Minority Mindset

Honestly, I knew Maura Higgins wasn’t going to last long on The Traitors. Apparently, she showed up at the castle barely understanding what the show was even about! Monét told us Maura actually asked if they were going to have banishments every night after the first one. As the game went on, she kept questioning how she was still there, admitting she wasn’t really playing well. She just didn’t seem to realize she was being kept around on purpose. Rob clearly knew he could count on her to mess up at the very end, and she totally delivered – it was actually kind of perfect!

The character of John, while perhaps accurately portrayed as emotionally distant, could have been more impactful with a stronger push or a more talented actor. Like Princess Diana, Carolyn was unfairly criticized and painted as difficult in the media. The show Love Story tries to redeem her image, but she needs a real conflict, and John simply doesn’t provide it. He lacks the dramatic depth you’d expect from a soap opera character. The show’s alteration of the timeline highlights a core problem: the real-life incident that caused a two-year breakup between John and Daryl, and Carolyn and Michael, is downplayed, making John seem passive. His first major argument with Carolyn is triggered by someone else and has no lasting effect – she expresses her anger, and then everything returns to normal. This keeps John from being proactive and diminishes the conflict.

The lines are clearly drawn at the castle: Johnny is absolutely sure Rob and Eric are the Traitors, leaving everyone split into two groups – the Olympians and the Traitors – with Maura stuck in the middle. Rob is trying to convince Maura to vote out Johnny and then Tara, but Tara is also working on Maura, urging her to vote out Eric. It’s a situation where Maura is being pulled in two directions, and she seems easily swayed, so it’s unclear which way she’ll vote.

The highlight of the episode is a quick exchange between Rachel and Kyle about their outfits. Rachel compliments Kyle’s look, which Kyle reveals is from Zara. Then Kyle praises Rachel’s earrings, which Rachel casually mentions are vintage Dior – a perfectly fitting response! I love this moment because Rachel’s style is the complete opposite of someone who just buys expensive, trendy items. When the producer asks if she only wears designer clothes, she admits most of her wardrobe is, but it’s not flashy or logo-covered. Instead, she collects timeless, high-quality vintage pieces – a true fashion connoisseur. Rachel clearly has a strong sense of style, and I completely trust her taste. Her designer items aren’t about showing off wealth; they’re carefully chosen pieces that demonstrate her incredible eye for fashion, and it’s absolutely captivating.

Okay, so things are immediately chaotic. Robby and Abbot are scrambling to get everyone up to speed on new procedures – and honestly, they even had to explain what a fax machine is! I was already feeling Robby’s frustration because Dr. Al-Hashimi didn’t give him a heads-up about the coming craziness – his response when she suggested he should be giving instructions was pretty sharp. Then, he gets pulled away to deal with a critical patient! Dana’s stuck waiting for Ilana, but thankfully, Joy saves the day by revealing she has a photographic memory and remembered everything on the patient board. Honestly, you can see Ogilvie is fuming that Joy is so valuable, and I’m secretly loving it. The whole hour is just a mess of mistakes and misplaced orders – it really lives up to the phrase ‘baptism by fire,’ you know? It’s painful to watch, but so compelling!