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May I play? I've lurked since Fiji, but I think I'd like to try participating this time around. Lurking isn't at all the same as trying it oneself, so please let me know if you think that any of these ratings demonstrate a drastic misunderstanding of the system. I have included explanations, so you can see my thought processes.

Sadly, my work schedule doesn't really allow me to sit down with the episode until the weekend, so you can expect me to chime in late most weeks.


FOA FOA

Ashley - MORN4
Her words at TC were selected to make her look like an inarticulate nitwit ("But I do CARDIO!"), and her reaction to Russel's Katrina story was deliberately juxtaposed with the more skeptical Marisa's in order to make her look naive and foolish. She gets the "dumb player" N, rather than the N of malice, but it's a negative edit all the same.

Ben - OTTN3
He's just an over-the-top jerk, with no reason given for him being that way. We never hear an explanation for his antipathy towards Marisa, or for that matter, get his side of the story on anything much save for his own egotism. He's just the cartoonish thug follower to a cartoonish villain, the Crabbe-n-Goyle to Russell's Draco Malfoy.

Betsy - CPP3
She's edited as the one person who can see through the villain Russell, an important narrative role. This was definitely a hero edit, although we've yet to learn whether she's to be a tragic victim-hero or a victorious one. There was nothing cartoonish or over-the-top positive about her portrayal, though. We got insight into her skeptical nature, and the filming of her scene with Natalie was carefully (and beautifully) shot in such a way as to encourage the viewer to see things through her eyes. Complexity doesn't always come solely through dialogue. Sometimes it can also come from the camera, and I think that scene was a perfect example.

Jaison - MOR2
I considered a P for Jaison, but on reflection, I think that he's just a really positive person, and that the editing itself was more or less neutral.

Liz - UTRN2
She was absolutely right about the racial stereotyping, but by emphasizing Mick's lack of racial stereotyping with Jaison, and by including her brusque "The name's LIZ!" in response to being nominated as leader, the editors conspired to make her seem both oversensitive and churlish. It's a weak N, but it's definitely there, and it's definitely manipulation. I like her, personally, and I really don't like where I suspect her edit is heading.

Marisa - MORP4
She's the brave ingenue who tries to stand up for Truth And Justice, and who therefore falls victim to the Big Bad villain. That's an automatic P right there. I felt that her depiction was neither complex enough for CP nor simplistic enough for OTT.

Mick - MORP3
He does well as the leader in the first challenge. By having Mike, Russell, and Jaison all comment on his correct choice of Jaison as the swimmer, the editing strongly pushes the idea that Mick is unusually free from racial prejudice. That's a huge P, right there. He is also artificially inserted into scenes to make him appear as if he's observing them...and therefore to forestall the interpretation that perhaps Mick has no idea what the hell is happening on his tribe. I see a shitload of manipulation and craft going on here, and all of it is designed to make Mick look good. That's a positive edit. It's still a bland positive, though: there's no particular insight or introspection, or anything else that would warrant a CP.

Mike - MORM3
His insensitive language ("Afro-Americans?") and willingness to put the target on a young women to save his own hide are both negatives, but we are also encouraged to sympathize with his desire to stay in the game and his fear of being perceived as weak just because he's "the old guy." I thought it was a mixed edit, but a comedic M, rather than a complex M.

Natalie - INV1
She's the "dumber" blonde in Russell's dumb-ass girl alliance, but she's not given a word to say about it. Nor about anything else, for that matter. She does get one line in a scene with Betsy, however, and we also see her agreeing to an alliance with Russell. Is that enough to save her from invisibility? I'm torn, but given that her tribe attended TC and we still got nary a peep out of her, I gave her an INV. I would also accept an UTR rating for her, though.

Russell H - OTTNN5
This was as cartoonish and one-sided a depiction as one could ever hope to see on a television show. I'm honestly surprised that there weren't subtitles flashing underneath every time he came on screen, urging the audience to boo and hiss. Yes, he talked about strategy. But there was absolutely no complexity there. The editing did not emphasize him as a strategic mind or even as all that much of a thinker, really; it presented him as a borderline psychopath, a completely over-the-top evil villain. If this isn't an OTT edit, then I'm having some problems imagining what an OTT edit would look like. That said, however, I'm not altogether convinced that if Russel won the game, they wouldn't edit him like this. Despite Edgic rules, I wouldn't be all that surprised if they decided it was time for a super-villain win.


GALU

Brett - UTR1
He gets an early confessional and is a part of the shelter-building clusterfuck. It saves him from an INV, but there's no tone.

Dave - UTR2
His negative words about John were supported by the editing. There are certainly strong hints that Dave is slated for a criticizing, carping, negative role on his tribe in the future, but for now, his tone is still neutral.

Erik - UTRP1
He's edited as one of the heroes of the RC, and he shuts down OTTN Ben's smack-talk at the IC. All of his negative words about John are strongly supported by the editing. I don't care much for the guy myself, but I think that the editors mean for us to admire him and to remember him.

John - OTTN3
The editing makes him out to be a one-dimensional, cartoon fool. He's comic relief. Even though he doesn't get that much screen time, this is still a totally over-the-top buffoon edit.

Kelly - INV1
Ignored.

Laura - INV1
Did she even make it into any of the camera shots?

Monica - UTR1
Has a fluff confessional early on. Accepted the flint for her tribe. Forgettable, but not quite invisible.

Russel S. - CPP4
The decent man who might not be a natural-born leader, but who is learning how to be one. We gain insight into his own ambivalence over the role. Shambo gives him credit for stepping up, and I think that her opinion is one we're meant to respect. His kind, supportive, motivational words for his tribe come across as sincere and genuine -- and they are included twice. Once would have been sufficient to convey this aspect of his character; twice lends emphasis, and shows the editors' hands. I see manipulation here, designed to push him as a positive, if complex, character.

Shannon - CPP4
At every stage of the game, the editing supports her statements. When she says that she's not a puzzler, we're meant both to trust her judgement and to be happy for her when she then exceeds expectations. When she says that Russell is improving as a leader, we're meant to trust her opinion. When she complains that John is all talk and no action, the editing backs her up. When she expresses frustration about Russell's leadership, we're meant to sympathize. When she abstains from the bathing session in the ocean, we're meant to understand why, but also to worry that she's making a big mistake. There's no question in my mind that this is a positive edit, and I think that we get enough insight and introspection from her to warrant a CP.

Yasmin - INV1
She is shown as an asset in the first challenge, but a liability in the second. It's not enough to save her from INV.