Episode 7: "The Merger"
Original Airdate: July 12th, 2000
American Ratings: 24.5 million viewers
Day 19
When we merge tonight, I think it will be interesting. I think it'll set up a whole another set of interpersonal dynamics that will be fun for me to watch.
Jenna and Sean have been named the ambassadors of their tribes. As such, they will travel to the other team's camp and assess the two beaches in order to decide which campsite will become the merged tribe's new home.
Richard is persuaded that their camp is better than Pagong's. Jenna is impressed by the Tagi well-organized set-up. Even better, Richard caught some fish for lunch, which the Tagi tribe shares with the visiting ambassador.
On the other hand, Sean is not as "wowed" by the Pagong campsite.
Jenna reveals that there is a rumor that the Tagi are planning an alliance to get rid of every single Pagong member. As a matter of course, the rumor is denied by the interested party.
The Tagi voting block is thinking about eliminating Sean. According to Sue, Sean isn't part of their alliance because he is dumb. Richard finds it odd that Sean is ethically against any sort of alliance.
If you want to win this money, you got to get a little dirty.
Over at Pagong, they feel that Sean is a pretty honest guy. When he dismisses their fear of a possible Tagi alliance, it sets their minds at ease. Little do they know that Sean is just about as out of the loop as it gets. . .
As ambassadors, Sean and Jenna later share a nice lobster dinner on a pristine beach. Before dawn, they must agree on a new name for the merged tribe, come up with a new flag, and select which campsite will become the tribe's new stomping grounds. Considering the setting and the location, both feel that the production probably wanted this dinner to be more romantic than it could ever be. Four bottles of wine will help them get through the night. . .
Day 20
At Pagong, the long wait has them worried about Jenna. On the Tagi beach, Richard wonders what kind of negotiation is going on between the ambassadors. The wait is driving them crazy.
When Jenna finally returns to the Pagong beach, she announces that they have five minutes to pack up their belongings and leave for the Tagi camp. The merged tribe's new name will be Rattana. Gervase feels that the change of scenery will be good for them. Gretchen is sad to be leaving their home behind. Greg feels that they are leaving a lot of emotional baggage behind on the Pagong beach. Jenna is excited and says that they are moving on to bigger and better things.
The former Pagong tribe receives a warm welcome from Richard and Kelly. Richard gives them a tour of the premises.
All of a sudden, we doubled our population. The house got smaller. The pots got smaller. And personally, it's a pain in the ass.
With all the castaways seemingly getting along so well, Kelly thinks that it's too good to be true. But Greg believes that Richard thinks that he's clever, sharp, and he has a lot of things going on in his mind. He feels that Richard is playing the big game.
The women work together to shore up the shelter, but the roof comes crashing down during their efforts. Colleen claims that the women are getting to know one another as they work together, while the men are bonding doing nothing. Like Richard and Gervase, who are killing the afternoon playing cards.
Yeah, it's the same as it is back home, ladies. Here in the jungle, the women are doing all the work and the guys are just hanging out.
That first night, the castaways are sharing stories to get to know each other. We learn that Sean once elected to forgo a threesome because he was scared out of his mind. I have a feeling that horny girls are not the only thing that can frighten Sean out of his mind. . .
Day 21
A leaking roof during a violent storm the previous night sent the girls to the men's side of the shelter. Rudy wasn't pleased with the additional female companionship. "Hey Rudy, that's my head!" grumbled Gretchen, when she got kicked. "Well, that's my spot," complained Rudy matter-of-factly.
"Now it's going to be how you guys survive each other," Jeff Probst explained as they showed up for their first individual immunity challenge. After coveting the immunity idol, the castaways will now be vying for the immunity talisman. For the first round of the challenge, they must dive and hold their breath for as long as possible. Gervase lasts 2:09 minutes, winning the round. Sean, Gervase, and Greg will face one another for the final round. Using underwater ladders, they must release a series of buoys along the way. Though it's close, Greg wins the first individual immunity.
Even though we aren't any longer two different teams, I still have a team. It's going to be interesting because we are not solid. We're solid with one another, but we are not solidly unbeatable yet. It's by circumstance, because there are only four of us and there are ten people still left on the island.
Greg claims that if the Tagi people have indeed formed an alliance and are planning to eliminate the Pagong tribe one by one, he would rather get voted off immediately. Because for him, the game would then become boring. Jenna says that she wants to vote based on merit.
At tribal council, Jeff Probst asks the merged tribe about the new group dynamics and about whether it is too soon for strategy to come into play. Not surprisingly, no one truly steps up to the plate to elaborate truthfully on the subject. When it's time to vote, Sean comes up with his stupidest scheme yet: The alphabetical order voting system.
The naive Pagong members are ripe for the picking, and Richard's alliance takes advantage of their sweet innocence. While Jenna, Rudy, Richard, Gervase, Colleen, and Sue, each get a vote cast against them, a dismayed Gretchen racks up the four remaining votes and is voted off the island.
Interestingly enough, Sean appears even more dumbfounded by this turn of events than the Pagong tribe.
To purchase the Survivor: Borneo DVD boxset: Canada, USA, Europe.
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire