‘The Traitors’ Season 4 Episodes 4-5 review: Aggressive gameplay hinders the group

Ding dong, the frustration is gone! Peacock’s The Traitors Season 4 will breathe a sigh of relief now that it banished one of its biggest impediments. Michael’s aggressive gameplay style drowned out every noise in the game, essentially holding it hostage until he left. As mentioned in the season premiere review, The Traitors will be better off once he’s gone. But all is still not well in the world of cloaks and chaos on “Cut the Head off the Snake” and “If You’re Gonna Come for Me, I’ll Finish You.”

A group in jeopardy.

The biggest problem of The Traitors Season 4 is a ‘Faithfuls’ issue. Besides deducing Donna Kelce’s obvious Traitor quality, the Faithfuls blindly shoot accusations in every direction with no insight. Sure, that helps to process and eliminate potential targets. However, if the loudest voices force their will in the manor, their opinion dictates the next step.

Episodes 4 & 5, like the previous episodes, are another tale of Colton forcing the group to follow his plan, while Ron and Michael seed doubt within the group. This tone chips away at the fun from the season premiere and paints a troubling picture for the future of The Traitors Season 4. Does it look like the Faithfuls will snag a win this time? It’s less likely as the rounds go by. Rob R., Lisa, and Candiace showed a stronger sense of team unity as Traitors vs. this year’s group of Faithfuls.

Set fire to my name.

I love how the missions during “Cut the Head off the Snake” and “If You’re Gonna Come for Me, I’ll Finish You” are two halves of the same coin. Both missions involve trust and team unity, determining if self-preservation is worth more than the group. The flaming spears during Episode 4 shine thanks to their direct ruthlessness. Every time the group speared a statue and marked someone for death, you could feel the tension rising. These simple elements make The Traitors cutthroat and alluring; you’re never prepared for why a player is marked for death.

Would you have taken one of the hidden shields in the fountain mission? It’s a moral dilemma of whether to prioritize your safety vs. ensuring the group’s safety. “If You’re Gonna Come for Me, I’ll Finish You” did a great job exposing which players are self-interested. And yet again, The Traitors succeeds with simple elements like this that shake up the game (e.g., dangling shield opportunities in front of everyone).

Colton’s urge to grab another shield is no surprise – he’s an aggressive and no-nonsense gameplayer. Though, let’s keep our eyes on Dorinda and Natalie. Natalie is a strong gamer; she’s won Survivor, so she knows how to play relationship-heavy games. Dorinda, on the other hand, has a lot to prove after dying first during The Traitors Season 3. You can see the fire to win in her eyes; we can’t ignore her inner gameplayer is growing.

Death takes a Housewife.

Four players left the manor in this batch of double episodes. I never expected Caroline and Monét X Change to be the Traitor kills. These killings confirmed our Traitors theory of them prioritizing murders that cause chaos and uncertainty. This is a great strategy because it keeps them under the radar. None of the Faithful connected the kills to any Traitor, or deduced a reason why they’ve been killed.

Caroline is a part of The Real Housewives sisterhood; they band together and protect one another. After Porsha was banished, no one (besides Ron and Colton) campaigned for a Housewife to be ousted. Caroline’s death keeps that narrative going strong, because who would think that either Lisa or Candiace would want to see a Housewife die next? It goes against their best interests.

Meanwhile, Monét’s murder is a great strategic play by the Traitors to cut the rumor mill. Monét is a talker; they would’ve shared their doubts about Lisa with other Faithfuls. Lisa is suspected already of being a Traitor; cutting a potential threat this early bought her extra time. Unlike The Traitors Season 3, these Traitors learned their lesson to cut out the talkers before it bites them in the butt. Claps all around to them!

Yelling doesn’t make you look innocent.

Between both roundtables, Tiffany’s banishment is the more heartbreaking and frustrating one. We’ve gone into depth before about how Michael’s loud, aggressive, and one-track mind created an uncomfortable environment. He is so sure of his opinions and feelings that he barrels through every conversation, expecting that yelling will change everyone’s mind. Unfortunately, his communication style gives no room for clarity or understanding. For instance, he didn’t intentionally use Colton’s sexuality and being in the closet as a reason for suspicion, but his choice of words and tough demeanor imply a nefarious action.

Michael could have survived had he calmed down and listened to his fellow players. Ron, while not being a Traitor, is a suspicious player due to his inability to learn about his fellow players. And Michael has a strong case against Colton and Eric; both of their actions and “evidence” seal Tiffany’s fate. A savvier and more capable player uses those elements to steer the group in another direction. Michael is a wildfire of energy that hinders the group around him; The Traitors isn’t the game for him and his gameplay style.

Cut off from help.

Speaking of Tiffany, Colton, and Eric, was anyone else uncomfortable by how ruthless and messy this banishment became? It’s one thing to make a case for someone’s banishment, but it’s another to seal someone’s fate aggressively. Colton’s gameplay style is the other side of Michael’s coin. Whereas Michael is loud and volatile, Colton is quietly domineering and aggressive. He develops a theory and puts all his energy into painting his picture, regardless of evidence and the group’s target. Colton makes a big shot, hammering it in to everyone to follow his path.

Tiffany’s banishment is more representative of Colton’s messy move than it is Eric’s. By the time of the roundtable, her name is the one on the chopping block; Eric’s revelation of hearing a Traitor’s laugh isn’t the main cause. Colton does all the legwork beforehand to banish Tiffany. There’s no proper way to play The Traitors, and the group can vote whomever they want out.

From an episode and gameplay standpoint, “Cut the Head off the Snake” exposes a negative aspect of The Traitors’ groupthink. Tiffany never has a chance to save herself because one player aggressively maneuvers a strike against them, and a second gives the ammunition to finish it. This mentality restricts and boxes players into a corner. The players of The Traitors Season 4 should start thinking for themselves. Blindly following the loudest voices leads them to harm, and Colton’s style of gameplay isn’t fun to watch either, especially when they’re on the wrong path.

Overall.

“Cut the Head off the Snake” and “If You’re Gonna Come for Me, I’ll Finish You” are a roller coaster of energy in this two-episode block. The group experiences the highs of winning money and shields, but it hits new lows when the tensions disrupt the manor. Thankfully, Michael’s chaotic gameplay is leaving the game, freeing up others to take center stage in discussions. However, a few shocking deaths and banishments dripped with the blood of backstabs and groupthink. Let’s cross our fingers for the remainder of the season to course-correct into a more upbeat experience.

The Traitors airs new episodes on Thursdays on Peacock.

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Images courtesy of Peacock. Read more articles by Justin Carreiro here.