Thursday, February 15, 2007

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - Ep. 2 -or- "Pineapple Power Goes Against Well-Fed and Well-Rested"

No, tonight wasn't a thrill a minute, but I think I'm going to really enjoy this season. I've already picked a few favorites to cheer on - Earl and Yau-Man. And, one I thought might be tough, but may talk her way into an early boot... did so. The attitude will get you every time.

It's easy for me to say that. But I know I couldn't mesh well out there with the others. I'd be better off stranded all alone on an island.

18 are left. Who will be voted out tonight?
Survivor 14: Fiji - Dehydrated James
As the show opened, they spent a lot of time focusing on how well Moto was doing living in the lap of luxury while Ravu members were licking leaves hoping for a few drops of water. Moto is comfy with their couch, pillows, silverware, dinnerware, and an abundance of food to the point where their tummies are full. Over at Ravu, they're hacking open coconuts to gather water and spent a very long and fruitless session trying to make fire.

Boo turns out to be accident-prone. He somehow managed to jab himself in the eye with a stick or something. Then he hit his hand with an axe which continued on to strike his leg. Then, as Dreamz (Dre) was saying, "Boo will hurt himself out of the game" - the hammock in which Boo was resting broke loose and slammed him to the ground. I'm sure the bits were edited to be sequenced that way, but it was funny.

When Sylv
Survivor 14: Fiji - Sylviaia (sent off to Exile Island and doomed to join last week's losing tribe, Ravu) arrived, Yau-Man hugged her with ulterior motives. Sure enough, he sneaked a peek in her shoulder bag looking to see if she had the hidden Immunity Idol. Of course, we know her clue was that it's hidden at the camp.

Once again, she rubbed some folks wrong. I said last week that she came across as bossy to me. Perhaps not "dictating" as James/Boston/Rocky calls
it, but definitely bossy. She's treading thin ice here. She already is an outsider, best not to be a bossy outsider. Some of the tribe members talked and it was decided that if they lose the next challenge, Sylvia would be voted off.

Although Ravu had explored several places looking for fruit or anything edible, Erica found a pineapple patch (perhaps not the proper terminology, but you understand) right near the camp. I thought Earl's reaction was priceless - "I have to marry her now. She saved my life." Pumped up on pineapple power,
they thought they were invincible.

The Immunity and Reward Challenge were combined into one. The tribes had to row out to their tribe's flag, turn around, gather four crates and clasp them to their boats, then return to shore. Once there, they had to assemble a flagpole puzzle (what's with all the puzzles?) and raise their flag. Not only was Immunity up for grabs, but Reward for Moto would be fishing gear. Since Ravu still didn't have fire, their Reward would be flint. The winning tribe also would choose a member from the other tribe to send to Exile Island.
Survivor 14: Fiji - Alex

For the longest time, it looked like Ravu had their act together and would win. Although it hasn't been specifically mentioned (that I caught), they're under the belief that if they win, they would get the good camp. I believe that could be the case.

But we didn't find out tonight. They had been leading all through the water, but when it came to assembling the puzzle pole, all their teamwork fell to the wayside. Erica freaked out and started yelling while Sylvia was the target of her dagger-eyes. The team ended up focusing on Erica as much as the task at hand. Moto won it and chose to send Earl to Exile Island.

Then, back at the Ravu camp, it became a funky Bizarro world, as Anthony put it. Oh, I kind of like him, too. James/Rocky (whatever) had declared an alliance with Erica last week, but now that he was angry with her... under the bus! He and Mookie decided that Sylvia can go next, but Erica must go now. I love how those who believe they have power make these decisions. They went all around the camp seeking support for their plan.

Anthony balked a bit, but then seemed to go along with the plan. Or, at least to their faces, he did. Sylvia, who considered herself toast, loved the plan. I personally thought she got a bit too eager and should have played it a bit more laid-back, but that may just be me.

Over on Exile Island, Earl read the first clue to the hidden Immunity Idol and then his own. His clue indicated that the Idol is in a high spot. Oh... and he killed one of the poisonous sea snakes which slithered near him. He said that he doesn't like to kill animals and that snakes are misunderstood creatures. But then he mentioned that by leaving it be, that could be the one which kills him. So he killed it with a machete. "We now have come to an understanding."
Survivor 14: Fiji - Erica
In the end, the Ravu members all betrayed their buddy Erica except for Anthony and Earl because he wasn't there. Anthony and Erica voted for Sylvia to go.

Now, I foresee problems the longer Ravu stays in the deprived camp. They still don't have fire. James/Rocky seems to call the shots while I think Earl's call would be much better thought out. In the promo blurb for next week, they mention a Moto member in serious trouble. Could it be Boo hurting himself off the show? I don't know.

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - East Coast Update - 02/15 - Boot

Erica was voted off.

A full review/recap will be posted late tonight. Please stop back and share your thoughts on the show!

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - East Coast Update - 02/15 - Immunity, Reward, Exile

Moto won Immunity and Reward (combined challenge) again. They got fishing gear and sent Earl off to Exile Island. Ravu will lose a member at Tribal Council.

Tonight's 'Survivor 14: Fiji' Blogging Schedule

As the show airs on the East Coast, I'll post East Coast updates on the important happenings (Reward, Exile, Immunity, and the Boot) as they happen here. The show will start in a little more than a half-hour from the time I post this.

You can always pull up all of the Survivor 14: Fiji blog entries with the most recent showing first by hitting the Survivor: Fiji label you see at the bottom of this (or any Survivor Fiji-related) entries. Or you can also pull them up by hitting the show title under Categories in the main sidebar of the blog. That should get you to the most recent entry rather easily.

A full review/recap of the show will be posted late tonight.

Survivors ready?

'Lost' - "Flashes Before Your Eyes"

Jackie's TV Blog, Lost
Okay... Lost is back! Yeah, I know it technically came back last week from its hiatus. What I mean is that the good Lost is back after a period of waning. At least, that's how I've been feeling about most of the autumn "season" episodes.

This episode, "Flashes Before Your Eyes," was a Desmond-centric one and we've really only previously seen bits and pieces of this guy. The show utilized flashbacks, sort of. They weren't the regular flashbacks we're used to seeing which tell us about a character's history.

Tying in with the hidden message in the "Not in Portland" episode - "Only fools are enslaved by time and space" - as well as comments made by Desmond, the flashbacks were more along the line of time traveling. I don't think he's a fool.
LOST: Desmond

The show opened with Desmond discovering Hurley and Charlie going through the missing Sawyer's belongings. He led them out in the woods where they met up with Locke and Sayid who were returning to camp after burying Mr. Eko. Locke claimed that he wanted Charlie and Hurley to present a calm front over the death so the others wouldn't panic. "The island killed him."

As Desmond talked to Charlie and Hurley by the beach, he all of a sudden took off for the water, pulling a drowning Claire from a certain death. Or, was it? Hurley and Charlie, determined to find out why or if Desmond could see the future, decided to get him drunk. (Okay, that was a bit weak, but we're talking Hurley and Charlie here, not Rhodes scholars.)

Desmond balked at first, but upon seeing an expensive bottle of whiskey, he imbibed with them. Charlie went from nice drunk to nasty as he pushed Desmond for answers, then called him a coward. Desmond passed out... only to awaken in the past, but with knowledge of the future. Are you following me on that? It was a present deja vu. In the transition, it all flashed before our eyes - the hatch, the countdown numbers (to save the world), and more.

His intended bride had just moved in with him and he planned to ask her father for her hand in marriage. The clock in the room read 1:08 and the very familiar beep-beep of the microwave mimicked the countdown beep-beep in the hatch. When he went to the father's office, a deliveryman had a package "for (4?) 815." Island numbers and memories were all around him, from a ship replica to a polar bear painting.

Instead of allowing him to marry his daughter Penny, the father insulted him and told him he's not worthy of drinking his expensive whiskey (the same type as on the island), could never do the race around the world and was a... coward. Desmond decided he was going to marry Penny anyway. It was off to a jewelers to buy a ring! On his way there, he came across Charlie playing music for tips in the street. His sign listed his middle name as Hieronymus, perhaps like Hieronymus Bosch? Desmond knew Charlie and called him by name, but Charlie didn't recognize him at all.
LOST: She's an Other!
Ah, but who was behind the counter at the jewelry counter? Why, it was none other than the woman who played in the movie The Others. She started to show Desmond rings, but then refused to sell him one. She knew all about him, from his name to his special ability. She took him on a walk, pointing out a man with red Converse sneakers. After they turned away, a scaffold fell killing Mr. Red Sneaks.

Desmond questioned why she didn't save the man if she knew that would happen. She told him she didn't because it was meant to be. If she saved him from that instance of death, another would take place and it would keep happening as the death was meant to take place. She called it "course-correcting." She was insistent that Desmond not marry Penny and let the course go as it should - to the island, to push the button to save the world, etc.

Desmond left her and went to a local pub where he tried to convince a friend that he knew the future by telling the outcome of a soccer game. Alas, he was wrong. But how could that be? He was so sure of the game. Well, perhaps it was just the wrong night. And, it was. The next night, his predictions went down as they should. He wasn't so much telling the future as he was reliving his past.

He didn't marry Penny. He knew that he had to take the correct course, the course which was meant to be. She called him a coward for backing out. That's when he returned to the bar and found out he had the wrong day's game in mind. He also got conked in the head with a bat.

LOST: Charlie

And we're back at the island. Charlie asked Desmond what he felt when he turned the safe-key after the code hadn't been entered and the explosion occurred. Desmond told him he saw his life flash before his eyes. When Charlie asked him about saving Claire from drowning and the earlier deflecting lightning from striking her to save her life. Desmond somberly told him, "I wasn't saving Claire. I was saving you. You drowned this morning saving Claire. You were electrocuted when lightning struck the tent. I saved you both times.

Uh-oh. The lady at the jewelry shop told him you can't course-correct. It's going to keep happening in other fashions as it's meant to be.

[Insert the Lost clunk here.]

Wow... this was the best episode in quite some time. What did you think?