Ep 1. Beg, Barter, Steal

Beg, Barter, Steal, the first episode of Survivor season 7, opens with the usual scene of the castaways arriving on the beach, ready to start their adventure on the show. This season is called Survivor: Pearl Islands, filmed in Panama, and features two separate tribes: Morgan and Drake.

The two tribes immediately begin to size each other up, with each member of the Drake tribe quickly realizing that the Morgan tribe has very little, while the Drake tribe has an abundance of resources. This becomes the central theme of the episode - the disparity between the two tribes and how they navigate that imbalance.

One of the first twists of the episode comes when the host, Jeff Probst, announces that each tribe has to give away one of their members. At first, this seems like a terrible thing - why would any tribe willingly give up a member of their team? But then, as Jeff explains, the trade is happening in exchange for resources. Morgan and Drake don’t have much to start with, so getting some extra supplies could mean the difference between winning and losing challenges.

The bargaining begins, with both tribes trying to finagle the best possible deal. Some members of the Morgan tribe speculate that the Drake tribe has a hidden agenda, that they’re giving up a player to knock Morgan off balance. Others believe that a member of the Morgan tribe could be the key to winning challenges, so trading them away at this stage of the game could be a devastating mistake.

Eventually, the trades are made. Morgan gives up their oldest member, an older woman with a bad knee, in exchange for a tarp. Meanwhile, Drake gives up their best fisherwoman, a strong and capable player, in exchange for some tools. Everyone seems disappointed with their respective trades, and the mood of the episode turns a little sour.

At this point, the episode shifts focus to the first challenge. It’s a classic Survivor obstacle course - each tribe must work together to solve puzzles, carry heavy objects, and complete physical challenges. The winning tribe gets fire, a crucial component of survival on the island.

The Drake tribe dominates the challenge, winning by a wide margin. Morgan, in contrast, struggles to keep up. They’re a little disorganized, with different members giving conflicting directions and struggling with the physical demands of the course. Even so, they manage to come in second, so they’re not eliminated from the game just yet.

This is where the episode takes a turn for the dramatic. Morgan, still reeling from their disappointing trade and their loss in the challenge, decides to take matters into their own hands. A small group of the tribe sneaks over to the Drake camp, intending to steal some of their supplies.

The plan goes awry almost immediately. The Morgan tribe members are caught in the act, and a physical altercation breaks out. The Drake tribe accuses Morgan of breaking the unspoken rules of the game, of trying to gain an unfair advantage through theft. Morgan, in turn, accuses the Drake tribe of not playing fair to begin with - after all, they had all the resources to start with, which gave them an unfair advantage.

At this point, it seems like the tribes are irreparably divided. There’s a sense of distrust and resentment between them that seems like it might boil over into full-scale conflict at any moment. At the same time, the episode ends on a cliffhanger - we don’t know what will happen next, or how the rest of the season will unfold.

Overall, Beg, Barter, Steal is a strong start to the seventh season of Survivor. It highlights the tensions and imbalances that can emerge in a competition like this, as well as the ways in which individuals can try to manipulate the rules to their advantage. With its mix of physical challenges, psychological drama, and compelling characters, the episode sets the stage for what promises to be a thrilling season.