Survivor Season 20 - 2010

I’m really trying to avoid having my viewing experience tainted by “fandom” consensus opinions, but there was no escaping the knowledge that this is considered one of the best seasons ever. And once I saw how absolutely fucking stacked the cast was, I knew I was in for a ride.

The “Heroes vs Villains” gimmick worked very well here, giving each tribe a very clear character and giving contestants a moral identity to embody, or defy, or play around with.

The heroes showed some nice solidarity setting up their camp, and in challenges they tended to dominate the physical portions, but Christ almighty alive did they suck at puzzles. Despite having a full roster of proven performers, many of whom won their seasons, their story is that they were dumb and weak, destined to be grist for the mill.

The REAL action was always going to be in the villain camp, and the strategic showdown between Survivor royalty Boston Rob and bloodthirsty newcomer Russell was the beating heart of the proceedings. Neither of these men could feel comfortable with their standing while the other was in the game, and it was written in the stars that they would gun for each other. The beach scene before Tribal when each is considering the other’s moves, formulating countermoves, and then countering the theoretical counter-counter moves that may then arise, was some of the most riveting television I’ve ever seen. In the end, Russell pulled off a brilliant headfake and played his idol on Parvati to send Rob’s chief lieutenant home, with Rob following immediately after. As previously stated, Russell is Heath Ledger’s Joker, and Rob is one of the mob bosses gaping in horror at this newcomer who doesn’t understand that there’s a DECORUM to all this.

My favorite minor character this season was Coach, who really grew into a 3-dimensional character. He spent all his time in Tocantins in the dominant faction, and his unique style of obliviousness made him a very entertaining blowhard bully. Here, he’s a man without a faction (a Ronin, perhaps), and he is constantly trying to find honor where there is none. He is Michael Scott, a guy desperate to find some approval from the people he looks up to, and an inability to see the many ways he gets in his own way. His flirting with OG villainess Jerri was extremely cute, and Rob refusing to shake his hand upon his ouster was extremely devastating. When Coach told a contestant in the final voting booth that he had misjudged them, and that they were in fact a True Warrior, I inexplicably teared up. Fascinating guy.

From the merge, we are treated to another installment of The Russell Show. Russell has a supremely unfair advantage this season, in that seasons 19 and 20 were shot back to back for budget reasons, meaning no one competing with him had seen him play. I have a feeling that in an alternate universe where he was truly known to his tribe-mates, they would have voted him out immediately, but he was allowed to pursue his grievance-riddled campaign of savagery again. The grizzled veterans of Survivors past weren’t exactly the tissue paper that he was competing against in Samoa, but they squandered many opportunities to get rid of him. Russell’s alliance with Parvati was a lot of fun, though; their constant bickering like an old married couple contrasted with their absolutely effective campaign to clear the playing field.

In the end, Russell showed that he only has one way to play: advance to the end by any means necessary, and then lose the jury vote because you advanced to the end by any means necessary. Parvati should have won, but her proximity to Russell tainted her and Pearl Islands winner Sandra picked up another check. The morning of the final council Sandra burned Russell’s prized trilby, not even realizing that the first thing Russell did in his first season was burning everyone’s socks. Sometimes the universe uses you to bring justice.

It feels like Russell actually winning the game would break some cursed seal and unleash Hell upon the world, so I’m glad that he keeps getting held in check. A fascinating player, but I’m very glad he’s not in the next one.