#dc5

First off, where did Ren find the time to build all that? I know it’s basically leaves and sticks and shit, but STILL— That should at least take 3 days max to build.

Second, the challenge. I guess if you’re doing a grand, biggest cast yet, fan-including fifth season, you gotta go back to all of the original locations. It’s just… this is one is from one of the seasons I haven’t watched (and probably won’t). I’ll appreciate it nonetheless though.

Third, I know it was in both trailers, but… RUFUS!! There he is all grown up! With his own little family too 🥺🥺🥺 I didn’t watch the Staff episode he was form (cough cough Jensen) but I am familiar with the little fella.

Also, the goat that the Fans had with them being the same one that tossed the shit out of Fiore, and then it tosses the shit out of SPENCER?! Cinema ✋😌🤚. I swear that goat must have an ‘antagonistic player/favourite radar’ or something.

Fourth, the thing I alluded to in the title. The DAMN Nurara kiss.

It should have been ME, not her (Ara), it’s NOT FAIR!! But alllllsooo… is this gonna end up biting Ara in the ass if I’m reading her confessional immediately after correctly? Maybe somewhere further down the line? I don’t know, I’m pulling assumptions and predictions out of my ass at this point.

Fifth and finally, the… the elimination.

Poor Bruno, man! The antagonistic players, one of which he was allied with for quite a bit, gang up on him and kick him out. Listen, I have a soft spot for characters that have their kindness and naivety seen as a weakness/something to be taken advantage of, OKAY?!

I’m just glad he got to tell Spencer to shut up before he left. There’s a reason barely anyone likes him and his borderline rage baiting bullshit. Now I have an extra contestant to add to my reasons why he pisses me of 95% of the time. Well, at least he has Sam now to keep him company in my rarely used ‘HATE’ tier. AND on the bright side, since he went to rescue island, Bruno can meet back up with Manu again!!That’s what I’M gonna be rotating in my mind palace for the next while…

First off, the concept of this episode starting with Tom and Natalia arguing over which Mamma Mia movie was better. I’ve only seen the second one, so I’m not that qualified to talk about them. But Natalia does sorta have a point, the second one DOES have Cher, and by extension the really good cover of Fernando.

Second, the bit where Nura backpedals on not sitting after Dunia says it in a sort of stern way gave me ‘Me when a bad bitch tell me to do something’ vibes. I don’t know why, it just did.

Third, speaking of Dunia, I know Damn well that her pulling ‘The Tower’ card is some kind of foreshadowing for her and Nura. So I went and looked up what pulling it means; to quote this Tarot guide site I found, “It is the Major Arcana card of sudden upheaval and unexpected change. This change usually is scary, life changing and often unavoidable.”

FURTHERMORE, if this card is related to their relationship like I think it’ll be, here’s what the same website says about that: “It can [also] represent either you or your partner or both, going through a difficult [or traumatic] event that will push your relationship to its absolute limits. … If your relationship survives this upheaval, The Tower tells you that the relationship will have changed significantly. This may not necessarily be a bad thing as The Tower represents destruction of false beliefs too, so the relationship may come out completely changed but with a more solid and honest foundation.”

So if I’m right to believe this, we’re gonna be in for an ANGSTY sort of ride for them. And I will be seated for any and ALL of it. Sorry about the small tangent, this detail had me go look for potential symbolism.

Fourth, Sam, Sam, SAM. Don’t you FUCKING DARE manipulate Oliwia into kicking out Dunia or something similar!! I’ll throw you straight into HATE tier and I won’t regret it!! You’re gonna make my life as an Oliwia fan HELL. ON. EARTH!! Someone better put you in your place, I swear to any God…

Fifth, the challenge itself seems kinda fun. But on the other hand, probably really gruelling. Considering I’ve made clothes for a fashion class before, and even IF you have an outline with you, it can take HOURS to make. I honestly commend Benji more for pulling together Five different outfits for the musical episode.

Sixth, WHAT is that song playing in the background for the final hour montage/results thing? I need it for research purposes… probably.

Seventh, the elimination. Maybe my mutual who thought Benji was having executive dysfunction was… actually right. Like, it very well sounded as if he was suffering from it alongside losing the clothing design challenge. RIP my guy, you did what you could, but even then it wasn’t enough…

Overall, I score it a 6.5/10. Sam and Spencer were both pissing me off this episode. I mean, Sam is doing some strategy, but he’s gonna end up making my life as an Oliwia fan a living HELL. And as you know, I am EXTRA Not Normal about her, more so than Vibe Tribe and Benji ever were to me.

First of all, HOW did the remaining people part from episode SEVEN get into this one?! It had to have gotten past MULTIPLE people to be in the final cut, so WHO overlooked it? I just wanted to point that out...

Second, Oliwia just... appearing beside Ren with no warning. That's it, that's the point. I do that sometimes irl, and I'll probably make Lyric do that in my mutual's DC5 Silly au (cough cough @stormydraws).

Third, Nura lore? Nura lore REAL?! Combined with the stuff we learned about her last episode? The WAY I'm gonna start theorizing about her backstory 'cause I got all the pieces I need to do so... PLEASE don't leave Nura I still NEED YOU!!

Fourth, remember in my last review when I said that all I needed was for them to bring up Zaid in some way? Well my prayers were technically answered!! There he was, in Benji's little paint comic!! I mean, he's kinda small and only in one panel, but STILL. He was technically there..

Fifth, this has nothing to do with the episode. But I was skipping over the mid-episode interruption (like usual) and got an ad that started with that DAMNED 6 7 meme!! I have no feelings towards that meme, but it just took me off guard. Didn't even see what it was for!! (For further context, I was watching this episode in incognito mode)

Sixth, Sam used the yaoi bait line as a way to get Spencer off?! OMG, I may not be a big fan of you, Sam. But I guess if it works, it works.

Seventh, I see Oliwia kinda locked in for a moment. I say kinda because the Fans FUCKING LOST AGAIN?! Well, I guess some of them would be pre-merge boots. After all, you can't have too many Fans in the merge; BUT you also can't have too many Favorites in the merge either (cough cough). And that leads me swimmingly along to...

My eighth and FINAL point, the elimination. Surprisingly, I didn't get spoiled for this one. Think I have a pretty good strategy how not to get spoiled in this fandom: Don't look at DVC TikTok (I don't have one + I only go there for the cool art & shitposts people make) from one week since the most recent episodes release to the release of the next episode, and minimize where I'm looking at stuff for DVC in that time space. It's safer on Tumblr and the few character tags on AO3 I'm always looking at. The strat isn't perfect; some cracks form here and there. But it keeps most of them out, and I'd rather have it that way.

But beside that, the elimination... whoever said Evie is pre-merge boot (which is probably most of you, tbh) claim your award of being right on the money here. She didn't lock in early enough + very much acted as a Load for the team, even IF she spouts good lines every once in a while. I'm (not really) surprised that it took kicking out Aiden to eliminate her.

The fact she didn't even give a fuck about it was kinda funny. AND going to the Motel afterwards? Perfect shitpost opportunity for me, you'll see what I mean in a day or two, or more...

Overall, my ranking for this one is a solid... 7/10. That might change as well as more episodes come out, and might be slightly based on the fact that I didn't get spoiled for it ONCE (well, except for a thumbnail. But it's a FUCKING thumbnail, it barely says anything about stuff). Nonetheless, it stays a solid 7 for the moment.