Sometimes it's fun to see adults behaving like children. I'm not talking about a grown man in a business suit finger painting the walls; I'm talking about a group of men and women who commit themselves completely to an elaborate fantasy scenario, treating it as a serious matter of life and death in the way that only engaged children on the playground can. Unlike the Peacock reality contestants. The traitorsthe kids don't play for a cash prize… but the atmosphere is pretty much the same.
The traitors just concluded its second season, with a very dramatic finale and a reunion special, and I'm here to sing its praises, after word of mouth prompted me to watch season 2. Yes, it's essentially just the party game from Werewolf or Mafia. , is played in a beautiful Scottish castle, but when you play Wolfman with your friends or colleagues, Alan Cumming is not there to narrate while he uses something. fabulous.
The presence of Alan Cumming is a huge factor in the success of this series, as the veteran star of stage and screen leans heavily on his Scottish heritage for both his fashion choices (not so many kilts as you'd expect, but certainly more than a few!) and his incredible line delivery. What Cumming earns for hosting this series, he more than earns with every utterance of the word “murrrrrrderrrrrrrr.” (Yes, with so many Rs.)
But the delights of The traitors extend beyond the multisyllabic utterance of its host. If you're not familiar with the series, the basic idea is this: The traitors Season 2 began with 22 players, most of them serving as Faithful, with a few designated as Traitors in the first episode. They all work collectively to earn money through various absurd challenges while the Faithful try to discover who the Traitors are among them; those designated as Traitors go to great lengths to keep their true nature secret, while occasionally “killing” potential threats.
Players are eliminated through “assassination” or banishment, which occurs after enough faithful vote on them as traitors, whether they actually are one or not. are Traitors. With alarming frequency, the Faithful in Season 2 banished suspected traitors who were actually innocent. TO batch of mistakes were made.
part of appreciating The traitorsFor me, it goes back to growing up watching Nickelodeon shows like Double challenge and Wild and crazy children, where people threw themselves into physical challenges and often came out on the other side muddy and/or wet and/or covered in other substances. Although, honestly, the physical challenges shown in The traitors Season 2 was often too convoluted or lacking momentum to remain engaging. He real the fun was in the backstabbing.
The cast of season 2 of The traitorsUnlike season 1, it consisted entirely of reality TV alumni, with the perhaps unexpected result that divisions and cliques formed almost immediately among those from “drama” series such as real housewives and other Bravo shows, and the “gamers” of series like Survivor and Eldest brother. (Where does Peter Weber, a former Bachelor, fit into the mix? That's actually one of the biggest surprises of the season!)
No nuance intended for an entire subgenre of reality TV, but before watching it The traitors Season 2, I couldn't tell you the full name of any Real Housewife. However, quickly into the season, I became a devoted fan of Phaedra (whose last name is Parks, I now know, because I looked it up). Looking flawless in her giant skins, Phaedra was the most impressive of the Traitors this season; For fear of spoilers, I won't go into further detail, but the fact that Phaedra becomes one of the most compelling figures on the show is the appeal of The traitors In short: an unexpected contender who becomes a ruthless figure.
Due to their veteran status, all players have a certain level of cunning when it comes to gaming: the game of being on camera and talking shit about other people, at the very least. As evidenced by the Season 2 reunion special, there were more hurt feelings than you might expect, and there's a final twist that feels a little more personal for the players involved. But most of the people involved seem to have a solid understanding of how ridiculous the whole operation is and accept it at that level.
The second season is now complete and it is a pleasure to watch. The traitors Honestly, it's a superior experience, as the episode structure often leads to almost annoying cliffhangers. And you want to avoid that hassle because otherwise this is the kind of show that is a real mental escape, the solution to a stressful day rather than the cause of more tension. While the premise of the show is based on the idea of life and death at stake, it's the furthest thing from that, and maybe that's the magic that makes it work. They're adults playing a deeply unserious game very seriously, and that's what makes it great.
The traitors Season 2 is streaming now on Peacock.
thanks to our partners at consequence.net
