Episode Report Card Miss Alli: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Camel Kicks And Milk
By Miss Alli | Season 12 | Episode 3 | Aired on 11.17.2007
Nate and Jen arrive in Paris first, with nobody else there yet. This seems like it can't possibly matter, but then it turns out that the other flight -- the one back in Amsterdam with all the other teams on it -- has experienced a "mechanical problem" and is being delayed. Jennifer and Christina explain that, as things stand right now, they're not going to make the connection in Paris to Ouagadougou, and that there aren't any more flights until tomorrow. Now that would make for a fairly boring remainder of the race, wouldn't it? Imperfect planning is what that is. Jason is well aware that Nate and Jen are already up ahead, and could wind up with a one-day lead on everyone else.
When we return from a set of commercials, Nate and Jen get the skinny that the flight they're on is the only one scheduled for the day; they've also noticed that the plane carrying the other teams hasn't arrived yet. So they're aware of where this is potentially going, which is honestly not so much instant victory as that something would have to be whipped up in a hurry to slow them down, because you can't have one team a day ahead of everyone else. According to the editing, the other teams are landing just as Nate and Jen are starting the boarding process for the connecting flight to Ouagadougou. Everybody is running, including Kynt, who is talking to the cameraman over his shoulder in a clear case of "I'm not slowing down to talk to you, Super-8 McGee, so RUN FASTER." Running, running, and Nate and Jen very happy about the possibility of getting a huge jump on everyone.
Nate and Jen are snug in their seats when the first team they see is Jason and Lorena. "Glad you made it," says Jen, hoping that Jason and Lorena were born yesterday, between the ditch-vaulting and the bikes, perhaps. Everyone who comes on the plane, Jen gives that same disingenuous routine, like, "Glad you made it." It's not resenting them for making it that seems bitchy; it's the need to announce herself, like anybody doesn't know how you feel. They all get it; they'd all feel the same. But this sort of forces Jen's frustration back onto them, forcing them to pretend to be polite in the face of her phony "screw you" platitude. She and Nate later exchange a shrug, because seriously, what can you do, right? That's more the attitude (the "you mooks" attitude, I might be tempted to call it) that she should have taken the entire time.
Paris to Ouagadougou, via the Amazing Map. Touristy shots of Ouagadougou are quickly interrupted by the footage of the plane arriving, carrying all the teams. So it's all one big tie at this point. They all hop into taxis. You can tell that Jen is still trying to get over being bummed that they went from being so close to having a day-long lead to...no lead at all. Note that Shana and Jennifer negotiate a fare of 3,000 francs (francs, right?), although the driver is kind of "no problem, no problem"-ing them in a way they'd probably be better off clarifying up front. They hand him 5,000, though, and when they ask for 2,000 change, he gives them nothing, and instead just starts driving. "Shana, relax, the guy isn't going to take our money," says an irritated Jennifer when Shana gets more assertive in asking for their change. I think that perhaps Jennifer has never seen the show. Scamming cab drivers are everywhere. (Including, I'd note, in New York, so it's not a "dirty nasty other countries" thing.) Jennifer also opines that perhaps they're being taken "to be sold to people for money." I feel her in terms of unfamiliarity and discomfort, and it's very natural to make that joke when you feel uneasy, but...you have to watch out for that, to say the least. Somehow, when Who David did it with the line about going "straight into the desert to be sacrificed," it was funny and self-effacing, and it was much more understandable while jumping into a cab in the middle of the night in a totally chaotic atmosphere, while this is just nervous and dismissive and apparently based strictly on the fact that the place is different from what you're used to.