The Faithfuls have finally done it! Yes, they’ve officially banished their first Traitor in The Traitors: New Blood Season 5 Episode 8. But more importantly, they finally listened to Victor! After many rounds of them brushing him off and believing him to be a Traitor, they took the chance and listened to mystery that is ‘Fruitgate.’ Sometimes taking a gamble can pay off for the Faithfuls. “A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch” should show all future players of The Traitors – both on NBC and Peacock – that they need to be open to any theories that come up.
Surprise at the round table.
Shane using the Pardon twist on Victor is a surprising move. Most of the Castle is suspicious of Victor, but more so, their frustrations with his behavior gave them an incorrect bias. If Shane simply let the banishment happen, it would’ve confirmed regardless that Victor was a Faithful. Plus, it would have the added benefit of trimming the numbers. However, by saving Victor, it gives the unexpected push for the remaining players to test out the Fruitgate theory. Keeping Victor is only worthwhile if they prove his theory to be accurate or not; in this case, it thankfully worked out in all their favors.
Victor’s reaction, on the other hand, is exactly how a Faithful should react in this scenario. His game was ending in front of his eyes – only a twist miracle saved his life. And after countless rounds of no one listening to his theory, he was leaving with all the answers. His grand outburst seemed genuine, real, and full of passion – a reaction that no amount of acting could pull off. In that moment, all of the Faithfuls should recognize that he’s 100% a Faithful.
In turn, the Traitors should’ve murdered him because there’s no shadow of a doubt that he’s a positive Faithful. Tomica is right on the money that Victor was the correct murder option that night. Shane saving him with the Pardon only fueled his resolve to banish her and Joe. Murdering Abby L. at this time was a major blunder; the focus wasn’t on her and her theory of Wyatt being the Traitor. It immediately screams that the Traitors killed her in an attempt to frame Wyatt, which unfortunately, supports clearing Victor and Wyatt of suspicion. “A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch” is a bad night all around for the Traitors.
Photo by: Euan Cherry/NBC
A Traitor falls.
Surprisingly, “A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch” is a fast-paced round that moves briskly through the Castle’s events. Part of this is due to the absence of a challenge; there’s nothing in the middle of the episode to break up the game dynamics. Instead, The Traitors: New Blood Season 5 Episode 8 goes right from the morning breakfast into the round table. This change in editing speeds up the momentum to craft a specific narrative of Victor’s victory and Tomica’s downfall.
Speaking of Tomica, this round table should be another lesson for future Traitors. Specifically, you have to keep fighting, especially if you’re up against the wall. When a Traitor feels trapped, the reactionary responses kick in, but if they give up, they resort to frustration, shutting down, and slipping up. She had no more fight left in her because Victor kept coming at her with 100% conviction. He felt rejuvenated after surviving with the Pardon; she felt defeated after attempting another round table.
What sealed her fate, on the other hand, is the moment when Joe named her as a possible Traitor. He defended her against Victor’s accusations for several rounds, especially since he’s trapped under the Fruitgate theory too. If Tomica gets confirmed, he’s 100% confirmed automatically. So, for him to turn on her, it leaves a messy cloud of doubt over the situation. Katie, however, did well to slip into the background, thanks to Tomica’s mess-up at the previous round table, but Joe’s days are numbered. He can’t escape the target his way unless the Faithfuls completely blunder next round.
The outcome.
“A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch” is a fast-paced, well-crafted episode that reaches the climax of a narrative arc. Fruitgate has delivered plenty of drama, bringing us now only a shocking twist outcome, but a several round tables of peak drama. The Traitors found a way to progress this one theory in a satisfying and thrilling battle of Faithful vs. Traitor. “A Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch” hits of the highs of the episodes that fueled the path from episodes before.
The Traitors: New Blood airs new episodes on Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC.
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'The Traitors: New Blood' Season 5 Episode 8 - 9/10
9/10
Justin is a fun-loving geek living in downtown Toronto, Canada. He’s an avid TV buff, movie fan, and gamer. He’s written for publications like Entertainment Weekly’s The Community, Virgin, TV Fanatic, FANDOM, The Young Folks, and his blog, City Boy Geekiness.
