‘The Traitors’ Season 4 Episode 7 review: “The Black Banquet”

Somewhere, host Alan Cumming is relishing the success of the infamous Black Banquet. Peacock’s The Traitors Season 4, Episode 7 unleashes another murder-in-plain-sight twist upon the castle. While the Traitors surprisingly poison a vocal Faithful, their efforts come at a high cost. “The Black Banquet” is a fateful episode that mixes high tension with heated rivalries, one that electrifies the proceedings. Even though the episode doesn’t fully live up to the hype, “The Black Banquet” still delivers an exciting round.

Deadly jewelry.

The Black Banquet itself only lasts about 15 minutes. You’d expect that the festivities would last the entire round based on the anticipation, but you’d be mistaken. The twist is merely an opportunity for the Traitors to murder in plain sight; a spectacle for the show to get great footage. There’s no problem with that (we love the dramatics!), but now that we’re in the fourth season, guests have become savvy to foreshadowing signs. Look to Rob C. during his tarot-card death—he knew something was afoot! The Traitors should build up every opportunity to get the most amount of action; there’s a world where this twist could’ve imploded due to Faithfuls steering clear of everyone.

The poisoned brooch is a fascinating murder weapon—it’s small yet so in-your-face with its outlandishness. Lisa Rinna does the best job possible with her murder of Yam Yam. The fact that she gets him to fix her brooch is clever—a simple common courtesy that anyone could fall for. I do agree she takes the biggest risk with wearing it. What would the twist look like if Candiace wore it? Or Rob R.? It’s a heavy risk that places the blame on one Traitor if caught, which unfortunately happens here.

Though I love how the poison brooch is balanced with the chaos of the antidote drinks. We’ve chatted in the past about how The Traitors succeeds with small yet impactful game mechanics—the drinks fit into this camp. Two antidotes, 14 suspects, and one minute to decide who drinks them? It’s such delicious chaos, a spark that ignites pure pandemonium. Natalie’s desperation for the antidote will come back to haunt her; self-protection strategies benefit in the short term, but it rubs other guests the wrong way. If the Faithfuls decide they can’t trust her as a team player, they’ll prioritize eliminating an untrustworthy Faithful. Just look at Michael’s and Colton’s recent self-sabotages.

The victim’s last words.

Should Yam Yam be able to accuse Lisa after being murdered? That’s the big question after his death is revealed. Don’t get me wrong, Lisa has plenty of heat on her; Colton’s accusations make her a constant target. But Yam Yam screaming out Lisa’s name and theorizing how she killed him is a muddy gray area. On one hand, the scene is powerful, filled with plenty of paranoia as the Betrayed drags him from the room. It’s the type of shocking reveal that rips you from your comfort zone.

On the other hand, what’s to stop any other banished or murdered guest from blurting out statements? This is a shaky decision that could mess things up in future seasons. Look beyond the confirmation of it all, the outcome of Lisa being a Traitor but at the opportunity itself. The Faithfuls know 100% Yam Yam isn’t a Traitor, so they develop full trust, heeding his words and listening to his theories. It could’ve been anyone he blurts out, but his theory cements and pushes the group’s decision. That’s a lot of power someone wields, especially if they’re no longer in the game. The banished and murdered shouldn’t speak after their identities get revealed—it’s too messy in the long term.

Running up that hill.

The golden rocks mission highlights an issue that many other reality TV shows suffer from. Specifically, the physicality imbalance between the players. Lisa perfectly explains how she, Dorinda, and Candiace have no shot at winning the power because they’re not physically strong or fast enough to climb the hill. Sure, weaker guests can convince others to donate their gold rocks, but the athletic players would’ve collected more by doing the physical climb. It’s a mission that favors physically strong people.

So, it’s no surprise that guests like Colton, Rob R., Natalie, Mark, Stephen, and Eric win the chance at competing for the advantage. And, it’s pointless to care who wins the double-vote dagger; many of them are already in an alliance together. The Traitors should take a page out of Big Brother’s playbook: heed the lesson of imbalanced challenges and make them more equitable. There’s more excitement when you can’t predict who’ll win a challenge, and unsuspecting winners shake up the game in unexpected and exciting ways.

A traitorous fall.

Lisa’s banishment during “The Black Banquet” is an inevitability. Between Colton’s accusations, her suspicious behavior, and now Yam Yam’s theory, the picture paints a dark outcome. There isn’t much room for her to shift the target elsewhere; surviving the Ron vote is already a big accomplishment on its own. Lisa’s time at the castle is a great end to her story. She embraces her role as a Traitor, pushes back against Colton’s threats, and takes the risk every time. She may have lost, but we can applaud her for playing the game.

Do you think Rob R. will regret turning on Lisa? Past Traitors have led roundtable votes to banish a Traitor, in the hopes of building goodwill and protecting themselves. We’ve seen this work well (Cirie from Season 1), and we’ve seen it destroy everything (Dan from Season 2). I agree with the sentiment that Rob shouldn’t sacrifice his game by protecting Lisa; fighting for her would only add suspicion. However, leading the vote is a dangerous position that puts him at the forefront of the retaliation. All roads lead back to Rob.

The biggest wildcard here is Candiace—she is rightfully furious. Her vote for Rob at the roundtable is the perfect chess move, a play that ties their fates together. If Candiace gets banished, a narrative could easily spin that it’s a Traitor-on-Traitor fight. A simple conversation of “Why did Candiace randomly vote for Rob?!” With Lisa being banished, a Candiance elimination would be a second nail in his coffin. Rob needs to caution himself; his overconfidence could be his undoing.

Overall.

“The Black Banquet” delivers its promise of shaking up the castle, with not one but two victims from its gameplay. From its structure, The Traitors serves up a surprising murder and the first truly satisfying Traitor banishment (sorry Donna!) Though with all the anticipation, it’s a shame the elements that did work didn’t expand more. Imagine if the round took place entirely during the Black Banquet?! The paranoia alone could push the guests to play harder and more recklessly. Still, “The Black Banquet” is an enjoyable episode, placing the pieces for some heated gameplay in the rounds to come.

The Traitors airs new episodes on Thursdays on Peacock.

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Images courtesy of Peacock.