Russell continues to put on a psychology 101 clinic with his direct divide and conquer shenanigans. He completely pulled Parvati’s pants down at the second tribal council Thursday night, taking her pawn Danielle (right) out of the game like she was Ovechkin in the first round of the playoffs.
Crying, of course, is grounds for dismissal on Survivor. Danielle’s “I’ve had a hard day” meltdown sealed her fate. That Russell was able to seize the moment and force the swing vote out of Jerri with a single look was a power move even Jay Leno could admire.
The double elimination really made this show sing, too. The hour flew by, with none of the filler crap we usually get. This episode was all A story, just immunity challenges, campaigning and tribal councils.
Here on in gets very interesting. Rupert, who looked doomed early on (“Git yer tie-die ready ‘cause yer goin’ home,” snarled Russell at one point), dodged two big bullets. That rock in the pocket thing was almost as lame, however, as this week’s episode of Glee.
Whether he’ll have the stones to outlast another week is in question. Sandra sits there with real immunity in her pocket. Russell and Parvati seem capable of winning all the remaining challenges. Jerri has really great hair.
NEXT WEEK: The whole reason to keep watching is to see Russell and Parvati consummate their love and breed Satan’s spawn. In the teaser, we see Russell put the bonding move on Rupert and Colby like they were Curly and Larry. Is he playing them for saps? Sointenly!
Amber Dowling (TV Guide Canada): “This show has ruined Russell’s life. I know that’s a huge statement to make, but I met the man last January and he was with a woman who was not his wife, his shoulders were slumped to his knees and not one of the 100-plus other Survivors at this party were talking to him. There’s playing the game and then there’s letting the game become your life, which Russell has sadly done.” Read the rest of Dowling’s recap here.
Michael Bolen (The National Post): “Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, Russell Hantz — all villains, all paranoid to the point of insanity and all enormously successful — that is, until the end. Over the past few weeks, Russ has shown all the signs of a serious mental condition, but somehow his lunacy keeps him alive and in control. Because crazy works on Survivor — that is, until the end.” Read the rest of Bolen’s latest recap here.
Kat Angus (Dose.ca): “We’re almost to the end, people, and the more I see Russell scrambling, the more I want to see him fall. Hard. That probably means he’ll make it to the finals – again – but he almost definitely won’t win. I’ll admit I rooted for him last season, but that was solely because he was the only one actually playing the game; this time, I can’t wait for one of these actual players to take him down. Don’t let me down, Parvati.” Follow the rest of Angus’ latest recap here.
