With a calculated recruitment and intense mission followed by a harsh banishment, Sunday night’s episode might have been the most consequential episode of The Traitors yet.
Following last week’s banishment of Paudie, Nick was left as a lone Traitor with the opportunity to blackmail another Faithful to recruitment. It was no surprise that Nick chose his right-hand man, Ben as his fellow Traitor and following last night’s episode, it’s clear that this pair are a dangerous duo in the Traitor position.
As morning comes, we discover which Faithful they chose to murder throughout the night. With a target on Kelley, Amy and Oyin, their decision is revealed as each faithful enters the room.
We learn that Amy is the unlucky Faithful whose journey has come to an end, with the reason being that her questioning nature and strong approaches threaten their position.
Following the discovery of Amy’s fate, names and theories were whispered around the breakfast table with Joanna, Faye and Vanessa propping up as the leading suspects.
Once breakfast ended, the Faithful and the Traitors were left among themselves as they awaited their daily mission. Joanna, Vanessa and Oyin share their suspicions, and Joanna tells Vanessa that she believes Faye and Kelley will choose her for banishment at the roundtable.
To unravel the truth, Vanessa calls Faye for a private conversation in which they recall previous discussions and catch irregularities with what was said by Joanna. As the truth gets questioned, Joanna becomes the prime suspect amongst the girls.
With the girls taking the spotlight of lead suspicions, the Traitors are sat back as the drama unfolds, with Ben feeling quite comfortable in his seamless transition from Faithful to Traitor.
As the mission begins, we learn that the premise of the task is for each member to discreetly reveal who they believe is the least trustworthy among the group. With a total of €3,000 up for grabs, each player must approach this mission with complete honesty. After they all share with the group why they believe they are worth trusting, each player is blindfolded and takes turns in extinguishing the flame of the player they trust the least. One by one, the flames are extinguished, with drastic yet unsurprising results.
When the results are revealed, Joanna is sat with all three flames expired, receiving the most votes among the group. To win the €3,000, Joanna must guess which three players deemed her the least trustworthy, in which she guessed Vanessa, Nick and Oyin. With two players guessed correctly, the group wins €2,000 in today’s challenge, losing out on the final grand as Joanna chose Oyin over Wilkin, who extinguished her final flame.
However, the challenge doesn’t end there. Joanna may have been deemed the least trustworthy player, but she still has been granted all the power. Joanna was to choose between a shield, which would protect her from tonight’s murder or a dagger, which would give her two votes at tonight’s roundtable. Joanna was quick to choose the dagger and gave the shield to Kelley, offering her protection for the night.
There’s no doubt that the roundtable to follow will be one for the books…
As the roundtable begins, Vanessa starts the discussion by targeting Joanna with questions regarding what she said to Faye, which leads to a back-and-forth argument about what was said and what wasn’t. Joanna’s position seems helpless to defend, with her being the sole questioned player at the table, so it becomes clear that her two votes won’t be of much use tonight.
With all players rallied against Joanna all by a few misunderstandings, the traitors were playing a very easy game. The discussion ends with Joanna being called a liar, as the Faithful are almost certain to declare her a Traitor.
Finally, when it comes to voting, Joanna loses this one-sided battle with all seven players writing her name, while she uses both of her votes on Vanessa. Even Kelley, who was granted the shield by Joanna, feels confident in her decision to vote for the very person who exempted her from murder. With this undisputed vote, Joanna is banished.
Joanna stands at the top of the room, nearing tears, as she shares her final piece with the group: “I’m very happy to be going home and can’t wait to see my family.
“I said I’m not going to cry and the only reason I’m doing that is because my character was being attacked. I actually hope one of the guys will win it, because you are mean girls – and I’m a Faithful.”
This statement left the room filled with guilt as the final seven processed what they had just done. With two traitors still among them, the faithful are not only running out of time, but are completely oblivious in their suspicions. If this behaviour continues, will the Traitors get away with more heinous murders?
As Nick and Ben gather in the conclave to continue their scheming, only time will tell…
Catch episode 11 of The Traitors tonight at 9:35pm on RTÉ One.
Words by Leah Foran
