The following contains spoilers for Episode 6 of Survivor Season 42.
Survivor 42 has finally hit the Merge (almost), and all of the players are absolutely raring to go and start the individual portion of the game, where they no longer need to look out for the tribe’s interests before their own. The Merge is always when the game gets the most interesting and the wild strategies start to pop up. This cast of characters is certainly one that’s full of big players and people who know the game intimately, and it seems like there could be many potential front-runners.
Season 42 utilizes the same twist from 41: players only semi-Merge and only half of the castaways are immune at the next Tribal Council. There is also a player who gets sent to Exile Island and has the choice to smash an hourglass and change the game, a twist that in Season 41 might have very well led to the eventual winner securing their victory. This twist seemed to work more effectively this time as they tweaked certain elements, which just proved that even the twists from 41 that were disliked might have a good basis for an idea if production just managed to change a few things about it.
This episode was heavily focused on player relationships, both the good and the bad. This is always really effective in Survivor because it’s one of the main reasons super-fans watch the show; to see the players’ social games and watch them build genuine connections with each other. Tori and Rocksroy are shown discussing things (sort of) at the Ika camp. Tori seems convinced that Rocksroy is holding something back about his trip to the Shipwheel Island, though Rocksroy keeps insisting that he’s not hiding an advantage. Tori is very obvious with her intense gameplay, and it will be interesting to see if that bites her later on (to be fair, it does briefly make her a target in this very episode).
The players then meet at the Reward Challenge and are instructed to drop their buffs because the tribes have finally Merged…sort of. Again, this isn’t yet the full Merge because first, the players will be divided into two groups to compete in the challenge, and whoever wins not only gets immunity from the next Tribal Council, but also gets to partake in a delicious lunch that is definitely not just an ad spot for Applebees. This season, the players are also straight-up informed that the player the winning team chooses to go to Exile Island will be given an opportunity to change the whole game, and they can choose whether or not they want to send someone on the winning team. This is a good addition to the twist, as it gives players the chance to strategize and have more agency in the situation.
Rocksroy is the player who ends up getting sent off by himself, and he actually seems to take this as an opportunity to get some rest by himself and take in the beautiful Fijian scenery. The audience learns that he has a medical issue with the coning in his eyes and might one day lose eyesight because of it, which explains his appreciation for the sights around him. Of course, he is also given the hourglass and the mallet, and told that he can decide to change history and smash it, making himself and the other half of the players immune instead and making the previously immune players compete at the challenge, or it leave it be and leave things as they are (which would also mean he wouldn't have a target on his back). It was nice that Rocksroy was finally given some screen time so that the viewer can get to know him, and this might be a sign that he's going to be a major player in the post-Merge game.
Back at the now-almost-Merged camp, players are starting to bond with people that were on other tribes. A lot of this episode was dedicated to showing those budding connections and the meaningful conversations that a lot of the players were having with each other, which was really nice to see. This season in general seems relationship-focused, which makes for a much more compelling narrative than constant advantages. Jonathan and Mike bond over being the "strong guys", and how there's a stigma that comes with that where people assume they're dumb or mean. Hai and Romeo bond over their experience as members of the LGBTQ+ community, and Romeo opens up about how he admires how Hai is so open and confident with his identity, because Romeo has felt like he's had to hide a part of himself his whole life.
While the bonding moments are nice, this is also when the game starts to kick into gear as players start forming plans and alliances. Hai in particular begins to wrangle a whole bunch of people from all three tribes into a big alliance, and before they even arrive at the Immunity Challenge, this alliance has a whole voting plan. This episode really sets Hai up as a strategic threat, so he'll certainly be a big player going forward and may even make it to final three.
At the Immunity Challenge, it's revealed that Rocksroy decided to smash the hourglass, which isn't surprising considering it guarantees him - as well as a lot of his allies - immunity. Tori, for some reason, tries to argue with him, saying that she gave him that opportunity to change the game by sending him to the island, and that it's rude of him to turn that back on her and make her fight for immunity now. It was such a strange hill to die on, and it seems like the rest of the tribe took notice of this (and Tori's very intense style of play in general) and it will probably put a big target on her. This time around, however, it doesn't matter because she wins immunity at the challenge anyway.
Back at camp, Hai's alliance is scrambling because their main target Chanelle is now immune, and their backup was Tori, who is also now immune. Names are being thrown out and it really seems like it's between Jonathan and Maryanne at first. Then, Omar comes out of the woodwork with a big strategic play and starts swaying people's opinions and winning alliances, despite not even having a vote himself because of his decision at the Shipwheel Island. He tosses Lydia's name out as a possibility and even seems to get some people on board. He clearly is a lot more strategic than he seemed in the early part of the season, and it will be fascinating to watch him play as the game goes on.
The final vote at Tribal Council ended up being pretty wild because of the sheer amount of names being read. It seems like there was no unified vision and everyone had a slightly different plan in mind, which perhaps makes sense with that many players who haven't fully formed alliances yet. In the end, it seems that Omar's plan worked, because Lydia is sent home with six votes. Omar even managed to get Hai, Lydia's closest ally, to vote with that block. It's clear that these people aren't as unified as they would like to think, as many of these tribes were already fractured before they got to the Merge. Overall, it was a solid Merge episode, with plenty of exciting strategy and player connections, and a very welcome change to the much-hated hourglass twist.