As The Traitors cautiously navigates its final episodes before Friday's climactic series finale, one contestant's critical misstep threatens to unravel the entire game. The BBC's psychological reality show finds itself treading carefully through treacherous territory, with Claudia Winkleman's fourth selection of turncoats this series demonstrating the production's determination to keep viewers guessing until the very end.
A Series in Need of Reinvention
The civilian iteration preceding this year's Celebrity special represented something of a disappointment for dedicated fans. Those who recall last season will remember a dwindling group of Faithfuls who proved largely unlikable and strategically inept. The final episodes devolved into a Squid Game-style exercise in numerical reduction rather than showcasing genuine tactical gameplay, making it difficult for audiences to find anyone worth supporting by the conclusion.
Current Tensions and Critical Errors
Fast forward to the present series, and tonight's episode has teased a second instance of Traitor-on-Traitor violence this season, raising concerns that history might repeat itself within Ardross castle. The double-vote dagger twist, awarded to hapless Faithful James, resulted in the elimination of Matthew – arguably the most capable member of his own side – playing directly into the cunning hands of Stephen and Rachel.
Throughout this series, Rachel has demonstrated near-omnipotent strategic awareness, rarely making significant errors. Even when she did stumble, the Faithful frustratingly failed to notice. This makes her recent decision to warn Stephen about her impending treachery particularly baffling. In what she apparently considered a safe space, Rachel told her fellow Traitor: 'Please remember nobody can stick up for one another at this point. If you hear anybody repeat that I'm talking about you, it's because I have to protect our alliance.'
This careless revelation becomes especially significant given Stephen's voting history – he has systematically voted for every other Traitor's elimination and concluded the latest episode by strongly implying he would do the same to Rachel without hesitation.
Mounting Evidence and Impending Doom
Rachel's misstep would be less consequential were it not for Faithful Faraaz finally recognising the substantial evidence pointing toward her involvement in the turret-scheming. After weeks of obliviousness, Faraaz appears to be connecting the dots, particularly following Rachel's seemingly naive decision to randomly accuse him last week.
The situation now looks increasingly precarious for both remaining Traitors. Rachel could well be dead on arrival by the finale, while Stephen – a contestant whose role requires deception but who appears fundamentally incapable of understanding the concept – faces similar jeopardy. Both names surfaced during this episode as potential targets, suggesting their time may be running out.
The Faithful Problem
This highlights a persistent issue with The Traitors format: the most compelling contestants – Jessie, Harriet, and even recently-eliminated Matthew – have departed, leaving behind Faithfuls who are either too gullible to warrant murder or so suspicious they've effectively signed their own death warrants.
All reality television eventually becomes predictable and repetitive, as demonstrated by ITV's Love Island: All Stars struggling to compete with the BBC's murder mystery juggernaut. However, The Traitors production team has previously demonstrated remarkable capacity for reinvention, most notably during the explosive celebrity special that revitalised the format.
Finale Possibilities and Concerns
The finale's potential saving grace may be the Faithfuls' demonstrated capacity for spectacularly poor reasoning. At various points this series, Rachel or Stephen could potentially have announced themselves as Traitors and still avoided banishment, given the Faithfuls' remarkable obliviousness.
Several outcomes remain possible: Faraaz might return tomorrow with all suspicions of Rachel evaporated (assuming he avoids murder, which represents a significant if). Alternatively, the delicious tension between Rachel and Stephen could continue building toward a cat-and-mouse confrontation that determines who falls first – potentially making for exceptional television.
If neither scenario materialises, viewers face the prospect of gathering around that final firepit with its ceremonial pouches and whittled-down contestants, watching as potentially undeserving Faithfuls glide to victory. The fear remains that, without another Seer-style twist (though perhaps not that exact one, given its premature exposure last season), audiences might find themselves hoping nobody wins at all.
Francesca and Charlotte's confrontation represented last season's finale highlight, but everything that followed has been largely forgotten. The production team's challenge now is to ensure this year's conclusion provides the satisfying payoff that loyal viewers deserve after another gripping series of deception, betrayal, and psychological warfare.
