The Traitors: New Blood Season 5 Episode 9 is only delaying the inevitable. Joe’s days in the Manor are numbered, but the momentum is dragging on at a snail’s pace. “Playing Chess” is the epitome of a filler episode; one that feels incomplete and stretched from start to finish. Sure, one Faithful got murdered in a poisonous twist, but when you take a step back, it’s hard not to notice that nothing truly happened. “Playing Chess” is light on the gameplay and even lighter on the action, a low moment for The Traitors.
A poison twist.
“Playing Chess” changes up its approach by transitioning right into the poisonous feast. There’s barely any time to process the group banishing Tomica at the previous round table; The Traitors is moving right into the next murder. This fast-paced shift can be exciting, especially if there’s something looming on the horizon to shake up the Faithfuls and Traitors. However, the poison chalice twist is an interesting mechanic in theory, but there are plenty of plotholes that limit its potential.
For example, the big question at hand is: “Why would anyone switch their chalice with anyone else?” The Traitors (Joe & Katie) have to mark someone for death and hope that someone else besides them drinks the chalice. They wouldn’t give themselves the chalice because it would look extremely suspicious that their switch caused the death of someone else. Also, keeping the poison chalice would prevent a Faithful from being murdered. So, that’s already a huge barrier for a Traitor to scheme and switch.
For the Faithfuls, their odds would be better keeping the glass they have. If someone in danger, like Victor, suspects he could be murdered, it’s in his best case to switch his chalice. However, the rest of the Faithfuls wouldn’t switch because he’d most likely be the target and they’ve be murdered inside. Obvious Faithfuls would be better to take the chance of keeping their chalice because there’s nothing benefiting them from taking the risk. Arguably, Joe now looks even more suspicious because he felt confident that Shane didn’t have the poison chalice.
The next victim.
Photo Credit: Euan Cherry/NBC
Morgan being murdered is a strange choice, one that hurts the Traitors in the long-run. She’s caught heat at previous round tables, with some Faithfuls believing she could be a secret Traitor. But more importantly, she actively denied Victor’s ‘Fruitgate’ theory and pushed for him to be banished. Even after Tomica’s banishment, she still suspects Victor. The Traitors could’ve kept her in to deflect and set up another possible target.
If it wasn’t Morgan, there were more 100% Faithfuls that they could’ve picked off instead. Abbey B., Shane, Ben, and Clyde are all obvious Faithfuls that will never get banished. They barely have any suspicions on them, and no one is looking their way. Even Victor and Wyatt are improving in everyone’s eyes, especially since they were pushing the Tomica banishment. Chances are Joe and Katie played the odds that people wouldn’t switch the chalice with Morgan, but “Playing Chess” feels like a wasted murder. The Traitors are stumbling these last few rounds.
Spooky secrets.
The spooky cabin mission is always a favorite for The Traitors franchise. The show loves finding new ways to scare the players, from creepy crawlies to surprise jump scares. And it encourages the group to play for the money and in search of a shield. The mission is a staple and needs to return every season; the cabin has plenty of potential for more chaos.
Photo Credit: Euan Cherry/NBC
The biggest takeaway from “Playing Chess” is that Victor found the shield. The Traitors: New Blood is likely foreshadowing a big surprise in the coming episode. Possibly, Victor will be targeted for murder and he’ll survive thanks to the shield. Victor’s days have been numbered for a while now, but his survival would change everything here. Two outcomes are possible: (1) the group banishes Joe at the next round table, or due to Victor’s survival, we’ll see him or Katie get banished afterwards. This shield could be the ‘Chekhov’s Fun’ of the Traitors imploding once again with a messy round table and murder.
The outcome.
“Playing Chess” is a slow episode for The Traitors, one that doesn’t push the needle for the remaining of the season. The poison chalice twist barely had any stakes, and the mission, while fun and a Traitors classic, merely serves as a foreshadowing tool. This episode is missing the core essence of a well-rounded narrative arc. Granted, we learned a lot more about the remaining players, but by Episode 9, we should already be in the swing of things. Not looking back and dragging things out to fill time.
The Traitors: New Blood airs new episodes on Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC.
REVIEW RATING
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'The Traitors: New Blood' Season 5 Episode 9 - 4/10
4/10
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.
