Did I miss something? Didn’t last week’s preview for this week’s Survivor show a huge NaOnka meltdown? All she did was confront Kelly B. again and make disgusting comments about her artificial leg and the fire. Really? Again with that? How about someone just push Nay in the fire and be done with it. I’m really ready for her to go. The way she has gone after the hidden immunity idol, first knocking Kelly B. over to get the clue, and then grabbing the idol after Brenda dug it up then claiming it as hers is not the best behavior. The way she talks to Kelly B. and Alina can’t be going unnoticed by her tribe, can it? If I was on that tribe, I’d throw a challenge just to get rid of her.
That being said, this was just another slow burn episode that seemed to be designed to make us think the Espada tribe was doomed to extinction after getting rid of presumed leader Jimmy Johnson last week. We’re definitely seeing Marty playing the master manipulator and taking on a role as leader, in spirit if not in name. Marty appointed Tyrone to be the leader of the immunity/reward challenge — whatever happened to the days of two separate challenges? — and that seemed to be a good choice when Espada practiced.
Unfortunately, they didn’t take into account two factors — that there would be other people screaming back and forth at the same time, and that La Flor had the opportunity to use the Medallion of Power to give them an advantage, which they put to good use. Or was it? From what I could tell, it seemed Espada had about five items left to retrieve when La Flor won the challenge, but they said they only had one item left at Tribal (besides the chest and the keys). I don’t think it was as close as they thought it was, and I think La Flor basically wasted the Medallion this week. La Flor won three items from the Sears catalog (ah, product placement) but I don’t know what they were thinking when they took a knife set back to camp. I would be sleeping with one eye open knowing NaOnka has sharp knives within her grasp.
The real battle, however, was between Marty and Jimmy T. Marty thinks he’s the puppetmaster of the tribe, especially the way Jill kowtows to him, but I think tonight’s vote should show him that he doesn’t have as much control as he thinks he does. Jimmy T. is just plain delusional. He’s been so focused on being a leader even when he denies it that he’s just slowly been digging his own grave. He had a chance to prove himself in the challenge, yet he was useless. He couldn’t hear Tyrone and when he did he couldn’t follow directions very well. I thought he may have gotten a reprieve at Tribal after Jeff talked him into taking a backseat role in the tribe. It was a pretty moving moment to see this prideful man come to grips with the realization that he wasn’t valued by the other strong men in the tribe. Alas, even with Jeff calling out Danny for his extreme weakness, Marty was still able to wrangle enough votes to oust Jimmy T. I would have liked to have seen how Marty’s elimination of two stronger players affected the tribe next week but it looks like things are about to be shaken up, throwing Marty’s game completely off. Whatever happens, I hope it kicks some life into the game.
Clacked by Chuck Duncan 
on Oct 07, 2010 @ 12:30 EST5EDT
To be scared of the charity case! Pitiful…