Survivor: Island of the Idols - The Premerge

Survivor is back on our television screens! I promised to provide content all season long, and I have very much failed in that promise thus far. So, I am here to provide my thoughts and reflection on the first portion of the season: the premerge. Despite a relative lack of hype heading into this season, likely due to a combination of a questionable twist and the immense hype for season 40, Island of the Idols is shaping up to be yet another fantastic season of Survivor. The cast is among the best I have seen in several years, and the first half of the season has featured a wonderful balance of strategy and personality, culminating in a blindside at just about every tribal council thus far.

Of course, a blindside is not always the right move from a player's perspective, but it's almost certainly the most fun move from a viewer's perspective. What I am most interested in, however, as it relates to Island of the Idols is the season's unapologetic interest in discussing social issues. Anyone who has read my previous posts on Survivor knows I am obsessed with the show's uncanny ability to reflect and comment on our world, but in its 39th season, the show seems to be making a more calculated effort to do so.

But before I unpack these issues further, I do need to talk about the Idols central to this season's twist, Boston Rob and Sandra.

Now, I was just as skeptical as every other Survivor fan heading into this season, but I am pleasantly surprised thus far as to how Rob and Sandra have been integrated into the game. Their roles as mentors are mostly meaningless; there are several skills they likely do not possess or simply cannot "teach" to others. However, their roles as gatekeepers of various idols and advantages in the game are wonderfully executed. The scenes at the Island of the Idols are mostly corny, but the show leans into the campy nature of the twist to hilarious and exciting effect. There are some downsides, of course, as the player that gets to visit the Island of the Idols tends to hog all the screentime for that episode. We got a lot of Elizabeth in the premiere, and barely anything from her since then. How a character is edited when they visit Rob and Sandra will likely prove essential to determining who will claim the title of Sole Survivor. Out of those who have visited the Island of the Idols, Kellee, Elaine, and Janet seem to have received the most interesting content there.

I also have to mention the especially corny decision to have Rob and Sandra attend Tribal Council in Statler-and-Waldorf fashion. On the surface, the decision to bring them to Tribal seems like a way to provide them with enough insight to better support the castaways that visit them on the Island of the Idols. However, their involvement with Tribal Council may lend some credence to the suspicion that they could eventually join the jury at the end of the season. Their oath says that they do not vote, which may prove correct, but they could still participate in the jury's questioning or perhaps attempt to influence the jury by revealing the information they gathered all season long. In the early going, the Island of the Idols has proven to be a fun addition to the season, but this cast is so strong on its own merits, so I hope the twist remains at its current capacity and never threatens to undermine the real action as we move into the merge portion of the game.

Of course, Jeff Probst and company seem to be acutely aware of the special season they have on their hands, letting the players and their surprisingly insightful conversations dictate the narrative flow.

Season 39 has already featured two of the most profound moments I have ever seen on Survivor, both of which relate closely to castaway Jamal.

Jamal is such a great character. On one hand, he is this insightful, soft-spoken admissions counselor who is always willing to educate others and learn new things. On the other hand, however, Jamal is unknowingly pompous and condescending. I have to imagine he presents a unique challenge for the show's editors. He is arguably the main villain of the season, and yet he is offering up some of the most important scenes the show has ever put onscreen.

While previous castaways have been outspoken as it relates to issues of race (Sean Rector of Marquesas fame comes to mind) never has the show included such a raw discussion on race until now. When Jamal's closest ally Jack slips up and refers to Jamal's buff as a "do-rag," Jamal becomes visibly upset. But rather than burst out in anger, Jamal decides to engage Jack in a conversation on race and explain why that slip-up was so harmful. While Jack immediately regretted his words, the moment still warranted a discussion, one that many viewers had likely never been privy to. Jamal explains to Jack the difficulties of being black in America and the constant pressures he faces in the form of stereotyping, code-switching, etc. The fact that such a civil and productive conversation could be had by real people in a real situation airing to millions of viewers in a primetime slot is nothing short of incredible. Survivor has always been on the cutting edge of engaging with these issues by virtue of its format, but I truly admire the show's recent attempts to engage with these issues more overtly and aggressively.

Not to be outdone, the women of the Lairo tribe engaged Jamal and the other Lairo men in an incredible conversation on gender during last night's tribal council. Jeff's presence during this sequence made it particularly gripping, as he served as a sort of audience stand-in, noting "we've never had a tribal like this before!"

When Jamal admits his fear of an all-women alliance forming, Kellee rebukes his statement and identifies such a fear as sexist. From there, the tribe breaks out into a complex conversation on gender and what it means to be a woman on Survivor and, by extension, in today's world. Janet, the oldest woman on the tribe, offers the greatest speech of the night, a nuanced explanation of how she defines her own womanhood and how important she finds both men and women to be in having these conversations about lifting women up. There are no easy answers in a conversation like this, and the entire tribe navigates the conversation very well.

Kellee's initial accusation is particularly interesting, as it is not entirely true. While she articulates her point very well, and Jamal seems genuinely remorseful for offering the proposition the way he did, the fact remains that this season has had several conversations about women's alliances.

And who were having those conversations? Why, the women, of course.

Missy has been particularly active in gathering an army of women to march towards the end together, and last night's episode lent some credence to her efforts with a seemingly unnecessary inclusion of Missy celebrating Vokai's immunity win with Lauren and saying "now let's go win the game." While Missy's closest ally is ostensibly Aaron, the edit ultimately wants us to believe in her relationships with the other women first and foremost.

Noura, while obviously a very different character and player from Missy, has had similar conversations about creating an all-girls alliance. After all, some of the most successful alliances in Survivor history have been all-girls alliances, including the Black Widow Brigade in Micronesia and Kim Spradlin's posse in One World. While many other attempts have failed, the fact remains that women do seem to have a clear interest in forming these sorts of alliances. Kellee's response to Jamal was not unfounded, but it may have been more rooted in strategy than emotion, especially when considered alongside her brilliant move for the night.

Or was it brilliant? Kellee is certainly the season's most exciting gamer thus far, but she may have put herself in a very sticky situation moving forward. While she will likely not catch any flack for her covert move, she has damaged original Vokai's numbers. Entering the merge, Vokai is at 7 to Lairo's 6. All it takes is one person to flip, and a Jamal or a Noura seem ripe for doing so. Of course, the idea is that Karishma, and perhaps Dean, are squarely with original Vokai, so there is nothing to worry about. Conversely, new Vokai seems to be bonding pretty well, so perhaps original tribal lines are mostly meaningless at this point. I still like Kellee's chances as a potential winner. I have her as my top contender, just ahead of Missy, Janet, and Tommy.

Island of the Idols has been excellent television up until this point, and the merge may prove even better. I hope to post more consistently as the season continues, but no promises! Apparently you have to figure out your future when you are a senior in college? Who knew?

Until next time,

Cory Reid

P.S. For those interested, I am also tracking Edgic for the first time, so feel free to check out my Edgic chart here.