The Traitors: New Blood, Ep. 8: Wyatt Gillespie, Kriste Lewis, Joe Vanella — Photo: Euan Cherry/NBC
To pardon or to banish?
That is the question one Faithful was left with at the end of last week’s episode. Alan reveals that Shane holds the Power of the Pardon (won during the last challenge for having the most gold) and must provide an answer. Despite voting for Victor’s banishment only moments before, Shane single-handedly saves Victor’s game.
At first, this move puzzled me. Even if Shane suddenly believes Victor to be a Faithful, why save him? The game only progresses if people go home: Traitors and Faithful alike.
However, Shane decides that “Fruitgate” has a little more juice. “Why would a Traitor run around speculating about a murder in plain sight?” he asks. To no one’s surprise, Jay has something stupid to say. His retort? If Victor were seeking to frame another Traitor, such a move would make him look like a good guy. Traitor-on-Traitor crime is never a good strategy. Someone get this “body language expert” out of the castle ASAP.
Up in the turret, Tomica reiterates that she meant to say Kriste’s name instead of Katie’s. This brings Katie little comfort, but she apologizes for throwing a vote Tomica’s way. That vote was Katie’s best option. While Joe may be linked to Tomica, Katie still has time to put some distance between herself and the other Traitors in case one of them is found out.
Victor, Abby L, and Clyde are on the chopping block this week. Victor has honestly done a great job of protecting himself thus far. Murdering him now would point directly to Tomica. One could argue that the “real Traitors” could use such a move to frame Tomica, but I think we’re well past that. The Traitors would have needed to murder Victor weeks ago for that theory to stick. This leaves Abby L and Clyde, neither of whom strikes me as a very smart choice. Why not someone random, like Ben or Abby B? A move like that tells the Faithful absolutely nothing.
The next day comes, and I can only assume that, for many viewers, this feels like Christmas morning. Abby L is gone! This murder is perhaps the single most beneficial move for the Faithful going forward. No longer must we listen to Ms. “Loud and Wrong.” I’m honestly not sure who was happier: Victor, when he was pardoned, or me, when Abby L didn’t walk through the door at breakfast. As if things couldn’t get any better, Alan tells the players there will be no mission, and the next roundtable will soon begin.
Skinny Pop gets its product-placement moment as it’s passed around and the players choose between Team Victor and Team Tomica. Ben and Wyatt defend Victor, but Abby B seems to think his confidence points toward Traitorship. Easy for you to say, Abby. I’m starting to believe you’re only on this show for the free vacation.
Victor decides to follow Tomica around the castle to prevent her from having any shady conversations. Is it a sound strategy? Yes. Is it really annoying? Absolutely. This seems to be Victor’s modus operandi. Going into the roundtable, I’m hoping Tomica gets sent home. This isn’t out of any dislike of Tomica. However, I am sick and tired of talking about damn fruit.
At the roundtable, Victor begins the discussion with a question: “Why Abby L?” Which is a question I’ve been asking myself since the start of the episode, though I’m not complaining.
Morgan postulates that this could be a way to frame Wyatt, but considering that Morgan, of all players, could put that theory together, it would not be a sound strategy for the Traitors. Victor brings up Tomica messing up the names, and Kriste jumps to Tomica’s defense, citing menopause as the reason for her forgetfulness. This is strange considering Tomica admits that Kriste was the person she meant to accuse. But in Kriste’s own words, “I don’t really care.” Excuse me, what?
Jay admits that he would rather be embarrassed and get the Victor vote wrong than go against his gut. Something that is famously always right. Don’t make me roll my eyes. Ben points out that Victor’s behavior after the banishment vote seemed off for a Traitor. He almost seemed gleeful at the chance to prove to the Faithful that their vote was wrong. If vindication is Victor’s drug of choice, I can’t blame him for a second.
Wyatt jumps in and asks why no one is defending Tomica, to which Victor adds that “anyone who does will look like a Traitor.” As astoundingly irritating as Victor may be, he really knows how to play this game. Katie and Joe’s somber faces seal the deal. But Victor’s not finished yet. Tomica is only the beginning, after all, and Victor has seeds to sow. He asks Joe who he thinks could be a Traitor if Victor is proven innocent. “It would probably be Tomica,” Joe responds. And just like that, in a vote of ten to two, Tomica is banished from the castle and the Faithful get their first Traitor.
Amid the Faithful’s celebrations, dread hangs in the air. Alan promises a Highland Feast soon, and a feast on “The Traitors” never means anything good. Victor takes a victory lap and finds Joe in the kitchen. The fear on the poor funeral director’s face is palpable. Joe asks Victor if he’s next to be accused, and in an almost mocking tone, Victor replies, “If I’m still alive,” knowing damn well that Joe can’t kill him.
I’ve never seen a player move from the brink of banishment to the best position in the castle in a single episode. Though I’d be even more impressed if Victor would stop acting like such a jackass. Joe looks at Victor, the gears in his head turning a thousand times a second: “If I was a Traitor, I’d probably kill you.”
The Traitors: New Blood airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock. Visitpeacocktv.com.
Spoiler Alert: This recap reveals events from Episodes 3 and 4 of The Traitors: New Blood.
Last night, we took a trip back to the Highlands for another two episodes of lying, backstabbing, and Scottish treachery. It is revealed that both Katie and Xavier found the missing death warrants, meaning Joe and Tomica must choose which player to add to the turret, and which to murder. Katie pitches the fact that she voted for Madeline during the roundtable as a means of "flying under the radar," while Xavier admits a more aggressive strategy. He'd spent the day planting Katie's name in Traitor conversations, attempting to taint her reputation in the castle.
Spoiler Alert: This recap reveals events from Episode 6 of The Traitors: New Blood.
We'd previously left the Scottish Highlands with three Faithfuls and a Traitor buried in shallow but deadly graves. Between Niyyah, Mark, and Clyde, someone caught Joe's "poison apple" and, before Alan can announce to the living which underground Faithful will be leaving their ranks, Joe decides he'd rather let the victim know himself.
He tells Niyyah her fate, ashamed of this choice. I have a feeling he really wanted to get Mark out, but alas, this so-called "murder of necessity" ends with Tomica's number one ally on the chopping block. This is sure to test the bonds of the Traitors who, at this point, have had a shocking lack of internal drama. Niyyah clocks this obvious attempt at Joe clearing his conscience, and it's especially regrettable to see her go, considering she didn't even catch the apple on her first try.
“Are you sure your parents aren’t home?” Nothing innocent ever started with that question, but almost no one is innocent in Primetime, a sardonic look at the making (and makers) of NBC’s notorious undercover sting series To Catch a Predator.
The query comes from “MarriedAndLookingForFun31313” (Tony Revolori), entering a suburban home through the back door, intent on meeting a 13-year-old for sex, and unaware he’s starring in an episode of the show. His hot hookup is really a trap, set for creeps cruising online for minors.
A few minutes later, he’s pleading, “Please don’t put this on TV!” But this is great TV. So before he knows it, MarriedAndLookingForFun31313, an Iraq War vet, finds himself the poster boy of primetime predators.
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