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Survivor second last episode and finale in this edition:
Friends – The last episode, ever!
Last week, Erika, the lady having Monica and Chandler’s baby, went into labor and Ross and Rachel kissed again.
This week, Ross and Rachel wake up together and are happier than ever, but Rachel crushes Ross by saying that it was the best way to say goodbye. Ross admits to Joey and Phoebe that he wants to be with her. They convince Ross to talk to her he is beat to the punch by Gunther (yes, the coffee house guy) who confesses his feelings for Rachel first. At this point I’m going to put my money on my hunch that Ross will go to Paris with Rachel and Emma, but we’ll see what happens.
Chandler freaks out when he is left alone with the woman giving birth and as a result comes off as a total jackass. But when the baby starts coming out, he watches and cuts his newborn son’s umbilical cord. Then they find out that Erika was pregnant with twins and that the second child is on its way out; this time a girl. Without a doubt, Monica and Chandler decide to keep both babies and they name the girl Erika. When they arrive home with the twins, everyone is elated at their happiness, so much so that Phoebe and Mike decide that they’ll have one too.
When Rachel leaves for Paris, Ross only says goodbye. He doesn’t try to stop her. Joey tells him it could be for the best, and that it it might give them a chance to finally get over each other. After a long pause, Ross decides that he doesn’t want to get over Rachel. Phoebe rushes him down to her grandmother’s cab, and they take off for the airport and we realize that Phoebe is a crazy driver. After they buy boarding passes to get past security, they phone Monica to get Rachel’s flight information and find out that Rachel is departing from Newark Airport. Ross and Phoebe went to JFK.
As a house-warming present for their new house, Joey has bought Monica and Chandler a baby chick and duck in memory of the ones that Chandler “sent away to a farm.” When he tries to give them the gift, he can’t find the baby animals. When Chandler finds Joey in a frantic search, they hear bird noises coming from inside the foosball table. In order to get the chick and the duck out, they have to bust open their table. The guys can’t do it, but Monica takes a hammer to the table without a problem. In the end Chandler tells Joey to keep the chick and the duck, and that he’ll come and visit often.
Phoebe phones Rachel’s cell phone after she’s boarded the plane. Phoebe tells Rachel that she’s got a bad feeling about the trip, specifically the plane’s “filangi” and that Rachel should get off the plane. Rachel shrugs it off and tells Phoebe she’ll phone her as soon as the plane lands. The guy sitting next to Rachel however overhears the conversation and makes a big deal out of the plane’s “filangi problem.” As a result, the whole plane empties out and this gives Ross time to arrive and try to stop her from leaving. He tells her how he feels, but Rachel re-boards the plane again, and leaves Ross alone in the world.
When Ross returns to his apartment there’s a message from Rachel on his answering machine, telling him that she loves him too and he listens as she realizes her feelings and tries to get off of the plane. The flight attendant tries to stop her and in the middle of the struggle, and then Ross’s answering machine cuts off the rest of the conversation. He turns around to see Rachel standing in his doorway. They share a big kiss, and an embrace.
In the final scene Monica and Chandler have emptied out their apartment and everyone is saying their goodbyes. It is mentioned that each one of the six cast members has lived in the apartment at one time or another, even Ross who spent a summer with his grandmother even before Monica took over the apartment. In the end everyone leaves their keys on the counter, and they head out the door. In an effort to make it last, the group goes for coffee:
I’m saddened that it ends without really telling us what will happen to everyone. Monica and Chandler are moving into their own house, outside of the city, but what will Mike and Phoebe do, and Ross and Rachel now that Rachel gave up her chance to go to Paris. We know Joey will have his own sitcom next fall, so maybe we’ll find out then. I’m happy though, to find Emma’s parents reunited:again:for the millionth time. Goodbye Friends. Forever.
The last episode of Friends, ever, aired on May 6th. The first season of the new show JOEY, will start in the fall.
Survivor – ALL STARS – second last episode
Last week we finally said goodbye to Shii Ann along with her prediction that Amber will take the title. Also noteworthy is the fact that Tom won both challenges.
This week, we jump right into strategy with Jenna making her plea to Rupert to get rid of Rob. When Rupert turns around, Boston Rob is standing right there. Rob turns to Amber and they talk about the turn of events being out of their control. At reward, they play for a GMC Colorado Truck.
It’s an obstacle course made up of all the preceding challenges. Four rounds, each time the slowest castaway is knocked out. Before the competition, Jeff reminds us that in the previous Survivor series, the person who won the truck didn’t win the title.
First round (balance beam): Rupert is knocked out. Second round (belly crawl & slide puzzle): Jenna is knocked out. Third round (lever system to put beanbags in a basket on a platform): Amber smokes it, and Big Tom is knocked out. In the last round (Rope ladder, rope bridge, flying fox, and sprint to the finish) Rob beats Amber by a few feet and wins the truck, and an evening at the drive in. But, as Jeff says, it’s no good alone, so Rob brings Amber along.
When they arrive, we find out that Rob’s guest wins a brand new car. Amber expresses her excitement about the whole situation. In the midst though, Rob tells the camera that he’s not forfeiting the million dollars to anyone, even her.
When they return to camp, Amber shares their excitement with the rest of the tribe, and everyone seems pretty pissed about it. I’d be ticked too, especially when the couple gets all kissy face by the fireside. The resentment for Rob and Amber’s lack of help around the camp, resulting in their energetic wins at challenges, continues to grow. When Rupert tries to sway Tom’s vote in Rob’s direction, Rob retaliates by telling Tom that Rupert is dishonest. The result: the two big boys have it out. In the end, Tom reveals his loyalty to Rob.
Immunity Challenge: Word Scramble. The goal: find tribe names from previous seasons of Survivor (17), and unscramble the common (intersecting) letters to determine the code word. First with the code word wins immunity. Amber is the first to find all of her words, but Boston Rob is the first to determine the mystery word (Chabogamogo), and he is once again awarded the immunity necklace.
After the challenge, Tom, Rob and Amber make a pact to get rid of Jenna then Rupert. But in the end, Tom gets the big Boston boot.
See below for a report on the finale and this year’s Survivor winner!
Statistics:
WHO’S LEFT
Rob Mariano – 28 years old, 10th place in Marquesas (Boston Rob)
Rupert Boneham – 40 years old, 8th place in Pearl Islands (2nd Juror)
Jenna Lewis – 26 years old, 8th place in Pulau Tiga (2nd Juror)
Amber Brkich – 25 years old, 6th place in Australian Outback (4th Juror)
CASTAWAYS GONE
5th JUROR – Tom Buchanan – 48, 4th place in Africa (Pig farmer) – GONE 14TH
4th JUROR – Shii Ann Huang – 30, 10th place in Thailand – GONE 13TH
3RD JUROR – Alicia Calaway – 35, 9th place Australian Outback – GONE 12TH
2ND JUROR – Kathy Vavrick-O’Brien – 50, 3rd place in Marquesas – GONE 11TH
1ST JUROR – Lex VanDenBerghe – 40, 3rd place, Africa – GONE 10TH
Chapera – Jerri Manthey – 33, 8th place, Australian Outback (2nd Juror) – GONE 9TH
Mogo-Mogo – Ethan Zohn – 30, SOLE SURVIVOR Africa (soccer player) – GONE 8TH
Mogo-Mogo – Colby Donaldson – 29, 2nd place, Australian Outback – GONE 7TH
Chapera Susan Hawk – 42, 4th place, Pulau Tiga (Big Mouth) – GONE 6TH, (took herself out)
Mogo-Mogo Richard Hatch – 42, SOLE SURVIVOR, Pulau Tiga (big naked gay guy) – GONE 5TH
Chapera Rob Cesternino – 25, 3rd place, Amazon – GONE 4TH
Mogo-Mogo Jenna Morasca – 22, SOLE SURVIVOR, Amazon – GONE 3RD (took herself out)
Saboga Rudy Boesch – 76, 3rd place, Pulau Tiga (retired navy man) – GONE 2ND
Saboga Tina Wesson – 42, SOLE SURVIVOR, Australian Outback – GONE 1ST
The Bachelor
Last week Jesse got rid of some women, as per usual.
This week, with only Trish, Jessica, Tara, and Mandy Jaye left, Jesse spends time with each of the girls in their hometown, with their families. Highlights: Tara’s father pulls out some guns, including a semi automatic machine gun, and the trio starts some target practice, Mandy Jaye, and her family, reveal their over obsession with beauty pageants, and Jesse finally confronts Trish. When he tries not to be polite, Trish has to leave the room. In the end, Trish gets the boot.
Next week: The girls go on intimate overnight dates with our quarterback, and Trish comes back to haunt Jesse, in the middle of his date with Mandy Jaye. What will happen with Jesse’s stalker? And which of the three remaining blonde chicks will make it to the end? We’ll get one step closer next week.
SURVIVOR ALL STARS – FINALE!
This season’s finale, in retrospect, was boring and predictable. The remaining members of Chabogamogo were brought a huge breakfast of bacon, eggs, pancakes, and fruit. They shared champagne and orange juice and together arranged a scrapbook, complete with Polaroid photos.
After breakfast Jenna was told, by Rob of course, that she had no chance of beating Rupert if it came down to the final two, and that her only chance of “survival” would be to join with Amber and Rob and to hope to win the immunity challenge. Jenna assured Rupert that she could never bring herself to write his name down, despite the money. Later, though, she realized that if she sticks with Rupert, it will come down to a tie breaker, in which the three people not immune from the vote will pick rocks out of a bag. The one who draws the purple rock is out of the game (just like picking straws).
The first challenge was a maze and obstacle challenge in which the final four (Amber, Rob, Jenna, and Rupert) had to collect eight rungs for their ladders, build the ladders, and be the first to the top of the platform. The prize: immunity. Every season the last reward is the vehicle. No more rewards left until the final two: and the final tribal council.
The race was close until after the sixth rung, when Rupert and Amber pulled ahead of the other two. As Rupert ran with his last piece of the ladder in his hand, he watched Amber climb onto the platform and win immunity for herself.
At tribal council, Jenna’s desire for money prevailed, and she aligned herself with Amber and Rob to get rid of Rupert.
And then there were three. On this second last day, Jeff came early to give them a map and instructions for their rites of passage journey, in which they would pass by the snuffed torches of all their former tribe mates and remember their past in the game.
The final immunity challenge, maintaining the tradition of the previous seven seasons, involved standing bare foot on posts sticking about three feet out of a small water hole. Each foot had to be on a separate post, which were at different heights, and one of each Survivor’s hands had to touch a common post, with the idol on top. Those to lift a foot, remove a hand, or touch the idol with anything other than their one hand, would be knocked out of the running. A true test of endurance. After two hours of struggling in the hot sun, Jenna lifted her foot, not more than an inch off of the post. She no longer had a chance.
After a lover’s tiff between Amber and Rob, about whether or not Rob should let Amber win, the couple battled it out fair and square. In a single unfocused second, Amber leaned over and touched the idol with her free hand, and gave immunity to her boyfriend, along with the responsibility of deciding who he would take with him into the final tribal council. We, as viewers, know for sure that Amber, and definitely not Jenna, would accompany him. The possibility existed that Rob might get rid of Amber, with the thought that he could beat Jenna in the final two. However, in the end he realized he didn’t have a real chance against either of them, and so it’s better for his girlfriend to win the money, then at least he’ll get to see some of it, and Jenna became the last member of the jury.
At the final tribal council, we saw Boston Rob lose all his balls, as he groveled at the jury’s feet requesting their forgiveness for all the bad things he did to them. Amber admitted that she really had no strategy and that she’d made it to where she did through luck and through Rob’s strategic moves. At least Rob did something, even though he’s not proud of it. Amber however openly admitted that she’d done nothing. I’m not so sure though. Behind every male leader there’s a woman pulling the strings and I think that’s what Amber did.
Anyhow, Amber won the money and the guy and a huge diamond on her finger (which was awarded by Rob along with a mushy televised proposal before the final vote was read). At the reunion show, she awarded a brand new GMC Equinox SUV to Shii Ann, who she thanked for being the swing vote that granted her the million. Other highlights from the show included Sue Hawk’s extreme makeover, Ethan and Jenna M’s romance, Jerri’s inability to cope with rejection from the audience (she walked out part way through the show), Richard Hatch’s newfound romance (no, it’s not a woman), Amber’s T-shirt (which read “I ‘heart’ Rob”) and Jenna Lewis’ recent marriage (last weekend). Also, a second million dollar prize will be awarded this season, this one through a viewer poll. Log onto http://www.cbs.com before midnight on Wednesday, May 12th to cast your vote. The winner will be announced on Thursday, May 13th at 9:00 pm Alberta Time.
If there are any other shows you want updates on, or any comments you wish to make, please email me at abaldwin@shaw.ca!