The Mole - episode six...

Nicole is The Mole - that's all I'm gonna say. I would so win the game if I was there playing.

And did you see how the producers focused on that one vat before the execution? The vat had the three letters on it, the first being an "N". I don't remember off the top of my head the other two, but I bet they stand for her middle and last names. (I'll put a screencap of that up later.)

Bill McDaniel, season two's Mole, does not agree with me on Nicole being The Mole. Here's his thoughts...

Ok, now we're getting somewhere! By far my favorite episode of the year, hands down. Finally a good thinking game, and a game of suspense. One of the problems I've had thus far is there really has been no suspense in any of the games. Tonight that changed! Now, if Jon would only chew someone out a little just for effect! I hope all of you helped spread the word in the "Save the Mole" campaign, because if you did, tonight's episode might have captured some more viewers!

I was not surprised to see Alex go. He played the game straight; I seriously doubt that there was a single player in this year's group that ever suspected that Alex was the Mole. He just did not sabotage. That's fine, but it put him at a disadvantage; while others...Craig, Mark, Clay, and Nicole...all have done a fair amount of sabotage, and therefore have to be factored in when you are taking the quiz, Alex simply did not have to be factored in. Therefore, every week he had at least one more person to consider than most of the others. Eventually...unless he really knew who the Mole was...odds had to catch up with him. They did so.

I think Paul is in the same boat. He is obnoxious, arrogant...and plays the game hard. He has not sabotaged at all, and but for his demeanor, does not act molish in the least. If the other players see it the same way, then they are not considering him as a mole possibility. That means everyone else has one less person to try to ferret (or "mole") out as the dastardly Mole. I would not be surprised to see Paul gone next.

Ah, who does that leave!? Well, I did not especially care for the one hour review of the season...because it just pointed up vividly the constant bickering and dislike between Paul and almost everyone else, and Nicole the same way. If I wanted to see constant fighting and bickering I would watch professional wrestling. So, I really wish the review had toned those disagreeable interplays down and had given us some more fun behind-the-scene stuff. I know there was a lot of good things that went on that would have played well; it would have been much more fun to have seen them.

One thing the review did do was point out how much Craig has cost the team, either accidentally or on purpose. He didn't get the bag in the first game, didn't get any clay pigs, lost the money on the luge game, and chose the exemption when he picked impossible clothes and costumes for folks to wear. While he can't be ruled out, I still don't believe he is the Mole. However, it was impossible to miss that he got almost no answers in tonight's game. Again, could have been deliberate. Or not.

Clay has kept a low profile since getting the exemption he did not deserve. He's sinking down in my Mole quest.

Nicole continues to be extremely obvious, but indeed has sabotaged some. She was obvious in the luge game, continues to play mind games with Paul (and everyone else), cooperated with everyone in not wearing the costume selected for her, and in tonight's game was surprisingly dense in coming up with answers to the questions. Admittedly it was all math, and that may be a weak area for her. I sure hope her pharmacist and nurses do her med calculations for her patients! Molish activity in not coming up with any answers? Maybe.

Mark was quite interesting to watch tonight. Man, he was a team player. A great run, and he showed remarkable intelligence, coming up with virtually every answer the "thinkers" were supposed to be coming up with. He reminded me of Dorothy from our season...except that the last time I looked Mark is not Chinese. Could Mark have known the answers in advance? Could this be one of the games the Mole plays his little heart out in to show he is a team player? I think that is a distinct possibility.

Oh, the bungee jump. Any molish activities? None that I saw. When I had the chance to bungee jump in Season 2 I was going for it, no matter what. No sabotage, just always wanted to bungee jump. I suspect the folks tonight felt the same way...though I was a tad concerned for Craig. A trooper!

So, who's the Mole? Not Alex. 1. Mark 2. Clay 3. Nicole 4. Craig

Bill
The Mole II