Survivor Canberra S2 Edgic - Episode 7

Hello to all reading! I appreciate you all for checking in for another week. Unlike the undeniable mess that was last week's episode, this current one was far more straightforward. The boot was telegraphed clearly and little changed in terms of storylines. This means not much change on my end either, so this one will be quicker than the other ones. 

Previously On Segment

This recap was standard and I only found two things of note. One was calling Mel a 'primary target', the edit last episode didn't really suggest Mel as a main target and even flushing her idol. I'd argue Anna was more shown as an option to go home but wasn't mentioned here, potentially protection on her behalf? The second was showing Nic say 'Loseyu'. A humorous moment yet a tiny bit cocky especially to see in a recap. Neither of these are major revelations but considering Mel and Nic were potential winners it's unexpected to see them be undermined slightly.

Middle of the Road

Mel had a subpar edit this round. She got a segment near the beginning explaining her split from Winyu, losing John and her super idol before fading from the episode. This is the third time in a row she isn't shown much pre-tribal, and that's a worrying trend for her. It's at this point in the game where I can start going down in winner contenders so I've now cut Mel off, she's a distant 5th but it's hard to imagine her getting so little strategic content if she's going to win at the end. So much of her story has been about her super idol and Anna/Amy and even when her super idol leaves it's still a main narrative point. For me to bring Mel back into contention I think she'd need a breakout episode where she gets new bonds with Kubbadang members, and has several strategic confessionals regarding her vote at tribal. Until then I'm expecting her to leave quietly pre-finale. 

Johanna had a small cooldown episode once again. She was a target this episode, namely for being someone who could be taken to the end as a non-threat along with having a potential winners story. It's at this point of the season where I wonder if Johanna could make final 3. She's got a consistent storyline, she seems well-protected currently, is she the 3rd place finalist? I am still confident she isn't winning based on her edit, but I did say not too long ago I thought she was leaving soon and that hasn't come true yet either. Her predominant storyline is being confused with the gameplay and also being loyal/truthful, neither of which are common winner tropes. If there's a two-tribal twist, that might be the time that Johanna leaves in a quiet fashion, and regardless of where she finishes I believe her arc will conclude as a journey edit as she grows with the experience. 

Michael is back to his MOR narrational ways this episode. He had 3 confessionals, but not a lot of personal strategy talk. His connection with Mar is becoming increasingly visible and noteworthy, particularly as Michael is shown in strategy talks with her consistently. The only issue is we hear it from Mar and it's all about how Michael benefits her game. If we take a step back and look at Michael's gameplay, despite being a target recently it appears as though he's playing a simple yet effective game where he's got good relationships and clever strategies, but we don't see it like we see it from the main contenders. It's hard to judge how far he'll go, I don't think he'd be a losing finalist because he wouldn't provide much doubt to a Mar/Nic/Sophie win, so maybe he's a 4th or 5th place finisher? Unfortunately for him I don't know if he has much of a storyline at the moment, since Banfield's departure he hasn't been spoken about beyond being threatening (or Mar's number) and we don't hear him talk about himself enough either. I'll keep an eye on him the next episodes to see if one pops up. 

Complex Personalities

I honestly don't like this episode much for Sophie. She had some okay recap content at the start of the episode regarding her decision about playing the idol, nothing too elaborate but enough to justify the decision. However, her rivalry with James remained a focus for her as a nearly minute long scene was included about the pair discussing James' gameplay style. James was shown to be mainly in the wrong but for Sophie's screentime to be spent on that feels like time wasted that could've developed her more. Winners are rarely shown in major conflicts, and when they are there's usually a payoff (the S25 US winner is a good example) and I don't believe we'll receive that with Sophie. This episode for me cemented the gap between Nic/Mar and Sophie, Sophie gets occasional fantastic episodes but other times she gets muted episodes. It could be looked at as 'cooldown' content, or it could just be less intentional camera time. I will say that I think Nic's vote for her should create content next episode that'll be vital between the two, Sophie got a confessional this episode regarding her tight bond with Nic and as they're both key characters that interaction should be analyzed heavily. 

The ominous signs for Malcolm continued and I'm going to make a bold prediction by saying he'll be gone in the next two episodes. My reasoning is both due to game logic and edit logic, both of which go hand in hand for him. There was a focus on the new 'all-girls' alliance suggested by Anna, while shaky it was given appropriate screentime and set-up. Michael is shown to be protected by Mar and between Malcolm and Nic, Malcolm has the weaker edit. Additionally, Malcolm's new bonds didn't end up paying off. Malcolm mentions in this episode that the player to vote off to weaken him would be Anna, but Anna planned an alliance with the other women which excludes Malcolm. He was also shown to be unaware of his alliance's exclusion of him - he mentions his group of 4 'falling apart', yet his other three members had already aligned without him and made plans with Michael and others. He isn't set up for endgame the same way others are so I'm simply presuming he won't make it there. Ready and willing to be proven wrong though!

I'll miss you James! James from minute one was giving me edgic gold, with a variety of ratings and tones that most players don't get. Just compare Michael's ratings thus far (where he's never gotten tone ever) to James' (who got tone every single episode). James left the same way he entered, strategic in an antagonistic and assertive manner. This episode his negative tone came mainly from Sophie, who I believe we're meant to see as a reliable narrator and therefore her comments on James were realistic. For both episode 7 and the season as a whole, James is CPN. I think that is fairly self-explanatory, and his legacy will be known for his villain persona and being the 'Orca' at the top of the food chain, at least for the pre-merge. Shame we didn't get that complex villain winner though. 

Surprisingly, Nic had one of the quietest presences this round right as he won immunity. He's had a very winner-esque edit up until this point with almost all the right points you'd want to hit along the way. He had an introduction, positive SPV, clear relationships and was often shown. Last episode I thought he might be sneaking ahead of Mar but this one brought up a couple concerns. The first is him saying the trio of himself Mar and Sophie is unbreakable. It's untrue, from Mar's own plotting and Nic's later vote for Sophie. Winners aren't shown to be outright wrong, especially when they didn't have to be. There's also the underlying feeling that he'll be turned against soon. The women's alliance has editorial merit and with Michael partnering with them, it seems like Nic would be in danger. His edit has been good enough that I don't think he'll go next, he could win immunity or push Malcolm under the bus instead, but I think he might be pushed into a position where he needs to win out or find idols due to being considered the top target. His target on Johanna was a bit random too, I don't think much will come from that beyond it adding some minor suspense to this vote. 

Anna's story is falling into place now. Unlike a James or a Mar, her story wasn't obvious straight away but now that we know what decisions she makes it explains her opening confessional to now. She said she would be underestimated, and she genuinely was for quite a while and now has taken a stand against players who she feels aren't listening to her. Her demeanor did throw even me off for a while because she delivered strategy in a reserved way, but what she is shown saying is developed and usually detailed strategy. Right now the editors have positioned Anna as an underdog, she's someone who is fighting against players attempting to control her and playing her own game. The all-girls alliance was given credit to Anna and it was given serious establishment in the edit- rather than smaller alliances like the pink ribbon one which didn't amount to anything. I gave Anna a light P tone, the only positive tone out of this whole episode, due to this push of support the editors were giving her. I just hope she isn't another Hayley. 

I don't know what else there is to say with Mar. I've automatically been putting her at the end of the ratings, she gets beautiful analogies and comparisons every episode and we know her relationships and opinions on every player. There's two outcomes - she's the winner or the decoy winner. If she's the winner, this edit makes sense. Why not get the best and most interesting moments from your winner to make their final edit satisfying and enjoyable? If she's the decoy, then it gives a good distraction to the winner. She's my #1 candidate and will stay there unless something drastic changes in her edit. And with Nic and Sophie sliding down a small bit, Mar's consistency shines through and retains that top spot. Mar is in it for the long haul, we'll be seeing her at finale (I think?). 

That's it for edgic! Can you believe the season is actually wrapping up already? Here's this weeks charts:

See you all next time!