Épisode Dix-Sept: Almost Zere

[Hercule Poirot]

I am so close to ze end! I can almost taste eet. I 'ave not started writing my Jury speech in my 'ead though. Zese next two rounds will be 'ighly dangerous pour moi, next round especially regardless of what 'appens 'ere. I 'ave been relatively good about not stressing about things zis game, but I 'ave to think zat zis round might be ze first round where my name comes up as a serious target.

I'm trying really 'ard to win zis Immunity. I 'ave been doing ze old version, but I'm not sure zat I am 'aving much succees. I read a lot of detective fiction so one would think zat I would be good at zis, mais non. In detective fiction you're also thinking about ze character motivations though, not just ze physical evidence.

[Hercule Poirot]

I really did give zis challenge my all. I may 'ave made an erreur, but I 'ope zat someone other zan Mlle Garcia wins eet.

If she does win eet, 'owever, zen operation eliminate M. Kennedy 'as to begin. I cannot allow myself to get 5th. Zat ees not good enough for Hercule Poirot.

[Hercule Poirot]

I really easily could go 'ome 'ere. Eet would be so easy for zem to send me 'ome, even if Mlle Garcia does not 'ave an idol.

But I don't think she 'as one, and I think if zey plan to backstab me, eet will be at 4. Zat ees when I would backstab me, anyway. So I need to win zat F4 Immunity challenge more zan anything. Maybe ze luck I missed 'ere will come to me zen. Or maybe M. Morningstar or M. Cohle could be convinced to target ze other in order to avoid splitting Jury votes? I think M. Morningstar might buy zat. Or maybe M. Morningstar really wants M. Kennedy to get fourth. I really don't know.

[Hercule Poirot]

With my current conversation with M. Morningstar, I'm trying to 'elp 'im see why I'm a better endgame person to sit next to zat M. Cohle without outright saying eet. I think eet ees better if 'e comes to eet on 'is own without me spelling eet out for 'im, but I can go through and say what I think my odds of getting various votes are, and 'e can think about what votes 'e ees likely to get and what votes 'e ees in competition with M. Cohle for. And zen next round, of course, if I 'ave to outright say eet, I will, assuming zat I am still around.

Best case scenario, I can pull off a win on zis coming challenge, but I need to plan contingencies in case zis doesn't 'appen.

M. Kennedy ees saying 'e wants to take me to ze end, but I don't know if I believe 'im. I think eet would only take one conversation from M. Cohle for 'im to be convinced to flip on me. But maybe 'e really does want me in ze end, who knows? Ideally M. Cohle can be ze fourth place boot with M. Morningstar, myself, and M. Kennedy all voting for 'im, but eet would not surprise me if eet was tie or if I just got voted out outright. And if M. Cohle wins zat F4, I guess I would be dependent on 'im deciding to keep me or on M. Kennedy forcing a tie.

[Hercule Poirot]

Really if I lose zat F4 challenge, I do think I will place fourth, but zat doesn't mean I won't give eet everything I 'ave to survive no matter what. And I'm not even technically out of F5 yet, I could go 'ome right 'ere.

[Hercule Poirot]

Also ze fact zat you are still asking questions about F2 vs F3 makes me fear zat zis might actually be a F2. Though if zat ees ze case, I think M. Cohle would want to keep me at least.

We 'ave not 'ad an F2 in a while, and eet would make sense to 'ave one finally.

If eet ees an F2, zen I think ze vote ees probably M. Kennedy next round. I don't see a way zat eet ees not. Even if M. Kennedy and M. Morningstar wanted to force a tie and vote for me, I think I could beat M. Kennedy in a firemaking challenge.

And zen I would 'ave to 'ope zat either I could win F3 Immunity, or zat M. Morningstar could win eet and could be convinced to take me.

I wonder if we know at ze F4 whether we are playing for a F3 or F2? Or would eet be a surprise F2? I really 'ope eet ees not a surprise F2. I forget what SSB did. I think zat was ze last F2, and HC was also a mod zere, so eet could be possible. But zat was a much smaller game to begin with.

[Hercule Poirot]

M. Kennedy ees such an emotionally manipulative player, but not even in a good way. I don't know if 'e thinks 'e 'as a chance of winning zis, but 'e will definitely lose if 'e makes eet to ze end. Zere ees no way zat 'e wins zis game. I don't trust 'im for a second.

M. Morningstar ees thinking zat 'e might be a goat though due to 'is betrayals, which ees not fantastique for me. But if 'e ees right. If you're going to be ze M. Kennedy, I don't think you can betray as easily as 'e 'as without ze other person feeling pretty horrible about eet.

I'm sure M. Kennedy intends to vote me off at 4, or right now even, since 'e ees saying my name to Mlle Garcia, though 'e did tell me zat 'e was going to do zat. I really think I'm in trouble at 4 if I fail to win Immunity, but I don't know what I can do about eet.

[Hercule Poirot]

M. Kennedy 'as one mode, and eet ees closest ally mode, and zat ees ze way 'e treats every person in ze game. Or 'e does not talk to zem. Zat ees an option too.

I 'ave zero faith zat 'e will stick with me in ze end. 'E may, but eet ees far from guaranteed, and I will probably need to be on 'im like a hawk. I will try to talk to 'im once Mlle Garcia ees definitely gone to see where 'e ees at and who 'e thinks ze threats in ze end are. I can also promise 'im my Jury vote in exchange for tying ze vote for me potentially. I know 'e 'as said 'e thinks 'e ees a goat in ze end, so I can see zat being appealing. I'm good at emotional appeals, and I 'ave not yet 'ad to use zat skill zis game, but I will use eet on M. Kennedy if I think 'e ees wavering.

I want M. Cohle to go fourth, or M. Morningstar I suppose if M. Cohle wins Immunity.

[Hercule Poirot]

M. Kennedy, I realistically do not think people will ever vote 'im out maintenant. We 'ad our chance at 7 and we floundered eet. 'E ees going to be zere, crowding up ze FTC, ensuring zat things are less competitive. Ze only way 'e goes 'ome ees if eet might be a F2.

[Hercule Poirot]

Looking back at previous games, I do think we will be informed, and I think zat torchwalks will 'appen.

I don't think eet really affects my approach 'ere whether eet ees a F2 or F3. I need Mlle Garcia gone regardless. But eet would affect my approach next round.

[Hercule Poirot]

Zat feeling when ze Jurors are more active zan ze players in ze game.

But eet ees to be expected I suppose. Zere are officially more of zem!

[Hercule Poirot]

Oh my goodness, if I get fifth I am going to ne so annoyed, especially after I could have won zat challenge. I 'ave a really sickening feeling zis round. If Mlle Garcia was Immune, I think I would be going 'ome right now. I may still be going 'ome right now.

M. Morningstar ees definitely planning on taking M. Cohle, and I 'ave not done enough work to convince 'im not to. I will start zat work in earnest once/if zis vote successfully goes through.

M. Kennedy ees talking about who we want in the F3 with us though, so I do 'ave 'ope zat 'e may force a tie. Do I want to put all of my trust in zat? Non, but I may not be in a position to do otherwise.

Eet would be ridicule if zey voted me over Mlle Garcia 'ere.

[Hercule Poirot]

I think I may lose zis game. I am at peace with zat to an extent. I think zis was an excellent return outing, and I think I showed why I am such a dangerous player and force to be reckoned with in zese games.

But I do fear zat I will go 'ome either zis round or next round. Zis ees ze first point in zis game zat I 'ave 'ad zis feeling, maybe because eet ees ze first point where I think I am probably receiving at least one vote.

And if I survive zis vote, you bet zat I am going to give zis coming challenge everything zat I 'ave in ze tank and more. I gave a lot last round, and tried 'arder zan I 'ave ever tried at a challenge before. If I am still alive at F4, I will be pouring my 'eart and soul into preparing for zat challenge. I 'ave come too far not to give myself ze best shot possible.

I 'ave 'ad so much fun zis game. I'm so glad zat I didn't stick to growing vegetable marrows.

[Hercule Poirot]

The stress of zis round ees too much. Eet ees one thing to lose after a challenge you would never 'ave won, but to lose after something you lost to essentially a coinflip ees too much to bear. Though I did it to myself. I should 'ave gone through all of ze weapons again, but I 'ad just done eet and just forgot to ask Xof about ze pipe for whatever reason, probably since I 'ad asked 'er about eet earlier so I already 'ad eet marked off in my notes.

[Hercule Poirot]

One thing zat does make me nervous though ees ze fact zat Mlle Garcia said zat she wanted to vote for M. Kennedy, but M. Morningstar and M. Cohle supposedly preferred booting me. Because why would zey 'ave a preference if eet was a fake plan anyway? And I don't think Mlle Garcia ees lying about zat.

I think zey 'ave zeir sights set on a M. Morningstar, M. Cohle, M. Kennedy F3 because of course zey do. Eet makes sense for all of zem, apart from M. Morningstar. So I really do need to rely on 'im