Episode 12: "A Tale of Two Cities" (Air date: May 16th, 2002; filmed December 15-17, 2001)

Our Picks:
Boot: Sean
RC: Sean
IC: Kathy
Immunity: Kathy

Here's this week's misdirection from CBS:

Episode 12: "A Tale of Two Cities"  View the web preview here.
What CBS says	What we think it means	What actually happened
(1) Kathy is torn when she finds a potentially pivotal decision before her.	(1) Really? Who woulda thunk it?	(1) We suspect she may have been edited to be more torn than she really was.
(2) While one castaway celebrates jubilantly, Paschal is less than pleased after arriving at an important determination about two tribemates.	(2) Shockingly, Pappy will stick with Neleh.  Perhaps not so surprisingly, he will vote against Sean.	(2) Duh.
(3) Tensions arise at an uncomfortable campfire meeting and erupt the next night at Tribal Council.	(3) Umm, yeah, this was in the preview on TV.  Sean gets testy about assumptions concerning his alliance with Vee.	(3) Double duh.
(4) A twelfth castaway is voted out, determining the Final Four.	(4) A twelfth castaway is voted out, determining the Final Four.	(4) A twelfth castaway is voted out, determining the Final Four. Triple duh.

RC - Super Challenge for a Vue:  Sean?
The time to give away this year's exciting car/truck/tent-like vehicle is upon us.  Since the final episode lacks Reward Challenges, this is it.  The new web promo shows this challenge to be another "Super Challenge," combining pieces of many of the challenges these bozos blew in the past.  There appears to be a lot of running involved, and Pappy and Neleh did poorly on their jungle run the last time.  Paschal is shown eatching his stack of tiki logs fall to the ground.  Since the challenge starts out near the base of these stacks, and various shots show the contestants retrieving pieces, it would make sense that building the tower is the goal of the challenge, and that Pappy makes no effort to stop the collapse because he's just lost.  Interestingly, on the same day, Sean is shown with his arm around Kathy, kissing an approaching Neleh.  The lack of heavy clothing suggests it's at least mid-day, and not the usual morning hugfest.  A triumphant return from his reward?  Hard to tell.  You'd think they'd change their sweaty clothes after such a physical RC.  Then there's the problem of Kathy's new clothes: she has on a white turtleneck in some early-morning shots, clothing she has previously not been seen in. Except that, as Inudat from MESS pointed out, she has been seen in it, way back in episode 11 (duh), after Patrick's visit.  Quartzeye from MESS has some vidcaps showing this here.  So all signs seem to point to a Sean victory.

The description of the RC. VUE-bearing boat in the background. Note the clothes match the camp shots.	And they're off!  Sean takes an early lead, with 1/100th of the challenge complete.	Kathy builds her tiki back up.
Paschal watches resignedly, as his tiki tower tumbles to the ground.  Disgruntled over a narrow RC loss?	Sean, his arm already around Kathy, kisses and hugs an approaching Neleh. Return from a reward?  Departure?	Kathy got that white turtleneck in episode 11.

IC - Story time?
The web preview shows Paschal stumbling around in the dark, wearing something that sort of looks like the immunity necklace (but it's probably not).  Early spec on the title of this episode by Trxxiego at votedoff.tv suggested one of the challenges might be the now-traditional "Jeff Probst tells a story, and everyone rushes around trying to remember it" one.  Fond, fond memories of Keith dropping locks, and Lex fumbling with ribbons.  As for the story, Nuku Hiva's history features two warring tribes, so that will probably be the bulk of the story (and fit the title, "A Tale of Two Cities").  Anyway, this time Paschal takes a tumble.  As a lawyer and judge, though, he should have a top-notch memory, and would appear to be the prohibitive favorite here, no matter how many times he trips.  On the other hand, as several sharp-eyed spoilers have noticed, Kathy seems to have neglected to take a pack to TC, suggesting she may have extra confidence, imbued by a lobster-like accessory around her neck.

Paschal in the IC.  Seconds later...

... that torch finds a nice pile of tinder.

The hike to TC.  As several people have pointed out, Kathy (screen left) does not seem to be carrying a pack.

Boot:  Sean
Sean, according to Survivornews.net, is on the chopping block.
This does make quite a bit of sense.  His open antagonism of Neleh should cancel out his supposed father-son bond with Pappy.  Bad time to make yourself a target, Sean.  Still, he saved his skin with Kathy's help once, and he could have potentially done it again.  Kathy's moving on, but with whom?  Blowing up right before tribal council wasn't particularly helpful to Frank (in S3), and it could do Sean in as well.  With an RC win and a car under his belt, the others may decide he's had enough good fortune.  And to preserve the love of the Rotu jury, stabbing poor Pappy in the back at this point, when more-hated opponents are still around (Vee) is simply not a wise move for Kathy.  Oh well, you had a good run of it, Sean.  This departure (perhaps volunteering for it, to save Vee?) redeems some of that crap in the earlier episodes (then again, maybe not...).  It is a far better thing you do....

Vee is also far from invisible now, but Survivornews.net reports that she makes the final four, same for Neleh and Kathy.  So they're safe.  As is Paschal (who we were secretly hoping would be booted).