‘The Traitors’ 3×06 review: “A Dysfunctional Family”

Have we ever seen a group of Traitors this disorganized and cutthroat? The Traitors Season 3 on Peacock sets a new standard for what not to do as a Traitor. Specifically, don’t turn against your fellow Traitors too early in the game! “A Dysfunctional Family” dug the Traitors into a deeper hole yet again, fostering another layer of distrust and greed. It’s a miracle that none of them got banished at the round table; they’re sealing their fates with all the underhanded schemes.

Carolyn confronts the truth

“A Dysfunctional Family” set itself up with a strong narrative about betrayals and Carolyn reclaiming her power. Narratively, the editors did an amazing job keeping us on our toes; the episode captured that rare magic of right before when all hell breaks loose. The Traitors recognize that the turmoil between the mysterious group was the bigger draw, and a story of in-fighting will lead to bloodshed. No one could’ve planned for the chaos that happened post-Bob the Drag Queen’s elimination. We’re witnessing a masterclass of watching everything unravel into a fiery failure or a surprising victory.

As I mentioned during the last episode’s review, Carolyn’s intuition as a Traitor has been the strongest of the group. She’s been an absolute joy to watch so far; no one is suspecting her as a Traitor and she’s not letting anyone fool her twice. Carolyn calling out Danielle at the turret unlocked a side of the gameplayer that hasn’t been seen since Survivor. Carolyn wasn’t going to let Danielle or Boston Rob push her around any longer. We called it that Danielle’s terrible move of targeting Carolyn would come back to haunt her; she’s unleashed a worthy foe who wants her gone. Danielle needs to do some major damage control.

The Traitors killing Bob Harper is another shaky kill that could bring them bad consequences. Did they want to eliminate a Faithful no one would vote out? They succeeded in that regard. Everyone liked Bob H.; no one truly considered him a villain or someone they couldn’t trust. However, Bob H. was also a player who called out Boston Rob during the previous round table as a Traitor. Boston Rob was too focused on getting someone out who suspected him that it planted another seed of doubt in his direction. It’s like if he convinced the others to kill Derrick or Wes – he wrongly brought the narrative back in his direction. He needs to be lying low, not committing mob murders.

Secrets and shields

The challenge during “A Dysfunctional Family” was a tad suspicious. The Traitors franchise has a habit of playing the “with seconds to spare” victory trope a little too much. This latest victory wasn’t the first time that the Faithfuls just managed to sneak out a victory (and it most likely won’t be the last). Collecting enough gunpowder to topple the giant statue would’ve taken a lot of time, and the group did spend considerable time finding the shields instead. While congratulations are in order for the Faithfuls to win another batch of funds, there’s nothing wrong with the show highlighting their failures too. It would’ve been just as exciting to see the players turn on each other because everyone was too selfish in searching for shields.

Speaking of the shields, the Traitors will be faced with an interesting conundrum at the turret. Everyone is keeping it a secret of who won the shield, but Boston Rob, Danielle, and Carolyn know who 2 of the 3 winners were based on their groups. They could either go for a confirmed kill (which adds suspicion to their group) or they take a risk by going after the third group (potentially not getting a kill). We’ve witnessed the shield protecting someone from death before, so it’s not out of the question for them to miss their marks. There is no right or wrong answer here – it’s a huge risk either way, but if they want to trim numbers, they’ll go with the safer option of killing in their groups.

The puppetmaster plays them all again

The round table felt like a case of high school. Voting out Wes stemmed more from their dislike of him, which “confirmed” their suspicions, instead of using logic and reason. Don’t get me wrong, Wes could absolutely be a Traitor in the game; he’s cunning, duplicitous, lies, and loves to spark chaos. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg during his time on The Challenge. However, based on the events of The Traitors Season 3, he hasn’t done anything that set off warning signs of him being a Traitor. Most of the comments against him were more about his aggressive gameplay style and pushing too hard to get votes.

Boston Rob, on the other hand, had a mounting list of evidence against him. But what made it so obvious that he was a Traitor: he’s always smiling when the target shifts to another person! His arguments with Wes and Derrick came across as a Survivor manipulating a strategy against an enemy instead of someone trying to defend their innocence. Boston Rob doesn’t act like a Faithful, and if the players had watched his previous reality TV shows, they would’ve spotted the truth sooner.

The round table during “A Dysfunctional Family” was so fun and chaotic, yet frustrating at the same time. Frustrating that the Faithfuls, once again, couldn’t push their personal judgments aside to look at the evidence and get out a Traitor. However, the Boston Rob vs. Derrick/West argument was a highlight in witnessing these big reality TV juggernauts go toe-to-toe over a vote. Plus, the sheer insanity of Dolores vs. Tom’s war and Carolyn’s vendetta against Danielle added plenty of spice to the drama.

Trouble is on the horizon

Will Carolyn mount the war against Danielle? The tension in the Traitors’ turret was high; my jaw dropped to the floor when Carolyn said they should murder Danielle. It’s a direct threat that could shake up the game, especially since Carolyn called out Danielle during the round table too. Even Boston Rob looked so taken aback – he’s never had to play against equally cunning and vicious players. And Danielle doesn’t look like she’ll back down either; she wants to murder both Boston Rob and Carolyn. This move will either tear them apart as separate entities or it will bring them together because they need to work together. Based on what we’ve seen so far, the drama is getting juicier, but a storm is coming for the Traitors.

“A Dysfunctional Family” kicked up the energy and tension to become one of the most thrilling episodes yet. Boston Rob, Danielle, and Carolyn are on the verge of a war that could leave the Scottish Castle in ruins. The Faithfuls stumbled yet again in their search for a Traitor, but Derrick isn’t giving up the fight yet to get Boston Rob. If only Britney would listen to him and they could band together. We’re six episodes in and no one is acting like a team anymore.

The Traitors airs new episodes on Thursdays on Peacock.