Brilliant and Boneheaded 'Survivor' Plays of the Week: Things Just Got Personal
Warning: This recap contains storyline and character spoilers from this week’s episode of Survivor.
Without fail, the Survivor auction is our favorite episode of every season.
There’s always so much drama: Who can’t help themselves and buy food? Who holds out for the advantage? Who gets royally screwed?
Worlds Apart upped the ante with several layers of drama. We have Mike, who is desperate to get another leg up after hearing Rodney and others plot against him. There’s Will, who seemingly loses out on the auction, but gets a reward back at camp — which ends up biting him in the butt later in a confrontation with Shirin. And finally, congrats to Dan, who wins the double-whammy of both a letter from home and the advantage (which happens to be a brand-new type, in that he gets an extra vote at an upcoming tribal council).
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As with any auction, there are winners and losers. But beyond that, there are clearly winners and losers so far in this game. Here are this week’s:
Brilliant Play of the Week: Dan
Dan is a very interesting character. One week, he’s a despicable, condescending misogynist; the next, he’s a sensitive soul who’s deeply in love with his wife. One week, his tribemates are trying to oust him; the next, he’s the crucial swing vote.
So this week, Dan’s brilliant play isn’t so much “play” — he wins that advantage due to luck of the draw. But he still manages to get himself into the coveted position of being courted by Mike and Rodney.
Now Dan doesn’t really want to be a swing vote; as a fan of the game, he knows that can be dangerous territory. But right now, with that extra vote in hand and showing his more vulnerable side with the letters from home, Dan is sitting pretty.
Boneheaded Play of the Week: Mike and Will (tie)
Mike is in a really strong position, no doubt about it (check our power rankings below). He’s got a hidden immunity idol, and he won the immunity challenge. But he seriously messes up when he nearly reneges during the auction on a deal with Dan and Carolyn to get the letters from home.
Mike almost keeps his money to spend on the advantage, but at the last second, realizes how terrible that would be. Dan would’ve never forgiven him. Even with that wobble, Dan isn’t sure if he can trust his old blue collar buddy anymore.
Mike is a strong, capable player, but he’s not the greatest at reading social situations. He should’ve never entertained the idea of reneging. And then he should’ve never brought up Rodney’s backstabbing plan when they got back to camp from the auction, when everyone just wanted to read their beloved letters.
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As for Will — nobody likes a bully. Is Shirin a pest? Yes. Is she probably the least-liked player on the show this season? Yes. But he goes too far when he explodes on her (erroneously) for possibly hiding some of his post-auction stash. First of all, Mike is the one who posited the theory. Second of all, Will should’ve never made it personal.
And it was personal, despite his defense at tribal council. Questioning whether Shirin has any loved ones is just low, especially when we hear a bit about her childhood struggles. At this stage of the game, you want to be as likable as you are strategic and strong. And Will definitely lost some likability points this week.
Power rankings: 1. Mike 2. Dan 3. Tyler
Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS.
