Post by stephen on Feb 13, 2020 19:27:32 GMT
So the long-awaited all-winners season was off to a savage start last night. I gotta say, I was on edge when I saw my favorite winner (Denise) was targeted at the first tribal, but I was relieved... and I gotta say, I've not been the biggest fan of Natalie (though her revenge arc on her first season was delicious to behold) and I don't have any qualms with her being the first boot, especially as she promises to be quite the shit-stirrer on Edge of Extinction. Already she's given Jeremy (a player I really like) her fire token to bolster his standing in the game, and gave Sandra an idol on the other tribe in order to cause more havoc.
Amber going, though, that hurt. Not because I'm particularly passionate about her, but I always thought she was a better player than the fandom gives her credit for and she's been gone so long and I was hoping she'd outlast Rob.
OTHER NOTES:
* Ben's getting a lot of flack for spilling the beans to Rob, but I think it's actually the best thing he could've done because it gives him the guise of being a useful lackey who can't keep his mouth shut . . . but let's not forget Ben was brilliant at the double-agent ploy his first season. He can be subtle, he is aware, and we saw that last night when we saw him pull Adam and Denise into the fold and shift the target to Natalie/Jeremy. Adam was more proactive, but Ben was right there and in the middle of every single strategic and social conversation. Ben's here to stay, I think.
* While Yul's management of the free agents was sensational, I came away from that thinking Sophie benefits the most from it. She talks up her "nerd shield" in Yul, and Wendell/Nick will always be bigger targets than her by virtue of being physically dominant men, and I think Sophie could easily win if she makes it to the end on the back of this alliance if she times the others' ousters properly.
* Ethan is adorable and needs to be protected at all costs. I need that man to orchestrate a killer blindside at some point.
* It was interesting to see Kim play from the bottom for once. She scraped by through the grace of God, but man, she doesn't handle that position as well as you'd think. Tyson also was left desperate, which is a different mode for him.
* I hope Denise eluding that first shot (and not going to Tribal Council for the first time in her career!) means she goes deep. We're starting to see rivalries building; Rob/Parvati's alliance trying to maintain strategic dominance, while Rob is looking at taking a shot at Sandra in revenge. Hopefully, that means a quieter player like Denise can hide in the shadows while the big dogs go at it.
* Tony is always fun, and it's so amusing to see him trying so damn hard to be cool, calm and collective (tm Rodney Lavoie), while you can just tell he wants to spaz out.
As for next week, I think that of the red tribe, Kim and Tyson are obviously the biggest targets . . . but Yul's comforting hand on Kim's shoulder leads me to think he's going to swing her to his side. I think Tyson's most at risk going into next week. I feel the Sandra/Rob storyline has juice to see them through to a swap, plus she has an idol. Something tells me Sandra takes down the Robfather, then goes out consecutively. If the blue tribe goes to TC, they may shoot their shot at Rob then and there, as sending both Rob and Amber to the Edge ensures that they are not overly strengthened. The preview hints at Ben's knowledge of something Denise and Adam are scheming about (an idol find or a clue?), which doesn't necessarily bode well for either of them . . . but Adam is nothing if not persuasive, and Ben did save Adam this most recent episode by saying he wants to work with him, so I think that the preview is misleading and it means that Adam and Denise have to work with Ben. Which, honestly, is a partnership I can see paying dividends.
Amber going, though, that hurt. Not because I'm particularly passionate about her, but I always thought she was a better player than the fandom gives her credit for and she's been gone so long and I was hoping she'd outlast Rob.
OTHER NOTES:
* Ben's getting a lot of flack for spilling the beans to Rob, but I think it's actually the best thing he could've done because it gives him the guise of being a useful lackey who can't keep his mouth shut . . . but let's not forget Ben was brilliant at the double-agent ploy his first season. He can be subtle, he is aware, and we saw that last night when we saw him pull Adam and Denise into the fold and shift the target to Natalie/Jeremy. Adam was more proactive, but Ben was right there and in the middle of every single strategic and social conversation. Ben's here to stay, I think.
* While Yul's management of the free agents was sensational, I came away from that thinking Sophie benefits the most from it. She talks up her "nerd shield" in Yul, and Wendell/Nick will always be bigger targets than her by virtue of being physically dominant men, and I think Sophie could easily win if she makes it to the end on the back of this alliance if she times the others' ousters properly.
* Ethan is adorable and needs to be protected at all costs. I need that man to orchestrate a killer blindside at some point.
* It was interesting to see Kim play from the bottom for once. She scraped by through the grace of God, but man, she doesn't handle that position as well as you'd think. Tyson also was left desperate, which is a different mode for him.
* I hope Denise eluding that first shot (and not going to Tribal Council for the first time in her career!) means she goes deep. We're starting to see rivalries building; Rob/Parvati's alliance trying to maintain strategic dominance, while Rob is looking at taking a shot at Sandra in revenge. Hopefully, that means a quieter player like Denise can hide in the shadows while the big dogs go at it.
* Tony is always fun, and it's so amusing to see him trying so damn hard to be cool, calm and collective (tm Rodney Lavoie), while you can just tell he wants to spaz out.
As for next week, I think that of the red tribe, Kim and Tyson are obviously the biggest targets . . . but Yul's comforting hand on Kim's shoulder leads me to think he's going to swing her to his side. I think Tyson's most at risk going into next week. I feel the Sandra/Rob storyline has juice to see them through to a swap, plus she has an idol. Something tells me Sandra takes down the Robfather, then goes out consecutively. If the blue tribe goes to TC, they may shoot their shot at Rob then and there, as sending both Rob and Amber to the Edge ensures that they are not overly strengthened. The preview hints at Ben's knowledge of something Denise and Adam are scheming about (an idol find or a clue?), which doesn't necessarily bode well for either of them . . . but Adam is nothing if not persuasive, and Ben did save Adam this most recent episode by saying he wants to work with him, so I think that the preview is misleading and it means that Adam and Denise have to work with Ben. Which, honestly, is a partnership I can see paying dividends.