I duno if Eva should have been allowed on the show if she truly requires that much support . If I am unable to ground myself and act like that - I am taken away by police and locked up for 72 hours. If she is unable to ground herself - she gets a hug? Nah Not a fan - if her DSM label was "antisocial personality disorder" or "Schizophrenia" the reaction to her would be very different. If she had been born in another country, or if her parents had been poor - she might not have an autism diagnosis at all.
I guess its one of those things that triggers the "better or luckier" argument from Buffy in my head. Eva is very proud of herself for achieving so much in life, but its not because she worked any harder, its because she was lucky enough to have those opportunities for growth and the support through it. Yeah it triggers me because I worked with so many non verbal and low iq children with autism who are not represented by the current crop of autistic influencers. Thats a *me* thing, unrelated to Survivor.
I was thinking.. while I watched.. how she doesn't present as autistic. While I know that there are various levels of autism, and its on a spectrum, she for the most part is able to manage herself and ground herself. The stimulation of that challenge, and her being the very last one on her team to need to sink the ball, and being afraid to go to tribal, all in one made her react the way she did. It wasn't until that moment that her autistic characteristics really came out, so I think viewers might have been confused about her talking about her autism diagnosis. Honestly, I don't pay too terribly much attention to tribes the first episode or two, until I can figure out who are going to be longterm players.. so I missed her talking to Joe about it earlier.
I do think that showing Joe understand her issue, and allowing him to go to her and help her calm down, knowing she needed extra help, was good. I didn't like that Jeff made it into a "thing". I know that part of the host's job is to narrate the show, but the problem with Jeff that I don't think JLP has, is that Jeff tries to produce the show in the moment. But he's not a writer, and he's only a producer because he stayed on as host for so long and he haggled his way into becoming a producer. So when he does this narration or he asks pointed producing questions, it comes off as inauthentic. It becomes a gimick of the show, instead of allowing the players to be the show.
I think that's what Australian Survivor gets right, and why it feels like "old school" US Survivor. Because JLP is not a producer. He's a host, and does his hosting duties well. But he's not asking questions thinking about a "narrative" or an "arc" for later. He's asking questions about the moment, and getting the cast to paint their story.
I definitely agree with that! Jeff can't resist a moment that supposedly shows how "great" Survivor is. I also thought it was inappropriate that he started cheering Eva on when she was getting frustrated in the challenge, while ignoring Sai, who was also struggling.
This is exactly what I mean! Jeff is too focused on producing that he's become a terrible host.
Star is a dumbass giving her idol away. Eva is playing better socially than Star was! I'd like to rewatch and ponder if Star perhaps feels guilty for leaving Eva out of the idol thing, or if this game play, an idol that everyone knows about is a target.
These people and giving away their advantages.. or telling everyone about their advantages. Trust, if I'm on etiher edition of this show, and I secretly find an idol or advantage, NO ONE is going to know. I'll tell them that from day one. "I love you and I trust you as a player, but if I find an advantage in secret, I'm not telling you about it. If I kind find a way to use it to benefit both of us, just know that it was because of our trust and friendship. But in this game, information is key, and for me, it's important to keep secret advantages or idols to myself. If you find an idol or advantage, I don't expect you to tell me. I trust you to use it to help both of us. But this keeps plausible deniability for both of us."
Only one person is winning this game. So it's important to keep certain information to yourself.
Thats a good point, I hadn't considered her age. Maybe that is why she doesn't have anything nice to say about the women. And I wonder if that has factored into her seeking out Joe - a fatherly type, to be her helper from the start.
Tribal, especially after merge will be interesting. Thats hard socially on anyone. In the current Survivor AU Logan is having a grump every time someone writes her name down saying "I didn't expect this from my friends". It could be tough to remember it is a game. (Logan has blamed neurospice for the reactions on X/twitter).
I always roll my eyes at people who feel sooo betrayed. Everyone there is playing for themselves, not as an accessory to someone else's game!
I think Cedrick is a lot smarter player than he seems! I've got my eye on him. But it's going to be hard navigating Sai's sense of betrayal. She's really one like that Logan.
I think younger people, especially younger women, have a hard time voting their friends out. Because they're in a developmental stage that's all about social cues and being liked. If you add in Eva's exceptionality, where she's not able to understand social cues as well as others.. it makes sense as to why she hates on people so much. It also probably makes her guarded.
I am also interested in seeing her at a tribal, and how she will react. It's not easy to have to vote off people you have come to love. I think viewers don't understand that piece about the show. These are people you spend 24 hours a day with. From my time as a camp counselor, I understand how intimate that is. Especially when you only have contact with each other. For most of those summers, I was cut off from my family because of my job duties, so I get it. Adding in the process of eliminating those that you have grown to care about is difficult.
Those that understand the game aspect might have a slightly easier time, and don't hold as much resentment, but it is still difficult to have to vote off the people you live with.
Sai is a terrible player, but she's so entertaining to watch. She's overthinking. And her sense of loyalty is laughable lol. She is such a mess. I agree, similar to Logan.
I can't wait to see how my favorite stranded Ozzies are doing this week! Will be catching up on Sunday and Monday when I get home from work tonight!
