For anyone who has ever been the sole voice of reason in a room set on ignoring you, Victor’s journey in The Traitors: New Blood has played like a slow-motion vindication fantasy. For weeks he has been right about nearly everything and believed by nearly no one, a man shouting “Fruitgate” into a void of people who’d rather follow a vibe than present a viable theory. “One Bad Apple Spoils The Whole Bunch” is the episode where the void finally listens. It is easily the most satisfying hour of the season and proof that this castle is capable of learning, even if it takes a last-ditch pardon and an aggressively patient man to get there.
We pick up right where last week left us, with Victor awaiting his fate while a mystery pardon dangled over his head. The power, it turns out, belongs to Shane, the man who was not only directly responsible for knocking Victor out of contention for the win during last week’s scarecrow mission, but also, as his card indicates, part of the voting body that was ready to banish Victor mere moments ago. Things look bleak and yet, Victor isn’t the least bit deterred. He doesn’t quite beg for his life, but he confidently asserts once again that he’s willing to make his exit and reveal once and for all that he’s a Faithful if it will at least get the castle to see reason. His Hail Mary defense works wonders: Shane reverses his own vote and decides to pardon him. Why? Per Shane, “As a New Yorker… I can tell when someone is lying in my face, and he convinced me.” The only thing missing from the moment is someone shouting “Victor in five!” somewhere in the middle distance. Alas, the only ones pleased by this twist are Victor and Wyatt, the one person who showed any solid support during the debate. So, the roundtable just adjourns in solemnity.
The pardon effectively puts a battery in Victor’s back (the absolute last thing this relentless ball of energy needs), further bolstered by the addition of Shane as a reformed believer. “Maybe Fruitgate is actually a thing,” Shane said, only slightly more disbelieving than those who have watched Victor struggle for weeks to get anyone to give him and his now-branded theory the time of day. The shift may be happening at a glacial pace, but it’s happening, and Victor is starting to look like a man on borrowed time with nothing to lose. And Shane, thankfully, actually starts to follow the logic when pressed about his decision to pardon Victor, questioning why any working Traitor would call attention to a murder happening in plain sight the way Victor very vocally did the night of Niyyah’s murder. Watching actual deductive reasoning based on known events come into play is enough to give one actual hope. The Faithfuls may not be dead in the water yet—except Jay, who is on Victor’s case so hard that he tries to drown out Shane’s valid line of questioning with more circular nonsense. You can’t save ’em all.
Speaking of saving: In the turret, Tomica is oddly indignant about fellow Traitor Katie voting to banish her after hearing that Tomica erroneously threw her under the bus to Victor. Tomica is still holding onto the excuse that she meant to say Kriste’s name when cornered about who she was “suspecting.” (And at a perfect roundtable, Victor would have challenged that by pointing out Tomica calling Katie “extremely quiet,” which certainly doesn’t apply to Kriste. But he let that very important detail slide, so perhaps we should, too.) Katie offers a mea culpa, but the fracture amongst the Traitors is already starting to widen and it’s clear that Tomica, in particular, is up against the ropes. They have one shot to murder someone that will ideally transfer some of this unwelcome heat and their choices, evidently, are Victor, which they can explain as an attempt to frame Tomica; Abby L., which presumably keeps Wyatt in the hot seat; and Clyde, who is openly suspicious of Morgan.
What follows is the tensest breakfast of the season, where everyone has decided to forgo polite conversation and whispered strategy for outright, face-to-face accusations. Joe openly comes for Victor, who is quick to point out that there is no new potential evidence against him aside from the shield he pilfered on day one. Tomica, upon entering, questions Shane’s decision to pardon Victor, setting off another landmine in the Victor-Tomica Civil War. It’s hard to blame her for wanting to play the part of an honest Faithful by defending herself, especially against a guy with his foot fully on the gas pedal. But the continued back and forth makes it clear that this Scottish castle isn’t big enough for the both of them, which is scary when facing off with a guy with nine lives. The squabbling pauses once it’s revealed that Traitors have murdered Abby L. who, in true Abby fashion, goes out with one last assured accusation lobbed in Wyatt’s direction. She departed the way she arrived: trying her best.
Almost immediately, the Traitors receive two signs that things aren’t about to go their way. First, Shane instantly pegs Abby’s death as an attempt to frame Wyatt, effectively relieving Wyatt of any lingering suspicion (for now) and basically wasting their one shot at an effective kill. Secondly, Alan announces, after briefly eulogizing Abby L., that breakfast will be followed by yet another roundtable. Shoutout to production for moving this along a bit, even if the whole business of a pardon is reduced to just a few extra hours of Victor having the zoomies.
As it turns out, a few hours is all Victor needs to affix an even bigger target on Tomica’s back. While there’s still some doubt surrounding Fruitgate, specifically—Morgan even tells Victor “You are not right about Fruitgate,” which is the most assertive she’s been all season—Victor is winning over at least a few players, including Ben, who is the most vocal about clearing Victor of suspicion. There are times when Victor’s go-for-broke crusade gets a bit dicey (because I don’t care if he’s just playing hard against a known Traitor, him openly following and harassing Tomica around the castle was uncomfortable as fuck and a touch beyond reasonable gameplay), but against all odds, it seems to be working. Joe and Katie most definitely notice, and the pressure to remain loyal to his original turret buddy in the middle of an almost guaranteed shitstorm is beginning to weigh on Joe, especially.
Before long, we’re back at the roundtable, where Victor sets aside his frantic energy to ask, “Why Abby L.?” While the Wyatt of it all is still a thing, Victor also points out that murdering him pretty much exonerates him. Tomica comes out swinging, blaming Victor for attaching (not so) baseless theories to her name and reaffirming that her tendency to mix up names shouldn’t label her a Traitor. Kriste, surprisingly, comes to her defense despite Tomica’s previous attempts to throw her to the wolves with an explanation we haven’t seen at this roundtable yet: “It’s menopause.” Victor at least has the good sense to know he’s not equipped to speak for or against that. A brief moment of levity amid wall-to-wall intensity. I’ll take it.
There is one useful effect of Victor’s ceaseless pursuit: His position is so thoroughly publicized, he doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting this time around. Ben actually speaks up in his defense and all but endorses him as a Faithful. Wyatt points out that nobody is really defending Tomica, which seems to be evidence on its own. There’s an honest-to-god discussion here amongst a castle that seems to finally be paying attention. For Victor’s part, there is a side of him that locks in when he isn’t desperate for validation. His arguments are much calmer, more measured, and those around him seem willing to listen. This is especially evident when Joe attempts to speak authoritatively, as he usually does with little pushback, against a man who is far more prepared. When Victor implores Joe to name another potential suspect besides himself, Joe momentarily freezes (because for some reason, none of these Traitors have thought to keep multiple names in their back pocket for moments like this), then drops the final ax on Tomica’s chances at survival by saying, “If it’s not you, then it’s probably Tomica.” It’s done. Whether Victor gets voted out or not, all eyes are guaranteed to be on Tomica going forth, so sayeth Castle Dad. It’s not enough to totally let Joe off the hook, though, as Victor points out Joe’s willingness to drop his previously unwavering support for his friend.
Finally, it’s time to vote, and the tally isn’t even close. Aside from Tomica and Jay tossing out Victor’s name, the rest of the castle votes to banish Tomica, including her fellow Traitors. A momentous occasion for the Faithfuls and those rooting for them, for sure. It’s also worth noting that this is the longest that the Traitors have survived banishment in the U.S. run’s history, surpassing the previous record of six episodes. Truthfully, the rapturous celebration that erupts at the roundtable almost makes the wait worth it, as does Alan’s almost tearful look of genuine pride. Clyde, Tomica’s closest ally, is heartbroken and tearful himself, realizing firsthand just how treacherous this game can be. It’s a sobering end to a roundtable where no emotion is spared.
Part of me wishes we’d seen more of the actual discussion that took place, as such an overwhelming vote included not only Victor’s loudest detractors but also Tomica’s strongest support. That doesn’t happen without some significant convincing, but the edit suggests that Victor’s laser focus and Joe’s trusted insight were enough to sway an entire castle. As we learn each week, not everything can fit into a 42-minute window, but the visible gap between sentiment and result leaves room for some questioning. Surely, we’ll get the full story during the inevitable tell-all podcast.
This is where the audience typically braces itself for another infuriating cliffhanger. As if to answer a battered fandom’s collective prayer, the show mercifully allows both the castle’s victory and the viewer to breathe and ditches the device, which lands way more confidently than dragging a meager plot point across two episodes. Instead, we end with the promise of a celebratory banquet hosted by Alan (which is never a chill time) and an overdue showdown between Victor and Joe.
After weeks of watching Faithfuls fumble, this is the episode where the civilians finally play the game the way it’s meant to be played. That it comes with a packed hour—two roundtables, a pardon, a murder, a near-unanimous banishment—and no cheap cliffhanger to cap it off is the kind of confident, generous episode this season has been stingy about delivering. It still isn’t flawless, and the pacing only works because the show finally stopped padding. But for the first time all season, New Blood feels less like an endurance test and more like the show it keeps promising to be.
Stray observations
- • There wasn’t a mission, meaning the Castle Twins didn’t have anything to do this week. Victor does dub himself “The Boy Who Lived” post-pardon, though, so the Phelps men are here in spirit.
- • Ben on Victor’s inexplicable survival up to this point: “The one thing Victor and Cher have in common: You can’t kill them.”
- • “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins entered the Ominous Pop playlist and for the second week in a row, I was deep in a rabbit hole about music licensing and production budgets. The original track already encompasses the vibe here, just play the damn song.
- • Glad we get to see more of Shane’s gameplay these past episodes. Also, his giggle is delightful!
- • There are times when I struggle with the show’s edit, but one tiny moment that earns it flowers: the echoing sound of Alan’s slow, methodical footsteps against total silence after opening the roundtable discussion genuinely sent a chill down my spine. Art.
- • Tomica’s exit line: “I flew my plane a little too close to the sun and I got burnt, because I’m a Traitor.” Her time may have come to an end, but she’s still a pilot, which makes her undeniably cool. Also, Clyde and Joe shedding tears over Tomica’s exit are nice reminders that there are still very human bonds at the center of this.
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