[JerseyWins]

Well I just finished episode 11 and I think it was even more boring than 10. I agree, this is possibly the most boring 2 episode stretch I've ever seen on the show. :/

[TomC]

Get ready for Marquesas, one of my favourites

[JerseyWins]

Africa got really boring at the very end but it was consistently really good from beginning until a little after the merge. Great winner too. I started to get a little worried that Kim would win. (until I saw Kelly's vote, then I figured it'd be Ethan)

I'd probably rank the early seasons like this so far: Borneo > Africa > Australia

Africa cast:

1. Kelly
2. Ethan
3. Teresa
4. Clarence
5. Lindsey
6. Tom
7. Silas
8. Kim P
9. Lex
10. Frank
11. Jessie
12. Linda
13. Kim J
14. Diane
15. Carl
16. Brandon

The people in orange are fine just meh or very hot & cold when it comes to how much I liked them. "Meh" isn't exactly a good way to describe Linda though... but I thought she was funny once or twice and the rest of the time she was just very whatever to me.

Again, I thought this was a great cast despite all the orange because everyone from Kim Powers to even down to Linda on my ranking are pretty even and I liked them, just to a much lesser extent than the ones above.

[TomC]

Nice rankings I'd probably have Brandon, Kim J and Linda higher tho

When are you starting Marquesas? start it now

[JerseyWins]

I went to my class right after watching the Africa finale (I actually have a lot of classes at night this semester which I'm regretting )

I might be starting Marquesas in a little while though and I'm pretty excited for it.

Oh but I just remembered... on the links I found for Africa, a lot of the episodes after the merge had the audio out of sync by like 1-3 seconds which wasn't a huuuge problem but still very annoying. Add that to the boring episodes at the end and it was actually a pain to get through the end of Africa.

that I don't run into that problem again in Marquesas.

[Macie Lightfoot]

THANK YOU, BOOP!

[Macie Lightfoot]

"My name is Brandon Hantz, I'm Russell Hantz's nephew."


.......BLAM!

[Macie Lightfoot]

Episode 4 and Ozzy is definitely starting to fall into his role as supreme douche bag, but it's in opposition to Jim so it just makes me love it all

Jim: why don't we make Upolu think we're super weak when we're actually not?????
Ozzy: .......nah I don't think so
Ozzy (conf): JIM IS PLAYING THE STRATEGY POINT TOO MUCH.
(Jim and Cochran leave for the Duel)
Ozzy: YAY THEY'RE GONE!!! STRATEGY STRATEGY STRATEGY STRATEGY STRATEGY! Come onnnnnnnnn Jim, chill out bro

[JerseyWins]

Just got through the first episode of Marquesas and damn I was liking Peter.

I'm preferring the Maraamu tribe as a whole so far.

[Macie Lightfoot]

The other main highlight of episode 4 was this beautiful scene...

Edna (conf): If what Brandon told me is true and I am indeed not part of the alliance, then I need to step up my social game *sagely nods*
(Edna attempts to socialize and is earnest in her attempts, however she comes off as SO fake and insincere and annoying)
Mikayla (conf): Edna asks so many questions oh my god, like you're never going to go hunting for buffalo so why are you asking Rick how you hunt?!?!?!?! And that laugh of hers, it will haunt me when I leave this island.
Stacey (conf): *viciously imitates Edna's laugh* SHUT UP!

[Macie Lightfoot]

"THEY'RE CHILDREN! 26, 22! THEY'RE OVER THERE LISTENING TO ALL OF BENJAMIN'S HALLOWEEN JOKES, UH, CHUCKIE DA CHEESE JOKES, *gesticulates face* THEY WANT IT!!! HE GOING ON FOR LOYALTY, GOT THEM ALL BEN WAS SO LOYALTY-- COME ON. EVERY DAY HE GOT A STORY, I WASN'T BUYING IT! *fake chuckle* *raises eyebrow* NO!"

I need more Stacey Powell in my life.

[MB.]

Stacey at Redemption Island in general

[Macie Lightfoot]

"I'm a FUNERAL DIREC-TOR. MORTI-CIAN is what I am. Honey I'm a DI-VA."

words to live by

[reece(:]

The additional footage of Xtine and Stacey on RI <3 "hell with gasoline drawers"

[Macie Lightfoot]

*Cochran is gathering firewood; Ozzy, as complacent as ever, is relaxing in the shelter as Elyse sits and giggles at his words*

"The cock train!!! The little Cochran that could!!! How do you spell Cochran? C-O-C-H???? "

idk, I just feel the need to catalog Ozzy being a douche to Cochran since it seems important. For a prolific three-peater and soon to be four-peater I'm really not sure how I feel about Ozzy? Like, of course casuals love him because he was a boring Challenge ***** in Cook Islands and that memory resonates more than him being a bit of a douche in Micronesia and a huge douche in South Pacific, which casuals seem to conveniently forget all about??? IDK, one of my main draws for this rewatch is to sort my feelings on Ozzy before Game Changers, and even Coach too since why not?

[Macie Lightfoot]

Ozzy: I AM NOW DONE PLAYING THE ALLIANCE WAY, I AM NOW WHAT'S CALLED A FREE AGENT
Whitney: uh idk why you're taking this so personally
Ozzy: it's against me when you don't tell me something very crucial like that!
Dawn: Give me a break Ozzy, there's stuff that you're withholding and you know it!

Do you guys think casuals remember Fan Favorite Ozzy throwing a huge temper tantrum just because one of his allies was voted out?

[Macie Lightfoot]

Mikayla was actually better than I remembered but I still don't care about her at all alol. Ednalousy is NOT a good look and neither is ****ing Russell Hantz post-show. Like, did she think she was enacting some revenge on Brandon? Yikes

Also, I think next week's the episode where Coach fully completes his transformation into Charles Manson when he gathers Upolu to stage a fake HII find, led through the power of prayer, all in some elaborate attempt to trick Brandon. Sooooooooooooo fascinatingly grimy.

[LemonJam]

I've been considering a SoPa rewatch for some time so I'm glad you're basically doing it for me

[Macie Lightfoot]

oh my god the staged HII discovery scene is soooooooooooo next-level in terms of shadiness and overall grime. Like, Coach making everyone holds hands and pray that God leads them to the HII that half of the tribe already knows about, Coach and Sophie conveniently finding the HII as soon as they find Tree Mail (did nobody question this???), and then Brandon celebrating and having a confessional about how "it's definitely helpful to have the big guy upstairs on your tribe" ......I feel like I need to take a shower. It's an impressive cult, sure, but I made the Manson Family comparison earlier and I still think it's fitting. Coach is Jim Jones and Edna, Brandon, and even Rick are all gleefully drinking his Kool-Aid.

[Macie Lightfoot]

omg and then Upolu wins the IC and Coach is screaming "ON YOUR KNEES!!! ON YOUR KNEES!!!" at everyone and leading them through prayer, all while Ozzy is throwing yet another temper tantrum that consists of him slamming tables and yelling and jump-kicking a wall... this season's so ****ing weird but it works?

[Macie Lightfoot]

Personality pic:

[Braden]

South Pacific is the next season I need to watch, and you're write-ups are making me somewhat excited.

I'm still yet to finish the finale of Redemption Island, which marks a 7-month hiatus from my First Watch journey.

[Macie Lightfoot]

I like South Pacific a good amount! It definitely has its flaws (Redemption Island, two overbearing male returnees in Ozzy and Coach, Cochran also eats up a lot of airtime*, a dreadful Pagonging in the middle), but I think it has a pretty strong pre-merge and a superb end game. Savaii doesn't really do much for me as a tribe since the main power grouping is the pretty popular people and their lackeys, and it does the whole high school social dynamic in a very boring way. Upolu, however, I think is a fascinating tribe. They're tribal politics are all centered around religion and I find them to be great case study on how religion can be used as a manipulation tool. It's pretty grimy and gross, but very intriguing.

*The biggest surprise on my rewatch is how much I'm actually enjoying Cochran? I totally get the criticism because he does have a high-vis edit and the show doesn't really do "lol nerd" very well as an archetype, but he actually is charming and charismatic enough on his own and he does deliver good confessionals. It's kind of the David phenomenon from Millennials vs. Gen X, where I like him, just not for the reasons that the show wants me to like him. Cochran's self-aware enough and he knows what angle he was cast for, and he seems more embarrassed by it than anything.

[Macie Lightfoot]

I, for one, am SHOCKED that Ozzy's acting at the Duel wasn't convincing. I thought his experience on Playboy TV's "Foursome" would've prepared him adequately.

[JerseyWins]

Why is Sophie great again?