The beauty of Survivor is that 51 seasons in, people are still trying to innovate and find new ways to play the game. The game can be played in so many different ways and I am sure that there still many ways that we haven’t seen yet. Everything in episode 2 of Survivor 51 was absolutely brilliant. Some of the most dynamic and interesting gameplay we have seen in years. It goes to show that you don’t need a million twists and lost votes for players to innovate, you just need to let them naturally experience the game. A great cast is all that is needed for a great Survivor season and this cast could be the greatest in years.
Brady’s Thumb Nugget
What is it that people are looking for when they turn on Survivor? Is it watching people survive the wilderness? Watching people strategize and betray others? Watch people participate in epic challenges? Whatever it is, I don’t suspect anyone watches Survivor to see someone sever off part of their thumb.
Despite losing Aaliyah, things are going great at the yellow Toka tribe. Lewis has joined the tribe, returning from exile island. He has been welcomed with open arms. Despite very openly being against each other during the first tribal, Brady and Devin have sorted everything out and are now back on track with their close partnership. Everything takes a turn for the worse when Brady is not careful with a machete, though.
Everyone is relaxing at camp when they hear Brady scream in pain and run toward them, blood gushing all over his hand. Everyone is worried for him as he tells them that he accidentally cut off part of his thumb. While some try to comfort him as medics arrive, others try searching for his thumb. They find it, and to the delight of all viewers, show us a clear shot of the severed thumb. A great sight for anyone who may have been eating while watching the episode!
Brady does not care about the fact that he just cut a piece of his thumb off. He’s more concerned about whether or not he’ll be able to stay in the game. As Doctor Joe assesses Brady’s injury, all he asks is if he can still play the game. He’s worried that he just screwed up his whole chance because of a stupid mistake. No matter how you feel about Brady, it is sad to see him break down about potentially being out of the game so early. At the same time, you have to respect how much he wants to stay and play the game. Luckily, Doctor Joe clears him to stay with antibiotics and a lot of bandages.
The only other notable Toka scene is Jelly finding the idol. She finds a completely normal idol after almost giving up on her search. It’s such a delightful moment, someone who was left out of the first vote being able to find an idol and claw their way back in. In a questionable move, she tells Patt about this in order to fully gain her trust. It actually seems to work out though, as Patt fully trusts her after this and a new majority alliance with Brady, Devin, Jelly, Mike, and Patt is formed.
Popcorn?
The purple Savu tribe are the real stars of the show. All of the chaos in this episode starts with them. It all starts with Alexis trying to connect with Ana over their Persian roots. Ana brings up Linnea in the conversation, then Alexis asks about Sharonda. After the conversation, Ana reveals in confessional that she just wanted more names out there besides Eric, but that Linnea and Sharonda are not targets for now, but she wants to sow distrust within the tribe. She tells Carter and Cristian about what Alexis said and Carter in particular starts talking trash about her. Then, Alexis walks up to them and asks what they’re talking about, and in the spur of the moment, Anna blurts out “Popcorn!” Ana quickly realizes what a big mistake she made and Alexis tells us in confessional that she can no longer trust Ana. After that moment, all hell breaks loose.
Alexis needs to pivot quickly, so she tells both Linnea and Sharonda that Alexis is throwing their names out. Now the two of them have their sights set on Ana, but Eric is still annoying the tribe. He should still be the first boot from Savu if nothing changes…
The Rob of it All
After a reward challenge in which Kristin breaks her foot (don’t worry, she’s fine!) due to a dangerous netted seesaw, Savu are dismayed. Rob especially is pissed at how the challenge went down. He is pissed that Linnea pulled a blindfolded Eric through the netting instead of the other way around. He unintentionally calls Eric fat and rubs a lot of his tribemates the wrong way. That is nowhere near the end of Rob this episode, though.
When Savu returns to camp after losing a killer immunity challenge, it seems like the consensus target is Eric. However, Alexis is still upset about Ana’s betrayal. Alongside Sharonda and Linnea, a plan to blindside Ana is formed. They bring Eric in on the vote, telling him that he was the original target, but he needs to trust them and vote Ana out. Sharonda especially wants Ana out, since anyone who even utters her name must go, in her opinion. However, Sharonda also does not want to leave Ori, her closest ally in the game, out of the vote. She tells him about the plan, but he tries to get her back on board with voting Eric out. He wants to play it safe and thinks they shouldn’t pivot, making a football analogy. It’s looking like the question of the night is whether or not the Ana blindside will go through.
Rob completely throws everything off base though, as his homesickness strikes him and makes him seriously consider quitting the game. He has an idol though, so he would remiss not doing something with it. Then, he strikes gold. Eric, the guy who he’s targeted since day 1, being one of the main reasons why he even became a consensus target. He has to save Eric now, and he can do so with his idol. He does not tell anyone exactly what he’s going to do, simply telling Eric that he’s the target, but that he has a plan in place.
At tribal council, Rob once again causes chaos by pulling Eric aside right before voting commences and telling him to play his shot in the dark, and if it fails, he has an idol to save him. Nobody has any idea what he’s doing, but they decide to stick to their plans.
When Rob goes to vote, he prepares for his never before seen, brand new strategy. He prepares the parchment, grabs the pen, and writes his OWN NAME DOWN! It’s a brilliant plan. Save Eric’s life in the game and go out in brilliant fashion. Then, a producer tells him he is not allowed to write his own name down. This completely screws up his whole plan, and he now reconsiders everything. When Jeff asks for any advantages, Eric doesn’t play his shot in the dark and Rob doesn’t play his idol. It’s looking like Eric is going home, but then… the votes for Ana start coming in. Soon enough, Ana is blindsided and all of Rob’s chaos ended up not amounting to much. It still made for such great entertainment though.
Ana Sani: Premerge Queen
It sucks to lose Ana so early. She had a lot of potential and based off the premiere, you would think she would go far. Unfortunately, an unfortunate gaffe completely derails her plan. Realistically, all she had to do is lay low, play along with Alexis, and let Eric be the target, and she would have been fine. Yet, you have to respect the fact that she was bored and tried to create some chaos for the audience. Overall, it sucks that she’s gone so early since she had a lot of potential to be a great player, but we’ll never truly know now.
Conclusion: 10/10 Cast?
It is only episode two and everyone on the cast, with maybe one or two exceptions, has brought something to the table already. It is so impressive, especially considering that this season has the second largest cast in Survivor history! I am genuinely excited to see how everyone’s games will play out and can think of absolutely no major qualms with this season so far. I don’t remember the last time I’ve been able to say that…
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