There follows another African idyll. We see Frank eyeing an elephant. "He's taking a little dump," Frank shares.
"I'm downwind," he reports. "He doesn't have a good smell."
There follows seemingly interminable footage of Frank walking slowly around waving his arms, presumably either like a tail or a trunk: His portrayal leaves something to be desired.
"He doesn't know what I am," Frank says.
Oh, it's a nature preserve, Frank. We're sure he's seen a few slumming Americans before.
Next the group tries to come up with a new name.
They all agree on one, based on two words that are A) allegedly Swahili and B) allegedly mean "fire" and "water," but no one can really say it.
"OK, show of hands," someone say. "Majimoto."
"Right -- Motomaji," someone else says.
Lex is in awe of this process. "It's much more than a game!" Lex says. "We're creating a society."
Indeed -- everyone's plotting.
Clarence whispers with Kim.
Tom huddles with Ethan.
"What are we gonna do?" he asks.
"Huh?" says Ethan.
"The hatchet," Tom explains.
"Huh?" asks Ethan.
It's kind of like a Burns and Allen routine, minus the actual humor, or smart and clever people writing and saying it.
"The knife in the back," Tom finally deigns to explain. "Who we gonna slay?"
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Lex, we can see now, is feeling a bit full of himself.
"The person who's gonna be voted off doesn't have a clue about it." he says. "I'll take him aside and tell him, but I don't know how he's going to be."
Kelly's had it with Lex. "Grandmaster Lex," she sniffs.
Lex is talking about Clarence. "I know it sounds like a cliché, but it's not personal," he tells him. The alliance, which seems to include Lex, Big Tom, Kelly, Ethan, the Elder Kim and presumably Frank and Teresa, is planning on offing him that night.
"We can't let you win all those things," he says to Clarence.
Kelly feels bad for Clarence. "He's a part of the group, unlike crazy outcast Frank."
Says Big Tom: "I'm ashamed to vote anyone off except Brandon."
We're with Tom.
Teresa tells us she's not voting for Clarence, however.
Brandon says he thought Frank was a fun guy at the celebration last night. "When he smiled and cracked a joke, I almost hit the floor with a stroke." Ah, promises, promises.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
It's time for the tribal council. Everyone looks freshened up. Does "Survivor" let them shower before the TV shows?
Clarence comes off great; he says he hopes there is some remaining tribe loyalty.
In the event, there isn't. He's history.
When Clarence votes, he dings Lex. "I just gotta make things a little hard on you on the way to winning this thing," he says.
(Bill Wyman)
About the writer
Bill Wyman is the editor of Salon Arts & Entertainment.
Story finder (3 ways to search Salon)
Salon Directory (browse by topic)