I took a little break from the popewatch this afternoon--(whole fresh range of emotions battering me on that front; more on that later)--for something a little lighter.

Survivor.

Man. Don't know how many times I've said this, but this show sure has seen a resurgence this season.

Burnett desperately needed to shake up the game somehow, and he didn't but somehow it managed to shake itself up. Never been anything quite like this.

Can two people call themselves a tribe without laughing? Haven't they turned into a couple? And what will they do if the merge is delayed and they lose again? Vote both each other off and just dispense with themselves? (Yes, I know the answer, but it tickles me to picture their "council.") Can you imagine one person showing up for the challenges after that?

But the merge normally occurs with ten remaining, so we're likely to be spared that sight.

This was the first time I was actually rooting for the threesome in the immunity challenge. As much as I wanted to see this play out all the further, I just didn't have the heart to wish it on them. But there it was.

It wasn't till the immunity challenge that the contrast just got so damn . . . tragic. (Not tragegy on the level of a pope dying, mind you, but in the context of this little world they have been isolated into . . .)

Like watching the damn Third World, over there. Starvation, dwindling population, burning their old shelther in a desperate last-ditch attempt for food . . . Failing at that attempt . . .

(I realize the Third World is suffering from the reverse problem on population, but the image of them wasting visibly away to nothing cried out as such a stark metaphor for the feeling of dwindling resources and dwindling hope in parts of the Third World.) 

Of all moments for Bobby Jon to mention being afraid of the sharks. His look as Tom when on to tell of facing off one of the suckers, hacking him to death and feeding the little guy to his tribe, an actual tribe of eight people--priceless.

That face of Bobby Jon's is just so expressive. Can't tell you how much I enjoy watching it.

And listening to his candor. Heartbrakingly honest, sometimes. Like when he got all excited about how well they had done their SOS. We worked real hard on it. I'm sure the other team did, too, though. Could have outworked us on it. Or outthought us, that's how it usually goes.

It sure did. But the look of realization on his face, that no matter how strong his spirit is--and he is a freaking little tarzan--they'll outmanuever him every time and all his strength means nothing.

And then the immunity challenge. He is so out of his league.

Why did they send him up on the stand to lead it? The trouble is, they didn't have any smart people left on their team. I'm not saying anyone there is stupid, they probably cast most people of above average intelligence, but none of the three are particularly gifted in their brain matter.

But he was pretty pathetic scratching his head solving that puzzle they had spent the entire morning with.

And just to prove it wasn't a fluke, he pulled just about the stupidest move of the game by admitting to Stephanie that he was completely bullshitting her about their alliance. What? If you're going to make a firm alliance, then break it--or consider breaking it--one vote later, for God's sake, you need to keep that little double-cross to yourself.

How can someone not know this? Backstabbing is typically not conducted in the front. For a reason.

If Ibrahim wasn't just as thick as he was, he would have jumped at Steph's offer and BJ would be out of there. But it was a lose-lose for him, regardless. Ib was to dense and too trusting to go for it--hmmmmmm, he's playing both of us, I wonder if I should trust him--but what makes him think Steph ever will? Presumably they're about to merge and he's going to need any help he can get from her--oh, and he's still planning to "go to the end with her" somehow--why would he think for a minute she would trust him. He just demonstrated that his word to her meant nothing.

Not a clue how to play this game.

But he sure is endearing to watch.

Meanwhile, the real game hasn't even gotten started yet. The smartypants team has barely had a chance to play out anything yet.

But that cute guy Greg and his girlfriend sure have painted monumental targets on their own backs. The only thing more puzzling is how they can possibly be in such denial about it.

Aside from it going without saying, they lie there with six other people staring at them incessantly, watching every move, and then walk off together and agree it's probably a "non-issue."

On what Survivor planet?

They're just too much. And these people really are smart, or at least Greg is. What's his excuse?

So the actual game is finally ready to get underway in the next couple weeks, but I find it unlikely those machinations will live up to what we've witnessed so far. This show is like a deep rich novel with a great suspenseful plot. The plot can keep you flipping through the pages to see what happens, next, but it's always the amazing characters and the unlikely developments along the way that make it worth the ride.

Soon Bobby Jon will be gone, and there will be a tiny little hole in my life each week where I used to watch all those exhuberant, ecstatic and increasingly tortured expressions play out all over his angelic little face.