Edna Makes Her Move

S23E12

Edna throws a shit fit because Brandon revealed at Tribal that she's on the chopping block. Because throwing a tantrum will definitely convince the others to change their minds and keep you around. Her tantrum is interrupted by video messages from family members.

The duel is actually exciting! Cochran and Ozzy have to use a grappling hook to retrieve bags and then put a ball through a labyrinthine maze. Ozzy gets his bags first but keeps failing at the maze, which allows Cochran to catch up. And they are seriously neck and neck the whole time, and Cochran comes within inches of winning! But he loses. But he wins the respect of a lot of people, because it was very, very, very close.

All of the loved ones are brought in, and Ozzy gets to decide who gets to spend time with loved one. He chooses Albert, Coach, and Brandon, and they all head to Redemption Island with their loved ones. While they're there, Coach takes the opportunity to make an alliance for the finals with Ozzy. Interesting. Brandon's dad tells him to stop smoking crack and start playing the game. Then he talks to Coach and asks who he's taking to the finals. Coach doesn't really answer, and Brandon's dad says that he's going to tell Brandon to do whatever Coach says.

The Immunity Challenge is that life-sized Stratego, where you flip over tiles with each step until you can't take any more steps. Brandon plots his course so that he won't win, but neither will Edna, and then opens his fat mouth about it. So Edna throws yet another hissy fit about how insulted she is. She is BITTER! Her jury speech is going to be a barn burner. Anyway, Coach wins immunity.

Edna goes to Coach, Albert, and Sophie and asks them why they are keeping Brandon around when he keeps having these emotional outbursts. Then she asks Coach if he'll play his Idol for her, and he says no, because then he'll be voted off . So then she goes to Albert and Sophie and begs them to keep her. If it sounds like Edna is doing a lot of begging and whining, you're right. There's just something about her that is so offputting.

At Tribal, Edna makes her case one last time and Brandon seems unworried. Which is smart, because Edna is voted out. Edna and Coach are weirdly intensely making eye contact and she gets all smiley as she's sent to Redemption. What was that about? Also, NOW it should get interesting, because they are down to the final five.

Redemption Island. Night 30. Someone gave Cochran directions and he finally successfully navigated to join Ozzy. He wakes Ozzy up, and Ozzy is immediately like, "Whyyyyy?", presumably referring to why Cochran flipped when he did. Cochran admits that he made a mistake, although he also thinks that he "got screwed." No, he screwed himself. Cochran continues the double speak in an interview when he first says that he "may" have made a bad decision in joining Upolu but then adds that he's insulted that Upolu didn't show him any gratitude. That might be true in a real-life scenario, but there's no such thing as gratitude on this show. When are people going to learn that? Cochran is probably one of those people who apologizes by saying, "I'm really sorry if you felt angry..." or whatever instead of saying, "I'm really sorry for being a dick." Ozzy says that Cochran can stick it to Upolu now by voting for Ozzy in the finals. That's a pretty big assumption that Ozzy will make the finals, and Ozzy doesn't even bother prefacing it with, "If, by some chance, I beat you and the others and make it into the game..." Cochran won't commit to voting for Ozzy if he's on the jury. Finally, Cochran has learned something. And why would he commit right now? Anyway, Cochran wonders why Ozzy assumes he's going to win the duel, and Ozzy allows that there's a chance Cochran would win. Smash cut to Ozzy interview: "He really doesn't stand a chance." That was my favorite part of the episode. I wish they hadn't ruined it in the previews.

Te Tuna. Day 31. Everyone rises and shines. Well, not shines, exactly. They all look pretty exhausted and filthy. Brandon calls everyone over so that he can say the morning prayer. Edna snips, "I'm going to excuse myself, since I'm not really part of this tribe." Whoa. Where did that come from? I mean, I know why she feels that way, but that outright bitchery is new for Edna. Edna walks off and starts crying while everyone else prays together. She interviews that Brandon made it clear at the last Tribal that she's the to go, and now she feels duped and betrayed, because she thought that she was part of the tribe. She is! And part of being on the tribe is eventually being voted off, unless you win. Right? Am I missing something here? Who did SHE think was going ? That's the question that never really gets asked in this scenario. She's all hurt but who did she think would be to go?

Coach and Edna have a sit-down. Coach tries to be calm and rational and explains that they've always said that, once the former Savaii were gone, it would become an individual game. Edna knew that, but she feels like they said they were six strong and it turns out that they're five strong. She does have a point there; it would be one thing for Brandon to say that HE planned to vote out Edna , but he said that THEY plan to vote out Edna , which makes Edna feel like she's an outsider and they've been plotting behind her back. I still feel like she should have seen this coming, but at least I sort of get where she's coming from now. And it turns out her big problem is with Brandon, who is dumb and crazy (her words, paraphrased), and seems to be the one calls the shots. While Edna tries to explain her feelings, Brandon roars into camp and announces that they have Sprint Treemail, which they all know means a video from a loved one. Edna's meltdown is interrupted as Coach runs over to see the videos.

By Kim

The videos are pretty much what you'd expect - each loved one says they miss their contestant and love them. It's also made clear that the loved ones are on the island; I don't remember production doing that before. The last video is from Brandon's dad (Russell's brother), who tells Brandon to do the right thing, not based on the game, but based on what's in his heart. Brandon sobs and says, "Yes, sir" and while I would probably find this touching were it anyone else, it seems creepy. Brandon is like two steps away from an emotional breakdown.

Duel time! Ozzy and Cochran arrive; the rest of Te Tuna is already there. Probst first demands the video phone back. He tells Ozzy and Cochran that there is a twist to be revealed after the duel. The challenge will be to use a grappling hook to retrieve three bags containing small balls. Once they have all three, they will use the balls to try to complete a table maze. There are multiple holes in the bottom of the maze, and if the ball drops out, they have to start over with a new ball. The first to complete the maze wins; the loser goes home.

Cochran is hopeless with the grappling hook at first, and Albert gives him advice on how to use it. Ozzy nabs his first two bags on his first two throws, and it's looking bad for Cochran. Ozzy gets his final bag while Cochran still only has one bag, and keeps botching his throws. Ozzy moves on to the table maze. He goes very slowly, and Cochran manages to catch up. So now they're both on the maze. Ozzy has a slow, deliberate style. Cochran just goes for broke until he gets his ball close to the end, and then he slows down. Ozzy's ball drops, and Cochran is actually close to winning - but then his ball drops through a hole. On the second attempt, they are neck and neck, both right near the center. They are both so, so close. Cochran actually gets his ball into the center but it bounces out and goes through a hole. And then Ozzy wins, but man, that was close. Afterwards, Cochran says that he is proud that he almost beat one of the biggest Challenge Monsters. And now that Cochran is out, he actually gets kind of charming when he talks about how he always wanted to be on this show, and he can't believe he made it. And then he starts crying and says that he's learned that he can be a better person. Probst gives a big speech about how Cochran is a new person, which is mildly insulting because it implies that he was worthless before, but Cochran seems touched. And then Cochran burns his buff and leaves. See you on the jury, sucker.

Ozzy's ready to go back to Redemption Island, but Probst tells him that he needs to make a big decision. But first, the six loved ones are brought in, and the contestants get to hug them briefly. Everyone cries, blah blah blah. Then Probst tells Ozzy that he gets to choose who gets to spend time with a loved one. Ozzy chooses Albert. Probst tells him to choose another. Ozzy chooses Coach. Ozzy gets to choose a final person, and he chooses Brandon. I'm trying to figure out his rationale. If it were me, I would pick the people I thought were going out soon, to try to curry jury favor. But Ozzy picked the two tribe leaders and Brandon. Huh? Probst tells Ozzy that the contestants and their loved ones are going to hang with Ozzy on Redemption Island, and they all leave together. Poor Sophie, Edna, and Rick.

Ozzy, Albert and his mom, Coach and his brother, and Brandon and his dad head to Redemption Island. First, they do a commercial for the cell phone they were given. Then Coach decides to talk some strategy with Ozzy. He tells Ozzy that they both know Ozzy will be back with either six or five people (so, like, after the duel?), and Coach wants to make a deal with Ozzy for the final three. Coach doesn't announce who the third person will be. At first, I couldn't figure out why Coach made this deal, since he seems to already have at least a few deals in place, and they could just try to vote out Ozzy as soon as he comes back. But I figure Coach is A) trying to get Ozzy's goodwill and thus jury vote and B) hedging against the idea that Ozzy might just go on an Immunity Run. So if Ozzy doesn't get immunity when he returns, let everyone else vote him out. Coach can be the one dissenting vote, and sort of shrug and say, "Look, I tried to keep you but they're all scared of you." And if Ozzy does win immunity and ends up having to choose who goes to the finals with him, maybe he'll take Coach. It's an interesting strategy. I don't know if it will work, but we shall see. Ozzy immediately agrees because why not?

Brandon sneaks off to have a powwow with his dad. Brandon proudly explains that he's decided to play the game to set an example for people about loyalty and integrity, and to play the game like Christ would play it. And he doesn't care about the million dollars or the title. His dad loves Brandon's loyalty, but asks what he would do if he had to go against someone to put himself into the final three. Brandon says he wouldn't make the move, and his dad is (like the rest of us at home) thinking, "WTF?" Brandon says that things have changed for him since he's been out there. They keep talking and move to the beach. Brandon's dad points out that God would want Brandon to put his family in a good position (by bringing him the money), and if he just wanted to spread the good Word, he could be a street-corner preacher and penniless. His dad interviews that he's shocked Brandon hasn't been voted out yet, if this is how he's playing, and that Brandon needs to get himself into the final three and then let go and let God.

Brandon's dad clearly didn't get far with Brandon, so now he approaches Coach and Coach's brother. He admits that Brandon isn't holding together well, and he wants to know who Coach is planning on taking to the final three, and is it Brandon, and if not, why not? Does he want Coach to write an essay here because that's a lot of questions? Also, he's very threatening, physically. He's built like his brother Russell, but in good shape instead of having a large belly. Maybe he should have been on the show instead of Brandon. Coach doesn't really give an answer, so Brandon's dad says that he's going to tell Brandon to just do whatever Coach says. He gets right up in Coach's face and says that if Brandon wins a challenge, he's going to ask Coach what to do. Brandon agrees with this. Coach interviews that all those Hantzes are the same, and Brandon's dad tried to bully him into dragging Brandon along for the ride to the finals. Coach literally runs away from the conversation, and then interviews that he's not going to be bullied into taking Brandon to the finals, because Brandon is a ticking time bomb, and his time on the island is almost up. I'm a little scared of the episode where Brandon gets voted off.

Immunity Challenge! In the recaplet, I said it was like Stratego. I have obviously never played that game, because it's not like that at all. It's more like Reversi or Othello in some ways. Each player starts at the edge of a giant board filled with hexagonal pieces. Every time they take a step onto an adjacent yellow tile, they have to flip that tile over to reveal the reverse purple side. No one can step on purple pieces. Eventually, each player will run out of moves to make, since they will be surrounded by purple pieces. The last player who can still make a move wins immunity.

Everyone makes their initial moves and Probst notes that, much like in the game overall, the moves that you make early on will determine your endgame. Coach likes that metaphor, and he and Probst joke about Coach doing tai chi moves for no reason. Oh, Coach. Just stop. Edna inexplicably keeps moving closer to Brandon, which is going to choke off her route. Albert and Brandon both run out of moves in quick succession. As Brandon leaves the game, he mumbles something and then talks to Albert. Probst asks what he was saying, and he says that he had a strategy to try to squeeze out "a particular person." Edna snaps that he can say her name, and then tells Probst that she had the bad luck to not be on the beach with the others on day one, so she's not in their alliance. She's so bitter about it! She should be mad at herself for just now realizing it. Is she mad at them for making an alliance without her? Or for not telling her about it until now? Does she understand what this game is about? Not to mention that Edna is terrible at this challenge. When you see the overhead shot, you can see that she totally moved herself into a corner and there's a ton of open space to her left that she could have used, had she thought this through. I don't know what in the hell she was doing, but it's not Brandon's fault that she's almost out of running room. Rick is out , and then Sophie. But due to Edna's weird pattern, Coach has tons of room to move so Edna's days are numbered. Probst notices that Edna is getting more and more agitated, and she notes that some people have been playing like they're still on a team and they don't seem to realize that it's now an individual game. In other words, piss on me all you want, but your day of reckoning is coming. So Coach wins and gets immunity. As they get ready to leave, Edna asks Coach to "help a sister out." Brandon voices over that he opened his mouth and stuck his foot in it, but that won't change the fact that Edna is leaving tonight.

By Kim

Edna goes to Albert and Sophie and says that she's voting for Brandon, and she needs to know if it's something they would consider. Albert admits that he's really considering it, but he needs to know that they have enough votes to ditch Brandon, and wonders if Coach is on board. Edna says that Coach is "absolutely, one hundred percent" on board. I wonder why Rick isn't being brought into this at all? I don't know why she doesn't bring Coach over to back her up. Could it be because he won't? Edna then says weirdly that she'll eat a piece of Coach's shit to prove that he's with her. What? What does that even mean? Awkward. Albert interviews that Edna told them that she's not a threat and she won't win, but she just wants to stay another three days. That's the worst lie ever. Obviously, she thinks that she can win, or she'd be happy to go to Redemption Island and then go home. Early on in the game, it makes sense to just try to last another three days. But at this point, why draw it out, unless you think there's a chance? She's just throwing everything to the wall and seeing what sticks.

Tribal Council. Probst brings in the jury, and then asks Edna how things went back at camp after the challenge. Edna says she's been trying to convince everyone to get rid of Brandon, because their tribe is about honor and integrity, and Brandon deviates most from that. She offers up his lie to try to get Mikayla out and the fact that he targeted her in the Challenge so she couldn't win. She actually makes Coach say the thing about honor and integrity and the jury members are rolling their eyes. Brandon responds that Edna is inaccurate and has misconstrued a lot of things. Probst says that he was there when Brandon admitted the lie about Mikayla, and Brandon says that's true, and maybe Edna didn't get that wrong, but he apologized. So it's all okay now! Brandon seems to think that as long as you admit something, it's erased from the record. Brandon says that it would hurt his feelings to be voted out tonight, because he's never said anything bad about Edna and yet she has spent the day running around and planting seeds in people's minds. Edna clarifies that she didn't make anything up that she said; it was all true.

Probst moves on to talk to Sophie about how difficult things are now, and Sophie admits that they feel like a family, but that's all going to end soon, and Sophie thinks it ends today. Albert adds that a lot of people have contributed to them getting where they are, and now they have to make decisions about promises that were made early on versus the reality of the game right now. Thanks, Albert! Time to vote!

By Kim

Edna and Coach sit on the beach. Edna wants to know what's going on. Coach agrees with her that anyone can see that Edna deserves to stay instead of Brandon. But no one wants to vote out Brandon because they're worried he will come back from Redemption Island and be pissed off. Edna says that she has to ask if Coach would consider using his Immunity Idol on her. Finally someone remembered that Coach has the Idol. Coach says he can't, and that he doesn't plan to use it at all, because he knows it would be signing his own death warrant. Edna explains that she just wanted to be sure to go down fighting. Coach admires that, and advises her to go tell Albert and Sophie, "I talked to Coach and everything is cool" and see how they vote. So is he telling Edna he'll vote for her, or is he telling her to lie and see if Albert and Sophie take the bait? Because that seems like a very vague thing to say.

By Kim

Everyone votes. The first vote is for Edna, then Brandon. Those were expected, since they obviously voted for one another. The vote is for Edna. That could be Rick? It's the one that matters, and it's for Edna. Coach looks like he swallowed a bug. The last vote we see if also for Edna, so she's done. She hugs Coach and smiles as she's eliminated and sent to Redemption Island. But after she's out of the Council area, we hear her sniffling and crying. Well, if she could ever win a challenge, she might have a chance to come back. Good luck with that, girl. That would be way more interesting than Ozzy coming back.