Are you ready for “The Serpent Queen” season 2 episode 2 on Starz next week? We hope so, as some significant developments are on the horizon!
First and foremost, let’s remind everyone that the show is still based on history, even if the key art might make you think this is some sort of edgy alternate universe. The next episode is titled “A Path to Peace,” and it could be one of Catherine’s greatest trials so far. To learn more, all you have to do is check out the full synopsis below:
With peace lying on a knife’s edge, Catherine attempts to calm tensions by allowing the Bourbons to pursue the trade deal with England, and she halts the investigation into the Duke of Guise’s arson involvement.
Ultimately, what we tend to think at least a part of this season will be about is trying to balance out so many aspects of the political world — which is, of course, hard for so many different reasons. We honestly hope that the show allows itself to take its time with some of these developments, largely because we are in no hurry to rush through Catherine’s life.
Beyond what is happening on-screen, the only other thing we hope is just that there are some people out there who remember at some point that the show is back! It feels very much under the radar, and we wonder if “The Serpent Queen” is going to be hurt by some of the super-long hiatuses we’ve seen elsewhere within the world of Starz as of late. Some of these are the function of the industry strikes of last year, whereas others have just been tied to the network having a limited amount of real estate in order to air some of their shows.
What do you most want to see moving into “The Serpent Queen” season 2 episode 2 when it arrives next week? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Once you do just that, come back — other updates lie ahead.
Man, I’m just happy. In a good mood. Have a little extra pep in my step. Things right now, as I write this, are okay. Don’t get me wrong, things are legit terrible out there. Isolation. Economic catastrophe. Death.
We buried my wife’s mother last week, and it was as awful as you can imagine. We couldn’t visit her in her final weeks because we weren’t allowed in the hospital as she was dying. Then, after she passed away, our family grieving was limited to a five-minute ceremony at the cemetery attended by only five people who were instructed to stay in the car. Don’t worry, this isn’t a woe-is-me column, just an acknowledgment of the severity of the situation out there as we all adjust to this new normal.
And I also want you to rest assured that I am going to get into all the big moves and moments of the Survivor: Winners at War finale and weigh in on them as only a seasoned Wednesday evening quarterback can. I’ll nitpick on certain things I didn’t like and probably go on a paragraph or two longer than I should, but allow me for a second to take a big picture view of this episode and this season for a second, if I may.
Back in December, when I ranked Island of the Idols as the worst Survivor season ever, I wrote the following: “When it comes to ranking Survivor seasons, it ultimately comes down to a feeling. You can make pros and cons lists, but, in the end, it all boils down to how a season makes you feel. And, unfortunately, due to the events surrounding the inappropriate touching — and the way it was handled by both production and the other contestants — the ultimate feeling when it comes to this season is sadness.”
So what’s the ultimate feeling when it comes to Winners at War? I’ve been thinking about that a lot, and from the first moment of day 1 when those 20 winners walked onto the sand spit in the middle of the ocean, the overwhelming feeling I have had is…joy. The joy actually started in the days leading up to filming. I spoke with the contestants for our regular pre-game interviews, and it was easily the best collection of pre-game chats I had ever had.
Sure, some of that was probably due to my familiarity with the contestants, some of whom I have known for close to two decades now, but this was also a collection of incredible players and personalities. Some people, like Ben and Michele, had something to prove. Others, like Yul and Kim, were revered one-timers who hoped to show their first dominant runs were not a fluke. There were the legends — Parvati, Boston Rob, and Sandra — who were essentially taking a nostalgia-fueled victory lap, their place secure in the Survivor pantheon. And there was the return of the ultimate Survivor, Ethan Zohn — a guy who used his winnings on Survivor: Africa to help fight AIDS on the continent and then had to survive not one, but two life-threatening bouts of a rare blood cancer. His return alone was one of the best reality TV stories ever.
They stepped on the beach, and I got goosebumps. Twenty of the best players ever, together, on season 40 of a show that even the host and creator thought would probably be a quick fad and then fade away. It was awesome. And what was equally awesome was how the producers treated the season. Yes, we can debate and discuss which twists worked and which didn’t, and you can go back through my season recaps to see which ones I loved and which ones I loathed, but what I mean was they didn’t just treat the season as a regular competition. This season would also act as a celebration of the entire franchise and its epic 20-year run. They leaned into making the season feel special, starting with a champagne toast and the announcement that they were doubling the winner’s prize to $2 million.
I bring all this up because that feeling of joy and celebration permeated the entire season, even when the editing was a bit confusing and there was a little bit of a lull in some of the later episodes. Yes, there was some post-relationship awkwardness between Wendell and Michele at one point, and Ben had a few seemingly minor tiffs with Adam and Jeremy, but that was all super low on the normal Survivor scale of personal animosity.
More often than not, we, as viewers, were celebrating. Celebrating an incredible game move like Denise slaying the Queen, or Tony masterfully flipping the vote onto Sophie. Celebrating the incredible drive and spirit of the folks that completed that brutal log carrying challenge. Celebrating the family reunions that made even an emotionless cyborg like me well up.
Sometimes Survivor can get ugly, with last season being but one example. But this season was perhaps the least ugly installment on record, and the finale serves as the perfect example of that. We saw a great speech from Sarah about gender bias in the game. We saw Jeff Probst go out of his way to acknowledge his role in that bias. We saw Ben tearfully give up his spot in the game to help boost the résumé of the woman he wanted to see win. We saw Tony and Sarah — the two best friends on the island — reduced to a mess of tears, kisses, and “I love yous” as one had her dream dashed and the other his dream fulfilled. And we saw a jury seemingly devoid of any personal bitterness as they relentlessly praised all three finalists for a game well played. (Even the one question Rob posed to Natalie about her lack of social gameplay at the Edge was done in a respectful manner seeking input from her about it before he made his final decision.)
And then there was Tony Vlachos. I wrote a few weeks back about how Tony is the most entertaining player in the history of the show because no one else mixes game sense and nonsense more than him. His run this season was dominant. He won four immunity challenges. He found an idol. He got people from two different alliances to help him when he got hit with an Extortion from the Edge. He managed to direct almost every single vote he was a part of, somehow without angering the folks he blindsided. And he never had his name written down once. Dominant. And probably the most dominant Survivor performance ever, especially considering the level of competition. I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to have a great winner on such an important season. Tony won in a 12 to 4 to 0 vote, with Natalie’s 4 votes coming from Jeremy, Parvati, and Ethan (who all played with Nat on her original tribe) and Tyson (whom Nat bought an idol for).
But it’s not just about greatness with Tony. Tony is also FUN! Whether it is putting ashes all over Sarah’s face for her undercover mission, almost killing himself on his homemade ladder, wiping out while sprinting through the jungle, almost losing feeling in his entire body while perched in a Spy Nest™ for an hour, laughing about his extortion, or simply talking to the camera in the way only he can, Tony is the poster child for the exuberant joy that Survivor can provide.
Which is exactly what we all have needed these past few months‚ exuberant joy. It’s why the timing of season 40 was so perfect. Look, you all know me. I’m not saying I want every season of Survivor to be unicorns, and rainbows, and Spy Bunkers™ with a few verses of “Kumbaya” thrown in for good measure, but this was the season we needed for 2020 with the winning performance we needed. Which is why I’m so happy.
And it’s not just the winner. I’m happy Natalie got kudos for playing her ass off. Instead of now being immersed in controversy over whether someone voted out on day 2 should be able to win the game, we can all just salute her for a truly tremendous effort. I’m happy Michele fought off the personal demons of her previous controversial win by now becoming the only person in history that has played Survivor multiple times and never been voted out or left early. There’s a reason Michele kept being bequeathed tokens. She may not have received any votes at the end, but she fulfilled her mission to prove herself worthy of the crown. And I’m happy for Tony, who undoubtedly just secured his place on the Survivor Mount Rushmore next to Sandra, Parvati, and Boston Rob — players who all won twice (Tony, Sandra) or had two dominant outings (Parvati, Rob).
The season was not perfect, but it was the perfect season to air right now, and if Survivor ultimately comes down to a feeling, I have to say that I’m feeling pretty damn good. And I’m not just saying that because the final 3 all hail from the Garden State of New Jersey HOLLA!!!! Clean sweep for the non-gas pumpers in the house!
Okay, large overview officially over! Let’s now DIG DEEP on some of the big finale moments in a bit more detail.
Day 2, Day 2, Whatcha Gonna Do?
As I outlined in last week’s recap, the battle-back challenge to get back into the game lacked some suspense due to the fact that Natalie had three advantages — which were three more than nine other players had and two more than Parvati, Yul, and Wendell. (Tyson and Sophie bought peanut butter with their tokens.) Shockingly, Natalie then won the competition, narrowly beating Wendell (who also had an advantage).
I won’t go on and on about this again, but will simply state for any newcomers who stumbled across this recap — my apologies, incidentally — that challenges for me are much more dramatic when everyone is competing on a level playing field. As I wrote earlier this season, I don’t want to see a clash of the titans in which half the titans have one arm tied behind their backs. This isn’t even about fairness or anything like that — although Nick lasting all the way to day 34 and having zero opportunities to earn a single token before the competition certainly is anything but fair — but more about what makes for a more dramatic and intriguing contest.
Anyway, after Natalie — who was the first person voted out of the game — was officially welcomed back with lukewarm arms, Probst gave a bunch of Survivor legends a chance to have their moment in the spotlight before possibly saying goodbye to the game forever. In a normal season, chewing up valuable clock on this would have been infuriating, but for a season 40 of all-winners, it fit. It worked. You simply have to love the openness and honesty of Amber saying out loud to Jeff, “Even when you read my name as the All-Stars winner, I knew that nobody really felt like I deserved it. Everybody felt like this guy deserved it and the only reason they voted for me is they hated him more than they hated me.” That’s raw. That’s real.
And Ethan! I made no secret of my desire to see Ethan win this game. Everything that guy has done. Everything he has been through. The oldest season winner. It would have been righteous. But at least he provided the punctuation mark to this scene by talking about how the money raised from Survivor Stand Up to Cancer helped fund the drug that fought his disease. “This show saved my life.” C’mon, how amazing is that? Again, joy.
“We are all part of this sort of giant weird family,” said Probst, and all of a sudden, the host was clapping, the players were clapping, I was clapping, my wife was walking in the room and asking, “Why are you clapping?” So, yes, things got a little awkward on my end, but it was still a nice moment.
Idols Wasted
Now that’s what I’m talking about! Finally, a challenge getting the folks out and moving and grooving. This first final six contest had the players racing through an obstacle, collecting bags, climbing a tower, and going down a water slide. It looked super fun and Michele got absolutely destroyed in the physical portion of this contest, getting lapped by other players. It didn’t matter. Why? Say it with me: It’s all about the puzzle.
And Michele is good at puzzles. She’s especially good at puzzles she has solved before, and with this being the same three-tier brain teaser she conquered in Kaoh Rong, the other players — no matter how large a lead they had or how much blatant copying they wanted to attempt — never stood a chance. Naturally, Michele celebrated her victory by kicking down the puzzle — the same move on the same puzzle from her last season — and I think I strained a hammy just watching it.
With Michele now safe and Natalie likely having an idol, Tony came up with the only sensible plan for the next Tribal — to throw two votes on Natalie (in case Natalie did not have an idol or did not play it) and two votes on Denise (in case Natalie did). Good! Easy! Makes sense! Done!
One little problem. Two, actually. Sarah and Ben. They refused to believe Natalie had an idol. “There’s no way she has something,” said the Marine. The cop’s response was even worse: “Natalie does not have an idol. You know why? Because Natalie and I, in the one day she’s been here, have built a good enough bond that she would have told me. These girls don’t have anything, so calm down dude. Guess who’s in control? Sarah! Sarah knows what’s going on.” But does she?
At this point, Tony was close to losing his mind, and I don’t blame him. Because if Natalie did not have an idol, then she would go out on the revote anyway. By splitting the vote 2-2-2, if Natalie plays an idol, you save your two idols and vote out Denise. But if you don’t split the vote and Natalie plays an idol, now Tony and Ben both have to waste their idols and you end up voting Denise out anyway!
And that is exactly what happened. Natalie played her idol, so then Tony and Ben had to waste theirs. The four votes for Natalie did not count. Neither did the two for Ben, so producers decided to just fly Cirie out to Fiji and snuff her torch instead. Oh, I kid! No, Denise was unanimously voted out on the revote. The only bright side for Tony is that he got to play the world’s longest game of “I told you so” in existence after watching his idol be needlessly wasted.
Lacina is Born
While the ouster of the Queenslayer was certainly noteworthy, as was Sarah and Ben’s flub in underestimating Natalie’s access to a hidden immunity idol, the highlight of the entire affair had to be Sarah’s speech about gender politics. Now, let’s acknowledge something right out of the gate: The impetus for Sarah’s speech was not necessarily to sit there and speak up for all the women whose accomplishments have been minimized over the years as their male counterparts were rewarded for the same behavior. I’ve tracked this angle for the past few years and written several articles about the gender bias in voting — which has now seen men win the last six seasons of the show and 12 of the past 15.
I’m sure Sarah doesn’t like that, but the speech had more current practical concerns as well: Getting her votes! She said it herself after Natalie joined Koru and smartly told the tribe that everyone on the Edge considered Tony the best player: “I have to get my story out to the jury and make sure they know that women are just as equal as men,” said the Game Changers champ. “And just because a man and woman are working together, that doesn’t mean a man is calling all the shots.”
Sarah knew she needed to get into jurors’ heads that she was as equally adept and skilled a player as her alliance partner, and here’s why what she did was so brilliant: A lot of players would have waited until the final Tribal Council to make that speech. The problem is, by that time, the jury’s mind is already made up. Sarah wisely knew she had to strike before then. Why wait to hit them up with that on day 39 when you can drop it on day 36 and give it some time to marinate?
So when the subject of what Natalie said about Tony came up at Tribal, Sarah was ready to pounce with a message the jury would be very receptive to. “It made me realize that if a woman in this game lies or cheats or steals, then she’s fake and phony and a bitch. If a guy does it, it’s good gameplay. If a guy does it, he’s a stud. What it is, is a gender bias.”
Of course, she was right. And it was very impactful to hear Sarah talk about how for two years after she won Game Changers she thought she was a bad person and how only now she realizes that “I can play however I want because if a man can do it, so can I. I will not be defeated by a gender bias.” I honestly consider Sarah to be one of the best players to ever play this game. I’ve told you numerous times how she was seen as the biggest threat heading into this season and yet she still made it all the way to the top 4 and was never really even in any danger at any point. She’s a remarkable player, and she underlined that right here by speaking truth to power that also — not so coincidentally — would also land with the jury.
So, in that sense, because Sarah is smart and Sarah is fierce, what happened there was not so surprising. But what happened next was. Because then Jeff Probst entered the fray and, completely unprompted, said this: “Let me own my part. I am certain right now if I were to look back at
