Valerie

So, this show wanted me to ship Timmy and Eliza from their first scene together, right? mission accomplished. Melissa Fumero is adorable and has just as much chemistry with Randall Park as she did with Andy Samberg on B99.

That was a pretty good premiere. Glad they only had one Tribal so we could get lots of camp life scenes. Early faves: Owen, Gabler, Nneka, Sami. "Baka" means idiot in Japanese, so of course every time they cut to Baka failing at something, I had a good chuckle.

Drea could technically sue for defamation if the allegations by Omar aren't true, I guess. Maybe she's threatening to lawyer-up.

I binged both seasons in a week (I have loved Jean Smart since she was on 24) and wow, this finale was great. I really felt that Ava was crying because Deborah was leaving her, not just because she was losing her job. I really grew to love their friendship, rough spots and all. I got the vibe that Deb dropped the lawsuit so she wouldn't have to see Ava again, maybe for her own protection or for Ava's or for both. She genuinely believes Ava is better off without her.

I do love the low-key feeling of the reunion. I said it last season and I'll say it again. But I think they can tweak it -- After the votes are cast, send everyone to Ponderosa for the night. Maybe the jury and final 3 are segregated so they don't harass the jury for information. But let the final 3 get their clean clothes, a good night's sleep, and some decent food. The thing about the live reunion (and the jury) that always made me smile was seeing everyone cleaned up and relaxed, and going right to the aftershow is hard because you don't get that reset. I think this would be a fair compromise -- there's still suspense leading up to who won, but it's not such a heavy whiplash going from one to the other.

Damn. Omar was one of my winner picks. Maryanne indeed became a butterfly with that move. I'm hoping she wins (another Canadian winner!) but I have a feeling she's going to either lose to fire or just not be chosen because of her jury management advantages. I really don't want Jonathan to win. I would be okay with a Mike win but it always bothers me when people tout they are playing a noble game but then pull the same stunts as everyone else. Dude, you're on Survivor. You can't play an honourable game without burning a few toes. See: Rupert, Coach.

Drea's exit reminded me of Shan's, in that Shan called Deshawn a snake and told Ricard he had her vote.

Queer Eye Germany is adorable. I definitely think it's worth a watch.

I'm shocked that Jonathan survived. This reminds me of last season when Ricard was finally vulnerable, having lost his first individual immunity, and they ended up not targeting. It's frustrating to watch as a viewer, but I'm sure on the island lots more cogs are moving. Maryanne continues to entertain me. Lindsey is also super impressive. Drea is playing a great game too. Hell, they all are at this point -- it's going to be a wild ride to the finale.

I think Mike is a POC -- I can't remember but I think he's Hispanic? Edit: I could be totally wrong, but I believe he mentioned his roots during his introduction in the premiere.

I'm getting very excited for this new season. Though, it does give me Dexter/Breaking Bad sort of vibes in that I can't really see the show ending happily for Barry. It feels like ultimately he's going to end up dead.

Are we allowed to discuss Queer Rye Germany here which was just added to Netflix?

I love Maryann. Finish Tocantins, girl! Johnathon has really grown on me. He was BEAST during that challenge. Which was terrifying to watch; I'm not a strong swimmer even in calm water and those waves were horrifying. Good that Jeff stopped it before it could get dangerous. Ouch, Omar risked his vote even after saying in his confessional that Chanelle really needed her vote. That potential connection is probably gone now. I knew it was going to be a crazy tribal when there were 25 minutes left, but I didn't expect two ties and the debate that followed. Daniel played his cards too early by stating right upfront that he didn't want to go to rocks. Hai's loyalty to Lydia was admirable. I liked Jenny a lot because she's a puzzle queen, but she wasn't super interesting to watch so I don't think the entertainment of the show will suffer but her tribe definitely will.

Glad my cinnamon roll Maryann survived another episode though it's clear she is going to be an early boot. The problem with these shorter seasons, if 42 follows 41, is that there won't be a tribe swap so she will have to survive her tribe long enough to make it to the merge. Lydia did a great job as caller during the challenge. Mike originally annoyed me in the premiere but I found him more entertaining rather than annoying in this episode. Rocksroy didn't get a ton of screentime ("You have to avoid the balls, Rocksroy" from Daniel SENT ME) so I'm still iffy on him. Marya didn't do much but she had a graceful exit. The thank you to health workers in honour of her brother was a nice touch by production. I hope she got a chance to bury his necklace.

She is a puzzle master so I think she'll be an asset to keep around until the merge.

Me too. He's one of my favourites so far.

Great premiere -- had a much better flow and pace than 41. Early faves are Maryann and Omar on Orange, and Dan(?) the one with the bum shoulder and Jenny on green. Not keen on anyone on blue, really don't like Mike on green and Rockswhatever on Blue or Romeo on Blue. They get GTFO asap. Like the prisoner's challenge return, and glad they gave us more abridged versions of the explanations this time around. The advantage amulet also adds a new twist -- do you stick with your amulet alliance, or do you betray them to get a more powerful amulet? Jackson's Episode 1 medivac reminds me of Pat's in DvG. My understanding is that he had figured by the time the game had started, he would have been completely gone through withdrawal and wouldn't have any symptoms -- I think that's what Jeff was worried about. Not the drug itself but the withdrawal. Both times I heard him say "Second person to LEAVE Survivor 42" or "first time to be OUT of Survivor 42." I didn't hear him say vote but I could have misheard.

I feel like it's going to be similar to Squid Game with big challenges that eliminate large chunks of the contestants.

My bad, Karishma too! Anyway sorry to go off topic.

Elaine and Janet were the best parts of IotI.

Lauren was on Isle of the Idols I believe.

Elaine was in Isle of the Idols which I know a lot of people have blocked from their memory. I liked her a lot.

It's sick to think that maybe, if all of this Josh mess hadn't been exposed, the CSAM trial may have gone very differently. But people were still hurt in the process (like Jill) which is wholly Josh's fault because he's the one who did it in the first place.

Lots of recaps/summaries/tidbits in this Reddit thread.

Apparently that Patreon was set up before Survivor, but it's still gross and exactly what I'd expect from Shan.