Survivor: David vs. Goliath episode 8: Big takeaways

Survivor: David vs. Goliath treated the fans to another crazy Tribal Council, with two idols being played on one night!

Survivor: David vs Goliath brought us the episode we have all been waiting for! A tense Tribal Council filled with varying allegiances and Hidden Immunity Idols that led to a shocking blindside.

This season of Survivor continues to entertain us week after week, thanks to a group of strong social and strategic threats. This episode, in particular, shed light on where alliances stand and which castaways are eager to shake that up in the future. Here are three important takeaways we noticed after Wednesday’s episode.

1) Original tribal lines are still a huge factor.  When we look at the level of gameplay from some of these castaways, we may have expected the David vs. Goliath theme to be a thing of the past. However, that’s not the case.

It was surprising to see how quickly the Strike Force alliance was betrayed, with one of its founding members in Mike willing to scrap it. This past episode also showed us how tight the guys on the David tribe are. They were so comfortable with each other that they were willing to discuss their advantages and how they should play them.

That being said, it feels like the strategic-minded players including Alec, Nick, Alison, and Mike are riding their original tribal lines until the time is right. The main reason Mike wanted Christian gone was because he’s the biggest threat to his game, not to the Goliaths’ game. So although David vs. Goliath is still in effect, some of these castaways are already playing their own games and are just waiting to make their move.

2) Alec did what Angelina failed to do. It is hilarious how most of the Goliaths’ plans and actions in this episode were initially thought of by Angelina in the previous episode. The whole idea that Christian was a big threat and needed to be blindsided was her original plan, but no one considered it until this episode.

Also, Alec did his best Angelina impression by telling the Davids who they were voting for. While Angelina’s attempts blew up in her face, Alec came away unscathed. One reason for this was his genuine intentions. Instead of approaching Christian and giving him the bad news, he told Nick.

We could tell that Alec wasn’t ready to give up on the Strike Force alliance and knew that if he told Nick, they might be able to think of a way to save Christian. So Alec masterfully spared his Strike Force alliance member while still voting with the Goliaths! Unlike Angelina, Alec succeeded in playing both sides, making him a dangerous threat as this season progresses.

3) Nick is quietly running the show. If you thought Christian’s social game is good, Nick has taken it to a whole other level! Everyone believes that they can trust Nick. Davie and Carl told him about their respective idol and advantage, plus they wanted to look for the merge clue with him. Nick and Christian have their tight Mason-Dixon Line alliance.

As for the Goliaths, Alec mentioned how good of a relationship he has with Nick, which motivated him to spill the beans to avoid breaking his trust. And we can’t forget about the Rock Star alliance, as Mike’s closest ally in the game may still be Nick.

The Kentucky lawyer has played a very similar game to J.T. from Survivor: Tocantins, where everyone likes the guy, not realizing that he’s making strategic moves behind their backs. With his strong social relationships, Nick has subtle control over many of the castaways going forward.