SurvivorSurvivor: Blood vs. Water

It’s not personal, Tyson. It’s strictly business.

Become a Member of our Patron Community

Today Rob, I make my move to become the head of the Robhasawebsite blog family. I know you tried to have me taking out Rob, but it’s over, the jig is up. Barzini@ChannonSarah is dead. So is Phillip Tattaglia Josh Wigler. Moe Greene@Roundhoward. Stracci @Glenholford. Cuneo @michaeltrudeau. Today I settled all family business so don’t tell me that you’re innocent Rob, Admit what you did. Ok, sorry, I get a little carried away when it comes to the greatest two movies in the history of film. I’m so grateful they only made two Godfather movies, because I bet a third one made much later would have been a colossal disaster. Again, and I can’t stress this point enough, there are only two Godfather movies! There is noGodfather part 3; with the worst acting job in the history of cinema by the director’s daughter…do you hear me! There are only two Godfather movies, capice!!!!! We will get to the Corleone’s in a second, but first let’s get to the highlights of this episode. First off, I’m stupid, as I thought and assumed the tribes were going to merge this episode. The Immunity challenge was once again entertaining. I really could not be happier if next episode Jeff Propst came out in a Mark Summers mask and started the comp like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bFBumE7JH4.

The theme of this blog like I said earlier is the Godfather. The thing is, at this time we don’t have a Michael Corleone yet this season. I’m not going to explain who Michael is, because if you haven’t seen the Godfather at least twenty times then do everybody a favor and walk into oncoming traffic to pay for your sins. Nobody is bestowed the gift of being compared to Michael Corleone yet this season. So this blog is a competition with the cast being compared to specific characters from the only two Godfather movies with the potential of one of them emerging as Michael Corleone by the end of the season. The New York Times and Washington Post can barely contain there excitement to syndicate this blog in their publications, so consider yourselves very lucky to have first crack at reading this 😉

The normal disclaimer: Some of these you may agree with and see my logic, some of these you’re going to think that I’m back sniffing glue again.

Aras is being called the leader “on paper” by other members of his tribe, but does this make him the powerful don, soon to assume the role of Michael Corleone? I say no. I say Aras is like the old don in the clip, the once vibrant ruler of the family, but soon to pass on to the next world. The previews for the next episode are saying that Aras needs to watch his back next episode, but do we trust those things? I think it’s clear right now, that Aras could be in peril from this point forward. A true, great Godfather would see this “hit” coming and strike first. If Aras is going to be the “don” then we will see him strike in the next two episodes. I don’t think he knows yet how strong the bond with Gervase and Tyson is, which if he doesn’t figure it out and do something about it soon, then it’s going to be lights out for Aras.

My favorite member of the Corleone family is Sonny. James Caan was never better in any movie as he was here. Every wedding I go to, I dream of “pulling a Sonny” if you know what I mean(All the males are secretly giving me a thumbs up). It still pisses me off even after all this time, that Carlo set him up, what a douche. Tyson definitely has the swagger of Sonny Corleone, and at times he has shown the devious side of him as well. I think Tyson does have the strongest chance of evolving into Michael Corleone and becoming “head of the family” and the winner of Survivor. The thing that scares me is infact that, “next on survivor” preview that depicts Tyson calling for the “hit” on Aras. The previews seldom play out the way they want us to think. I think if Tyson can facilitate Aras’s exile he will be in the best position he has ever been in, in the game of Survivor and will transform into Michael Corleone and run the Survivor blood vs. water family.

For an Italian, there is no bigger insult then being called or being compared to Fredo Corleone and so for that I formally apologize to Vytas. With that said, can’t you see Vytas screaming to Aras, “I’m your older brother and I was stepped over!” as Aras responds coldly, “That’s the way pop wanted it”. So yes, right now I think Vytas is most comparable to Fredo, because clearly he wants to prove that he can be the “man” and show he can make the right choices that ultimately lead to him winning Survivor. Vytas is in a real tough spot as the chica’s on his tribe might band together and vote him off before he really has a chance to prove himself. Obviously with any all-girl tribe there are going to be some cracks and craziness involved that might be the key to Vytas’s survival. Monica appears to be playing the game like someone who smoked too much pot and is super paranoid, so maybe Vytas can use that “stoner paranoia” to his advantage and buy himself another few days. Vytas needs an ally in the worse way on his current tribe. Is the best way for him to make that happen, through Monica or through Tina? I think if he chooses correctly, he has a decent chance of making some noise in this game.

I picked Gervase in this role because of my “putting all my eggs in one basket” on Tyson. I think Gervase has been and will continue to be Tysons consigliere or second in command. Being Consigliere is cool, because the spotlight or heat is never really on you, but it sucks because you don’t ever get to be the “man in charge”. Maybe Gervase is going with the, “peekaboo” strategy, meaning he is going to hide behind Tyson till the end and then pop out and make his move. I think Gervase has played the hand he has been dealt as well as he possibly could. He doesn’t appear to be a major target, he is aligned with arguably the best player this season and he doesn’t have the added stress of having to worry about his loved one, as she is gone.  The Coconut bandits are proving that they will be ruling the roost on survivor very soon. The question for Gervase long term is whether or when he will decide that he needs to turn on Tyson. Is Gervase playing for 1st place or 2nd place?

Did you know that the character Moe Greene was based on Bugsy Siegel? Are you glad I shared that piece of trivia with you? John, like Moe Greene thought he was calling the shots at one point early in the game, thought he deserved to be treated with more respect and he carried himself pre-Redemption Island with a certain level of swagger, but like Moe Greene, it ended badly for John. Can John avoid getting shot in the eyeball like Moe Greene and get himself back into the real game of Survivor? John is clearly a formidable opponent on Redemption Island, but the competitions are so random that you can’t predict with any certainty who will make it all the way through. Just know that John was making his bones while you were dating cheerleaders.

Mama Corleone and Tina may not share tons of qualities together, but one they do share is the fact that they are both women who know the lives they are in our surrounded by shadiness. Tina appears to be the top dog on her newly formed tribe, bolstered by the fact that she has her daughter with her. If the goal of Survivor is to take it one tribal council at a time and not look too far ahead, then Tina is in a great spot right now, because on her tribe she has a 100 percent ally in her daughter and seems to have the control over the majority of her tribe, with Vytas and Monica being more wild cards you could say. Like I have said in previous blogs, Tina’s downfall in this game I think will be having her daughter here, because it’s just too big of an easy excuse or target for everybody else left in the game not to want to split them up. When the time comes, I continue to believe 100 percent that Tina will sacrifice herself for her daughter, but until then she is fine, because she has continued to do everything right in the game of Survivor.

Volatile, at times entitled and ultimately sad we have Connie Corleone, youngest child of the Corleone children. Played by Talia Shire, whose career is so puzzling, because for the life of me I can’t think of anything she has been in besides The Godfather(s) and Rocky series. I looked at her IMBD page and it’s more gruesome then I thought. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001735/ . First off, I squinted because I thought on her IMBD page it said that she was in The Departed, but no, she was actually in The Deported….Sorry but let’s look at the description of that plot “An Italian-American actor is deported to Mexico by some crooked INS Agents, and a pack of orphans helps him find his way back to America” …………Wow!

So let’s just pretend I didn’t railroad this blog and get back on track. Kat like Connie has a doomed future. The picturesque survivor future she dreamed of is dead. The cold realities of the Survivor world have revealed itself to Kat once again. Obviously Kat isn’t a victim as she is the reason why she is where she is now, but there is something about both of Kat’s demises that have seemed sadder then the normal Survivor exiles. Like Connie in the Godfather, when she confronts Michael, hysterical, spitting at him and needing to be pulled out of his office, that image is what I would guess went through Kat’s mind as the votes were being read off this episode. Kat still has a pulse in this game, but will Kat be able to survive at Redemption Island?  I don’t have a feel for how strong Kat is in competition’s, but I would guess that she is in trouble.

Sorry Hayden, I feel like I’m letting you down here, but really the comparison is there. Carlo Rizzi, the backstabbing brother in-law who helps set up the murder of Sonny Corleone. (Frac you, I’m not saying spoiler alert for the freaking Godfather) Hayden like Carlo, has been given the opportunity to join, “the family” so to speak. As an outsider Hayden can do well, be a powerhouse in the game, but appears to lack the guile or cunningness to truly run the table in this season. I think the main problem is that Hayden will never be seen as a true “Corleone” so to speak in this game, with Tyson/Gervace/Aras. I think Hayden can and will make it deep into the game, I just don’t see who is going to be his main ally that is needed to make it all the way. I think Hayden will end up being no better than 4th on a post merge hierarchy alliance, with Tyson/Gervace/underperformingpersonprobablyeitherCieraorLaura. I don’t think Hayden is going to win the game but I definitely think Hayden is the Bo Jackson of reality TV games. I mean think about it, he dominated Big Brother and he currently is in a great place in Survivor, I could definitely see him running the reality TV table and dominate Amazing race and then (sorry Kat) maybe the bachelor? So ya Hayden…I hope were still bro’s after the whole Carlo thing…

The Turk, Vigil Sollozzo, the man who starts the dominio effect on the whole movie series. The Turk is very paranoid and power hungry and it ultimately leads to his demise. Monica is currently in this exact state of mind herself. I think she is ruled by the fear of being blindsided, which should be expected for any player, but I think Monica will eventually try to make a big move to soon and that will lead to her demise. Was her best move, getting rid of Kat this week or should she have stuck to the all-female alliance? I think Vytas is the more dangerous player down the road then Kat, but you can’t blame Monica for wanting to takeout somebody that is throwing her name out there to be voted out. Let’s see how she plays it next week.

Like the Character of Kate, Katie has come to a world that can be harsh, and dark at times, probably more so than she ever expected. I think ironically Katie is ultimately going to benefit from her mother’s potential demise. I think Tina is seen as the bigger threat between the two of them and because of this Katie will likely survive when the hit is put out to break the pair up. The goal for Katie will be to continue to foster relationships with other players in the game and not just stick by her mother. If the all-girls alliance actually holds firm, then Katie has a decent shot to make a good run at this.

Clemenza, was the main extension of the Corleone family, the faction that carried out the dirty deeds for the family. The actor that played the part of Clemenza was supposed to be in the second movie, but held out because he wanted a lot more money and wanted the ability to write his own dialogue in the movie….do you think he rethought that decision from time to time for the rest of his life? Anyways, Caleb has the ability to be a force in the game like Clemenza moving forward, but I don’t think he has the ability to become Michael or the “Don”. I think Caleb is respected and will have a decent chance to make it far in the game, but we don’t know yet how he has interacted with Tyson/Gervase/Aras all of whom are calling the shots right now. We know the target shouldn’t immediately be towards Caleb, because he’s flying solo as far as not having a loved one in the game. Will Caleb be looking to force a big move in the game by going after one of the heavy hitters is the question I will be looking for to be answered next episode. I think he will fly under the rader for the next couple of episodes.

Luca Brasi was the main killer of Vito Corleone’s family. In the movie he gets sent to go infiltrate a rival family and if you watched the clip above then you know how that turned out for him. Laura the killer of competitions was sent to infiltrate Redemption Island and clean out any possible future threats. It’s impossible to predict If Laura will be able to avoid the same fate as Luca Brasi, but she definitely is as good as advertised in these competitions.

The beautiful Appolonia is the first wife of Michael Corleone, who is also kind of a dummy annnnnnnnd she gets blown up in a car. Ciera survived the purge of her first tribe and in her mind is probably sitting pretty right now. The Ciera’s of the survivor world generally make it far in the game if they can escape the first few episodes, which Ciera has done. To avoid the unexpected “blow up” of her survivor life, Ciera needs to continue to lay low now. Performance in competitions isn’t really a factor now in how the tribe decides to vote, so Ciera can just focus on her social game. If Ciera can turn herself into a mannequin for the next few episodes she should be safe.

Paulie is the driver for the Corleone family that sells them out, which leads to the attempted hit on Vito Corleone. Paulie never had a chance to rise up the family past the driving role, as Laura really does not have a chance of rising up the Survivor ladder to win the game and evolve into Michael Corleone. I don’t want to be a jerk, because it’s not like Laura is a bad person, I’m just saying I don’t see any possible scenario where Laura wins the game.

 

So here we are again, at the end of an arbitrary blog on Survivor. I will again repeat in this blog that this season of Survivor has been better than expected. I’m in a Survivor pool that my cousin runs that I have won 3 out of the last 5 times. I think I’m going 4out6 because I picked Tyson to win and I think this is the season of Tyson. If the previews do tell the truth and next episode is the fall of Aras then I think Tyson will have taking one step closer to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CDlBLvc3YE

Will Tyson evolve into Michael Corleone or will I be horribly wrong? Thanks again for reading this blog!!!!

Become a patron of RHAP
Liked it? Take a second to support Rob Cesternino on Patreon!
Become a patron at Patreon!