
Okay, let me break down this episode. Right off the bat, Sage is sharing information about Kristina’s idol – first with Jawan, then with Sophie. And honestly, Steven made a huge mistake by telling Sage to do that, hoping to build trust. It immediately brought to mind a brilliant point Sandra Diaz-Twine made – and I wish more Americans could see her gameplay, Jeff Probst seems hesitant to show it! – that an idol everyone knows about is basically useless. The more people are aware of it, the more it becomes a point of negotiation, or even just a shield someone can ‘waste’ to survive a vote. It can stall things, sure, but it loses its power to actively help someone advance their game. Think about how Parvati Shallow flipped the script with multiple idols – that’s how you use them to really shake things up, not just survive another Tribal Council.