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S I G H T S
Dr. Jekyll, Col. Hyde
by Chris Wright After playing the role of authoritarian ass in the earlier episodes of Survivor: Africa, military man Frank is suddenly Mr. Popularity. This is an easy enough observation. The dilemma is determining the reason(s) for the switch. A review of past episodes reveals just how negatively Frank was portrayed early on. By this writer’s as-objective-as-possible count, there were 26 negative comments/incidents involving Frank in the first three episodes, and only two positive ones. Indeed, minutes into Episode 1, this is our introduction to the 43-year-old telephone technician: “So how was the walk?” Frank asks himself in a solo “confessional” regarding his Samburu tribe’s hours-long hike to camp. “Did you feel it was comfortable, moving along at a good pace? [The answer is] absolutely no!” He complains about his young tribemates gabbing instead of focusing on getting to camp quickly: “This is Africa. We’re not down at the mall … with a latte.” Not even fellow Baby Boomers are immune to his attitude. When Carl asks, “Frank! Which branch of the service were you in?” Frank sniffs, “I was in the American branch, called Freedom!” Even post-Sept. 11, it’s hard not to find this arrogant. While perceptions are in the eye of the beholder, a look at CBS.com’s handy, if unscientific, “Rate the Survivors” poll shows most respondents found Frank unsavory after Episode 1. His popularity rating then: 42 percent, good for 15th place (only Episode 1-evictee, Diane, ranked lower). Throughout Episodes 2 and 3, we’re treated to more of Frank barking orders — prompting an under-the-breath “Yes, captain” from Lindsey — and more of Frank’s venting: “If you’re excess baggage, get the hell outta my way.” His popularity, meanwhile, rises to 51 percent after Episode 2, but by Episode 3, it’s down to 46 percent.
" Courtesy of: It’s Episode 4 where things suddenly shift. Frank and his older allies find themselves in the minority, ruled by apparently lazy Gen X-ers. This underdog status gives him sympathy. And viewers are privy to only two negative and — gasp! — three positive comments/incidents, including watching Frank carve his wife and daughters’ names into his torch. Awwwww. Frank’s popularity soars to 78 percent, good for fourth place. Episodes 5 and 6 complete Frank’s transformation from G.I. Jerk to Rudy Jr. as Boran welcomes him with open arms. Ethan declares, “I like Frank.” Young Clarence respects him too, especially after Frank coaches Boran to victory in the archery immunity challenge. And since the Mallrats’ new tribemates also find them lazy, Frank’s earlier complaints are vindicated. Frank’s turnaround could have something to do with the fact he’s now having a good time, or it might be the way his character has been edited. The fact that we only see 44 minutes of Survivor for every three days of footage shot demonstrates the difficulty in determining whether Frank’s behavior has indeed changed from the first three episodes to the last. Let’s say his new tribe is bringing out the best in him. In the beginning, we saw Frank ordering around everyone in Samburu, but perhaps his disdain for the immature group prompted the rude treatment. With Boran it’s a different story; Ethan, Clarence and Kim J. have an actual work ethic and the camp was already in order when Frank arrived. Frank may still lead, but he needn’t resort to the same domineering style. He likes and respects them, and therefore his attitude softens. “It’s been very positive,” he says of the Boran experience. “I wish we’d been here from day one.” And it certainly helps that his new tribal members like and respect him back. Ethan and Clarence clearly admire his experience and teaching ability (Sideshow Bob-coiffed Ethan goes in a matter of hours from never having picked up a bow and arrow to nailing three of five challenge targets on his own), whereas during the Episode 3 signal-building challenge, which Frank also organized, Lindsey admonished him to ‘drop dead.” But in a series like this, editing plays a decisive role. Every “character” must be given selective traits. Lindsey did nothing but whine, for example, and Linda did nothing but warn about spirits and jump about like a madwoman — at least from what we were shown. And Frank’s domineering-to-benevolent metamorphosis is not without precedent: Rudy, an original Survivor and former Navy SEAL, was portrayed as a mean old man in the early days on Palau Tiga, but his character soon blossomed into that of a blunt but good-natured (and hilarious) fellow who didn’t let his old-fashioned values keep him from befriending the naked gay guy. Frank’s editing, however, has arguably been more bipolar. If Frank’s behavior and his tribemates’ feelings about him do not account for us being shown a New, Improved Frank, then the editors purposely changed his character. Did they choose to make him go from bad to good in order to contrast it with Silas’s opposite trek, from good to bad? Did they wish to emphasize just how different the two tribes’ dynamics are — in Boran, you nearly get kicked out for hoarding food, but in Samburu, the cool kids do it all the time? Maybe, like so much else these days, it’s all about Sept. 11. Producer Mark Burnett reported before Survivor: Africa ever aired that the first episode was edited before the terrorist attacks and that nothing was changed afterward. But perhaps the more recent episodes were edited (or have been re-edited) after Sept. 11, with the subsequent skyrocketing of respect for the military affecting how Frank’s “character” has been portrayed, consciously or not. Even if this were the case, CBS would never admit it. But given the abrupt change in Frank’s portrayal, it’s worth considering. However, there is one other possibility: Online conspiracy theorists claim Frank, like Rudy before him, is Burnett’s pet and that the Episode 5 switcheroo was engineered to boost his chances. These Lone Gunmen would say Frank’s now the nice guy simply because Burnett likes him so darn much. Well, anything’s possible, but since that option sounds about as likely as Brandon and Kim P. winning the million, we’ll blame it on a combination of Frank’s own behavior, his tribe’s perceptions of him, and a healthy sprinkling of selective editing. And of course, we still like Rudy way better. Next week: Will they or won’t they? The merge is still up in the air. Meanwhile, Brandon and Kim P. adjust to being in the minority, and an "untrusted" Survivor (Clarence?) strikes a deal with someone else. Chris Wright, an admitted Survivor addict since Season 1, Episode 3, spends his days as a copy editor for Federal Computer Week in Falls Church, Va. He previously wrote about how the media turns crime stories into narratives. His take on Survivor will appear here each week.
Related Sites The Lowdown: Episode 6
Samburu developments: Kelly realizes Kim’s message, but misinterprets it to mean Brandon also has votes. She, Tom and Lex decide to vote against Brandon at Tribal Council. Brandon, Lindsey and Kim plan to vote against Tom, as they feel Brandon would have the best chance against him in a tie-breaking quiz. A paranoid Lindsey later contemplates voting against Brandon, and asks the new Samburus to go along with her.
Reward challenge: Boran’s Kim screws up her third reward challenge, an African trivia quiz, and Samburu wins a picnic and lots of Mountain Dew.
Immunity challenge: The tribes race to be first to shoot five targets with burning arrows. Teacher Frank falters, but Boran comes from behind to win after Ethan — who’d never even picked up a bow before — strikes three of the targets on his own.
Tribal Council: The new Samburus switch their votes to Lindsey, who ties with Tom, 3-3. After Lindsey breaks down and admits she nearly voted against Brandon but couldn’t, she is voted out due to the previous strikes against her. (Significantly, this leaves only four original Samburu in the game, compared to six original Boran.)
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