Review: Survivor, “I’m a Wolf, Baby” | Season 49, Episode 5
Energy is low for both the contestants and the show itself in a disappointing regression
“How are we expected to work with people who are so tightly bonded?” Savannah asks during a confessional in the first scene of this week’s Survivor. That’s the theme of the episode, really, one that carries through to the inevitable Jason vote-out at the conclusion. While picking allies during a tribe swap scenario, you can’t trust someone who’s still so dedicated to their original group. How can you expect them to work with you at the merge?
Still, I found myself a little annoyed at the hypocrisy of Savannah’s comment. The old-Uli alliance might not chant their tribe name at the start of each challenge, but they’re almost just as cringingly familial as old-Hina, Savannah’s personal annoyance with Jawan aside. These tribes, and these players in general, remain strikingly homogenized in terms of personality type and approach to the game, and that essential issue keeps preventing Season 49 from taking off.
Last week’s swap suggested the potential for new life in Season 49, offering a few real character moments and a little conflict. Here, though, the pacing slows to a crawl. There’s nothing in particular that should make this episode such a step down from last week, but it already feels like the swap energy is dying down. Like three of the other four episodes of this season, “I’m a Wolf, Baby” did not need to be 90 minutes long.
