Survivor

Full Circle

Season 40 Episode 10

Editors Rating 3 stars ***

Photo: Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment

Last year,Survivorhost and executive producerJeff Probst sent out a tweetasking if fans would like to see more two-hour-long episodes. The response was almost a resounding yes. With the increasingly complex gameplay, the influx of advantages, and time-sucking twists such as the Edge of Extinction, it was becoming near impossible to craft a coherent narrative in a regular 60-minute episode (42 minutes without commercials). Unfortunately, as mighty and powerful as Jeff is in the world ofSurvivor, he has no jurisdiction over the CBS schedule, as he explained in aWinners At Warpreseason interview. A couple of double episodes per season were as much as CBS was willing to budge.

Its episodes like this, though, that demonstrate the need for a longer weekly runtime. In an effort to cram so much in, including 19 (yes, NINETEEN) family visits, it means that we bounce all over the place with no real sense of direction. This is particularly damaging in a game where the dynamics are continually shifting and new strategies are always forming. The less time we spend at camp, the harder it is to figure out just what exactly is going on. Alliances change at a moments notice for no real rhyme or reason. Relationships we thought were meaningful are thrown aside like an old pair of underwear. And the final vote leaves us in a puddle of perplexion, our brains melting out of our ears. I understand the element of surprise, but there is a difference between a good surprise and a bad surprise. Surprise! Weve bought you a new car!Unexpected and amazing!Surprise! Mom and Dad are getting a divorce!Wait, what? Why is this happening? What does it all mean?!This episode falls firmly in the latter category.

The reason the final 15 minutes is so slapdash is in large part due to the extended family visit that takes up almost 30 minutes of the episode. A staple ofSurvivor, the family visit continues to divide the fanbase. Some people love it, others hate it. Personally, while I think the family visit has provided some classic moments over the years (Jonny Fairplays infamous dead grandma lie being the number one), its not something I find especially entertaining. That doesnt mean Im an emotionless monster, I promise. There are times I get a little choked up, including this episode, which amped up the emotion by bringing the castaways children out to the island. My issue is more with how melodramatically these moments are handled by the show itself, down to Jeffs incessant exposition, as if hes an android trying to process human behavior. It all gets a little bit Lifetime movie special with its sentimental platitudes and histrionic soundtrack.

Dont get me wrong, there are some sweet scenes. Sarah joking that her son is playing with the enemy as all the different kids run around the beach together is funny. Seeing the return of Nadiya, Val, Rachel, and John all of whom have played this game themselves is exciting. And there is some unifying power in seeing families reunite in these uncertain times when many people are separated from their closest loved ones. But boy, does this episode milk the melodrama. Just when you think this feature-length lovefest is drawing to a close, no, the eliminated players on the Edge also get a surprise visit from their families. Again, its cute seeing Parvati cuddle her baby daughter and Rob and Amber showing their four girls where their love story started. But half an hour of hugging and crying begins to grate. Obviously, the excessiveness of this family visit has some contractual bargaining behind it. I imagine the promise of a visit from their kids was what got many of these past winners to agree to return. In fact, in a pregame interview, Tyson admits as much, claiming he put his foot down about having his daughter be part of the family visit. So, I get that, and I dont begrudge these players for making demands, especially after all theyve givenSurvivorover the years. But I didnt need to see so damn much of it.

An Immunity Challenge immediately follows, which leaves us with about ten minutes for the pre-Tribal strategizing. And theres a lot going on! Tony is the only person 100 percent safe, having won his first-ever Individual Immunity necklace, ironically in a challenge that required patience, a quality diametrically opposed to Tonys usual playstyle. Slow and steady is not what Im made of, he laughs. Im more fast and sloppy. Regardless of whatever the reading is on his speedometer, Tony is bulletproof tonight, and, therefore, powerful. Various players approach him with their plans. Jeremy wants to split up Sarah and Sophie, who he perceives as a growing threat to his game. Sarah, meanwhile, is interested in taking out Kim but gets into a comical quarrel with her Cops R Us partner over whether thats the right move or not. You see, Tony would much prefer removing Tyson over Kim. Talking to Tony is like talking to a rock, says a flustered Sarah. And this is going to end badly if we cant work it out.

Things only get wilder from here. Tony checks in with Ben and Nick and presents an alternative plan blindsiding Jeremy. At this point, Im wondering what happened to the big threats alliance between Tony, Jeremy, Ben, and Tyson? Clearly, there is no time to explain, as the Jeremy plan picks up momentum, particularly after Tony tells Sarah that Jeremy threw her name out. Then, Kim, realizing shes on the outs, convinces Jeremy and Tyson that they need to stick together. Now, these three are remnants of the once-feared Poker Alliance, but there is no mention of that in the episode. Theyre just suddenly together because reasons. And Denise and Michele are with them too. Although Michele was previously aligned with Nick, who is now voting with the other alliance? You see what I mean? Some significant pieces are missing from this story. And just when you think youve got it all in place, a sack full of grenades is emptied onto the table in the form of advantages.

Kim tells her alliance about her idol and how shes happy to play it for one of them. Im willing to go to the Edge making a move, she states. Across the beach, Jeremy informs Tyson of his Safety Without Power advantage, which allows him to leave Tribal before the votes are cast. Tyson warns him not to use it because they need his vote for the numbers. Meanwhile, Sophie suggests Sarah use her Vote Steal in order to avoid a potential rock draw. This is a war, Sophie says. And when the smoke clears, well see who is dead in the trenches. Thats a quote worthy of aSurvivorepic, and I wont lie, there is an electrifying energy before and during Tribal Council. The proceedings again rapidly descend into a hodgepodge of side conversations and not-so-covert whispering. You cant ever truly know what is going on, remarks Kim as she takes a brief respite from the chaos to answer Jeffs question. Hey, at least its not just me who is lost.

Tribal Council culminates in a cavalcade of advantages. Jeremy and Sarah face off in a hilarious game of chicken as they both go to play their secret powers at the same time. You go first, says Sarah. No, ladies first, Jeremy responds. Its a tense stalemate as both players try to keep their cards hidden, not wanting to tip off the other. Sarah stands her ground, though, forcing Jeremy to make the first move, revealing his Safety Without Power advantage and saying peace out to tonights Tribal. He left his squad, comments Wendell from the jury bench. Its hard to knock Jeremys decision, though, as he was clearly the intended target judging by the disorder that follows. Sophie firmly, and smartly, puts a stop to the scrambling by loudly suggesting the five in her alliance simply huddle together and decide who theyre voting for. This leaves the minority of Kim, Denise, Michele, and Tyson to work out where the vote is going to land so that Kim can correctly play her idol. In a brilliant bit of misdirection, Sarah uses her Steal A Vote on Denise, not only bagging herself an extra vote but making it appear that Denise is the target, causing Kim to misplay her idol. The real mark is Tyson, who is sent back to the Edge, hopefully where his jar of peanut butter is waiting for him.

Exciting? Sure. But satisfying? Thats debatable. The vote count wound up being five for Tyson, two for Denise, and two for Sophie, which, when you think about it for a second, doesnt make any sense. Why were there only two Sophie votes when Kim, Michele, and Tyson were supposedly voting together? Did one of them flip? They must have, but the episode didnt bother to show us the who or the why. Logic would dictate the flipper was Michele, but that requires us as viewers to fill in the gaps, which shouldnt be how this works. You dont get to the end of a book only to be told to write the final chapter yourself although, I wouldnt have minded that option forThe Girl on the Train. Maybe if we hadnt spent half the runtime watchingSurvivor Family Robinson,we could have had a more comprehensible and, ultimately, a more rewarding story. Either that or CBS givesSurvivorwhat it deserves, longer weekly episodes!

Its fitting that Tyson leaves in the episode he gets to see his wife and daughter, given his story has focused on how fatherhood has changed him.

Jeff randomly thanking Fiji Airways for flying all the family members out is a little jarring. But I get it, that must have been a noisy plane journey!

As tired as I was with the family stuff by the end, the post-credits sequence of the Edge inhabitants group hugging Jeff to thank him for bringing their loved ones out was sweet.

Im glad we didnt have to compete for our children. Dont speak too soon Ben, thats the next twist!

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Survivor: Winners at War Recap: In Love and War - Vulture