We’re fast approaching the end of David vs. Goliath, and jumping right into the latest preview trailer, the thirteenth episode seems to be jam-packed with different plans, with so many names being thrown around camp.
As a brief summary of the sequence: Alison tells Mike privately she wants Nick out, while Nick names Alison as a target to Angelina in an over the shoulder shot which may or may not be shielding someone else in the conversation. Mike throws out Christian’s name to Kara, and in an oddly segmented shot-reverse-shot edit, she, in turn, replies naming Nick to vote out. Nick throws out Davie’s name to Mike, and finally, Mike tells Nick, “now is the time to take you out.”
There are so many things happening in the trailer with plenty of editorial omissions, montaging, and hedging of information. The confessionals by Kara and Mike don’t exactly offer much clarity about the number of plans and who is spearheading what, and neither does the episode title, “Are You Feeling Lucky?”, and the remarkably generic episode description.
This season has been a very unpredictable one, a far cry from the end game episodes of Ghost Island, upon reflection. As we near the finale, I’m cognizant and happily resigned that it’s so difficult to accurately pinpoint predictions. It’s really a testament of what a great season this has been!
First things first, I highly doubt Mike is pulling a Russel/Laura/Kass/etc by directly telling Nick that he wants him out. The Emoji Movie writer has made rookie mistakes like his glaringly overt idol hunt in the season premiere, but this would be a damning move on another level at this current stage of the game. He’s probably just relaying someone else’s (Alison? Kara?) plan to his Rock Star alliance partner.
Secondly, it’s interesting that the three names, out of the remaining seven players, not mentioned in the preview trailer are all former Goliath tribe members – Angelina, Kara, and Mike. I think this speaks volumes of the games that the remaining Davids – Davie, Nick, Christian – have been playing, certifying them as threats to win. And perhaps also cements why the Goliaths seem to be sticking close to each other – Kara and Alison, Mike and Angelina – as their best bets at winning wouldn’t be against the Davids who have pulled off some pretty shrewd moves, especially in the post-merge.
In episode 12 itself, we were shown a potential final four alliance comprising Nick, Mike, Angelina and Davie. However, we also saw Davie revealing his apprehension in a confessional, indicating that he isn’t as solidly on board as the other three players. I feel like Davie might be wary of Nick, knowing that he has a hidden immunity idol and has accomplished a stack of decent moves, both strategically and socially throughout the game. I wouldn’t be surprised if he brings up targeting Nick in the coming episode.
In fact, I’m surprised that we haven’t heard Nick’s name on the chopping block until now. From the episode preview, I think Alison and Kara are targeting Nick. Perhaps they’ll try to rope in Davie, harking back to the brief conversation between him and Kara on the Vuku tribe, which I felt has been left hanging unresolved. I think they’ll also attempt to bring Mike on board, but Mike looks to be aligned with Nick and is more likely to make a plan countering the two Goliath women. With that, I think he tips off Nick paralleling Davie tipping off Christian in the previous episode. I’m not as certain that Nick will end up playing his idol – he might be able to pull enough numbers on his side so it might not be a necessity for him.
At this point, I think it’s safe to say that everyone sees Christian as a threat to win the game. Him being strangely relegated out of conspicuous focus of this week’s preview leads me to believe he wins the immunity challenge again, keeping him safe for the finale episode. Lastly, I have a feeling it’ll be Alison’s time to go, noting that she has escaped the past few tribal councils despite being named a challenge and strategic threat. I don’t think her plan to get Nick out will be successful, and that she might, in turn, be eliminated because of that attempted move.
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