‘The Traitors’ Season 4 Episode 8 review: “A Queen Never Comes Off Her Throne”

Another fallen Traitor, and another Traitor-on-Traitor bloodshed. The Traitors Season 4 Episode 8 on Peacock delivers all the drama. “A Queen Never Comes Off Her Throne” is the long-awaited battle between Rob R. and Candiace, the climax to this brewing 3-episode arc. After Rob betrayed Lisa, fans of The Traitors eagerly prepared themselves for the chaos that would inevitably be unleashed in the castle. “A Queen Never Comes Off Her Throne” meets that expectation, albeit with a sad banishment as its payment.

Treachery on a Traitor.

There is no healing between Candiace and Rob, right? Take away the outcome of “A Queen Never Comes Off Her Throne”; the elimination is still fate. No number of conversations or trust exercises could help them get back to the season premiere. Rob was right not to throw his game away to protect Lisa as there was too much suspicion on her at the last round table. However, Candiace is more than right that Rob shouldn’t be leading the vote. He’s putting himself out there and betraying his allies. He’s just as culpable as Colton for steering the vote toward Lisa.

The final nail in the coffin is not telling Candiace that Colton mentioned her name. The tension in the study is thick and awkward. If she could burst him into flames from her anger alone, let alone her stare, Candiace would’ve become the perfect Stephen King character. The Traitors is an incredible franchise in part due to its strong gameplay, murder-mystery paranoia, and juicy character moments.

Rob betrays Candiace in a move that feels like a life-or-death chess match. Each Traitor makes a play that sinks their ships one stab at a time. It’ll be a miracle if he can slip back into the background. All someone needs to do is question why Candiace pushed the vote onto him; it’s a classic Traitor-on-Traitor battle that destroys all. Rob won the battle, but we’ll see if his betrayals lose to Lisa and Candiace’s war.

To kill or be killed?

The Traitors killing Colton isn’t the worst move. Specifically, it’s best for Candiace’s POV. Colton is a polarizing Faithful who steamrolls every vote toward his target. He’s successfully led the vote on Donna and Lisa, but he’s failed more on Porsha, Tiffany, Michael, and Ron. Sure, he has plenty of suspicion on him from those failures, but he influences the castle. Other Faithfuls listen to him – that’s a dangerous quality in this game. Taking that element out allows the Traitors to push the narrative in any direction they want.

But the two most important reasons for his murder are to remove the safety net. On one hand, you have Colton, the person who successfully pushed the vote on two Traitor banishments. On the other hand, you have Colton, Rob’s BFF, the person who schemes and plots with a Traitor to fulfill his plans. Both elements together are a recipe for disaster, creating a strong and dangerous Faithful who could easily win the game for himself or his Traitor ally.

It’s to the betterment of Candiace and the other Faithfuls for Colton to be eliminated. There’s no guarantee the Faithfuls would’ve voted him out eventually. These Faithfuls change their minds so often that one accusation could blow them in a different direction. Candiace and Rob need to be the ones to do it.

A work of art.

The painting mission is another fun and simple game for The Traitors. At the end of the day, it’s all down to the castle group and their interpretation of the photos. The group debating whether Eric looks like a crying baby or a pig’s head isn’t changing any gameplay strategy. “A Queen Never Comes Off Her Throne” is more of a money mission than a game-changing essential.

Though Faithfuls still make the same mistakes when selecting groups. Haven’t they learned by now that, when allowed to pick a smaller team, there’s a chance to find a shield? This happens on The Traitors all the time, including international franchises like The Traitors U.K. and The Traitors Canada. It’s a better strategy to be selected; that way, you’re on the inside track to search and be involved. Kudos to Kristen for spotting the clues and finding the shield! She knows what to look out for – she might be a strong yet silent threat lurking in the wings.

Another one bites the dust.

As mentioned above, it’s fate that a Traitor gets banished here. “A Queen Never Comes Off Her Throne” is the culmination of the brewing war in the Traitors’ turret – it’s either Candiace or Rob at this point.  Her fate isn’t solely due to the rogue vote on Rob. It’s an easy solution the group uses to justify their vote, but there’s more nuance to it.

Candiace falls into the same Traitor category as Phaedra (The Traitors Season 2) or Coco (The Traitors Canada Season 3). She’s a smart and cunning Traitor, who builds strong relationships and becomes well-liked in the castle. And in all three cases, they’re betrayed so boldly by one of their own. Candiace fits the role archetype of someone who blends into the group, yet stands out so well that no one considers her a Traitor. It’s in that quality that makes her a perfect Traitor. All anyone has to do is poke holes in her consistency to question whether she’s being truthful.

If Candiace had discussed Rob’s change-up (i.e., leading the vote on Lisa), she could’ve painted a stronger case against him. Her final words shine a bright light, but it’s obvious the group has its sights set on her. There’s nothing she can do to survive – this is a closed and shut roundtable, unfortunately. Candiace has the potential to be a great Traitor; her falling into a Traitor war overshadows the moves she needs to make.

A deadly offer.

It makes no sense that Rob is blackmailing Eric. Eric, the same man who got Tiffany’s laugh wrong? And now guesses Johnny’s handwriting wrong?

Don’t get me wrong, Eric is a lovely person, and he’s so fun and lighthearted on The Traitors Season 4. But as a Traitor, he’ll either crash and burn quickly, or he’ll ruin Rob’s game in the process. Eric is an obvious Faithful, someone the group completely trusts with their innocence. Rob might be banking on Eric’s trustworthiness to get the Faithfuls not to suspect him, which he’ll need for the finals. However, he’s more suspicious than Eric; the group will likely banish him first before turning any sights on Eric.

Even if the Faithfuls decide to banish Eric first, they’ll never believe he’s an original Traitor. Eric gives Traitor recruitment energy. This is a messy move for Rob, one that could come with questionable consequences.

Overall.

“A Queen Never Comes Off Her Throne” is an episode defined by its build-up. From the turret to the banishment, Rob and Candiace’s story encapsulates everything. While the drama doesn’t match the heated highs of Phaedra vs. Dan or The Traitors Season 3 chaos, this storyline gets its fabulous finish. A tit-for-tat roundtable debate dripping with animosity and calm idle threats. Outside of the storyline, it’s a decent, momentum-filled episode, with surprising decisions and potentially questionable outcomes.

The Traitors airs new episodes on Thursdays on Peacock.

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Images courtesy of Peacock.