Survivor: David vs Goliath Episode 9 Recap

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My biggest takeaway from last week’s Survivor episode is that this season is out to make hypocrites of us all (or at least the vast majority of us). It started by taking aim at our snide comments and distaste for the direction that the last few seasons have taken. So far during David vs Goliath, the editors have supplied us with some of the best editing a Survivor season has received, modern or otherwise.

Last week, it decided to test many long-standing’s fans stance on advantages in the game. The idol nullifier came out of Carl’s bag with a loud BING and showed its menacing shape to the Goliaths. The results? Dan’s correctly played idol mattered not and he was heading out the door (or whatever the equivalent of a door is at tribal council… out the bush? Anyways, I digress).

Now in theory, I should be upset about this. The Goliaths had no way of knowing an idol nullifier even existed, much less in their already in their opponents’ ever-expanding arsenal, and as I stated before, Dan correctly played his idol. In any other season of Survivor, Dan would have managed to buy himself another round. The concept of the idol nullifier is unfair and I’ve been preaching for fewer advantages on Survivor for years but especially since Cirie’s tragic fate befell her in Survivor: Game Changers.

All that said, god damn it I loved how the idol nullifier turned out last week. Call me a hypocrite, I don’t care. Seeing Dan’s jubilance immediately turn into sorrow at the words “idol nullifier” was something you can’t make up. Seeing Carl’s inability to contain his joy at the move he had just pulled off spoke to my being as someone who has both day and regular-ass dreams about playing Survivor. If that makes me a prisoner of the moment lock me away because it became an instantly iconic moment to my Survivor fandom.

Of course, this becomes yet another exhibit in the long-line of examples to inform us how we really feel about twists. Namely, if the twist benefits the people we like, it’s a good one but if the twists negatively impact our favorites, it’s the worst thing Survivor has ever conjured up. The caveat in David vs Goliath being that the editors have been so good at their jobs that I like almost everybody. I never want to see anybody leave the show this season but because someone always must be voted off, we may as well make it into a show. And what a show the nullifier provided.

That scene with all the Davids convening and discovering all of the advantages they have as a collective only works if the audience likes these characters. Imagine that scene with Angelia as a primary focus and it plays entirely differently. The editors have done a fantastic job in making us like the Davids so that this scene becomes more of a funny scene rather than one where the players are seen as boastful and cocky.

The Davids deserve a lot of credit for the excitement that has been happening at tribal in these last few episodes. They’ve taken the time to turn the post-merge tribal councils into little plays and everyone has been giving stellar performances… much better than Malcom on the Bold and the Beautiful. The Davids come in knowing exactly what is about to happen but still take the time to prod at the Goliaths, trying to break open the cracks that have been forming since the merge.

For their part, the Goliaths have been like Charlie Brown to the David’s Lucie. Every tribal council, the Davids have promised to the Goliaths that this time, they wouldn’t pull the football from under the Goliaths’ feet and yet every time they do, leaving the Goliaths end up on their backs, left staring at the sky wondering how they got into such a mess.

At not other times has the mess been bigger and more uncontrollable than before. Whether or not Alec and Kara changed their vote on the fly at tribal or before going into it, they’ve probably fully burned a bridge with Angelina. She can now figure out that if some dangerous stuff is going down, she was the default boot on her own side, meaning that she can’t really work with them anymore. I find it very entertaining that Dan and Angelina were so opposed within their own tribes but he played an idol for her last week and they still voted together this week. Despite their differences, they were the only two Goliaths to stick the plan, as my old pal Keith Nale might say.

Then you have the vote steal. A lot of people have been wondering why not steal Dan’s vote. I understand the logic. It doesn’t matter what Dan does, he’s going home because his idol is being nullified and he doesn’t have the numbers. So why anger someone who will be staying in the game instead of the one on his way out?

If the Davids, and especially Gabby, want to keep working with Allison, they can argue why they took her vote. In keeping her from voting, they give her plausible deniability with Angelina. They also stop her from voting against the Davids’ plan and damaging trust with them (specifically Carl and Davie). Allison was essentially given a clean slate and the chance to take her vote where she chooses next week. Given the emphasis we’ve seen on her relationship with Gabby, I would strongly predict that is where she might be looking to. In that sense, stealing her vote isn’t hurting the David’s chances of working with her in the future and in fact, may have helped it.

Taking aside all of the entertainment factors, my heart feels for Dan. He had no reason to think he was going to be toppled at that tribal council and the rug was pulled from under him. I would have understood if he left the game kicking and screaming but he took it very well. Sure, there was a bit of saltiness as he left the game in an unprecedented manner but he kept his composure and I respect him for that.

Personally, I think Survivor needs more Dan types. He isn’t a super fan of the show and he doesn’t completely grasp the strategy. Despite that, Dan is a competitive person who wants to win whatever he’s competing in. He had hustle and heart to find two idols and end up in what should have been a comfortable majority. He was a flawed character but he felt very real and multidimensional. His self-confidence hasn’t yet caught up with his body transformation and that manifested itself in the game. Corinne Kaplan once theorized that Dan Kay was a former fat kid because of his low self-esteem. In this Dan, we saw the reality of what she was trying to not so eloquently communicate.

For Kara, I have to give her major side eyes for last week’s episode. I’m not one to read much into edits but I know that the edgicers at large have felt that she is getting a strong edit, potentially even a winning one. That would be fine with me but this episode would make me think twice about her game savviness. In what world is it a smart idea to target the one person who is blindly devoted to you? Especially one who is a big, physical target that would go home ahead of you 9 times out of 10?

At no point had Dan given any indication that Kara was no longer part of his long-term plans. Dan was going to take Kara to the final three and gladly lose to her. It was apparent to everyone on the island from basically day one. Kara was so quick to willingly discard that safety net for what… a partnership with Alec? The guy who blindsided her once already by voting out one of her closest allies and has shown himself to be very willing to double cross anybody? Not the soundest of logic from Kara in this episode.

Speaking of Alec, allow me to express my disappointment about something. It’s been highly publicized from even before the season that Alec broke his non-disclosure agreement with CBS by posting a photo of himself and Kara on social media with the caption “f it.” This has in turn supposedly gotten him banned from the reunion and likely killed his chances at ever returning to the show. This absolutely kills me inside!

Damn it Alec! You would have been a shoo-in to eventually return. With a good chunk of the season left to play out, I’m confident that Probst was already sold on an Alec 2.0 by this point in the season. He’s been good-looking, charming, and most importantly, willing to switch sides and create drama for the season. Alec deserves a large portion of the credit for this entertaining season and now we won’t even get to see him at the reunion, let alone a second time on the show.

As always, Christian manufactured some fantastic television. He is so inherently nerdy when talking about his different sectors on the island that everything comes out so genuinely. It’s hard to explain how he’s any different than the people he’s been grouped with as part of a larger archetype but it’s basically just that Christian is never anyone but himself. I firmly believe every nerdy word that comes out of his mouth and it’s refreshing.

Staring down a two-hour episode this week, I’m looking forward to what it might bring. This vote felt like the funeral for the Goliaths as an alliance. If that isn’t enough to be the death knell of an already tenuous bunch, getting surprised by Christian’s idol would be. Seeing the Goliaths scramble to their respective David alliances will change the game up. While the Davids have felt comfortable sticking together since the merge, this is where things might start to turn because everyone is going to want to keep a different Goliath on their side. It might cause a rupture for both big alliances and really turn the game on its head. At least we can always hope.