Unaired episode # 13 - Recap - SPOILERS
Well, for starters, turns out that I was right originally. I think back in my first recap (#9) I said that I thought that the show would have ended on Thursday 8/30 which meant that there were 6 unaired episodes. I was corrected and was told by a poster that there were 5. Well, there were 6. Tonight's episode was not the last, there is still one more to go.
So here is tonight's recap.
After the previously on, we are in the crews quarters and everyone is all happy. Ben and Jay are all huggy huggy and buddy buddy again. Christa tells them that it wouldn't have gone down this way had they not lied. Jay is pretty much, well the air is cleared now and that's a good thing. Christa in confessional says that she has the boys by the balls and it's her game to lose. Ben and Jay both owe her, and Louie being the Lou dog who's in love with the ladies would never blackspot or mutiny on her. Why she thinks Ben and Jay wouldn't betray her is beyond me.
Before the expedition starts Jay again is plotting. Says this is the most important expedition, that Christa has to win. Jay seems to be most worried that Louie would be on red team and could become captain. He again tells Ben that whoever is with Louie that they must sabotage the expedition. Louie in confessional points out that there are three people on board ship that want Christa to remain captain, so this is important for him to win.
Teams are fighting for the Carpenters treasure, Lars Christianson, who liked to build gallows. Cameron points out that they've recovered less than half the total of Steel's treasure, over $400,000 so far.
Teams are drawn and it's Christa and Jay on black and Ben and Louie on red team. Cut to Ben's confessional and he says, it goes against everything I believe in, but to prove myself to Jay and Christa I have to throw this challenge. Again the two teams have to row to shore. Louie starts out steering and Ben rows and they quickly fall behind. Louie switches with Ben about half way to shore and they eventually catch up and hit the beach pretty much dead even. Teams must run down stream until they get to dead man's pool where they will find tools and the clue hidden beneath the water. Jay gets there first and with the ever present mask finds the tool bag immediately. He and Christa go off to read it while Ben wisely takes the mask and starts looking for it. He (in confessional) says that he found it immediately but needed to stall to give the black team time. He throws up a lot of silt and then certain Louie won't be able to see, gives him the mask to look. Meanwhile the black teams opens the tool bag and the clue says to follow the trail and to assemble a raft using the directions on the clue. Once assembled they are to row to the middle of Miracle lake and find the tree with the skulls. Black team gets their boat assembled pretty fast. Ben finally after 10 minutes of searching pulls up the bag and he and Louie make their way and assemble their raft. Ben says it's good they gave them a 10 minute head start because they are terrible rowers, so cut to Jay and Christa rowing and they are disasterous. Pretty much Jay yelling at Christa who is useless. Eventually Jay and Christa find the tree and they have to unweave the key/clue through the puzzle maze. Once free the clue states that the treasure is hidden at the gallows between two hanging officers. Meaning teams have to search Miracle lake (which is quite large) and find two hanging bodies (that are officers) and the treasure chest will be sunk somewhere between them. Jay and Christa have a pretty big lead, but they waste a lot of time searching for the gallows. So much so that Louie and Ben almost catch up. But just as Louie and Ben are rowing into the picture Jay and Christa find the gallows and Christa swims in one direction while Jay goes to the correct spot and recovers the sunken chest and claims it. Louie looks like his dog has just been run over.
Back on ship Ben and Louie get on board first. Ben is really feeling guilty about throwing the challenge, in large part because of Louie. He knows that had he tried they would have won. Jay and Christa get back on ship and the treasure is revealed to be $40,000. Ben gets this look like, man I just pissed away $20 grand and Louie looks like his other dog just got hit by a car. Cameron tells Christa that as captain she will have to blackspot two pirates, thus giving the remaining voting pirate all the power, as he could choose to either mutiny or cast a vote for one of the other two.
In the captains quarters Jay suggests that they should share the treasure with Ben. They divide it up $12,000 a piece plus they give Louie $4000 because they feel guilty and Jay tops it off with $1000 of his own to make it $5000. Louie comes in and gets all choked up and gives his heartfelt thanks, and how much this means to him, which of course makes them feel more guilty, and Louie has no clue he's been played.
Christa and Jay talk a lot. He says he's the only one she can trust not to mutiny. She points out that Louie would never mutiny against her, and Jay is like, well yeah, but we've got kids and you wouldn't do that to my kids blah blah blah again, and they are all huggy kissy again.
Louie has dinner with Christa, tells her he hopes she's not just fattening him up for the slaughter. Tells her that he would never mutiny against her. She initially tells him she will probably make Jay the voter, to which Louie reminds her that Jay has or has had a pact with everyone at one time or another. Then of course Christa isn't so sure.
Jay goes back in, tells Christa that since he has got a pact with Ben and Louie that he should be the one to decide which one goes home, so Christa should black spot them. Christa never brings in Ben, or if she does we do not see it.
At pirate summons Christa gives an emotional speech about each of the final three and how she loves them all and she didn't want to do this. The black spots go to Louie and Ben, which now hands the power to Jay to either mutiny or cast off Ben or Louie.
Jay in confessional does his "why I should keep each one" analysis, and oddly he refers to not mutinying against Christa because she is the best expedition player. Not quite sure what that meant, because the only reason Christa won the last two expeditions was because Jay sabotaged last weeks and Ben this week. Christa can do some puzzles, but other than that she hasn't really shown any exceptional skill other than filling out the captains uniform quite nicely.
At Pirate Court Cameron asks Christa why she chose Jay as the voter. Basically it was because of trust, friendship and their longstanding alliance. Asked to state why she blackspotted Louie and Ben, she gave a rambling speech about their positive qualities and that neither deserved to go and they were both starting new adventures. It was actually a stupid question by Cameron, she didn't really choose to black spot Ben and Louie, she chose to NOT blackspot Jay, which meant the others got it by default.
Louie defends himself by talking about his hard work and blood sweat and tears that are left on the ship, and that if the ship could talk it would support the Lou dog. He tells Jay, you don't want to be the one to crush the Lou dogs hopes and dreams.
Ben was finally interesting. He said that if you want the better man, then it's Louie. But this isn't the real world, this is a pirate ship, and he would have a hard time saying Louie is a better pirate. He then looks at Louie and says, Lou dog I love ya man, but I have to unburden my heart and tell you straight up, I threw the challenge. I did what my heart told me I shouldn't do, but this is a game and that's what makes me the better pirate. Cameron asks Louie how he feels and he just mumbles and says I've been played and he looks about to cry.
Cameron finally asks Jay if the captain should be worried. Jay says quite bluntly. You bet, this is a game of chess, and everyone knows in chess you take out the queen. Cameron turns to Christa and says defend yourself to Jay. She starts tearing up and says we've never had a spokent pact, but we've always had an unspoken one, I've always felt that our friendship was outside of this game and that we are true friends.
Cameron finally tells Jay that it is time to vote. As Jay spikes the vote he looks at each one coldly and says tonight is business. Cameron gets the vote and looks at all three. He turns slowly to Christa and says, tonights vote is not a vote for mutiny, you are safe. He turns to Louie and Ben, and says Ben, tonight...your voyage....is not over (overly drawn out of course). Louie just fixes Jay with this blank cold stare, and Cameron tells him his voyage is over. Christa gives him a hug and Jay says I love you bro, and they cast him off.
So there is one more week left. The preview for next week indicates that it is the final 3 fighting individually against each other. The editing makes it appear that at one point Ben and Jay might be working together as they sabotage a bridge to delay Christa, but again that could just be trick editing. We also find that the ghosts are coming back on ship and of course what their role is we don't know. It did look like they might be sitting together, ala like the jury in Survivor. To me it would suck if they had any vote in who got the final treasure. In my mind it wouldn't be fair to out of nowhere spring this last minute rule, "oh by the way" the pirates you cast adrift are now coming back to vote on who becomes pirate master. It's possible that even though the editing seems otherwise, they might be just on ship to see the final treasure chest be opened, and to congratulate the winning Pirate Master. So, they are either doing a final expedition for Steeles treasure, which means the ghosts are just there to watch, or the final expedition is for treasure, but not Steeles treasure, in which case I would think the ghosts then vote on the eventual Pirate Master. I hope it is the former and not the latter.
Tonight Louie was basically screwed no matter what happened. We don't see it, we can't figure it out, but for whatever reason both Jay and Christa have had the opportunity to cast off the stronger pirates and have refused to do so. Based on that there was no way Louie could have saved himself. Had the red team won and he was made captain, he probably would have been mutinied on no matter who he made the voter. Had Ben been made captain he would have blackspotted Louie. His only slim chance was that Christa would have made him the voter, which actually would have been the smartest move on her part.
As much as Jay should win, as he's the one controlling the game, I almost hope Ben wins because both Jay and Christa have made such bad decisions the last two weeks that they deserve to lose. Christa could have almost guaranteed that the final three would have been her, Laurel and Louie, and she would have easily been odds on favorite, now it's her against Ben and Jay, and it certainly isn't advantage Christa.
One week left, and one final recap.
"Who's the more foolish, the fool or the fool that follows him" ...Obi Wan Kenobi