgepodge of side conversations and not-so-covert whispering.
Hey, at least its not just me who is lost.
Why were there only two Sophie votes when Kim, Michele, and Tyson were supposedly voting together?
Did one of them flip?
They must have, but the episode didnt bother to show us the who or the why.
Either that or CBS givesSurvivorwhat it deserves, longer weekly episodes!
Jeff randomly thanking Fiji Airways for flying all the family members out is a little jarring.
But I get it, that must have been a noisy plane journey!
Im glad we didnt have to compete for our children.
Dont speak too soon Ben, thats the next twist!
