'Survivor: South Pacific' Recap: Week 9
After last week’s shocking betrayal, the former Savaii members were rightfully upset with Cochran. As soon as they returned from tribal council, Ozzy pulled Cochran aside to tell him that by siding with the Upolu players, Cochran screwed Ozzy over after everything Ozzy’s done for him, including going to Redemption Island in Cochran’s place. Jim called Cochran a “coward,” while Whitney said that he “disgust[ed] her.”
Can you blame them? No. These things were obviously said in anger, yet no less deserved. But the sickening parts were 1) when Brandon interrupted these talks to make sure that no one was being too aggressive towards Cochran and 2) after the confrontations when Upolu invited Cochran to join them by the fire and consoled him about making the right decision. Of course he did! He sided with your tribe, giving you the advantage!
Furthermore, let’s tone down the vilification of the Savaii team. They’re not heartless people who have been torturing poor Cochran all this time. He was, and continues to be, a weak link. He slowed them down (if not totally caused them to lose) in challenges. He didn’t do much around camp. And other, more capable, people were voted out before him because his teammates spared him and continued to give him chances to prove himself.
So what does he do? He jumps ship as a way of “taking his fate into his own hands.” But in the process, you also sealed your former tribe members’ fates. First target? Ozzy, naturally. The poor guy didn’t have a chance after Jim won the first of tonight’s immunity challenges. Yet Jim fought for Ozzy at tribal council and even considered giving Ozzy his immunity necklace. He tried to convince Upolu to vote out Cochran on the basis of his not being a trustworthy player. However, Coach and the others agreed that doing so would only reinforce the notion that standing up for yourself would get you in trouble. And with that, Ozzy was sent off to Redemption Island.
In the second immunity challenge, there was a twist: Players could either compete or opt out to enjoy a feast. Not surprisingly, the entire Upolu tribe, as well as their new pet, Cochran, decided to sit out, leaving Jim, Dawn and Whitney to battle it out. Whitney outlasted the others, and it seemed Jim would be the next to go.
However, Jim wouldn’t give up. He approached Albert and Sophie and suggested they target Edna because that would work in their favor later. Albert, though, had other plans. He turned his focus to Dawn who he feared was a bigger threat since she gets along well with everyone in Upolu. Coach felt the same way, calling her a snake. But in the end, Jim was voted off.
The coming weeks will tell if Upolu made the right decision. Whether I can stomach Brandon’s crusades to protect the poor and downtrodden and resist the urge to kick in the TV when I see Cochran strutting around in Coach’s blazer for that long is another matter entirely.…