There are a lot of words that could describe the fourth episode of Survivor: Nicaragua, officially entitled "Pulling the Trigger." For example: words words words words words. Also, "sponsored by Sears."

 

Normally, you'd like one of those words to be something along the lines of "exciting," or "interesting." But this being Survivor, you of course lower your expectations to "moderately amusing," or perhaps "tepidly engaging." For this episode, you'll have to dig a bit further down. Maybe we were meant to feel the anguish of the "People's Choice" contestant being booted, with lots of storm-and-suffering imagery. Perhaps we were being punished for the "Producers' Choice" contestant being "booted" the week before. Whichever, as the show started, it was a dark and stormy night. Things started falling apart from there.

 

 

Let's start with the action: There was a challenge (Just one! Stop being so greedy!) in which the cameras took a slow-mo, porn music-backed pass through the entire contents of a Sears store, followed by people yelling, as they desperately tried to gather precious Sears items. When Espada lost, the makeup department gave them fake Sears tears to stream down their faces, as they read the Sears cue cards lamenting their loss of precious Sears merchandise. It was completely believable, a bravura performance. "Oh cursed Sears-sponsored heavens! Why hast thou forsaken us? All we wanted was a delectable Sears toolbox, filled as it was with sweet, delicious Sears tools! Hear our wails of woe!" This segment was brought to you by Sears. Sears would like you to shop at Sears, and purchase your own Sears merchandise. From Sears.

 

And that was about it in terms of action. The previews promised something called Hurricane NaOnka, but what actually hit the beach was something more like Tropical Storm Jimmy T (also brought to you by Sears, although we suspect Jimmy T will not be one of their hottest-selling items this quarter). NaOnka did indeed "find" a hidden immunity idol, after Brenda figured out the clues for her, and told her where to dig.

 

Wait, why did we say "more talk" there in the title? We're talked out. Meh.