Upolu arrives back at camp, wary of Brandon’s liability issues. Can this mess go to the merge? I don’t know, guys. Coach compares it to putting a bullet in (spoiler alert!) Lenny’s head at the end of “Of Mice and Men.” Are they going to KILL Brandon?
No. Maybe? Anyway, Mikayla and Tired Christine must duel now. It’s a plank puzzle challenge. This isn’t Christine’s first time at the rodeo, so she’s much better at disassembling the crate. Upolu (well, Albert) helps Mikayla, but not Christine. Mikayla puts her puzzle together but gets it wrong, then Christine puts it together the right way. Too bad, Albert. Maybe Mikayla is relieved ot go eat a burger now, or maybe she’s sad not to come back all pretty as part of the jury.
So the merge is ostensibly coming soon, and Ozzy thinks it might be good to send someone to Redemption Island who could beat Christine. Even though she’d probably side with Savaii? I don’t know, that’s a pretty big move. Ozzy approaches Cochran about his “worst case scenario plan,” that they send someone into the duel with purpose.
“I will go,” Ozzy volunteers. He’s confident in his abilities. He would lend the idol to someone else, beat Christine in the duel, then come back and get the idol back. Cochran notes that Ozzy has gone from “bitter free agent” to martyr.
On the other side of the island, Coach is summoning all spirit guides possible to take him through the next three days. He decides it might be time to tell the tribe that they have the idol. Brandon is still acting like a headcase about it, so they decide to continue withholding information. And they pray about it, so they lied to GOD.
Then, Sophie and Coach decide to pretend that through the power of the Holy Spirit, they found the idol along with the tree mail. No one was more excited and naive than Brandon.
For immunity, it’s a twin-themed challenge because the reward is a screening of “Jack and Jill.” Wow, what a … prize? The best part was Jeff explaining the plot of Jack and Jill and how it could possibly relate to this game at all.
“They need each other, see?” Oh, Jeff. So one “twin” will be blindfolded, and the other will verbally guide them through an obstacle course. Savaii does well, despite Keith’s too-long-for-the-course body. It helps that Jim is loud. Edna just holds on to Brandon’s underwear, helplessly. Savaii gets their rope tangled, and Upolu takes the lead. But Albert gets stuck at the fourth bag. It’s close, but also abundantly clear that Cochran is … the least threatening of all the players left.
Continuing the ruse, Coach prays that God would help Upolu win this challenge. So that we may preview the latest Adam Sandler film, dear Lord. Ask and ye shall receive. Upolu wins and goes to see “Jack and Jill” at the Survivor: South Pacific Cinema. As they pray with a disconcerting intensity, Ozzy flips out.
I mean, Ozzy really lost his sh*t. He tells Jeff that he’s so frustrated and it’s “the worst feeling, you can’t even imagine.” Maybe he’s just hungry? I over-exaggerate when I’m hungry, too. Anyway, Cochran senses that Ozzy’s self-sacrificing warrior ways have flown out the window and he is the next target.
No one enjoys the antics of Adam Sandler more than hungry, desperate people. Coach reflects on the meaning and message of this serious, serious film: family comes first. And this tribe is family. Sometimes you have to lie to your little brother, or consider sacrificing him for the good of the family. That’s the takeaway.
At Savaii, Ozzy is SUPER pissed about their loss, and Cochran feels largely responsible and very guilty. Are they going to sacrifice Cochran to Mean Christine because he lost the challenge for them? Or should they send someone who could beat Christine and return? Ozzy believes that Cochran needs to go to redeem himself to them.
“We know you can do this, Cochran,” the tribe tells him, believing in Cochran for the first time. Cochran is glad THEY feel good about sending him, because he isn’t excited to go. He noted that he’s not here to be a hero, and isn’t above “slithering around on the ground” to get as far as possible in this game. And going to Redemption Island is not a good way for him to get far in this game.
Ozzy was unable to sleep at night, maybe because the guilt was eating at him? In the light of day, Ozzy’s original plan was made clear to him once more. He had some dreams about his role at Redemption Island, so he decides it’s time for him to go. Is he a Gemini? Because this is truly twin-like behavior. But is this Good Ozzy or Evil Ozzy stepping forward now?
Keith does not want to go with this plan. Maybe they should send Keith, whose neck is too long NOT to stick out there. But no, it will either be Cochran, who might deserve it but lacks confidence, or Ozzy, who asked to go and might have an evil twin to leave behind.
At tribal council, Jeff brings up a good point: “why would Cochran come back to you if you vote him off?” then Ozzy dramatically reveals that HE will put himself on the line. They have a big plan to build up Cochran as the villain. He saw it all in a dream. But is this just as stupid as last time he got voted out? And can the tribe stand to lose Ozzy?
Ozzy fakes us out for a second, saying he is going to use the immunity idol, but he hands it over to Cochran, who promises it will be Ozzy’s the whole time. With sadness, Savaii votes Ozzy to Redemption Island. How exciting! Jeff called it one of the biggest moves in the history of this game. Will the merge be next?? Oh man, people are playing the crap out of this game! It’s really exciting.
(images courtesy of CBS)
Writer, BuddyTV
Originally from Seattle, Carla recently took a husband and moved to Austin, Texas, where she is finally using her television “problem” to her advantage. It’s sort of like Dexter, but boring and less murdering. Carla’s favorite shows include 30 Rock, The Amazing Race, Project Runway, Modern Family, anything with murder, and pretty much anything gross and weird (CSI, The Bachelor, Toddlers & Tiaras, etc.). Favorite canceled shows include: Arrested Development, Veronica Mars and Average Joe. In her spare time, Carla leads tours of downtown Austin on a Segway (don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it!), blogs about Netflix Instant, and visits elementary schools telling children they don’t need math to succeed (just kidding, stay in school, kids).
