John Byrne recaps Sunday's fourth episode of The Traitors Ireland which produced another corpse, a lot of finger-pointing and treachery amongst the traitors. ***Spoilers aplenty***
After the twists and turns on Day 3 – and a gap of five days on the telly – there was a sense that this would be a pivotal day in the contest.
Who had been murdered the night before? The traitors had targeted the trio of Christine, Michele and Faye. But which of them pays the ultimate price this time around?
Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien
First in for breakfast are Katelyn and the prodigal John. He, you might recall, returned to the contest, bringing with him a protective shield that he gave to Katelyn, blissfully unaware that she’s a traitor.
Immediately, she’s pointing a finger at Paudie.
Faye was among the second group to arrive, leaving Christine and Michele in the firing line.
As more people arrive, minds begin to focus on who’s missing. "We’re down to Christine and Paudie," says Faye. Eh, what about Michele?
Andrew’s nervous his dad might be gone. We know better though.
In walks Christine, followed by Paudie.
Watch: The Traitors decide the fate of another Faithful
The penny finally drops: Michele has been murdered. As Katelyn put it the previous night at the traitors’ gathering: "She’s been suffering all day... We will end her suffering."
Michele takes her murder rather well.
Talking to the camera after getting the news she says: "Nobody will ever understand, until you’re in it, how heightened your emotions are, how heightened your mental stress is, and how you play mind games with yourself – never mind the mind games that you’re actually playing."
Ultimately though, she smiles and says: "No regrets. No regrets."
Back at the breakfast table, Faye is already pointing a finger at Linda.
Katelyn, meanwhile, is stirring the pot. And then reveals she had the shield. She’s playing a blinder for breakfast.
"Poor Michele has fallen foul the traitors," says Siobhán when she arrives. Cryptically she adds: "Maybe we can light a candle for her later on."
Time for a mission. Before that, an intermission.
It’s Paudie Time!
Eamon’s got another mission in mind beside the upcoming group one. "My mission now is to get Paudie out of there."
Meanwhile, Paudie talks to his secret son Andrew about the Katelyn affair. "I made a mistake," he says, clearly digging a deeper hole for himself. With his own son!
"She didn’t actually say it to me. I’d heard her. That she mentioned your name."
Watch: Paudie: "I made a mistake...
Andrew’s response? "I’m not lying to you," he said. "When I heard you say that... one of you is lying. My thought was, someone there is suspicious."
Linda, meanwhile, is also getting some attention. Then she tells traitor Eamon that’s she’s gunning for Katelyn. Meanwhile, Eamon’s been planting seeds of doubt about Paudie.
"I think that he is not good with people that are loud," he says. "He’s intimidated by then and he got rid of them all."
Are you still with me? This is getting fierce complicated, so it is.
Thoughts and Prayers
On the way to the mission, poor Mark’s in a car with Paudie and Eamon. "The two people I voted for!"
Elsewhere, fingers continue to conveniently point at people who aren’t sharing a particular car.
But everyone’s been great so far at putting their perceptions aside on missions – and this time the group assemble in a church. Full of people wearing those gold Traitors masks.
Spooky!
"I’m clueless to what this could possibly be," Faye admits.
Then Siobhán begins. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today so that you can seek your fame and fortune.
"This mission requires you to split up into five teams. Each team will enter the church individually, and a member will come and find me in my sanctuary, where I will offer a direction to a riddle within The Book of Legends.
"Should you solve the sacramental secret, you will be led to an item currently being worn by a member of the congregation. If you find the right person, they will give you a piece of gold worth €800. There’s a total of €4,000 up for grabs."
Right. That’s my head officially melted.
The group form teams and we’re off. I’ll avoid details as it’s rather convoluted. And I’m someone who isn’t.
To add to the intrigue (and complications), Christine is offered a protective shield by Siobhán in place of the piece of gold she’s brought in.
"I didn’t know what to do," she admitted. She decides to be a team player and refuses the shield. Will that come back to haunt her overnight when the traitors plot their next murder?
Paudie was next to get directions. Then John. Then Katelyn. This mission was going on forever.
John was the first of those three to get the gold. Then Katelyn. Then Paudie’s group got theirs.
And there were two other groups left, with John and Joanna delegated to have an audience with Siobhan.
They seemed to be inside for an overlong period, causing the others to wonder if there was something going on.
They all got the €800 for the gold – so they said - but doubts were widespread about shields and the like.
Paudie, Pain and Paranoia
As the group reassemble back at Slane Castle, Paudie’s behaviour becomes even more erratic.
"Paudie is on one at the moment," says Eamon. "He can’t be stopped. But he doesn’t know what he’s doing – as usual."
Meanwhile, the discussion is mainly about money or shields and accusations are flying around. The paranoia pot is more the focus than the prize pot.
Meanwhile, Christine is convinced that Paudie will be the main target at tonight’s Round Table.
Ben tells John that Paudie’s "panicking." John smiles. "It’s gettong worse," says the guy who only got back in the game a day before.
Before going into the Round Table, Linda reckons that she’s going to speak her mind tonight.
"I’m feeling very confused about how I’m going to approach this Round Table," she admits. "But I don’t want to go another night where I don’t say my piece about my gut instinct."
Meanwhile, Eamon dreads Katelyn getting the boot and leave him with Paudie in the traitor camp. "I can’t think of anything worse."
You Spin Me Right Round
At the Round Table, Siobhán confirms that no one took up the offer of a shield for the gold. "That puts the total at €17,800. Well done!"
Getting down to brass tacks – the banishment. Eamon’s first on the defence. He’s sooo good at being reasonable and making himself look like a faithful.
That’s the game folks.
Then John goes for Linda. "You said it too early today – it's going to be Michele."
Very reasonably, she replies: "Why would I put such a dangerous assortation out there, if I were a traitor?"
Then Andrew starts accusing her of "compensating", and her comeback is to go for Katelyn. Who actually is a traitor.
But Linda’s clearly in their collective sights.
Ben then goes for Paudie. Eamon sees his opportunity and goes in full throttle.
Katelyn joins in the attack on Paudie.
You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. A treacherous, two-sided traitor’s knife.
Siobhán calls a halt and looks for a count.
Consternation Street
"Andrew," she says. "We’re going to start with you. Who do you think is a traitor – and why?"
"Linda," he replies. "I have to stick with my guns on this one."
Such a pity his guns are pointing in the wrong direction.
Wilkin is next. Another vote for Linda. Faye agrees.
Eamon continues where he left off and votes for Paudie. Tonight’s traitors’ meeting could be a little awkward.
Linda goes for Katelyn. Then Vanessa picks Paudie. This could get interesting . . .
Ben makes it interesting. It’s Linda 3, Paudie 3.
Then Katelyn twists the knife in Paudie’s back.
Mark’s next. Would he vote for Paudie again? Of course he would! 5-3.
Oyin keeps Eamon in her sights with her vote.
Joanna turns the tide again by nailing Linda. Patrick also votes for Linda and feels she "can’t handle the pressure of being a traitor."
Yeah? That’s because she's not a traitor!
Watch: It's the end of the road for Linda
Kelley puts Linda back in front of Paudie, who then votes for Patrick.
Amy’s next. More bad news for Linda. Nick then puts her three ahead.
All Linda needs now is John, who nailed his colours to the mast right at the start.
The final vote from Christine is irrelevant, but she goes for Linda as well. Ten votes seal her fate.
They’re not too bright, these faithful. Another one of their own gets banished on a night when traitor Paudie was put on a plate for them.
When Siobhán calls Linda up to be banished, she tells the group: "You might wonder why I’m smiling . . . I had a ball with you guys. You’re phenomenal. But I would urge you to look where you haven’t been looking . . . I hate to say it guys, I’m a faithful."
"All you’ve done is talk, and banish faithful," says Siobhán. "The traitors are running rings around you."
Afterwards, there’s an element of self-pity, but Andrew is having other thoughts.
"At the Round Table, my dad was very defensive," he said. "To me, that’s a red flag."
Still, we have that awkward traitors meet-up to come. That should be the craic.
Paudie Fears Two
Paudie meets his fellow traitors who had just thrown him under the Round Table bus. He demands the floor first.
"This game is not personal," he says. "I’m not stupid. I know that. But I do think you owe me an explanation."
Eamon: "At breakfast, and all day, the only name that was coming was you. So what am I supposed to do, all day? Try and fight fires for ya? I can’t."
Watch: Tensions are raised amongst the Traitors
Things get tetchy between them.
"You’re going to be banished," says Katelyn to Paudie. "Because you won’t let anybody speak."
They eventually get down to business. Who should be murdered? "Faye," says Paudie.
"What about Nick?" says Eamon. Katelyn’s not having that.
"What about John?" says Eamon.
Then Katelyn mentions Andrew...
The Traitors Ireland continues every Sunday at 9:30pm, Monday and Tuesday at 9:35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, followed directly by The Traitors Ireland: Uncloaked
